Reg. Seven of Nine's removal from the Collective.

[Killerbee256]

Unfortunately, Voyager just had a Doctor (no specialized psychiatric training) who wanted to sleep with her. Oh, and a hedgehog moral officer, of course.

Did voyager ever even have a ship's counselor? Were they killed off screen in caretaker?

[BunBun299]

I don't think they ever had one. It's mission had just been meant to be a short term one, no need to have a therapist on board for a week long trip.

[TGLS]

I guess Picard's the only captain who needs to be able to hold his therapist's hand while commanding then...

[J!!]

I think the original​ idea with Troi was to show that in Roddenberry's optimistic 24th & ½ century, mental healthcare is sufficiently destigmatized that a ship's councilor is just as important as a ship's doctor. But then the writers kinda sabotaged that by seldom actually having her say or do anything useful. So instead she just sort of hangs out on the bridge because her psychic powers make a useful plot device.

Then when Voyager came about, they just decided to do away with the whole thing. Which is ironic, because of any ship ever needed a councilor, it was Voyager.

[TrueMetis]

I think the original​ idea with Troi was to show that in Roddenberry's optimistic 24th & ½ century, mental healthcare is sufficiently destigmatized that a ship's councilor is just as important as a ship's doctor. But then the writers kinda sabotaged that by seldom actually having her say or do anything useful. So instead she just sort of hangs out on the bridge because her psychic powers make a useful plot device.

Then when Voyager came about, they just decided to do away with the whole thing. Which is ironic, because of any ship ever needed a councilor, it was Voyager.

They also sabotaged it by pretending like enlightened 24th century humans didn't need them anyway "they accept death" and all that crap.

[Revolverman]

Then when Voyager came about, they just decided to do away with the whole thing. Which is ironic, because of any ship ever needed a councilor, it was Voyager.

I dont think Janeway could have ever allowed that. If there was one person being told every fucked up thing that she did to everyone on the crew, that councilor would have walked on the bridge with those oversized phaser rifles Voyager had and just vaporized her right there, knowing she'd never submit to being relieved of duty.

[StrangeDevice]

I don't think they ever had one. It's mission had just been meant to be a short term one, no need to have a therapist on board for a week long trip.

"While we're out here collecting moths, please, tell me about your relationship with your father..."

They also sabotaged it by pretending like enlightened 24th century humans didn't need them anyway "they accept death" and all that crap.

I think that too was done away with not long into the series. The concept of losing people and having it affect the crew comes up in "The Next Phase", "Gambit" and a number of other episodes. The emotional shock is still there, but how they cope with grief is different because of that easy access to mental healthcare and presumably education. Geordi very clearly didn't get over his mother's disappearance, Picard grieves for his immolated brother and nephew, Sisko was still haunted by his wife's death, etc.

There's really no argument to be had, the idea of her being allowed to go back to the Borg Collective is just ridiculous. But of course the whole thing of "You're too fucked in the head to make proper decisions, now go work for us!" isn't exactly smart either.

She couldn't be allowed to go back, but maybe there needed to be a different alternative.

Maybe ask her to be voluntarily committed? I don't think that would've gone down well with Seven, she was under the impression that there wasn't anything wrong with her and, from a certain perspective, that's certainly true. On the other hand, she's also been the subject of a very alien abusive relationship. It's a bit like deprogramming someone who's been a part of a cult, how does one actually go about that?

[J!!]

Voluntarily committed to where? Just drop her off at the first alien psych ward they come across?

Personally, I don't see de-assimilation as being all that different from taking an enemy soldier prisoner. Which makes me wonder: do we ever get to see how the Federation deals with POWs?

[StrangeDevice]

Voluntarily committed to where? Just drop her off at the first alien psych ward they come across?

I'd assume that they'd do the research first. There's evidence enough in the series that they stop off at stations to resupply and reorientate themselves ("Fair Trade", "The Disease", "Survival Instinct", etc.), I expect that they'd find somewhere for her. Assuming of course that she'd want to go in the first place. Voyager's crew were exiles in a foreign land, not too dissimilar from her own predicament and Seven had a single, unabiding fear of being alone.

That's a point that doesn't get raised very often, Seven is at odds with the crew often, but she doesn't choose to abandon them. She could, she's more than capable and yet, she stays. Why? Out of a sense of allegiance or permanency? One of the earliest attempts for her to leave is in "The Raven" and that's to return to the Collective, but again, she chooses to stay and I think that has something to do with her discovery of the Raven and her understated friendship with Tuvok and the EMH.

Personally, I don't see de-assimilation as being all that different from taking an enemy soldier prisoner. Which makes me wonder: do we ever get to see how the Federation deals with POWs?

Except that there is a significant probability that those disconnected from the Collective used to be one of your own, so in many ways, it'd be like recovering an operative who has undergone a higher level of mental conditioning. Most agencies have structures in place designed to "deprogram" friendlies that are turned into enemy combatants for the purposes of information gathering. If nothing else, so you don't have to shoot your friend in the head or send him back to people who would do the same. After all, what's the use of a double-agent whose cover has been blown? The Manchurian Candidate and all the derivatives that flow from that. Personally, I've always seen Seven as Marnie from the film of the same name.

I think Dukat might be the best example of a POW seen in series, although it's hard to say whether his treatment as a political prisoner colours that experience.

[BunBun299]

I think Assimilation by the Borg is considerably worse than any real world experience it is being compared to. They cut off piece of you to install what ever they like, put implants into your brain that completely suppress any sense of self for the rest of your existence. You mind is constantly part of the Collective, and maybe you'll receive the sweet release of death one day to allow the other drones to learn how to adapt to the enemy's weapons. But probably not.

Basically, the only thing worse than assimilation would probably be actually going to hell.

I think recovering as much as Seven of Nine did is nothing short of a minor miracle. It's one thing for Picard or Janeway, who were only Borg for a very short time. Days, before the implants were removed. Seven was a Borg since she was 5 or 6. I really think most people would be beyond help at that point.