Day Twenty-Two: Female Character Meme

[ishtar79]

Day Twenty-Two: Favorite female character you love but everyone else hates: Seven Of Nine




That's a tricky question to answer, I can't think of a character that everybody hates (unless it's, like, Umbridge, but I count myself among everybody). There are characters that are unfairly bashed by canon (Amy from DW, Gwen from TW, any female character that gets in the way of the Holy Slash), but even the more unpopular characters have their share of fans.

Anyway, I picked Seven because I've seen a generally negative attitude towards her from Trek fans, while I think she's simply awesomecakes. The two main complaints I keep running into is that she was a blatant example of fanservice and that she became so central to the show her storylines erased everybody else's. And those criticisms are not exactly wrong. Clearly the corseted catsuit and stiletto heels had more to do with showcasing that Jeri Ryan is a stone cold fox than being a case of Borg sartorial efficiency-I actually laughed the first time I saw her de-Borgified enssemble (though it amuses me than the Doctor is the one who canonically designed it, which is pretty IC for his pervy holographic self). And I did miss seing more of some of the other characters (though really, less screentime for Neelix and Chakotay was a good thing, people!).

However, despite the validity of those issues, it doesn't change the fact that Seven is an awesome character. Her status as a seemingly emotionless outsider and frequent confusion at some of the crew's more human motivations (even as she's attempting to find that humanity within herself) continues a proud Trek tradition of characters like Spock, Data and Odo, and I found the Borg perspective in combination with autonomy and free will much more compelling than their usual “We are the Borg, you will be assimilated.” catchphrase. And finally, finally someone was there who could challenge Janeway without the restriction of respect for the command chain (Tuvok) or being a big dull ball of suck (Chakotay). Their dynamic was why I tuned in every week (though I also enjoyed Seven in those rarer Tuvok or B'Elanna interactions, obviously for different reasons).

And Jeri Ryan may look like every fanboy's wet dream, but the woman can act. While I loved her character, the writing was as uneven as the rest of Voyager (seriously, I love it, but it's not what one might call good), but her performance could salvage even the most cracktastic script. And beyond the high drama and general Borg aloofness thing, she could pull of comedy beautifully. Just check out the episode where she keeps getting possessed by the spirits of assimilated individuals (oh, Voyager!). Her turn as a Vulcan was brilliant and spot-on, but her as a Ferenghi had me in stiches.

For the sake of my sanity, I'm pretending her storyline in the finale didn't happen, la-la-la. Seriously, Voyager writers, if you had to go for the wish-fulfillment of having the hottest woman in the cast end up with a middle-aged guy, at least you could have gone with the Doctor (yes, I shipped them, cheesy opera duets and all).


Day One: Favorite lead female character
Day Two: Favorite supporting female character
Day Three: A female character you hated but grew to love
Day Four: A female character you relate to
Day Five: Favorite female character on a male-driven show
Day Six: Favorite female-driven show
Day Seven: A female character that needs more screen time
Day Eight: Favorite female character in a comedy show
Day Nine: Favorite female character in a drama show
Day Ten: Favorite female character in a scifi/supernatural show
Day Eleven: Favorite female character in a children’s show
Day Twelve: Favorite female character in a movie
Day Thirteen: Favorite female character in a book
Day Fourteen: Favorite older female character
Day Fifteen: Favorite female character growth arc
Day Sixteen: Favorite mother character
Day Seventeen: Favorite warrior female character
Day Eighteen: Favorite non-warrior female character
Day Nineteen: Favorite non-human female character
Day Twenty: Favorite female antagonist
Day Twenty-One: Favorite female character screwed over by canon
Day Twenty-Two: Favorite female character you love but everyone else hates
Day Twenty-Thre: Favorite female platonic relationship
Day Twenty-Four: Favorite female romantic relationship
Day Twenty-Five: Favorite mother/daughter and/or sister relationship
Day Twenty-Six: Favorite classical female character (from pre-20th century literature or mythology or the like)
Day Twenty-Seven: A female character you have extensive personal canon for
Day Twenty-Eight: Favorite female writer (television, books, movies, etc.)
Day Twenty-Nine: A female-centric fic rec
Day Thirty: Whatever you'd like!

Comments

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

I loved 7 of 9 from her first moment on the show... but you're right, I've heard a lot of people complain about her (usually people who didn't watch Voyager and didn't realize how awesome she was). Personally I don't blame the character for becoming central to the story; I think the writers were running out of ideas before she came along and when she did they realized they had a gold mine! She was the quintessential fish out of water (Spock and Data were always favorite characters of mine, and she was definitely in that mold), and she could handle anything they threw at her (you're right, her acting as a Ferenghi was genius).

[mordyn4]

I agree with everything you said. I've seen every ep of TNG, Voyager and DS9 multiple times and I loved her the first time I saw her. She did save the show. Remember how cool her make up was when she was fresh from the borg? Wicked. And yeah, she's like Merlin in terms of having enough power to ignore authority when they want to. Makes shit interesting.

[kryptyd.livejournal.com]

I liked her. I haven't seen all of Voyager by any means, but I cheered in her first few episodes when she was calling into question the righteousness of the Federation. She was great with Janeway.