From the almost the moment they met onboard Voyager, The Doctor (Robert Picardo) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) had a connection. One had to learn to recapture her humanity while The Doctor was trying to find what he never had. The former Borg drone and the hologram began a tenuous friendship, and Star Trek: Voyager writers gave fans just enough to make the pair seemingly meant for each other.
In the fifth season episode, "Someone to Watch Over Me," The Doctor tried to teach Seven of Nine about romance and relationships. And it doesn't take him long to realize he had fallen in love with her, but she didn't feel the same way about him, and the ending of the episode is a bittersweet moment of realization.
Jeri Ryan has previously spoken about how she was sad her character didn't fall for Picardo's and so were a lot of fans. Picardo, however, doesn't feel the same way. In an interview he gave to StarTrek.com, he shared that he didn't think a relationship between the pair would have been appropriate. He doesn't give a specific reason for his thoughts, though.
"Well, first of all, there’s a lot of teasing about them ending up together, but I’m only kidding about that. I think it would not have been appropriate at all, it’s much better to have the audience wish for something than for it to actually happen. I do not wish that we ended up together. "Robert Picardo
Perhaps it was because The Doctor was a mentor to Seven of Nine in a number of ways and certainly a teacher. He had more knowledge about humanity even though he was a computer program, and, in teaching her, he gave himself a position of authority over her. But as a couple, I really think the two of them could have worked. Certainly they could have worked through the awkwardness and uncertainty of finding love while trying to be human.
This romance had the potential for comedy, but it could have also added a good dose of heart to the series. Although Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) and B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) certainly brought the warmth of a solid relationship to Voyager, both The Doctor and Seven of Nine could have given fans a different view of romance, one in which the struggles weren't those of an ordinary couple.
The producers chose not to go down that path, and both characters have moved on. Seven of Nine is now captain of the newly-minted Enterprise, and The Doctor is returning to space with Admiral Janeway as he helps to lead the juvenile crew of the now destroyed Protostar. It's feasible their paths might cross again, though. And who knows? If there's one thing Star Trek gives us, it's infinite possibilities.