Star Trek was snubbed pretty hard by the Emmys in 2023, and while that awards show hasn't historically shown love to the franchise, other award shows took notice of the big year it had. Star Trek: Picard Season 3 earned seven nominations for the third annual Astra Awards and ended up winning two of the categories. This included Jeri Ryan, who won Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Streaming Series for her role as Seven of Nine, and her acceptance speech had me in my feelings.
While Star Trek: Picard Season 3 was in large part a reunion for The Next Generation crew, it was also a long-awaited redemption arc for Jeri Ryan's Seven of Nine. The series finale put the character in command of the Enterprise G, and with the keys to the kingdom in future adventures alongside Picard and Beverly's son, Jack Crusher. Fans loved Seven's evolution as a character, and apparently the powers-that-be at the Astra Awards felt the same way. Here's what Ryan had to say when she took the stage to accept her award:
Thank you so much. Thank you to the ACA, thank you. My God, I'm in awe of all the other nominees in this category. It's not often you get to revisit the same character twenty years later, and she's even more fun and even cooler then. And for that, I have to thank our fearless leader, Terry Matalas, who wrote us the most beautiful stories and the most beautiful character development. And our amazing team of writers, and my fellow actors, it was so fun going to work and playing with my friends every day. My husband, Christophe, I love you, thank you. And my amazing family, and my team, Kyle, Ro, and Steven. I love you guys thank you for everything. And thank you so much.
Those who watched Star Trek: Picard Season 3 with a Paramount+ subscription know that Jeri Ryan has come a long way since her first outing as Seven of Nine. Ryan told CinemaBlend that her time on Voyager was a "tough four years," and that returning to play Seven in Picard helped give her a better appreciation for the character. I knew when I spoke to her that she liked the fresh direction in which Picard took her character, so I would assume the feeling of receiving an award for it had to be very emotional for her.
It's one thing to talk about the speech, but it's quite another to see it. Watch Jeri Ryan accept her award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Streaming Series and tell me watching that doesn't bring a tear to your eye:
As mentioned, Ryan was not the only recipient of an award from the Star Trek: Picard crew. Showrunner Terry Matalas also won for Best Writing in a Streaming Drama Series, which was for his work on the Season 3 finale "The Last Generation." Matalas set the stage for a follow-up in said finale, but despite Paramount being aware about the constant calls for Star Trek: Legacy, we still haven't heard anything about a potential continuation.
Perhaps with more awards, some announcements might be made about a follow-up sooner rather than later. Until then, there are plenty of upcoming Star Trek shows on the docket, so fans will have content to look forward to.
Star Trek: Picard is available to stream in its entirety over on Paramount+. With the recent announcement that Patrick Stewart is apparently in talks for another Picard movie, this series may end up being required to watch ahead of time.
