Outsiders - Seven of Nine

I've decided to do a series of portraits based on characters from four of the six Star Trek series (excluding The Animated Series and Enterprise). I'm calling this series The Outsiders. The characters are those that represent the strange, foreign, alien, and yet, in their own ways, fully embody humanity.

This series not only affords me the opportunity to draw portraits of some of my favorite Star Trek characters, it also serves as my own personal little tribute to Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett, whose creations have influenced my life so much. May they float in peace.

Here we are at last at the final outsider, Seven of Nine. I find her story to be similar to that of Odo. She came from the Borg, who, like the founders, were a massive group that demanded unity and domination over all others. The Borg differ, however, in that they are made up of countless species, assimilated into the Collective. Seven was assimilated as a child, so when she was removed from the Collective, she had a hard time remembering how to be an individual. Humanity is, I think, rooted in individuality, so even though, of all the outsiders, Seven is technically the only one who is human, she is perhaps the most alien. Her memory of being human is completely lost among the voices of the Collective. Though she first rejected the idea of individuality, she came to strive for it. Like Data's constant drive to be human, Seven's struggle in itself makes her an individual, and human.

First time drawing Seven. I just hope I did Jerry Ryan justice. There are quite a few beautiful women in Voyager, but Seven takes the cake. This drawing took the most time to complete. Amid preparing for finals and coming home exhausted every day, I wasn't sure if I'd ever finish this series. But here we are. I love it when I set a goal for myself and actually accomplish it. Final thoughts... exploring the duality of humanity and the alien has given me a lot to think about, and taught me a few things about myself. Plus, I feel I've gained a lot of technical experience with CS3. ^^

Star Trek is (c) Gene Roddenberry
Voyager and Seven of Nine are (c) Paramount