Rachel Nichols Rachel Emily Nichols is an American actress who appeared as Orion Starfleet cadet in J . J . Abrams ' . Nichols previously worked with Abrams as well as " Trek " writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci on the television series " Alias " , in which she had a starring role as CIA agent Rachel Gibson during the show ' s fifth and final season . A picture of Nichols was used for card # 10 , Cadet Gaila , on the virtual collectible card battle game " " in . Career . Nichols was born and raised in Augusta , Maine , where she attended Cony High School . After graduating from Cony , she attended Columbia University in New York . She began modeling during her time at Columbia , which included doing photo shoots in Europe . In 2000 , she appeared as a model in the film " Autumn in New York " ; this film starred Winona Ryder , who also appears in " Star Trek " . Although she intended to study psychology when she initially began attending Columbia , Nichols ultimately took up drama courses and opted to pursue a career in acting in 2002 . She made her television debut that same year in an episode of HBO ' s " Sex and the City " , starring actress Kim Cattrall . Shortly thereafter , she received her first major film role , playing the female lead in the 2003 comedy " Dumb and Dumberer : When Harry Met Lloyd " . That same year , she was ranked # 28 in " Maxim " magazine ' s Top 100 Sexiest Women . Nichols subsequently had supporting roles in the 2005 remake of " The Amityville Horror " , opposite her " Star Trek " co - star Jimmy Bennett . Nichols was nominated for both an MTV Movie Award and a Teen Choice Award for her work in this film . She also appeared in the 2005 film " Shopgirl " , along with Clyde Kusatsu and Randy Oglesby . After a supporting role in the 2006 drama " The Woods " , Nichols co - starred with Teri Hatcher in the 2007 drama " Resurrecting the Champ " . She then played the lead role in the 2007 horror / thriller " P2 " . She was next seen in the 2007 political drama " Charlie Wilson ' s War " . Her co - stars in this film included fellow " Trek " alumni Spencer Garrett , Cyia Batten , Pavel Lychnikoff , and Faran Tahir , the latter two of whom worked with Nichols on " Star Trek " . Nichols then co - starred in 2008 ' s " The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 " , acted opposite Joanna Cassidy in the 2009 film " For Sale by Owner " , and played Master Sergeant Shana M . O ' Hara , aka , in Paramount Pictures ' 2009 film " G . I . Joe : The Rise of Cobra " . Nichols played the female lead role of Tamara in the 2011 remake of " Conan the Barbarian " , which also featured Ron Perlman . She then appeared as the ill - fated Monica Ashe in the 2012 crime thriller " Alex Cross " , in which her " Star Trek " co - star Tyler Perry portrayed the title role . This was the third film to feature the Alex Cross character ; the first two were " Kiss the Girls " , which starred Ashley Judd , and " Along Came a Spider " , which featured another of Nichols ' " Star Trek " co - stars , Anton Yelchin . During the 2010 - 2011 TV season , Nichols played the recurring role of Ashley Seaver on the CBS drama series " Criminal Minds " . She has played the lead role in the Canadian 2012 - 2015 Syfy series " Continuum " , the first time she had to carry an entire production as the main lead ; Tony Amendola , Roger R . Cross , and Brian Markinson were also regulars on this series . Nichols married Universal Pictures film producer in Aspen , Colorado , on 26 July 2008 . Seven months later , they announced their divorce , citing irreconcilable differences . Nichols married real estate developer Michael Kershaw in September 2014 .