Star Trek: Picard - What The Borg Queen Looks Like Without The Makeup
Contains spoilers for "Star Trek: Picard" Season 3, Episode 9, "Võx"
The "Star Trek: Picard" series finale, titled "The Last Generation," follows the former crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D in their attempt to save Picard's son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), from the vengeance of the conniving Borg Queen. Though Alice Krige partially reprises her role from "Star Trek: First Contact" when the character first appears one episode prior in Season 3, Episode 9, another actor actually stood in on set in full makeup as the iconic "Star Trek" villain.
Whereas Krige is credited with the Borg Queen's voice, actor Jane Edwina Seymour stood in for the character physically. This means that it was Seymour, and not Krige, who took on the burden of whatever makeup and costuming requirements were required to depict the character. It's unclear why Seymour stepped in as Krige's body double for Episode 9, however, given that the actor's face cannot be seen during her big reveal. Seymour, notably, has worked steadily since 2010, with her longest-running acting stint being on the television series "Nova Vita."
So, while Krige does indeed lend her familiar voice to the Borg Queen between her appearances in "Võx" and "The Last Generation," it's thanks to Jane Edwina Seymour, who physically embodies the "Star Trek" villain, that she comes to life on-screen.
Viewers might recognize Jane Edwina Seymour for her part in the Netflix's You
While Trekkies couldn't see her face when "Võx" first premiered, fans could nevertheless recognize the distinct voice of franchise veteran Alice Krige as the Borg Queen in her first "Star Trek: Picard" appearance. In fact, showrunner Terry Matalas solely credited Krige with the role of the Borg Queen in the final episode of "Star Trek: Picard" Season 3. "It is Alice Krige as the Borg Queen," Matalas said in a Collider interview. "You will see in the finale, though, it is voiced by Alice Krige, but the Borg Queen does not look good when you see her. Janeway did a number on them the last time we saw them, and there's a reason she needs Jack." Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the Queen's run-in during the series finale of "Star Trek: Voyager" does indeed leave the Borg badly damaged, so that may play into Jane Edwina Seymour's presence on set, leaving Seymour the work of physically embodying the damaged villain.
Perhaps the role of Seymour's most familiar to "Picard" viewers is an appearance in the Season 3 premiere of Netflix's drama "You," in which she's simply credited as Slightly Older Punk Lady. Fans curious what the Borg Queen in "Picard" looks like underneath her makeup need look no further than this episode of "You," then, for a glimpse of the "Star Trek" alien's hidden human side.
Seymour is building a body of work as a sci-fi actor
According to Jane Edwina Seymour's resume on her personal website, following her appearances as the Borg Queen in the final two episodes of "Star Trek: Picard," she'll join perhaps the franchise's number one rival in upcoming Disney+ original "Star Wars" series "Ahsoka." Precisely how she'll factor into the show has yet to be detailed, but she refers to the role as recurring. Of course, given the genre, it's entirely possible that she'll once again portray a heavily made-up alien character.
While her career trajectory may currently require makeup and costume-heavy acting work, many of Seymour's roles prior to "Star Trek" are as regular human beings. For instance, she plays therapist Dr. Janet Marconi in the Amazon Prime Video drama "Hand of God." That said, her early filmography includes some genre work too, like the burn-scarred Mistress Helen in a short film titled "Total Awesome Viking Power." With prominent roles in both "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" defining the current chapter of her career, its entirely possible that Seymour may soon be playing less therapists and more monstrous villains.