9 Characters Who Saved Failing TV Shows

It can be tough getting Star Trek fans to agree on which is the best TV series in the long-running franchise, but one thing's for certain: No one's picking Voyager. It was a pleasant enough sci-fi romp for the most part, but especially in the earlier seasons, there just wasn't much to connect to.

There was no Kirk or Spock or Sisko or Picard to magnetize the audience. (Captain Janeway was interesting, but the writers never had a firm enough grasp on her.) It wasn't until the 4th season the show finally hit on a character that fans could really get on board with, and the ratings spiked accordingly.

Make no mistake, Seven of Nine appeared to be nothing more than fan service when she first arrived on Voyager. Putting Jeri Ryan in a form-fitting catsuit that served no story purpose certainly didn't help that perception.

Yet, the more we saw of her character, the more nuanced and compelling she became. A former enemy of the Federation who suddenly wished to join them, a brainwashed Borg drone slowly recuperating and finding her true self along the way, and a Spock-ian sense of morality? All shoved into a skin-tight uniform?

No wonder she propelled the show through another four seasons and has since become the face of the series.