Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Kira Nerys

7. That's Not Bisexuality, That's Just Narcissism

Star Trek Intendant
CBS

When playing the mirror universe counterpart for Kira Nerys, Nana Visitor saw the role as something very different from what both the writers, and later the audience, took her to be. While she believed that this version of the character was far closer to her own personality - though she stressed in an interview that she was not one for sending people to their deaths - she saw her as more of a tactician than a seductress.

Crossover saw Intendent Kira falling for her prime universe doppleganger. This was picked up by the writers so that in later episodes, like Shattered Mirror and The Emperor's New Cloak, the Intendent was portrayed as explicitly bisexual. Nana Visitor disagreed with this interpretation.

She saw that the character's attraction to Prime-Kira was from a place of self-obsession. For her, it made perfect sense for the Intendent to fall for herself, rather than it having anything to do with same-sex attraction. Visitor also commented that she regretted the evil character was then seen as a queer character, as she felt there were so few queer characters on television at the time, she didn't want to add one who was evil.

 
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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"