The start of Star Trek: Voyager s fourth season (1997) with the brave Borg storyline Scorpion Part 2 marked a serious improvement in the show s behind-the-scenes thinking with the appearance of a uniquely strong female character aboard Voyager. The show s sex appeal was upped in an instant. But actress Jeri Lynn Ryan brings more to Seven of Nine than just a curvaceously well-filled jump-suit. Of all the Trek universe regulars to have sought humanity (Spock, Data), Seven s crossover from the enemy gives her a far more complex backstory. Understandably any focus on her usually dips into that history. This attractive box set collects eight stories arcing across Seasons Four and Five, when her burgeoning efforts at fitting-in are both poignant and humorous.Revulsion is a sweet case of misinterpretation with Harry Kim s boyish crush starting her on-going exploration of The Dating Game. Retrospect contrasts the comedy sharply with an accusation of technological rape. Four back-to-back episodes then bridge the Seasons, and show how important Seven quickly became. One leaves her and the Doctor in charge, Hope and Fear deals with the fool s gold of Ray (Twin Peaks) Wise s super-fast ship ride home, Night has a little fun with the first appearance of the black and white Dr Chaotica, and Drone pits her against an accidentally created Super Borg. The last two episodes in this collection focus on her surrogate Mother role to kid-along-for-the-ride Naomi Wildman. Infinite Regress may be Ryan s finest hour, acting out the personalities of those she assimilated. Then she becomes the voice of reason preventing disaster in Bliss. The real joy of watching the po-faced beauty (after the obvious two!) is seeing how much fun she has stretching the boundaries of the character. These particular episodes demonstrate the actress ability to do just that perfectly. For more proof, see the Dilbert show where she lends voice to a Seven of Nine alarm clock! --Paul Tonks