Why Captain Shaw has Seven of Nine as his first officer

Captain Shaw has a clear aversion to Seven of Nine…or at least parts of her on Star Trek: Picard.

And after his recent conversation with Admiral Picard, although, one can’t really call it much of a conversation as it was more of a spewing of anger and bitterness, it’s clear that Captain Shaw (Todd Stashwick) has an aversion to the Borg. It’s understandable after watching so many of his friends and colleagues get killed and/or assimiliated that he wouldn’t want to be around anyone resembling a Borg. Yet, he has Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) serving as his second in command.

In a recent interview, CinemaBlend asked Stashwick why Shaw would work with Seven given his traumatic history at Wolf 359. In Stashwick’s way of thinking, this is a type of immersion therapy that will help him overcome his bias and heal from the trauma of the past. Working with Seven may help him get control of his fear.

"I think subconsciously, there’s some immersion therapy going on. He wants to heal from these wounds. I think, on some level, getting control of his fear and things that worry him. And, maybe overcontrolling. Maybe there’s something about him [being] superior officer to a former Borg that helps his healing process."

Todd Stashwick acknowledges that Captain Shaw needs Seven of Nine on the bridge.

Stashwick says tht he recognizes that Seven is really good at what she does, and despite her recklessness and impulsiveness, he needs a dissenting voice on the bridge. He has shown that he is open to change despite how openly antagonistic he was when Captain Riker and Admiral Picard arrived on the Titan. Of course, now we know that most of that was directed toward Picard because of Wolf 359.

Hopefully, the time Shaw is spending with Seven and the way the two worked together recently will help him work out some of the pain of his past. And he’ll be able to let Seven be Seven instead of Commander Hansen.