As the twentieth anniversary of the debut of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine approaches, Nana Visitor shares her memories of the show, beginning with her unusual approach to her audition for the role of Kira Nerys.

From the beginning, Kira Nerys was meant to be a strong woman. “What was described to me was that this Bajoran woman was highly aggressive and very spiritual,” said Visitor. “I came in with the situation that was written in the pilot [Emissary and that’s what they liked. They wanted the aggression that I brought. From there, she evolved in seven years.”

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Although Nana Visitor had no intention of falling in love with Alexander Siddig, when it happened she realized it was meant to be.

When Visitor met Siddig, she was married with a baby (her son Buster). “[The relationship] was actually a shock,” she said. “You can’t forget that I was married, with a baby, when I met him, and he was twenty-four years old. So I kind of always saw him as a very young man and off limits. There was no question.”

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