Star Trek: The Circle

Episode: "The Circle"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 2, Episode 2

Original Air Date: October 3, 1993

via Memory Alpha

Continuing from last week's episode, our heroes on Deep Space 9 must contend with The Circle, a Bajoran faction intent on overthrowing the provisional government.  Meanwhile, Kira, removed from her post on the station, accepts an invitation from Vedek Bareil to visit his monastery in order to reflect and contemplate her next step.  Her spiritual adventure is interrupted when she is kidnapped by The Circle.

"The Circle" is the second of a three-part arc and it serves the middle-volume purpose of expanding upon the narrative set forth in the first.  The trilogy provides our most intimate glimpse yet of the religious and political world of Bajor.  Obviously, it's an essential Kira story, not only because of her complicated relationship with her home world but also because we get to see how important she is to Commander Sisko.  "The Circle" is a good Quark story, too - one that clearly demonstrates his value to the operation.

Acting Notes

via Wikipedia

Louise Fletcher played the role of Vedek Winn, a powerful orthodox religious leader on Bajor.  Fletcher was born July 22, 1934 in Birmingham, Alabama.  She received a degree in Drama from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  

Fletcher had a long, accomplished career in both film and television.  Her legacy is secure having played one of the greatest, cruelest villains in cinema: Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  She won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for the part, only the third actress to accomplish the feat.  In accepting her Oscar, she thanked her parents in sign language as they were both deaf.  In 2003, the American Film Institute named Nurse Ratched the 5th greatest villain in film.

Other movies include The Lady in Red, Firestarter and Cruel Intentions.  Fletcher's television resume is extensive, too.  Early in her career, she was cast in a lot of Westerns - including Lawman and Maverick - partly because of her height.  Fletcher was 5'10", generally a disadvantage but as the male stars in Westerns were also usually tall, it didn't matter as much.  She received Emmy nominations for her guest appearances on both Picket Fences and Joan of Arcadia.

Fletcher passed away just this past year on September 23rd.