Gabi Stiene | Kira Nerys “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”
“Where can I start with Kira? Her character was the reason that for several years I literally lived in the fandom. From the get-go she was perfect for me. I always had an ambivalent relationship with the moral high ground of the Federation/Starfleet that sometimes for me came across as too patronizing. So getting a Star Trek series with a main character not of Starfleet and not bowing to the greater wisdom of the Federation was a delight. I enjoyed her controversies so much, her fierce loyalty to her people, her stubborness and above all her deep devotion to her religion. I’m not a religious person myself, but I’m always fascinated by characters who act from a religious basis without being depicted as fatalistic. Her unfaltering faith drew me in and held me close. I loved it when she was allowed to show weakness. She was even stronger due to her ability to let herself be let by a higher goal and step aside if necessary. Her (unfortunately way too short) relationship with Vedek Bareil was perfection in the combination of mind and soul. And the moment she held a Romulan fleet with just a few old ships only propelled by her faith still is the single most impressive moment in Star Trek for me. Kira was allowed to be a mother, an avenger, a bitch, a lover, a rebell, a commander. I was grateful that her character never was pressed into a form, and above all, that she never had to join Starfleet. Being the strong person she was till the end and being that for Bajor was glorious. Apart from the presence in the series her past in an occupated society always held my special interest. I began to write short stories about her life in the Shakaar, got them printed in fanzines and one day I got contacted by another Kira-fan with the exact same fascination. We started to work together, found a third woman for our projects and over the time of roughly 4 years we wrote, illustrated and published more than 10 fanfiction anthologies mainly around Bajoran topics. These were some of the best years of my life. I’m grateful for this experience and it would have never happened without our deep love for the character of Kira Nerys.”
— Gabi Stiene
Gabi’s Bio:
Born in the beautiful Black Forest in the Southern West part of Germany my heart still belongs to forests and mountains though I meanwhile live in the flat country of the Rhineland. I hold a science degree in plantphysiology, yet turned my back on the ecotoxicity and biotechnology sector I was working in for 15 years when my first son was born. After a qualification in children day care I became self employed and combined a full time job with the possibility to be there to see my boys grow up. I harbor a deep fascination for arthropodes, especially spiders and love to stroll around in the fields with my macro lense to take photos of those interesting creatures. I’m an avid reader (mainly SF) with a throughput of roughly 200 books per year and a fangirl devotion for Adrian Tchaikovsky. Thanks to the ever larger audiobook industry I can combine this enthusiasm with my love for digital painting and don’t have to split my spare time. When I’m painting it is nearly always Star Trek, especially my current love, Discovery. With the exception of said Discovery I’m not watching any TV, too much of my time goes into my family and my other hobbies.