Played by Nana Visitor, Kira Nerys is one of the main characters from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the third series in the Star Trek universe franchise. A Bajoran militia officer assigned to act as Commander Benjamin Sisko’s (Avery Brooks) second in command on board the station, Nerys is one of the breakout characters from the series, but originally, she was an entirely different character.
In fact, before The Next Generation‘s Worf (Michael Dorn) joined the show in Season 4, another The Next Generation alum was considered for the role of Sisko’s Bajoran militia officer: Michelle Forbes, who played Ensign Ro Laren. In the early stages of development for Deep Space Nine, Ro Laren was set to become a major character, but the role shifted to Visitor when Forbes turned it down. Here’s who Ensign Ro Laren was, and why Michelle Forbes didn’t return to Star Trek for Deep Space Nine.
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