Kira Meru.

For most of her life, Kira Nerys had an image of her mother, Meru, that drove her to hate Cardassians. When her mother was ripped away to serve as a comfort woman aboard Terok Nor, Nerys's life changed forever. She was only three. Told by her father that her mother had died in the detention camp attempting to protect the family, Kira believed her mother was a hero. But when she learns in "Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night" that her mother was actually Dukat's lover, everything that she believed was brought into question.

In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing discuss Kira Meru, her relationship with Dukat, and Kira Nerys's reaction to her discovery. We ask whether Meru is truly a collaborator, whether the truth was liberating for Nerys, and why the story needs a lot more room to breathe.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Meeting Kira Meru (00:02:42) Setting Nerys's Life on Course (00:05:38) Is Meru a Collaborator? (00:11:06) Room to Breathe (00:14:13) In Her Shoes (00:19:26) Was the Truth Liberating? (00:29:17) Closing (00:35:09)

Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Ruth Ward (Associate Producer) Will Nguyen (Associate Producer) Ken Tripp (Associate Producer) William Murray (Associate Producer) Kay Elizabeth Janeway (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)