Kira Nerys

Kira Nerys was a Bajoran Starfleet Captain in command of Federation Starbase Deep Space 9 and the Starship USS Defiant  in the years 2376 and 2377.

Childhoood and the Resistance
Kira was born in November 2343 in the Dahkur Province of Cardassian occupied Bajor to Kira Taban and Kira Meru. (SNW short story: Urgent Matter; DS9 episode: Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night)

Kira and her brothers were often cared for by Tir Ramara a woman Taban took into the family after her own family were killed by the Cardassians. The Kira family received extra rations to compensate for Meru being taken to Terok Nor to serve as one of Skrain Dukat's comfort woman.

When Tir Ramara found out about these extra rations (but not why the family was receiving them) she stole them and gave them to the resistance to be given to those more needy. When Taban caught her she accused him of being a traitor and ran away. The Kiras were subsequently forced to give up their additional rations to avoid being hounded as collaborators. Nerys held this against Tir for years to come (DS9 novel: A Stitch in Time)

Growing up, Nerys learned about the Bajoran Prophets from close family friend Prylar Istani Reyla. This was beginning of Kira's life-long faith in the Prophets and in their love of the Bajoran people. (DS9 novel Avatar)

Kira joined the Shakaar Resistance Cell when she was only twelve.

In 2366, she snuck aboard the quarantined space station Terok Nor to gather information on the Double Helix virus that was infecting the station. She later asssisted the Starfleet medical team, which was allowed to travel to the station by the station's Prefect, Gul Skrain Dukat, by finding the source of the virus on the surface of the planet Bajor. (TNG novel: Double Helix: Vectors)

In 2367, she infiltrated the Plin Syndicate criminal organiztion at the Doblana Arctic Base on Bajor in order to kidnap Cardassian Glinn Gundar. The operation cost the life of Kira's brother, Kira Reon, whose sacrifice gained the resistance a chip which enabled them to moniter all Cardassian communications on Bajor.(DS9 short story "The Officers Club", Tales From The Captains Table)

The Emissary and the Federation
After the Cardassian withdrawal in 2369, the Bajoran Provisional Government asked for relief efforts from the United Federation of Planets, who took over command of Terok Nor and re-christened the station Deep Space Nine.

Kira was assigned to the space station as first officer under the command of then-Commander Benjamin Sisko with rank of Major.

At first, Kira did not care for Sisko or the Federation, believing them to be no different from the Cardassians. It was only after the discovery by Sisko of the Celestial Temple of the Prophets (also known as the Bajoran Wormhole), and the revelation from Kai Opaka Sulan that Sisko was the foretold Emissary to the Prophets, that Kira warmed up to the Federation. (DS9 novelization: Emissary; Prophecy and Change short story: "Ha'mara" )

When the war with the Dominion and their new allies in the Cardassian Union started in late 2373, and the Federation was forced to evacuate the Bajoran sector, Kira stayed aboard the station and started a new resistance movement that helped the Federation retake Bajor and the station. (DS9 novelization Call to Arms, Sacrifice of Angels, Prophecy and Change short story: "Three Sides to Every Story")

In late 2375, Kira (who now held the Bajoran rank of Colonel and the Starfleet rank of Commander), Constable Odo (with whom which she was having a romantic relationship) and the Cardassian exile Elim Garak traveled covertly to Dominion occupied Cardassian space in order to help Cardassian Legate Corat Damar form a Cardassian resistance to Dominion occupation. The group eventually found itself on Cardassia in the final days of the war. (DS9 novelization: What You Leave Behind; Prophecy and Change short story: "Face Value")

After the war, Captain Sisko ascended from linear existance and joined with the Prophets and command of DS9 was given to Kira.

Ohalu and Attainment
In April of 2376, Istani Reyla was murdered aboard the station after removing a book of prophecies from the ancient ruins of B'Hala. The prophecies, written by the heretic Ohalu, were more accurate than any accepted prophecies, but were considered heretical by the Vedek Assembly for their desciption of the Prophets as teachers rather than Gods. The Vedek Assembly wanted the book suppressed at any cost.

Kira, believing that the Bajoran people could handle another interpretation of the Prophets' teachings, uploaded the entire book onto the Bajoran comnet. For this act of defiance, the Vedek Assembly, at the behest of Vedek Yevir Linjarin, had Kira Attained. As such, Kira was forbidden to enter any Bajoran temple, read any prophecies, look into an Orb, pray with other Bajorans, or even to wear her earing. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novels: Avatar, Books One and Two)

During the Gateways crisis, Kira recieved a vision of ancient Bajor from the Prophets, which further convinced her that releasing the Ohala prophecies was the right thing to do, and also allowed her to step out from Captain Sisko's shadow as station commander. (DS9 novella Star Trek: Gateways: What Lay Beyond: Horn and Ivory) Kira's Attainder created a schism in the Bajoran religion, with a new religious sect, the Ohaluvaru arising under the leadership of Vedek Solis Tendron. The Ohalavaru attmpted to recruit Kira, but she retained her own faith. (DS9 novel: Mission Gamma, Book Three: Cathedral)

It was only after Kira saved the Orbs of the Prophets from alien Parasites at the monastary at Ashalla, and after former Kai Opaka Sulan appealed to Vedek Yevir on her behalf, that Kira was welcomed back into the Bajoran faith. (DS9 novel: Unity)

Federation Membership
In August, as First Minister Shakaar Edon (former leader of Kira's resistance cell) prepared to thumb the agreement that would bring the world of Bajor into the Federation, he was murdered on the station's promenade by Trill security officer Hiziki Gard. (DS9 novel: Mission Gamma: book three, Cathedral)

It was soon discovered that Shakaar's psyche had been consumed by an alien parasite that was hoping to use Bajor as a base in their species aggressions toward the planet Trill.

Kira's Starfleet rank of Commander was re-activated, and she was attached to the USS Gryphon in pursuit of the killer. Soon after, the ship was commandeered by a parasite that inhabited the body of the ships first officer, Commander Alejandro Montenegro. The Montenegro-parasite killed Captain Elaine Mello, and set course for Trill.

Before dying, Captain Mello transfered command of the Gryphon to Kira. Kira then took command of the ship, and defeated the parasite before the ship could launch an attack on Trill.(DS9 novel: Mission Gamma: books three and four, Cathedral, Lesser Evil)

Bajor finally officially entered the Federation after the Parasite threat was ended a few weeks later, on September 29th, 2376. (DS9 novel: Unity)

Captain Kira
Kira Nerys became a Starfleet Captain, in command of Federation Starbase Deep Space 9 and the Starship USS Defiant, after the integration of the Bajoran Milita by Starfleet after Bajor's induction into the United Federation of Planets. (DS9 novel: Unity)

On the final day of the year, Kira was stabbed through the heart by the Jem'Hadar observer, Taran'atar, who was being controlled by an outside force. (DS9 novel: WoDS9 book three: "The Dominion: Olympus Descending")

As Dr. Julian Bashir struggled to save Kira's life by replacing her destroyed natural heart with an artificial replacement and Commander Elias Vaughn pursued the renegade Taran'atar in the Defiant, the comatose Kira experienced another vision sent to her by the Prophets.

The vision foretold of the coming threat of the Ascendants and of Bajor's need to find allies in the coming battle with them. Kira also gained insight into the minds of the Eav'oq, a race from the Idran system on the other side of the wormhole that also worshiped the Prophets.

In the end, Kira accepted her role as the Hand of the Prophets and her place in the coming ordeal. (DS9 novel: Warpath)


 * The saga of Deep Space Nine will continue in Fearful Symmetry'' by Leanna Morrow  available in April 2007.

Mirror Universe
In the Mirror Universe Kira Nerys was the Intendant of Terok Nor (DS9 episode: Crossover, et al.)