Picard’s Seven of Nine & Sidney La Forge Are A Great Next Generation Surprise

Star Trek: Picard season 3 revealed a surprising friendship between Seven of Nine and Sidney La Forge that gives a boost to both characters.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 3 – “Seventeen Seconds”Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 3 is full of surprises, and a great one is the unexpected friendship of Commander Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and Ensign Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut). The USS Titan-A is in dire straits in Picard season 3’s third episode, “Seventeen Seconds,” as it is stalked throughout the Ryton Nebula by the Shrike, the heavily-armed starship of Captain Vadic (Amanda Plummer). Meanwhile, there’s chaos on the bridge as Captain Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) took command after Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) was seriously injured.

Along with being a Star Trek: The Next Generation reunion, Star Trek: Picard season 3 is also designed to pass the torch from TNG to its next generation. For Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), his next generation comes in the form of Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), the adult son with Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) he never knew he had. Meanwhile, the Titan is piloted by helmsman Sidney La Forge, who is the daughter of Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) and part of the TNG legacy. But Picard season 3’s ‘next generation’ isn’t limited to blood-related offspring, as evidenced by the surprising bond between Seven of Nine and Sidney La Forge.

Related: Picard Season 3 Made Raffi More Tragic (Can Worf Redeem Her?)

Why Seven Of Nine & Sidney La Forge Are A Great Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Next Generation Surprise

After she was relieved of her watch, Sidney La Forge made a bee-line to Seven of Nine’s quarters in Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 3, where she gave her First Officer a pep talk that Seven quipped “sounds rehearsed.” Seven was confined to her quarters for insubordination by Captain Shaw, and she was isolated from Picard and Riker. But Sidney visiting Seven showed that there’s a connection between the two that hadn’t been evident in Picard season 3 thus far, although there were subtle hints that Seven thought highly of the Titan’s helmsman. Sidney sweetly reassured Seven that her father, Geordi, would admire how Seven stood by her friends, Riker and Picard.

Star Trek: Picard season 3 revealing that Seven and Sidney are friends is a savvy move that further connects the legacies of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager. Both Sidney and Seven are connected to Starfleet legends, Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Geordi La Forge, respectively, and they have a lot in common as continuations of those legacies. Sidney calling her First Officer “Commander Seven” also shows she understands how hurtful it is that Captain Shaw dead names Seven by insisting she goes by the name Annika Hansen. It’s a lovely human touch that shows Seven is more connected to and admired by her crew than perhaps she realizes.

Picard Season 3 Completes Seven Of Nine’s Starfleet Evolution

Seven of Nine is clearly struggling with whether she made the right choice in joining Starfleet when Star Trek: Picard season 3 begins. Seven of Nine in Starfleet has been an expectation since she was part of Star Trek: Voyager, both in-universe and by audiences. Yet Seven doesn’t automatically fit in Starfleet, and her inherent fear has always been that she doesn’t belong anywhere as a reclaimed Borg. Life on the Titan evidently hasn’t been a smooth transition for Seven as she and Captain Shaw were already cold to each other even before Admiral Picard and Captain Riker came aboard.

Seven of Nine has been guided by the TNG era’s greatest Starfleet officers since her introduction, first Janeway on Voyager and now Picard. But in the early 25th century of Star Trek: Picard season 3, Seven is now vastly experienced in her own right, having spent years as part of the Fenris Rangers prior to joining Picard and then Starfleet. Seven of Nine can be an excellent mentor herself, and it’s already begun with Sidney La Forge. In Sidney, Seven has a talented young Ensign who understands the burden or legacy and the desire to forge one’s own path. Seven and Sidney’s friendship is an exciting example of Star Trek: Picard season 3 passing the torch to the next generation in an unexpected way.

More: Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 3 Ending Explained

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 streams Thursdays on Paramount+