Ishka is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

from the science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (''DS9''). A female

Ferengi The Ferengi () are a fictional extraterrestrial species in the American science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. They were devised in 1987 for the series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', played a prominent role in the following series '' St ...

, she is the mother of

Quark A quark () is a type of elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. Quarks combine to form composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components of atomic nuclei. All commonly o ...

(

Armin Shimerman Armin Shimerman (born November 5, 1949) is an American actor and author. Early life Shimerman was born into a Jewish family in Lakewood Township, New Jersey, Lakewood, New Jersey, on November 5, 1949, the son of accountant Susan and house painte ...

) and

Rom Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * R ...

(

Max Grodénchik Max Grodénchik (born November 12, 1952), also known as Michael Grodénchik, is an American stage, film, and television actor, best known for his role as Rom, a recurring character on the television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''. Biogr ...

). Ishka appears in five

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western can ...

episodes of ''DS9'', and also features in seven licensed-but-non-canon ''Star Trek'' novels. Conceptualized as a feminist character, Ishka was played by

Andrea Martin Andrea Louise Martin (born January 15, 1947) is an American-Canadian actress, singer, and comedian, best known for her work in the television series '' SCTV'' and ''Great News''. She has appeared in films such as '' Black Christmas'' (1974), ''W ...

once and

Cecily Adams Cecily April Adams (February 6, 1958 – March 3, 2004) was an American actress, casting director, and lyricist. Early life Adams was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, the daughter of comic actor Don Adams and singer Adelaide Efantis. H ...

four times. Both actresses endured a lot of makeup, prostheses, and costuming. Adams loved the character, and was stunned by the positive fan reaction to Ishka.

Conception

Ishka was conceived as a Ferengi " women's libber" that

Robert Hewitt Wolfe Robert Hewitt Wolfe (born 1964 in Waterbury, Connecticut) is an American television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as a writer on ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' and for developing and producing the series ''Gene Rodden ...

described as transcending the stereotypical protester. Ishka did not want to end the Ferengi

profit Profit may refer to: Business and law * Profit (accounting), the difference between the purchase price and the costs of bringing to market * Profit (economics), normal profit and economic profit * Profit (real property), a nonpossessory intere ...

-making way of life, but wanted Ferengi females to be able to take part in it. It was immediately after Ishka's introduction in "

Family Business A family business is a commercial organization in which decision-making is influenced by multiple generations of a family, related by blood or marriage or adoption, who has both the ability to influence the vision of the business and the willingn ...

" the idea of bringing her together with

Grand Nagus Zek This is a list of secondary characters from the science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''. Characters are ordered alphabetically by family name, and only characters who played a significant major role in the series are li ...

came about.

René Auberjonois René Murat Auberjonois (; June 1, 1940 – December 8, 2019) was an American actor and director. He was best known for portraying Odo on '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). He first achieved fame as a stage actor, winning the Tony Aw ...

(

Odo Odo or ODO may refer to: People * Odo, a given name; includes a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Franklin Odo (born 1939), Japanese-American historian * Seikichi Odo (1927–2002), Japanese karateka * Yuya Odo (born 1990), J ...

) even anticipated the pairing in an interview with ''

Starlog ''Starlog'' was a monthly science fiction magazine that was created in 1976 and focused primarily on '' Star Trek'' at its inception. Kerry O'Quinn and Norman Jacobs were its creators and it was published by Starlog Group, Inc. in August 1976. ...

'' for their January 1996 issue.

Casting

Director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

David Livingston David Livingston is an American television producer and director. He is mostly known for his involvement in the writing and production of the various modern ''Star Trek'' franchises. Livingston also has production credits on several episodes ...

recalled that they had a difficult time finding somebody to play Ishka; at one point, he even made the unpopular suggestion that

Wallace Shawn Wallace Michael Shawn (born November 12, 1943) is an American actor, playwright, and essayist. His film roles include Wally Shawn (a fictionalized version of himself) in '' My Dinner with Andre'' (1981), Vizzini in ''The Princess Bride'' (1987), ...

(

) appear in drag as Quark and Rom's mother.

was cast at the suggestion of episode director

(

), who felt the actress could manage the right balance of

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

and good acting that was missing from the applicants he had seen thus far.

Showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...

Ira Steven Behr Ira Steven Behr (born October 23, 1953) is an American screenwriter and television producer, best known for his work on ''Star Trek'', especially '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', on which he served as showrunner and executive producer. He was th ...

agreed with Auberjonois on the casting, later saying he loved her on ''

Second City Television ''Second City Television'', commonly shortened to ''SCTV'' and later known as ''SCTV Network'' and ''SCTV Channel'', is a Canadian television sketch comedy show that ran intermittently between 1976 and 1984. It was created as an offshoot from To ...

''. Martin was offered the role without even having to

audition An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece giv ...

. Ira Behr,

, and David Livingston all had good things to say about the casting of Martin as Ishka. Cecily Adams

When, at the last minute, Martin could not return for "

Ferengi Love Songs "Ferengi Love Songs" is an episode of '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', the twentieth episode of the fifth season. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the crew of the space station Deep Space Nine near the planet Bajor. A ...

", the show held auditions for the role and saw "a lot of people". Prior to auditioning,

was only peripherally familiar with the ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' universe, having only seen a few ''

Next Generation Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...

'' and '' Voyager'' episodes. Adams was friends with actress

Kitty Swink Kathryn Swink (born October 22, 1954) is an American film, stage, and television actress. Career Swink made her film debut in a minor role in the 1987 comedy '' Like Father Like Son'', followed by a supporting part in Paul Schrader's biopic ''P ...

, and auditioned with the help of Swink's husband Armin Shimerman (

); Shimerman loaned her a tape of Martin's episode—"Family Business"—from which she learned "how broad the character was." Adams attributed her successful audition to the many similarities between her and Martin: not only did Martin's

costume Costume is the distinctive style of dress or cosmetic of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, profession, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch. In short costume is a cultural visual of the people. The term also was tradition ...

s fit without need for alteration, but so did the prosthetic faceplate. Adams was described as a "natural

mimic MIMIC, known in capitalized form only, is a former simulation computer language developed 1964 by H. E. Petersen, F. J. Sansom and L. M. Warshawsky of Systems Engineering Group within the Air Force Materiel Command at the Wright-Patterson AFB in ...

" by the '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion''; Behr said that Adams "just ''did'' Moogie." Even though she had the character down pat, Adams would later admit to having trouble with the ''Star Trek'' vernacular. Ishka was a radical departure for Adams: she'd never played an

alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

before, usually being cast as

secretaries A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

in shows such as ''

Simon & Simon ''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who operate ...

'' and ''

Murphy Brown ''Murphy Brown'' is an American television sitcom created by Diane English that premiered on November 14, 1988, on CBS. The series stars Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for ''FYI'', a ...

''.

Makeup and costuming

Before

accepted the role, director

(

) confided in her that working under the Ferengi

prosthetics In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...

would be the hardest acting she'd ever done if she'd never worked under such makeup before. Auberjonois speculated that she took the role anyway because he'd been so frank with her. Martin's makeup for Ishka took three hours every day. Ishka, being older, required extra development of the makeup prostheses. Makeup designer

Michael Westmore Michael George Westmore I (born March 22, 1938) is an American make-up artist best known for his work in various ''Star Trek'' productions, winning nine Emmy Awards, and is a member of the Westmore family. He won the Academy Award for Make-up in ...

explained that they "made a thin skin that went over one of

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...

stock Ferengi heads . They

hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...

made a new face for her,

wrinkle A wrinkle, also known as a rhytid, is a fold, ridge or crease in an otherwise smooth surface, such as on skin or fabric. Skin wrinkles typically appear as a result of ageing processes such as glycation, habitual sleeping positions, loss of bo ...

d, and did the backs of her hands." The script for "Family Business" also complicated the makeup process because it called for Ishka to be

nude Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to h ...

in several scenes; therefore, makeup needed to be developed for parts of Ferengi never before seen. One

take A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production. Film In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup". Takes of each s ...

over Ishka's shoulder had to be reshot because the producers felt that Martin's "supple skin" didn't match the character; Westmore and crew "took

Kleenex Kleenex is a brand name for a variety of paper-based products such as facial tissue, bathroom tissue, paper towels, tampons, and diapers. Often used informally as a genericized trademark for facial tissue in the United States and Canada, the nam ...

, wrinkled it up and rubberized it, and covered her back and shoulders", a process Martin didn't care for, saying, "Boy, if you hadn't warned me about this, I would be out the door." Having never before worn prostheses,

found the Ishka makeup "rather daunting" and described the three to four hour application process before moving on to costuming. Originally the producers drew lines on Adams' hands to make them appear older, but later decided they did not look old enough and used prosthetic gloves. Once all was said and done, only the palms of Adams' hands and her upper lip were visible. After begging and pleading with the ''DS9'' staff to see the

dailies In filmmaking, dailies are the raw, unedited footage shot during the making of a motion picture. The term comes from when movies were all shot on film because usually at the end of each day, the footage was developed, synced to sound, and pri ...

, Adams realized how much she needed to over-express to have her

facial expression A facial expression is one or more motions or positions of the muscles beneath the skin of the face. According to one set of controversial theories, these movements convey the emotional state of an individual to observers. Facial expressions are a ...

s translate through the makeup. When she came back to ''DS9'' for

season six A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pola ...

's "

The Magnificent Ferengi "The Magnificent Ferengi" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', the 134th episode overall, originally aired in syndication on December 29, 1997. It was written by Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler, and direct ...

", Adams agreed on the condition she receive her own custom faceplate. Adams praised the other ''DS9'' actors who suffered through similar makeup ordeals saying, "I think it's astonishing that they were all in good cheer, and to be in the makeup all the time is really something." Because Ishka is flouting Ferengi law by wearing clothes, it was decided that she would overdo it, and so Adams was encumbered with "baubles and

bangle Bangles are traditionally rigid bracelets which are usually made of metal, wood, glass or plastic. These ornament are worn mostly by women in the Indian subcontinent, Southeastern Asia, Arabian Peninsula, and Africa. It is common to see a bride ...

s and

bead A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood, or pearl and with a small hole for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under ...

s" that made so much noise on set that Adams estimated she had to dub half her lines. For "

Profit and Lace "Profit and Lace" is the 147th episode of the television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', the 23rd episode of the sixth season. It was first broadcast on May 11, 1998. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures on the spac ...

", where Ishka was to leave the

homeworld of Ferenginar for the first time, Adams was dressed in a "

Spandex Spandex, Lycra, or elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It is a polyether-polyurea copolymer that was invented in 1958 by chemist Joseph Shivers at DuPont's Benger Laboratory in Waynesboro, Virginia, US. The ge ...

suit from erwrists to the tip of ertoes". Further, because Ishka was old, the staff padded Adams' costume with , including fake

breast The breast is one of two prominences located on the upper ventral region of a primate's torso. Both females and males develop breasts from the same embryological tissues. In females, it serves as the mammary gland, which produces and secret ...

s that Adams guessed weighed ; after watching the dailies, both Adams and Behr agreed that the breasts needed to be reduced as they were too distracting. Adams would later thank both director René Auberjonois and co-star

for helping her realize that

overacting Overacting (also referred to as hamming or mugging) refers to acting that is exaggerated. Overacting can be viewed positively or negatively. It is sometimes known as "chewing the scenery". Uses Some roles require overly-exaggerated character acti ...

was the name of the game when working under such prostheses.

Character history

In "

", Ishka is introduced as a

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word ...

who receives a monthly

stipend A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...

from her elder son,

(

). Per Ferengi law, she is forbidden from making

or wearing

clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

, yet she has begun doing both and is found out by the Ferengi Commerce Authority (FCA; an agency essentially equivalent to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...

). The FCA charges Quark with his mother's misdeeds, about which she is unrepentant, feeling that women should have the same rights and privileges as men. After much arguing with Quark, Iskha agrees to sign a

confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information th ...

and forfeit her earnings for her son's sake, though she confides in

(

) that she only gave up a third of what she had hidden away.

Season five A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pola ...

's "

" reveals the romantic relationship between Ishka and

, the leader of the

Ferengi Alliance The Ferengi () are a fictional extraterrestrial species in the American science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. They were devised in 1987 for the series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', played a prominent role in the following series ''Sta ...

. When Quark is unable to extract

nepotistic Nepotism is an advantage, privilege, or position that is granted to relatives and friends in an occupation or field. These fields may include but are not limited to, business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, fitness, religion, an ...

assistance from the Grand Nagus, he colludes with

Liquidator Brunt This is a list of secondary characters from the science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''. Characters are ordered alphabetically by family name, and only characters who played a significant major role in the series are l ...

(

Jeffrey Combs Jeffrey Alan Combs (born September 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for starring in horror films, such as ''Re-Animator'', and appearances playing a number of characters in the ''Star Trek'' and the DC animated universe television fra ...

) to break up the couple. Quark soon realizes however that Ishka is the real

power behind the throne The phrase "power behind the throne" refers to a person or group that informally exercises the real power of a high-ranking office, such as a head of state. In politics, it most commonly refers to a relative, aide, or nominal subordinate of a poli ...

, giving Zek financial advice and suggestions that keep the Ferengi economy afloat. Quark confesses his part, and helps reunite Ishka and Zek. In "

" (

), Ishka is kidnapped by the

Dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

. While in captivity at the hands of the

Vorta '' Star Trek'' is a science fiction media franchise that began with Gene Roddenberry's launch of the original ''Star Trek'' television series in 1966. Its success led to decades of films, novels, comics, and spinoff series. A major motif of th ...

Yelgrun (

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...

), Ishka offers financial advice and tries to empathize with her captor about family. In the same season, "

" finds Ishka leaving the Ferengi homeworld of Ferenginar for the first time to travel to

Deep Space Nine ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the '' Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication fr ...

in the company of Grand Nagus Zek. She has convinced Zek to amend the Ferengi Bill of Opportunities to allow women to wear clothing, and the result was economic turmoil across the Ferengi Alliance. When Ishka suffers a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

, Quark undergoes

sex reassignment surgery Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a transgender or transsexual person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender, and alle ...

to take her place at Zek's side and win back the support of an influential Ferengi commissioner. Doctor Bashir (

Alexander Siddig Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abdurrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi (born 21 November 1965) is a Sudanese-born English actor and director known professionally as Siddig El Fadil and subsequently as Alexander Siddig. Siddig i ...

) is able to successfully perform a

heart transplantation A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplant, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease when other medical or surgical treatments have failed. , the most common procedu ...

for Ishka, and she is up and about by the end of the episode. In the penultimate episode of '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', " The Dogs of War", Quark discovers that Ishka has influenced Grand Nagus Zek to the point where the Ferengi leader has promoted

labor rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, these rights influen ...

, enforced

environmental protection Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...

, and outlawed

monopolies A monopoly (from Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situation where a speci ...

Non-canon appearances

Ishka also appears in several officially-licensed,

non-canon In fiction, canon is the material accepted as officially part of the story in an individual universe of that story by its fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction. The alternative terms mythology, tim ...

, ''Star Trek'' novels,

e-book An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...

s, and

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

''Star Trek: The Next Generation''

* ''Doors into Chaos'' by

Robert Greenberger Robert "Bob" Greenberger (born July 24, 1958) is an American writer and editor known for his work on ''Comics Scene'', ''Starlog'', ''Weekly World News'', and '' Hellboy II'', and for the executive positions he held at both Marvel Comics and DC ...

(2001)

''Star Trek: Terok Nor''

* ''Dawn of the Eagles'' by

S. D. Perry Stephani Danelle Perry (born March 14, 1970) is an American science fiction and horror writer, publishing works as S. D. Perry and Stephani Perry. She has contributed tie-in works to several long-running franchises, including ''Resident Evil'', '' ...

& Britta Dennison (2008)

''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''

* ''Ferenginar: Satisfaction Is Not Guaranteed'' by

Keith DeCandido Keith Robert Andreassi DeCandido (born April 18, 1969) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer and musician, who works on comic books, novels, role-playing games and video games, including numerous media tie-in books for properties such ...

(2010) * ''Lust's Latinum Lost (and Found)'' by Terry J. Erdmann &

Paula M. Block Paula or PAULA may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Paula, in video game '' EarthBound'' * Paula, in ''The Larry Sanders Show'' * Paula Campbell (''EastEnders''), in 2003 Film and television * ''Paula'' (1915 film), a s ...

(2014) * ''Rules of Accusation'' by Terry J. Erdmann & Paula M. Block (2016) * ''I, the Constable'' by Terry J. Erdmann & Paula M. Block (2017)

''Star Trek: Mirror Universe''

The Ishka of the

Mirror Universe The Mirror Universe is the setting of several narratives in the '' Star Trek'' science fiction franchise, a parallel universe existing alongside, but separate from, the fictional universe that is the main setting of ''Star Trek''. It resembles ...

is wealthy, owns Terran

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

, and provided a safe harbor for the 'mirror-versions' of

B'Elanna Torres B'Elanna Torres is a main character in ''Star Trek: Voyager'' played by Roxann Dawson. She is portrayed as a half-human half-Klingon born in 2346 on the Federation colony Kessik IV. She was admitted to Starfleet academy but dropped out before gr ...

and Crell Moset (from the '' Star Trek: Voyager'' episode " Nothing Human"). She appeared in the 2009 ''Star Trek: Mirror Universe'' story, "Bitter Fruit" by Susan Wright.

Portrayal

Crediting Andrea Martin with her broad and confident initial portrayal of Ishka, Adams commented on how easy it was to play a character so well delineated. Adams also infused Ishka with some of the stories Shimerman told of his own mother. In an interview with '' Star Trek: The Magazine'', Adams said of Ishka: "I love and adore her. How can you not? She just doesn't care what anybody thinks; she's so committed to what she thinks is right, and everyone else be damned. But she has a heart of gold, and she's very strong. To be a female as strong as she was, in the kind of world she came from, was wonderful, I think." Lauding the character, Adams says that it's Ishka's backbone that helps her grow as an actress and as a person. Prior to November 2000, Adams appeared at several ''Star Trek'' conventions with her "Ferengi family" and relished meeting

fans Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling ** Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially wit ...

who expressed how much they love the character of Ishka.

References

External links

Ishka
at

StarTrek.com ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into variou ...

{{Star Trek: Deep Space Nine female characters in television Ferengi fictional feminists and women's rights activists fictional unemployed people Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters television characters introduced in 1995