Review: The EXO-6 ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’ 1:6 Kira Nerys Is A Major Figure

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Major Kira Nerys 1/6 Figure

Manufacturer: EXO-6
Price: $215
Grade: A

Kira changes the game on DS9

It’s safe to say Star Trek hasn’t had the greatest track record with female characters. While The Original Series broke ground with Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura and featured a few strong female guest characters, Gene Roddenberry had a penchant for making women on the show memorably decorative. His tenure on Star Trek: The Next Generation largely continued that batting average, with Counselor Troi initially sporting a miniskirt, the ship’s doctor Beverly Crusher registering less as a physician and more as a mom and potential love interest for Jean-Luc Picard, and security officer Tasha Yar being such a thankless role that Denise Crosby bowed out of the series after one season.

Nana Visitor as Kira Nerys in Deep Space Nine publicity photo (Paramount)

You could argue that Trek didn’t have a consistently strong female regular character until Deep Space Nine’s Kira Nerys. A Bajoran freedom fighter (or terrorist, depending on your point of view), Kira was a ballsy, tough, and opinionated foil for Benjamin Sisko, inhabited by Nana Visitor with such brio that some viewers didn’t know quite how to take her. While I would argue the character was eventually undercut by a romantic relationship with the show’s shapeshifting security chief Odo, Kira managed to maintain a memorable presence over seven years of the series and easily ranks as one of the franchise’s strongest female characters.

Nana Visitor as Kira Nerys in Deep Space Nine‘s “Civil Defense” (Paramount)

EXO-6 Kira Figure

EXO-6 has been expanding its DS9 line with figures of Sisko, Ferengi bar owner Quark, and now Kira. (Odo is due in a few weeks.) While the company’s largely complete line of figures from Voyager is hit-and-miss, so far the DS9 figures have been stellar. Kira’s likeness is one that could have been a challenge to capture: Her short hair, strong jawline, and ridged Bajoran nose could easily have read as masculine with a few miscalculations, but this head sculpt manages to capture both the character’s strength and beauty, particularly with the delicate paint details that render her large brown eyes and eye makeup.

EXO-6 TNG Kira figure

The subtle shading even extends to the tiny nose ridges on the face. The hair is expertly rendered and highly detailed, and Kira’s Bajoran earring is included as a molded plastic piece.

EXO-6 TNG Kira figure

Some photos I’ve seen of the figure have made the Kira figure look a bit bright and toylike, but as with most of EXO-6’s figures, the look in natural light is far more detailed and convincing. Kira isn’t wearing the usual Starfleet uniform but a dark red Bajoran jumpsuit that includes a Bajoran communicator badge and rank pin on her collar, along with textured shoulder pads and long sleeves.

EXO-6 TNG Kira figure

A faux leather belt includes an attached holster for her Bajoran sidearm—one of Trek’s more interesting-looking hand weapons—and matching leather boots whose heels raise the diminutive Kira up to an imposing 11” in height. The figure comes with an assortment of hands including two tight fists, perfect for a character who never once backed down from a fight.

EXO-6 TNG Kira figure Bajoran phaser accessory

If you purchased the Voyager Seven of Nine figure [see TrekMovie review], you know that figure employed an expensive seamless body to squeeze into Seven’s signature catsuit. This reportedly made Seven one of the, if not the most expensive figure in terms of costs that EXO-6 has so far produced, and owner EXO-6 Nanjin Tam has often discussed how difficult it is to reproduce the body shapes of Trek’s various female characters. Kira isn’t quite in a catsuit, but she is in a form-fitting outfit that allows for a great deal of poseability—but in this case, a seamless body was not used. What that means is if you bend the knees of the figure at a right angle, you’ll see an effect that doesn’t look exactly like the human knee at work, and instead of Seven’s flawlessly rendered derriere, Kira’s is a bit more segmented with an evident VPL. But for most “museum” poses, the character looks absolutely natural and imposing.

EXO-6 TNG Kira figure

Collectors who got in early before pre-orders sold out last year are receiving their Kira figures now. Today EXO-6 has made their Kira figure available for immediate purchase for $215 at EXO-6.com. If you’re interested in Kira, snap her up now—EXO’s figures tend to sell out quickly.

EXO-6 TNG Kira figure

Looking forward, it will be interesting to see if EXO returns to a seamless body for Enterprise’s T’Pol, the franchise’s other famously catsuited female. In the meantime, enjoy Kira—female figures are often rare and tough sells in the male-dominated world of action figures, but EXO-6 has so far produced five with a terrific-looking Saavik from The Wrath of Khan due this year and others like Troi, Crusher, Yar(?), Dax, and Uhura likely to join the line before it ends.

Teaser image for EXO-6 Enterprise T’Pol figure

The Kira figure is part of EXO-6’s Star Trek: Deep Space Nine collection. Quark and Sisko have already sold out. The next figure will be Odo, but pre-orders have already sold out.

Preview of EXO-6 Odo figure

A closer look at Kira

Jeff Bond is a freelance writer and book author who’s addicted to plastic models and action figures. You can catch up with him on Facebook and Instagram where he posts model works in progress, and takes commissions. His latest Star Trek book is Star Trek: The Motion Picture: The Art and Visual Effects.

Find more Star Trek merchandise news and reviews at TrekMovie.com.