Jolène Blalock pour Show Patrol

Jolene Blalock traded Vulcan ears for hair extensions in "Legend of the Seeker."

Actually the actress who played T'Pol on "Star Trek: Enterprise" took off her Vulcan ears when the show ended a few years ago (she kept them). It'll be hard to recognize her with the extra-long hair she wears as Nicci, a mysterious Sister of the Dark who finds a fun plaything in the form of Richard (Craig Horner, Shirtless Man of the Week; Craig Horner interview)

"She finds intrigue with Richard because he has this incredibly powerful magic that he doesn't know how to use," she told me this week from L.A. "She feels with Richard she has finally found an equal and that makes it fun for her. Before she had been playing cat-and-mouse with the Sisters of the Light, but when Richard shows up, it's as if the game is on."

Her two-episode stint begins with "Dark," airing at 4 p.m. Saturday on WGN in Chicago. Just as the Sisters of the Light begin training Richard to use his powers, Nicci forces him into a dark alliance and seeks to destroy Kahlan (Bridget Regan).

As nefarious as Nicci sounds, Blalock still likes her, calling Nicci a "special victim" and even something of an innocent.

"I wouldn't have signed to do a character that was just blatantly sinister and blatantly evil," she said. "With this character, the way it was written, there is a seed of doubt and that gives me a lot of room to work with."

Blalock talked about her Vulcan ears, working in New Zealand and with Horner, and more about Nicci. (That part is spoilerriffic. I'm throwing it at the bottom of the QA under photos. Read at your own risk!)

How long were you in New Zealand filming this?
I was there a little over a month.

Was it fun?
It was. It's an incredible country and incredible countryside. Incredible people I actually have to say. They're just the kindest people, the freest. Every New Zealander I've met is incredibly kind.

When I talked to Craig Horner he said it was a lot of fun having you guest star.
It was. He's fun, and a hard worker. That boy works some long hours. Oh my God, it is incredible. It is unbelievable. I've done this for quite a few years and if I had his schedule I would cry. It's a rigorous schedule.

Is that your real hair?
No they added. [Laughs.] I had some additions there.

The women on this show and a lot of times on sci-fi and fantasy shows the women are always the more powerful or most powerful. Do you have any theories on why that is since you've played some powerful women?
I have. I've played some very strong women. I don't know that powerful is the right word because in this episode Richard is undoubtedly the most powerful. He holds the most power, but I think that his wanting to trust others is his weakness. I think that the women are, and this is going to sound sexist, are more manipulative.

They are strong.
They're very strong. I'm not saying there is not strength in the ability to choose words and to choose your intention behind the words.

Speaking of other strong women you've played. You played T'Pol on "Enterprise." I saw "10 Items or Less" episode "Star Trok." Was that fun?
Oh my God, I loved it. I love those people to death. They had actually tried to get Paramount to run this with "Star Trek" so we could use the "Star Trek" words, but because they wouldn't they had to make it "Star Trok" and it ended up being even more funny. Jon Lehr and Nancy Hower, the creators over there, they're just great people. It was a lot of fun.

John Lehr I've talked to him before. He is hilarious.
Yeah, he is frickin' hilarious. He was so sick during that episode. He was just, under all that makeup he was just dying.

Was that odd for you doing the improvising? They do a lot of improvising.
It was liberating. It was just very living in the moment, saying what comes to you in the moment. It was just an incredible experience. I would love to do it again. Yeah, unscripted is just it's something else.

Since you were on a "Star Trek" series, you're going to be recognized as T'Pol forever. How is that going?
Well because I was in costume I'm barely ever recognized. I'm actually more recognized for my voice than I am for you know just appearance. I think that you know as far as being typecast I don't think I will be because I look so different than T'Pol. I mean they did everything, the wig to the eyebrows to the ears to changing my skin color. They did a really good, great job at hiding Jolene.

I was reading your 2005 Playboy interview to get ready for this and you talked about how you started to save the ears, but they didn't preserve very well.
Yeah, that's right. They don't.

Do you still have them?
I do ... This sounds really weird. I can't fit them back on my ears. But you can obviously tell that it's the ear, but yeah, they haven't preserved very well. They sort of stick to each other. I probably have over a hundred pairs.

Do you just have them like in a jar or something?
In a jar, yeah in formaldehyde. No, I keep them in a box.

I read an interview where you said that you were hoping that there would be a "Starship Troopers 4."
Sure, what the hell? I had great fun doing that. I loved Captain Lola Beck. She kicks ass. She's a bad-ass ... I'd love to play her again.

SPOILER WARNING: I wouldn't read until after "Perdition" airs Jan. 30.

So tell me about your character.
Sister Nikki, yeah, she is a special victim. ... Throughout my portrayal of her I truly believed that Sister Nikki wasn't all evil. Through the plot and all the manipulation of Richard I just feel that she has so sold into her own vision, that she has lost sight of the bigger picture. I just think that sometimes we can lose sight of the bigger picture when we're blinded by the passions of our intentions. So she is not innately evil. She is innately pure, you know?

And Sister Nikki's objective was very well plotted and expertly executed and I felt that at times Sister Nikki was satisfied with herself, satisfied with her mastery of the subtle manipulation over Richard. Because these moments between Richard and herself were so well plotted and well thought-out, it's as if she has had forever to rehearse each word, each line with Richard. So there is this sense of self-appreciation as she is watching these moments actually unfold.

Now are we going to end up liking her or...?
I like her.

You like her, OK.
I like her. Are we going to end up agreeing with her? Probably not, but that you know that story still it remains to be told you know. I think there is a lot of twists and turns for Sister Nikki, so being able to agree with her, her actions or her beliefs I just don't think that a judgment can be made yet.

So does that mean that the door is sort of left open that she could come back sometime?
Yeah.