Jeri Ryan’s favorite scene on Voyager was never filmed

Jeri Ryan wasn’t interested in the role of Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Voyager initially because she was concerned about being pigeonholed as a Star Trek actor, known only for that role. She told Huffington Post that it was early in her career, and she didn’t want to kill it. When she finally saw one of the two audition scenes being offered to her, she agreed to audition. Unfortunately, her favorite scene, the one which had attracted her was never shot. The other audition scene, which she hated, was shot and used.

The infamous scene Seven had with Ensign Harry Kim where she tells him to take off his clothes is the one that Ryan absolutely hates. She called the other scene “beautiful,” and it’s understandable why.

"What really got me to do it was one particular audition scene. Well, there were two. One which I absolutely hate, which was the infamous “Harry Kim, take off all your clothes” scene, which, of course, they shot and used. The other one, which they didn’t shoot, was so beautiful. It was Seven and she was with Chakotay, and she has her first experience of laughter. In that scene, I really saw the possibilities of the character. That’s what got me to do it."

After being liberated from the Borg, Seven had a difficult time fitting in and rarely smiled so a scene with her first experience of laughter would have been a growing moment for her. Playing a part with little or no emotion has to be difficult for actors so I would be surprised if most didn’t welcome a break from it.

Though Seven was able to showcase other emotions like annoyance and fear while returning to humanity, letting go and breaking out into laughter for a moment of actual hilarity eluded her unless you count the time when she was inhabited by the doctor in the season 7 episode 7, Body and Soul. Through the doctor, she was able to experience the joys of laughter, but it still would have been better if she had actually been able to feel it herself.