Li Nalas
Li Nalas was the leader of one of Bajor's many resistance cells during the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor. A revered war hero, he was considered by many to be the greatest Bajoran resistance fighter ever.

History

Early life and the resistance 
Prior to his time in the Resistance, Li had spent time working in Terok Nor's ore processing center.

Later, Li was part of a minor resistance cell. When they were in the mountains surrounding the Sahving Valley, the cell was ambushed by the Cardassians. Li and two others survived. After two days hiding in the hills, they were forced by a lack of food and water into the valley. They made their way to a ridge overlooking a small lake. As Li was the only one with a phaser, he left his companions and scouted ahead for the enemy. About halfway down the embankment, he stumbled and landed on his back just as a tall Cardassian emerged from the water. He was a gul in the Cardassian military, and he might have just been bathing in the lake. There was a pause, as the two were frozen in surprise – Li laying on his back, stunned, on the shore and the Cardassian, embarrassed in his underwear, shivering from the cold. Acting first, Zarale reached for his phaser rifle, which was lying on his clothes, on a nearby rock; however, before he could fire his rifle, Li fired his phaser and killed the gul. The gul's body collapsed onto Li. Moments later, this was how Li's companions found him. Upon finding him and the dead gul, one of his companions identified the gul as Zarale, who was responsible for the massacre of half a dozen Bajoran villages. Before Li could explain how he came about killing the gul, his companions, convinced there was a savage struggle between the gul and Li, began spreading their story of how Li killed the gul. Efforts by Li of denying his companions' story failed, as he became a legend in the resistance and victories were attributed to his leadership. His exploits spread and grew to mythic proportions.

Li Nalas' career as a resistance fighter ended with his capture in 2360. Although his body was never found, he was presumed killed in action until 2370, when he was rescued from the Hutet labor camp on Cardassia IV by Major Kira Nerys of the Bajoran Militia and Miles O'Brien who posed as prostitute and her pimp, respectively, to gain access to the camp. In the camp, he was an inspiration to the other Bajoran captives. ()

Bajoran hero 
After he and his fellow prisoners were rescued, Li was taken to Deep Space 9 where he was immediately recognized. He was very uncomfortable with his status as a hero and attempted to secretly leave the station for the Gamma Quadrant. Discovered by the crew of the departing ship, he was returned to Commander Benjamin Sisko. After Sisko questioned Li and pressed him for an explanation, he admitted that the stories of his heroism were largely based on myth. Li told the commander the truth behind the myth that surrounded his reputation. As Li would relate to Sisko, he would never forget the embarrassed look on the Cardassian officer's face as he died in his underwear. Li confided with Sisko that he had always felt uncomfortable with being an accidental hero. Sisko confronted Li with the unfortunate truth that Bajor needed a symbol; someone that the people could believe in because the planet was on the verge of civil war. 

Shortly after his return to Bajor, Li was given both the title of Navarch and Kira's position as Bajoran liaison officer on board Deep Space 9, much to his embarrassment. Li assured the Commander that he would do his best to fulfill his duties but that he could never replace Kira. This was done by Minister Jaro Essa, who wanted to get Kira out of a position of power and to get Li off Bajor so that he would not influence Jaro's plot to take over the government. ()

His rescue proved to be just in the nick of time, as he was able to play a pivotal role in preventing a disastrous coup d'état orchestrated by the Alliance for Global Unity. He helped rescue Kira from the insurgents, calmed down a riot as some Bajorans attempted to flee the station by encouraging them to defend their home, and helped defend the station against General 's troops, who attempted to take the station by force. After capturing Krim, Li was able to explain that the coup was being orchestrated by the Cardassians. Krim told his troops to stand down. Li was killed while saving Sisko from an attack by Colonel , and as a result, became a hero both in legend and reality. ()

Memorable quotes 
"Well, I consider myself something of a history buff and I must say some of the campaigns you led against the Cardassians were truly remarkable examples of tactical-"
"Doctor, I think you'll find that others enjoy talking about those days more than I do."
"Of course. I understand completely."
- Doctor Julian Bashir and Li Nalas ()

"I thought they'd have forgotten me by now."
"It appears you were wrong."
"This morning I was a slave and tonight I'm a hero."
- Commander Benjamin Sisko and Li Nalas, on his popularity ()

"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, during the evacuation of non-Bajorans from Deep Space 9 ()

"Off the hook... after all..."
- The last words of Li Nalas, to Commander Sisko ()

Appendices

Appearances

Background information 
Li Nalas was played by Richard Beymer in his only Star Trek appearance. His jacket from "The Homecoming" was sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. 

The  for "The Homecoming" states the pronunciation of Li's name is "LEE NAH-less." Furthermore, it describes him as "a tall, rangy, laconic Bajoran in his late forties [...] a man of great physical presence, has a quiet self-effacing Abraham Lincoln/Gary Cooper charisma. He's intensely self-conscious; but years of living with his reputation has taught him to hide his true feelings behind his public image." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion - A Series Guide and Script Library)

The writers briefly considered having Li survive the final episode of the trilogy and become a recurring character. Both Peter Allan Fields and Michael Piller supported this idea; "It seemed to me that killing him would send us back to square one," said Fields, "Why go through three episodes with this guy, and then let him die? You're back as if he'd never been around. We could have written the whole thing without him." The final decision, however, came down to Ira Steven Behr, who believed that the character's death was truly necessary for the episode; "I just felt that this was a man who was living a lie, and at the end there needed to be a form of redemption, one that involved some self-sacrifice. The character was so impotent in certain ways, so out of his depth, and so clearly miserable as this figurehead. I think death really was, at that point, a blessing for him..." As executive producer, Behr also had the practical concerns to think about. From a production standpoint, he didn't know how easy it would be to get Richard Beymer back to reprise the role, or how much it would cost to hire him. Ultimately, the writers decided they did need someone to fulfill Li's role and so the character of Shakaar Edon was created in the third season. ()

In their review of "The Siege", authors Mark Jones and Lance Parkin wrote of Li Nalas, "It's odd that they kill Li Nalas after so much build up. But this is another strong episode." (Beyond the Final Frontier, p. 193)

Apocrypha 
Li Nalas appears in the Star Trek: Terok Nor novel Dawn of the Eagles, which features his capture by the Cardassians.

In the Star Trek: Section 31 novel Abyss, and the Mission Gamma novels Cathedral and Lesser Evil, the Bajoran Militia name their ship-of-state the Li Nalas in his honor.

In the Pocket DS9 novel Rising Son, Jake Sisko discusses the return of Li Nalas with Opaka Sulan.

His mirror universe  is depicted as being the First Minister of Bajor in Saturn's Children.

External link 
 

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Bajorans
Bajoran Militia personnel
Deep Space 9 personnel
Bajoran government officials
Terok Nor residents