Summary

• Jonathan Del Arco's photo of Michelle Hurd and Jeri Ryan sparked the romance between Raffi Musiker and Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Picard.
• The love story between Raffi and Seven was not originally planned but was added after Del Arco's photo caught the showrunners' attention.
• Michelle Hurd and Jeri Ryan's chemistry in the photo led to the creation of an unexpected romance storyline in the series.

Star Trek: Picard's Michelle Hurd reveals how the love story between Lt. Commander Raffi Musiker and Jeri Ryan's Seven of Nine came to be. Hurd played the troubled but noble Raffaela "Raffi" Musiker in all three seasons of Picard, and Raffi was the only original character created for the series who was in every season. At the end of Star Trek: Picard season 1, Raffi and Seven were seen holding hands, sparking a romance that was explored in Star Trek: Picard season 2, although their relationship cooled off in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

It turns out Raffi and Seven was a match made by Jonathan Del Arco, who played Hugh, the former Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard season 1. At a Calgary Expo panel hosted by Collider, Michelle Hurd explained that Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker's romance wasn't originally planned, but Del Arco snapping a photo of Hurd and Jeri Ryan together and showing it to Star Trek: Picard's showrunners prior to season 1 led to a love story between Seven and Raffi being added to the show. Read Hurd's quote below:

I believe it was at the San Diego Comic-Con, that same event, which was huge and fantastic. And they had a green room, a space where all the actors and everybody goes to get ready for whatever. And Jeri was in this fantastic red dress. She was absolutely gorgeous, and I was wearing a white Helston jumpsuit, so I didn't look too bad myself. And we’re friends, I adore her, and we were standing together and I kind of put my arm around her waist and I kind of gave her a squeeze. And Jonathan Del Arco, Hugh, [and] Jeri's manager is Jonathan's husband. So we're all friends, with Kyle [Fritz].

So Jonathan was standing over there, and he was like, ‘Oh my God, look at me.’ And so we both just looked at him, and he took a picture. And then, I swear to God, he took that camera, walked right over to our producers, Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, [and] Michael Chabon. We’re all sitting right there, and he said, ‘You guys look at how big these two look together.’

Michelle Hurd continued her story and said that Star Trek: Picard's showrunners immediately approached her and Jeri Ryan and told them, "'Ladies, we have an idea,' and that’s how [Seven and Raffi''s romance] started."

Seven Of Nine & Raffi's Future Depends On Star Trek: Legacy

"Raffi loves Seven," confirms Michelle Hurd

Star Trek: Picard season 3 ended with Captain Seven of Nine in command of the USS Enterprise-G and Commander Raffi Musiker as her First Officer. That setup is rife with dramatic (and comedic) potential, especially as it's the first time a couple is in command of a starship. However, Star Trek: Picard's proposed spinoff, Star Trek: Legacy, has not been greenlit as a series, although there is talk it could instead become a 2-hour Star Trek streaming movie on Paramount+. If Star Trek: Legacy ever happens, Hurd told Calgary Expo via Collider what she'd like to see of Seven and Raffi commanding the Enterprise:

It would be an amazing thing to see that kind of dynamic, to see the respect that each other has to have for each other's space as well as, [some] jealousy[...] I think it would be a phenomenal story. So I can't say for sure whether there's going to be, you know, a white picket fence. But if you're asking Raffi, there’s a white picket fence.

Even if audiences never see Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker together again, Michelle Hurd is confident about how their love story will bear out. Hurd said that she and Jeri Ryan have discussed Raffi and Seven's relationship at length, and Michelle reminded Jeri, "You do understand that Raffi loves Seven, period. End of discussion.’ She will love Seven [until] the end of time." Star Trek: Picard created something special between Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker, but fans can thank Jonathan Del Arco for seeing the vision and snapping the photo that set it all in motion.

Source: Collider

Star Trek: Picard is available to stream on Paramount+