Michelle Forbes Michelle Forbes is an actress best known to " Star Trek " fans for her recurring role as Bajoran Starfleet officer Ro Laren on . She made her first appearance as Ro in the episode , having previously impressed the producers with her brief performance as in the episode . She played Ro in an additional seven episodes , with the last being season seven ' s , in which her character defects to the Maquis . Forbes filmed her scenes for the episode " Half a Life " on Friday on Paramount Stage 8 . For her first appearance as Ro Laren in the fifth season episode " Ensign Ro " , Forbes filmed her scenes between Monday and Tuesday on Paramount Stage 8 , 9 , and 16 and on location at Bronson Canyon . Her make up artist on this episode was June Abston Haymore . For the episode " Disaster " , she filmed her scenes between Friday and Tuesday on Paramount Stage 8 . For " Conundrum " , Forbes filmed her scenes between Monday and Tuesday on Paramount Stage 8 and 9 . For the following episode " Power Play " , Forbes filmed her scenes between Wednesday and Wednesday and Tuesday and Wednesday on Paramount Stage 8 and 9 . For " Cause and Effect " she was on Paramount Stage 8 on Monday . Forbes was later approached to reprise the character of Ro on , but she declined because she did not want a regular television role at the time ; Nana Visitor ' s role of Kira Nerys was scripted as a replacement . Forbes was also offered the chance to return on , but again turned it down . Life and career . Born in Austin , Texas , Forbes – originally hoping to become a ballet dancer – began receiving formal acting training at the Performing Arts High School in Houston . While on vacation in New York City at the age of 16 , she found herself auditioning for a film ; although it did not pan out , she nevertheless signed with the William Morris Agency and began her professional career in the Big Apple . In 1987 , at the age of 22 , she landed the dual roles of Solita Carrera and Sonni Carrera Lewis on the daytime soap opera " Guiding Light " . She remained with the show for two years , receiving a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for her performance in 1990 . She went on to make guest appearances on a few other TV shows ( including " Father Dowling Mysteries " with Natalia Nogulich and Tony Todd ) before landing the role of Ensign Ro on " Next Generation " . Rather than reprise the role of Ro for " Deep Space Nine " , Forbes decided to focus on a career in films . She received praise , as well as a Saturn Award nomination from the Academy of Science Fiction , Fantasy & Horror Films , for her performance as the victimized girlfriend of " " star in the 1993 thriller " Kalifornia " . This was followed with the lead female role in the acclaimed 1994 black comedy " Swimming with Sharks " , as well as supporting roles in such films as " The Road Killers " ( 1994 , co - starring Christopher McDonald ) , " Just Looking " ( 1995 , working alongside Steven Weber ) , and John Carpenter ' s 1996 science fiction / action sequel " Escape from L . A . " , the latter of which also featured fellow " Trek " alumni Shelly Desai and Leland Orser . She also starred with Charles Rocket and Vincent Schiavelli in a 1998 film called " Dry Martini " . She did continue making occasional appearances on television , however , with guest spots on " Seinfeld " ( starring Jason Alexander ) and " The Outer Limits " . In 1996 , she joined the cast of NBC ' s popular police drama " Homicide : Life on the Street " , playing chief medical examiner Julianna Cox . She remained with the show for two years , after which she was let go as part of a major cast overhaul ( the series would be canceled after one more season ) . However , she would reprise the role in the 2000 TV special " Homicide : The Movie " ( which also featured Ed Begley , Jr . and Reg E . Cathey ) . Also in 2000 , Forbes became a regular on an ABC series called , but this show was pulled from the air after only two episodes ( six completed episodes never aired ) . Forbes was next seen in a recurring role on " The District " , a police drama whose regular cast includes Roger Aaron Brown . Forbes appeared in the first eight episodes of this series , airing throughout the fall of 2000 , with her last episode also guest - starring veteran Jeff Corey , whom she had previously worked with in a 1998 episode of " Brimstone " ( along with Tim de Zarn , Lori Petty , and series regular John Glover ) . She was subsequently given roles in films such as 2001 ' s " Perfume " ( also featuring Paul Sorvino , Robert Joy , and Harris Yulin ) and 2002 ' s " American Girl " , as well as the 2001 British TV miniseries " Messiah " ( for which she learned British Sign Language ) and its sequels : " Messiah 2 : Vengeance is Mine " in 2002 and " Messiah III " in 2003 . During the 2002 - 2003 TV season , Forbes played the recurring character of Lynne Kresge , the aide to the President of the United States David Palmer , on the second season ( 2002 - 2003 ) of the critically - acclaimed FOX thriller " 24 " . Actor Dennis Haysbert , who played President Palmer , reportedly was a big " Star Trek " fan and excited to work with her given her history with the show . Her tenure on this program saw her working alongside fellow " Trek " actors Timothy Carhart , Jude Ciccolella , Penny Johnson , and Harris Yulin . Like Ro Laren , the fate of Forbes ' " 24 " character also remains a mystery . She followed her role on " 24 " with a guest spot on J . J . Abrams ' " Alias " . She returned to science fiction , when she went on to play Helena Cain , a strong but misguided admiral commanding the Battlestar " Pegasus " , making noticeable appearances in three episodes of Ronald D . Moore ' s re - imagining of the classic sci - fi series " " , airing on the Sci - Fi Channel , as well as starring in the " Battlestar Galactica " TV movie " " . For Cain ' s quarters aboard " Pegasus " , Moore has stated that he was inspired by the interior decoration of Admiral James T . Kirk ' s San Francisco apartment as seen in and , as he felt that both characters had a deep sense of history and tradition in common . ( - special feature , " audio commentary " ) Incidentally , in the original , classic 1978 version of " Battlestar Galactica " the character of Cain was played by Lloyd Bridges , who was approached by Gene Roddenberry to play the captain of in what became . In addition , she appeared in the critically acclaimed film " Dandelion " and lends her voice to the character of Dr . Judith Mossman in the " Half - Life 2 " video games . More recently , she had a recurring role as Agent Samantha Brinker on the FOX drama " Prison Break " , working alongside Wade Williams , Rob Knepper , and former star John Billingsley . And in December 2006 , she became one of the many " Star Trek " alumni to guest star on " Boston Legal " , an ABC series starring William Shatner and , at the time , Rene Auberjonois . In 2008 and 2009 , Forbes starred in the HBO drama series " In Treatment " , portraying the wife ( and later ex - wife ) of the central character , a psychotherapist played by . She was also seen in the fourth season finale of " Lost " , the hit ABC drama co - created by J . J . Abrams and Damon Lindelof . She appeared in the second season of the HBO series as a named Maryann ; John Billingsley also has a role on this series . In 2010 she received a Saturn Award nomination for " Best Guest Starring Role on Television " for her part in " True Blood " , which she lost to fellow " Trek " actor Leonard Nimoy . Raymond Cruz was also nominated in this category . In 2011 Forbes had a starring role as Mitch Larsen in the crime series " The Killing " along with " Trek " alumnus Billy Campbell . She also received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work . She also voiced the character Circe in the video game " DC Universe Online " along with Wil Wheaton and Dwight Schultz and portrayed Billy Burke ' s screen wife Sylvia Howard in the comedy " Highland Park " ( 2011 , with Bob Gunton and John Carroll Lynch ) . Most recently , she appeared as Lieutenant Jackson in ' The Hunger Games : Mockingjay – Part 2 ' . As of 2018 , she is a regular on the drama series " Berlin Station " , along with Leland Orser and Ashley Judd .