Melina Martinez Mendoza | Kira “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”
“Over the years i have connected with a lot of different Star Trek characters, and one that i hold especially close to my heart is Kira Nerys.
Since the first scene she was in i was fascinated by her, she had a rough and complicated story behind, she was strong, passionate and determined and never afraid to speak her mind.
She had to deal with a huge amount of trauma from her past, had to learn to open herself back to the world, to trust people and let them be there for her, something i really saw myself in. And that is what really stroke me of Kira, how deeply emotional her journey was.
She wasn't only the tough character, she was allowed to feel and explore her anger, her pain, her faith, her love. She felt things so deeply and that's what motivated her to act, and you can tell how much the people around her respect her for it. She grew so much over the course of the show, she fought and she cried, lost a lot and won a lot more, and always dealt with things with a lot of resilience.
Kira was a really strong character, not only because of her constant fight for what is fair, but also because she always chose to be vulnerable and live her feelings, both the good and the ugly. No matter how hard it was she was there for it, wich meant she would suffer a lot sometimes but also lead her to love and be happy and form so many beautiful relationships with the other characters.
I've gone through some difficult stuff myself and thinking of Kira and her story always helps me and gives me hope. It's amazing that a character can do so much for you.”
— Melina Martinez Mendoza
Melina’s Bio:
I'm a 20 year old, selftaught artist from Mexico. I've been drawing since i can remember and always used it as a way to tell stories. I was a traditional artist most of my life until i could recently afford a graphic tablet, wich has allowed me to give comic art a try, something i've always wanted and would love to make a living out of someday. I love sci fi and horror and take a lot of inspiration from them, making star trek art is one of my favorite things in the world.