Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we review Li Nalas, a recurring Bajoran character from Deep Space 9.
Li Nalas served in the ore processing center aboard the Terek Nor station before becoming a leader in one of the minor resistance cells during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor. He became legend largely as a result of a mistake, after many of his cell were killed in an ambush by Cardassians in the Sahving Valley.
Li and two companions survived, and when they left hiding to find food and water, Li was the lead scout and killed a surprised Cardassian coming out of a bath in the Valley lake. Li's companions found him with the Cardassian Gul collapsed on top of him and they assumed Li won a great hand-to-hand combat. That made Li a folk hero in the resistance, above his rejections of the story of this battle with the Gul.
Li was captured by the Cardassians and assumed dead for 10 years, but he is discovered in a labor camp by Major Kira and Miles O'Brien when they gain access to the camp to rescue Bajorans. When he comes back into free society, he is very uncomfortable with his hero status and fame. He tries to escape on a ship headed for the Gamma Quadrant, but he is found out and has to explain himself and the story of his legend to Ben Sisko.
For a short time, Li replaces Major Kira as the liaison officer aboard Deep Space 9 under orders from Minister Jaro Essa, who wants to get Kira out of power and move Li away from his plots on Bajor. However, Li doesn't stay in the role long, as he helps uncover another plot to do a coup d'état on Bajor and saves Major Kira from insurgents trying to take over the government. He defends the station against an attack and saves Ben Sisko's life, while sacrificing his own in the process, thereby finally living up to his hero status.
QUOTE (from The Siege)
Where are you running to? This is Bajor. We're Bajorans. We fought a war to regain our homeland. How can you abandon it like frightened Cardassian voles? These ships are for our guests who must leave because it's no longer safe for them. We're Bajorans. I say we stay and solve our problems together. Are you willing to join me?
Li Nalas provides more background on Bajoran history wrapped in a familiar hero discovery journey, and it allowed the show writers to shake things up on station for a brief period. Overall, this was a good addition to the series, albeit a brief one.
Li was played by Richard Beymer, who is best known for playing the starring role of Tony in the 1961 film West Side Story as well as his role as Benjamin Home in the Twin Peaks series. He's been retired from acting since 2000 except for a reappearance in the Twin Peaks reboot last year, at the ripe old age of 79.
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