ZIA

Zia was an Afghan woman, living with her son Ahmed in a small rural home near the Pakistani border at the time of the Soviet occupation of her country. She had been married to a leader of the resistance, but her husband had been shot in the back and killed by Khalil, an Afghan tribal leader who cooperated with the Russians. Khalil had then set his sights on Zia and had repeatedly tried to force himself on her, while Ahmed felt powerless to intervene. Although she feared both the Soviets and Khalil and his men, Zia was a strong and courageous woman, doing what she needed to do to survive under harsh circumstances.

When an early American Rogallo satellite fell out of orbit, MacGyver was sent to Afghanistan to retrieve the classified data capsule from the downed satellite. In order to get to the target quickly, MacGyver flew an obsolete military jet into Afghan airspace, then parachuted from the jet as the Soviets brought it down with ground-to-air missiles. Captain Osharansky, in command of the Soviet Headquarters in the area, ordered all available men, including Khalil and his men, to search for the plane and the pilot. MacGyver recovered the data capsule, but he became trapped on the top of a mesa by Soviet and Afghan forces, and his only means of escape was to piece together parts of the downed satellite to build a hang glider. As MacGyver glided from the mesa, Khalil's men fired automatic weapons and wounded him in the right shoulder and hand, but he was rescued by Ahmed, who had witnessed MacGyver's resourcefulness and brought him home, believing that he might be strong enough to defeat Khalil.

Fearful of the consequences, Zia at first refused to take MacGyver into her home, but Ahmed's pleading convinced her. She cleaned and dressed his wounds, and when the shoulder wound became infected, she cauterized it with an iron rod from the fireplace, explaining that since the Russians came all Afghans know about bullet wounds. She offered him food and rest and fresh clothes, and over several days she nursed him back to health. Zia began to see the effect MacGyver had on her son as he used his resourcefulness to repair the pump and to eliminate Khalil as a threat while teaching that killing is unnecessary, and as she insisted that he stay until he was healed, she became tearful at the thought of saying goodbye to someone who means so much.

When Sergeant Borsov, a young Soviet soldier, approached Zia's home, MacGyver overpowered him, but let him go unharmed. However, Zia and her son had now become targets and had no choice but to leave their home. Zia was ready to go, admitting that there was no life there, only killing, and she and her son joined MacGyver as he made his way to the Pakistani border. There they once again encountered Sergeant Borsov, but in return for MacGyver's earlier compassion, the young sergeant allowed them to pass and to make their escape into Pakistan.

Portrayed by: Persis Khambatta

Cross Reference: Afghanistan, Ahmed, Sergeant Borsov, Khalil, Captain Osharansky, Rogallo Satellite

Episode Reference: To Be a Man