Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Kai Winn

9. For A Time, She Was Fiercely Anti-Cardassian - Even To Her Own Detriment

Star Trek Winn And Jaro
CBS Media Ventures

The second season of DS9 opens with a trilogy of episodes focusing on the attempted expulsion of Starfleet from the station. Spearheaded by Jaro Esso, played by Frank Langella, this was a push by ultra-conservative elements of the Bajoran government to 'Make Bajor Great Again.'

The episodes serve as a great depiction of Kira's growth - particularly in how hard she fights against this push, something unimaginable merely a season earlier. Yet this also shows that Winn, at least in this case, allows her hatred of Cardassians to overpower her political machinations.

When it is revealed that Esso was backed by Cardassians in his attempted coup, she immediately pulls away from the man she had so recently supported - both in terms of power-sharing, and with even a hint of romance. That's not to say that Winn's principals were the sole factor in this decision - her hatred of Cardassians certainly didn't blind her to the fact that, if it were revealed she was, however remotely, working with them - the people of Bajor would turn against her in a heartbeat.

This way, she got to live another day, and save face.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"