Why Major Kira Is Actually Deep Space Nine’s Most Complicated Hero

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▶Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
3:20 - “Progress”
10:48 - “Duet”
18:07 - “Necessary Evil”
21:49 - “The Darkness and the Light”
29:57 - Kira and Terrorism (“Defiant”)
31:22 - “Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night”
39:34 - Conclusion
40:37 - Shoutouts, Plugs, and Announcements

#startrek #videoessay #startrek #startrekdeepspacenine

[vijay-c]

Kira was definitely the most complex character - here in the UK, we were still experiencing the troubles during DS9's first run, so having her as a terrorist made me think a very young me a lot about that complex situation too. When you're literally living in a country being bombed by terrorists & you're shown a self declared terrorist in a sympathetic light at the same time, it gets very... complicated.

[itsOasus]

In my opinion, Duet really set the stage quite well for where Kira ended up at the end of the series.

I don't know that you could have Kira aiding the Cardassian Resistance without her showing that first sign of sympathy for poor powerless Aamin Marritza.

And btw major props to Harris Yulin for his portrayal of the character. Some of the most excellent work done for a one off character.

[murkeyhollow]

Another great example of her complexity is the episodes, I believe at the end of the fifth season, when the Dominion recaptures Deep Space Nine at the start of the Dominion War, and Kira remains aboard the station as liaison officer, as a result of Bajor's non-aggression pact with the Dominion. She tries to respect the wishes of Sisko and the Bajorin government by working directly with Dukat and the Dominion to maintain the peace. It takes the suicide protest of a holy woman to make her see she became a collaborator without realizing it.

[happyninja]

"Duet" is hands down, my favorite episode of that show. Bottle episodes like that can often be some of the most amazing examples of acting on the part of the cast. Stripping away all of the special effects, all the technobabble, all the more campy but fun elements of the franchise. And just distilling the episode down to a face to face performance, by a pair of actors, who are giving it their all, in a story with deep emotional pain, anger, and sadness. I love how Kira's mood and reaction to the Cardassian changes multiple times, as she learns new info, has her position questioned, learns the real twist, etc. Just such an amazing performance, from both of them.

That episode is also where I first started really paying attention to what DS 9 was trying to do. How it was planting it's flag on being a show, willing to make some very dark, and emotionally moving stories. And that it had the room to do that, by having a stationary location for the stories. To let them gain roots, and flourish. Prior to Duet, Kira was just "Angry 2nd in Command" trope to me. But Duet gave me a lot more clarity on WHY she is that way. Fantastic work

[AndrewDRed]

There's a good argument to be made for Quark if you ask me.
His religiously rooted misogyny is at constant odds with the strong, skilled and competent women from all walks of life around him.
His capitalism is contrasted by the socialism of the station's custodians.
His cautious self-preservation is repeatedly tested, to the point where on the few occasions he's taken a life on the show, he's visibly shaken by it afterwards.

His conscience is always fighting to make him do the right thing, even when the rest of him resists.

In a lot of ways, he's the same archetypal character as Worf and Kira.


There we go, that's my case for Quark being a complex and complicated hero.

[atticbear]

The Gul Darheel episode is powerful but what always hits me hard in the Kira stories is when she accepts a Cardassian as a father figure. Her emotions both before and after she realizes she will lose him are so impactful when you contextualize them with her past.

[cripplious]

Comfort women were rape victims not collaborators. Collaborators are volunteers in what they do.

[CaptainAndy]

Kira is a good example of how terrorists become terrorists. Not through some inexplicable desire to kill people, but through a lifetime of oppression and desperation.

[maldaror]

Kira would never have been conceived after 911. Amazing, complicated character.

[Poleson]

I think Nans Visitor and the DS9 stunt crew deserve credit for Kira's fight scenes, they were very well executed and many of them still bold up today. I'm sure Nana's dance background helped in this regard.

[hannahlarge]

Kira's probably one of my favourite DS9 characters, she's such a badass.

[BethHasThoughts]

My grandpa was a freedom fighter during the Nazi occupation of Norway. He died when I was very young, as those experiences took an enormous toll on him.

DS9 came on just as I was becoming an adult, and at that time, I know it may be corny to some here, but it helped me understand some of the complexities of his situation.

[lorcannagle]

As someone from a country who owes its independence in part to terrorism and has a complex history with the subject to this day, I really appreciate that Kira never flinches away from what she did. She almost insists on the label "terrorist" instead of the neater, safer "freedom fighter" and while she might regret some of the specific actions she took part in, she fully understands that terrorism as a strategy was the only way to win Bajor's freedom. It's an actual example of Star Trek writing with nuance, compared to, say The High Ground which for all its controversy over daring to mention the IRA was a very milquetoast analysis of terrorism in the end.

[MintyFarts]

Kira's mother wasnt a collaborator. She came to realize she was doing this for her family not herself. She was a sex slave modeled after "comfort women" during ww2 and other wars.

[euansmith]

Marritza pulled a Gul Da'heel turn?
I love how Steve's backdrop shifts his usual room in to a Starship.

[deanthemachine]

Kira is even complicated on the dynamic levels of her personality (you know, like a real person)

-She’s brilliant at war, but terrible at art
-She’s conservative (small c) in regards to religion and general social morals, but not cloistered or xenophobic or even afraid of social changes
-She can be the angriest most deadly person you’ve ever met, but also quick with a laugh and kindness to those in need or whoever she considers friends (in later episodes that even begrudgingly includes Quark)

Kira Nerys and Benjamin Sisko are from the jump are the most fully realized characters on the show in roles that lesser shows could have easily made 2D tropes (angry lady and beleaguered guy just trying to make a bad situation work)

[Jeremy-]

Kira is my favorite character from Trek in general. Her willingness to throw everything behind seemingly lost causes and win has inspired me since I was a child.

[reyperry]

So Marritza made a real Darhe'el turn, eh?

[Confession, Steve: I'm not a wrestling fan. I actually kinda hate it. I only knew about the Dusty Rhodes promo because you riffed on it in your Writers Strike video. But I'm struggling with major depression (colonel depression in the final season) and your shout out was a real shot in the arm. So thanks. (I think I just broke kayfabe.)]

[cloudfrost]

Kira is my favourite DS9 character, and an under-appreciated one imo. She is also an exemplar of how to write a “strong female character” - not just because she is a woman who fights and leads, but because she is the driving force in her own story, she has her own internal and external conflict that is compelling independently of that of the male characters, and simply, she is written as an interesting character first and a “strong female character” second. This quality is surprisingly rare in TV, especially when you consider how simple it is and how complicated media makes writing female characters sound.

[petebyrdie]

Kira's my favourite character in my favourite Trek series. Nana Visitor gave us so many shades of Kira over the course of the show. What a great actress, what a compelling character.