Gender:	Female
Species:	Human
Occupation:	Science fiction writer
Status:	Alive (1953)
Played by:	Nana Visitor

Kay Eaton was a science fiction writer who wrote under the pseudonym of "K.C. Hunter" in the 1950s in order to conceal the truth, from the more conservative elements of that era, that she was in fact a woman. She is best known for her work from the New York based Incredible Tales magazine.

Kay often worked in conjunction with her husband Julius Eaton and the two had something of a reputation among the magazine staff for turning out slightly sentimental stories, particularly by Herbert Rossoff. Because she was a woman, and consequently discriminated against, Kay felt some solidarity with Benny Russell, the staff's only African-American writer.

When Benny submitted his story about a space station, Kay was particularly impressed with the character of Major Kira Nerys, saying science fiction needed more strong women. (DS9: "Far Beyond the Stars")

Background Edit

Kay Eaton was played by Nana Visitor. At the time the actress was married to Alexander Siddig (who played her husband Julius) when this episode was filmed.

Eaton was inspired by Catherine Moore, a prominent female SF writer of the 1950s who often collaborated with her husband, Henry Kuttner, and hid her gender behind the byline C.L. Moore. (Star Trek Monthly #40)

For a variety of reasons there are many female authors in the Trek genre for whom this naming convention continues to be used. These include: J.A. Lawrence, J.M. Dillard, A.C. Crispin, M.S. Murdock, D.C. Fontana, V.E. Mitchell, L.A. Graf, T.L. Mancour, E.L. Flood, W.R. Thompson, S.D. Perry, and S.N. Lewitt.