Summary
InStar Trek: Deep Space Nine, Nana Visitor’s Major Kira Nerys is the Bajoran First Officer to Starfleet’s Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks). Originally,Star Trek: Deep Space Ninewas supposed to featureStar Trek: The Next Generation’sLieutenant Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes)asDS9’s first officer. When Forbes declined to return toStar Trekas a lead character,Major Kira Nerys, a new Bajoran character, was created forStar Trek: Deep Space Nine. Far more than a substitute for Ro, Major Kira’s status as a former freedom fighter (or terrorist, depending on your definition) meant Kira had no ties to Starfleet, and a contrasting perspective that madeDS9better.
AsStar Trekaliens go, Bajorans are defined by their faith, which may seem paradoxical for a series that openly espouses secular humanist philosophy, butStar Trek: Deep Space Nineis, at its heart, aStar Trekthat truly latches on to the beauty of diversity. TheBajoran religionplays a big role in Bajor’s development and Kira Nerys is undoubtedly one of the devout followers of the Prophets. Kira’s faith extends beyond religion, however, asKira repeatedly demonstrates that her faith is in Bajor itself:in its people, its natural beauty, and its ability to withstand untold hardships. Nana Visitor’s Major Kira Nerys embraces all these qualities and more.
Major Kira’s Best Star Trek DS9 Episodes
A breakthrough Bajoran hero, Major Kira Nerys' arc in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was one of the most nuanced in all of Star Trek.
Nana Visitor Played Major Kira Nerys On Star Trek: DS9
Nana played a Star Trek female character unlike any other
Nana Visitor’s Major Kira Nerys onStar Trek: Deep Space Ninewas a refreshingly complexStar Trekcharacter who served asDS9’s First Officerand the official liaison between Bajor and Starfleet, shortly after Bajor gained independence from the Cardassians in the 2370s. Rather than a straight-laced Starfleet type,Major Kira was headstrong, opinionated, and seemingly fearless, due to Kira’s traumatic past living under Cardassian oppressionand the long fight against that rule. Kira was essential as a tactician and leader during the Dominion War, and was promoted to Colonel in 2375. After Captain Benjamin Sisko ascended to join the Prophets as Bajor’s Emissary, Colonel Kira assumed command of DS9.
Captain Benjamin Sisko had specifically requested a Bajoran First Officer to keep Bajor’s best interests at heart, as the Federation oversaw Bajor’s transition to a self-governed planet.
Best known for her work as Major Kira Nerys onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine, Nana Visitor is a prolific working actor with roles in numerous television shows, both before and afterDeep Space Nine.Visitor’s broad range is evident in her genre-spanning work,with minor and guest-starring roles in sitcoms, procedurals, action series, soap operas, and, of course, science fiction series. Visitor’s sci-fi work includesThe Outer Limits(1998), Dark Angel(2001),Battlestar Galactica(2008),Torchwood(2011), and the video gameStarfield(2023), among others. As a series regular, Nana Visitor played Jean Ritter inDS9executive producer Michael Piller’s teen dramaWildfire, which ran from 2005-2008 on ABC Family.
Nana Visitor reprised her role as Colonel Kira Nerys inStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 3, episode 6, when the USS Cerritos visits Deep Space Nine.
Why Nana Visitor’s Major Kira Was A Revolutionary Star Trek Character
Major Kira broke barriers
Before coming to Deep Space Nine, Nana Visitor’s Major Kira Nerys was a leader in the Shakaar cell of the Bajoran resistance, and an important figure in the revolution that liberated Bajor from Cardassian rule. After earning the rank of Major in the Bajoran militia and being posted to Deep Space Nine,Kira found it difficult to let go of resistance methods or the inherent animosity Kira felt towards Cardassians in general, and Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) in particular. Time, and meeting repentant Cardassians where they were at, healed some of Kira’s wounds, but scars from theCardassian occupation of Bajoralways remained a part of Kira’s character.
Kira’s emotions were strong, visceral, and entirely justified.
Major Kira Nerys was revolutionaryas a new kind of female character, not just forStar Trek, but for women in the 90s whenStar Trek: Deep Space Nineaired. Subverting expectations of stereotypically feminine characters,Kira showed a full spectrum of emotions that included anger, frustration, and grief.It was rare for women to display so-called"ugly"emotions, and rarer still that Kira Nerys wasn’t considered a villain for it. Kira’s emotions were strong, visceral, and entirely justified, given Kira’s horrific past. Despite being an alien, Major Kira was all the more human because of Nana Visitor’s unmatched ability to convey complex emotions, strength, and vulnerability.
Nana Visitor Is Writing A Book About Star Trek’s Women
“Open A Channel: A Woman’s Trek” releases October 2024
Nana Visitor’s book,Open A Channel: A Woman’s Trek,honors all the women ofStar Trekthroughout franchise history by collecting interviews with women involved inStar Trek. Visitor was inspired by Nichelle Nichols' performance as Lt. Nyota Uhura inStar Trek: The Original Series, and Nichols' enduring legacy as an advocate for women in STEM fields, and Black women in particular.By telling the stories ofStar Trek’s women,Open A Channeldescribes the changing environment for women in Hollywood, from challenging 1960s stereotypes, through the waves of feminism that opened doors for women, to the radically diverse casts of 21st-centuryStar Trekshows likeStar Trek: DiscoveryandStar Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Open A Channel: A Woman’s TrekbyStar Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Nana Visitor, is slated for publication in October 2024.
WritingOpen A Channelwas eye-opening forStar Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Nana Visitor. Visitor found herself challenging heuristics that she’d developed to typecast other female characters, likeJeri Ryan’s Seven of NinefromStar Trek: Voyager. Actors and fans who had been deeply influenced byStar Trekshared that the franchise was a touchpoint to return to, time and again, because of the wayStar Trek’swomen were portrayed as multi-faceted, competent, and important in their own stories. As an integral part ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine,Nana Visitor’s Major Kira Nerys was – and still is – emblematic of everything that women ofStar Trekcould be.
