WARNING CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS FOR PICARD SEASON 3x01
“Commander Seven”, after years of being mistreated by Starfleet, Seven of Nine finally was bestowed a rank and assigned a post on the USS-Titan. Initially, we were led to believe that this opportunity was going to be a dream come true for Seven, but in the season three premiere it was quickly established that this was far from the case.
For starters, Commander Seven doesn’t even receive respect to her name from her captain. The first time we see her this season is on the Titan and it’s almost immediately revealed that her captain forces her to use her deadname, “Commander Hansen”. Although I’m not a member of the trans community, I would like to acknowledge that many transgender fans were able to connect with Seven’s experience being disrespected in this manner.
Personally, I was able to connect with Seven’s mistreatment as someone who’s been in multiple toxic work environments and have struggled with poor treatment from my superiors. Captain Shaw repeatedly acts hostile and rude to Seven. In addition to repeatedly deadnaming her, he also orders other crew members to do so. Although Captain Shaw’s mistreatment of Seven seems to stem from his Borgphobic views, he also disrespects Captain Riker and Admiral Picard who are well respected in Starfleet. Todd Stashwick does an excellent job making Captain Shaw a character that’s so fun to hate.
People in leadership positions have the responsibility to set the tone for the team. A welcoming leader can create a much more supportive team and in turn, a productive working environment. Unfortunately, this was not the case on the Titan, as Captain Shaw created and escalated a tense environment on his ship. The rest of the Titan crew’s cast, particularly Ensign Laforge, does an excellent job establishing how their captain’s hostile behaviour affects the work environment.
Truly, I’m disappointed for Seven that what seemed like a dream opportunity ended up being a bad experience as I’ve been in similar situations. I can think of multiple occasions, of various sizes, where after hard work and a lot of hope I had what I received an opportunity that I thought was a dream come true. In reality, the work environments ended up being toxic, exploitative and made me feel worthless. The catch was, because I had thought these opportunities were everything I wanted, I was terrified to leave as I had put so much work and energy into getting there. In all of these situations although I felt sick about leaving, the moment I was brave enough to do so, I felt extremely liberated.
If I were able to give advice to Seven, I’d want to give her a big hug and tell her that her captain’s actions are not ok. Then I’d want to encourage her to find a way out, whether that’s a transfer to another ship or leaving Starfleet. What I’ve learned from these situations that I’ve been through and now see reflected in Picard is if something in your environment is not making you feel ok you need to take a step back and figure out why. Once you know what and why something is hurting you, then search for a way to change. Search for a method to improve the situation, but also evaluate the possibility of leaving as a last resort. For a long time I was conditioned to “not be a quitter’ and stick things out to the end, even if they were harming me. Now I’ve grown as a person to realize that sometimes it’s better to simply walk away. However this is not always possible and is an option I rarely resort to.
Whether or not Seven remains in Starfleet and in what capacity remains to be seen in the rest of the season. Perhaps, she’ll return to the Fenris Rangers or join a similar organization. Personally, I’d prefer if Starfleet was able to make amends to Seven. I have doubts that Captain Shaw will survive the season, but regardless, I hope Seven gets transferred to a better work environment, perhaps one where she’s captain.
What do you think of Seven’s experience on the Titan and her treatment with Starfleet? Let me know in the comments or tag @girlofvancouver on social media. Engaging with my content is greatly appreciated, thanks for reading.
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