Nana Visitor’s Kira Nerys is the one character that I think came the furthest growth-wise on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. So while I skipped on her cabaret performance on Friday night (which even had it not cost extra, I still would have skipped it), I was very keen to see her on Sunday.
If you’ve seen DS9 and know Major (then Colonel) Kira, you’ll know the bright smile she would have at times. Nana has that same smile and same reaction when people complimented her or the like. She just seemed such a warm, genuine person that the next time I watch DS9, the Kira character will mean more to me.
We learned that Nana is currently living in New Mexico with her husband Matthew. They were dating and living in New York when 9-11 struck. She informed the audience that she new she was going to marry him when they went to get her kids from school, only to be caught in deadlock traffic. His encouragement to her after she decided to run and get her kids was what ultimately did it for her and now, the two do a lot of musical stuff together apparently.
She talked about her time on DS9 and how much she enjoyed it. She wanted so much to be Starfleet and wear their cool uniforms, but didn’t get the chance until season 7. She had hoped that she would remain Starfleet from there on, but alas, that was not to be. She hated the Intendant uniform for several reasons, including how loud it was to move in. She was somewhat offended when Michael Dorn (Worf) was brought over from Star Trek: The Next Generation to reprise his character on DS9. However, in the end, she and the rest of the cast agreed that he was a great addition to the cast.
She talked about how much she hated Dukat personally, so that Dukat’s actor, Marc Alaimo, paid for it. For several years, she never saw Marc out of makeup due to the fact that when she went in for her own makeup, his mask was already on. However, she invited Marc over for dinner at her home once (I think as part of a dinner party, but don’t quote me on that) and got to know the man. After that, she no longer treated Marc badly in his Dukat makeup.
In the episode “Take Me Out to the Holosuite,” Nana talked of how because she wasn’t a sports person, the crew assumed they’d be there for a while since her character was supposed to get a hit. Fortunately for her, she did get one right away, and was carried off the field on the shoulders of the crew in response.
Nana revealed that in the episode “Crossover,” she had what she referred to as “traffic cones” to cover her breasts up in the milk bath scene since she’s not down for nude stuff. She used a special glue (and a lot of it, leaving her feeling “secure”) to keep these cones on. However, after hours of shooting in the bath, the cones started coming loose, which she says the look on her face in the scene when she starts to exit the bath is a result of that. Apparently, in addition to providing warm water for Nana to sit in, they put orange oil in the bath for her. Orange oil apparently is what dissolves that special glue.
There was also talk of Nana’s series Wildfire (which lead her to move to New Mexico with her family), her work in theater, and her work on the series Dark Angel. She mention that she’s in an (upcoming) episode of Battlestar Galactica (“Sine Qua Non”). She also mentioned that she would love to be in a DS9 movie providing they remained true to the series and did not do some Christmas special or the like.
I really enjoyed Nana’s appearance and as I stated earlier, next time I watch DS9, I’ll have a greater appreciation of her role in the series.