Shikara (this is the last name!) is the daughter of a Vulcan embassador, K'Tara, and a Bajoran resistance fighter, Shikor. Her parents met during a two-year diplomatic mission of her mother K'Tara, who tried to help end the conflict on Bajor. Their love had to face many difficulties, since Bajor was not exactly a safe place to live at that time, especially not after Nilia was born. Able to live with the risk Bajor provided for herself, but unable to have also her child live with it, K'Tara decided to go back to Vulcan at the end of her mission. Shikor stayed on Bajor, and the only contact they had were the few letters that got through. Nilia can hardly remember her father and her early childhood in Bajor; however, she kept her fathers last name.

During her first seven years of life Nilia lived on Vulcan, which formed her very logical way of thinking and her peaceful nature. Then her mother was transferred to Earth, where Nilia's contact with humans let her explore her emotional side and made her develop a good sense of humor. At age 18, she entered Starfleet Academy, ready to pursue a scientific carrier. There she specialized on subquark particle physics and astronomy, she graduated at age 22. Afterwards, she was stationed on the Orion Scientific Starbase, and, before the war against the dominion began, also on Deep Space 9 for a few months. There she was a member of a research group on the wormhole phenomenon and finally had the chance to find out more about her Bajoran background. The USS Darwin is the first space ship she is stationed on, and there she wants to continue to live her motto "Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end (Spock)".