Star Trek: Deep Space Nine actress Louise Fletcher has died

Louise Fletcher, who played Kai Winn on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, passed away Friday night. 

The Star Trek family has lost another member on the heels of the recent death of Marva HIcks, who portrayed T’Pel on Star Trek: Voyager. Reported by Variety, Louise Fletcher who played Winn Adami (Kai Winn) on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine passed away on September 23rd. Though she only appeared in fourteen episodes of the series, her performances were so impactful that it always felt like her presence still walked the promenade even when she wasn’t there.

Fletcher was an Oscar-winning actress, well-known long before her appearance on Deep Space Nine, as Nurse Ratched on One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Along with winning an Academy Award for that role, she was ranked by American Film Institute TV special “AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Heroes & Villains,” as the fifth-greatest villain in film history.

The Star Trek community has reached out to honor Louise Fletcher and the gift she gave to the franchise.

Jonathan Frakes posted a picture of Fletcher in her Kai Winn costume but sent the RIP to Nurse Ratched.

Strange New Pod, a podcast that focuses on the past, present, and future of Trek, according to tis bio, honored Fletcher’s life and sent out the wish for her to “walk with the Prophets.”

Trek Untold, another Star Trek podcast, encouraged fans to look through her resume and watch some of her other work as she was a “Hollywood great.”

Ira Steven Behr tweeted that every Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fan should be in mourning as Louise was a key player. He regretted that she couldn’t be interviewed for the documentary because their schedules wouldn’t match up.

Bryan Fuller also sent out a tweet saying that Kai Winn walks with the prophets.

Louise Fletcher died at her home in France on September 23rd at the age of 88. The entire Star Trek family mourns this loss. Our hearts are with her family.