In Star 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 Nine was supposed to feature Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Lieutenant Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) as DS9‘s first officer. When Forbes declined to return to Star Trek as a lead character, Major Kira Nerys, a new Bajoran character, was created for Star 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 made DS9 better.

As Star Trek aliens go, Bajorans are defined by their faith, which may seem paradoxical for a series that openly espouses secular humanist philosophy, but Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is, at its heart, a Star Trek that truly latches on to the beauty of diversity. The Bajoran religion plays 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, as Kira 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.

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 on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was a refreshingly complex Star Trek character who served as DS9’s First Officer and 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 oppression and 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.

Best known for her work as Major Kira Nerys on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Nana Visitor is a prolific working actor with roles in numerous television shows, both before and after Deep 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 includes The Outer Limits (1998), Dark Angel (2001), Battlestar Galactica (2008), Torchwood (2011), and the video game Starfield (2023), among others. As a series regular, Nana Visitor played Jean Ritter in DS9 executive producer Michael Piller’s teen drama Wildfire, which ran from 2005-2008 on ABC Family.

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 the Cardassian occupation of Bajor always remained a part of Kira’s character.

Major Kira Nerys was revolutionary as a new kind of female character, not just for Star Trek, but for women in the 90s when Star Trek: Deep Space Nine aired. 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 of Star Trek throughout franchise history by collecting interviews with women involved in Star Trek. Visitor was inspired by Nichelle Nichols’ performance as Lt. Nyota Uhura in Star 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 of Star Trek‘s women, Open A Channel describes 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-century Star Trek shows like Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Writing Open A Channel was eye-opening for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s Nana Visitor. Visitor found herself challenging heuristics that she’d developed to typecast other female characters, like Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine from Star Trek: Voyager. Actors and fans who had been deeply influenced by Star Trek shared that the franchise was a touchpoint to return to, time and again, because of the way Star Trek’s women were portrayed as multi-faceted, competent, and important in their own stories. As an integral part of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Nana Visitor’s Major Kira Nerys was — and still is — emblematic of everything that women of Star Trek could be.