star trek trill dax

Why Star Trek's Trill Mysteriously Sprouted Spots When It Came Time For Deep Space Nine

The Trill were first introduced in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "The Host" (May 11, 1991). In that episode, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) engaged in an intense love affair with a Trill super-diplomat named Odan (Franc Luz), a man whom she later discovered had a very unusual biology. It seems some members of the Trill species are joined with incredibly long-lived worm-like symbionts that are surgically implanted in their stomachs. The symbionts possess the memories and experiences of all their hosts and take over the personalities of the people they are implanted inside of. Symbionts can live through dozens of hosts in their lives.

In "The Host," Odan sported inverted v-shaped forehead ridges above his eyes and a larger, extended septum. The makeup was designed by Michael Westmore, a longtime "Next Generation" makeup artist.

It wouldn't be until "Emissary" (January 3, 1993), the pilot episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," that Trekkies would encounter another Trill. "DS9" featured a Trill character named Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell), who served as Deep Space Nine's science officer. In the lore of the series, Jadzia had recently been given the Dax symbiote after it spent many decades inside the body of a party-loving old man named Curzon. Jadzia had to reconnect with several old friends who knew her from her previous life.

Dax, one might immediately note, doesn't have the same forehead ridges that Odan did. It seems that the makers of "Deep Space Nine," after trying out similar ridges on Farrell, elected to do something less obtrusive. According to Paula M. Block's and Terry J. Erdmann's book "Star Trek: The Next Generation 365,"  Dax's makeup artists modeled her new "spots" after Westmore saw how good they looked on Famke Janssen in the "Next Generation" episode "The Perfect Mate" (April 27, 1992).

Famke Janssen, the perfect mate

Resourceful Trekkies can likely find the early makeup tests that Terry Farrell went through for "Deep Space Nine." It seems that the original Dax makeup design was to give her Odan's forehead ridges  but to make them less pronounced . The reason for a more "subtle" version of the makeup was likely twofold. For one, the series already featured numerous alien characters that required hours-long makeup jobs, and having one fewer was cheaper. It's also likely that someone didn't want the actor's face covered. According to the "365" book, the studio in particular didn't want an attractive actor like Farrell to sport a weird alien forehead. A redesign of the Trill makeup was required.

Westmore recalled doing makeup for "The Perfect Mate" and was inspired. In that episode, a woman named Kamala (Famke Janssen) is being transported in stasis to a diplomatic summit where she will offered as a bartered bride. Kamala's arranged marriage with a distant politician will, it is hoped, end a generations-long war. Naturally, Kamala — having been released from stasis early by accident — accidentally bonds with Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart). Kamala was depicted as being romantically and sexually irresistible, and her makeup was meant to reflect that. Westmore was fond of her look, which incorporated a series of small red spots on Kamala's temples.

That look was recreated for Dax and even expanded. Dax had a complex series of spots that ran down her temples and down her neck. A flirtatious alien once asked Dax how far down the spots go, and she winkingly replied, "All the way."

The new Trill look worked well. It denoted that she was an alien, but more subtly than the show's Changeling or Ferengi characters.

The continuity headache

Sadly, the new makeup design caused no small amount of headaches for Trekkies obsessed with continuity (which is to say, most Trekkies). In "The Host," both Odan and the eventual second host of his symbiont (played by actor Nicole Orth-Pallavicini) had the ridged forehead and pronounced septums. After that, all Trill had the temple spots, even into the days of "Star Trek: Discovery." There has never been a canonical reason for the change, and no characters have ever commented that Trill used to look different.

It is, frustratingly, just another changed "Star Trek" premise that fans merely have to accept. For many years, for example, Klingons looked like humans, only sporting Fu-Manchu-style mustaches. In "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," they suddenly had outsize forehead ridges. In "Next Generation," their foreheads were enormous, and in "Discovery," they sported either jet-black or pearl-white skin, elongated skulls, new eyeballs, and even extra nostrils. These kinds of changes are done for the benefit of the showrunners' creativity and typically serve to make fans squirm uncomfortably. Something similar happened with the Romulans as they moved from the original "Star Trek" to the days of "Next Generation."

Of course, with the Klingons, their change was eventually addressed . A multi-part episode of "Star Trek: Enterprise" explained that the "Original Series" Klingons were infused with enhanced human DNA. That DNA would eventually be bred out of Klingons in a few generations, hence they looked the way they did in "Next Generation."

Given the attention to detail some "Trek" writers pay, it's likely a future episode will explain away the Trill foreheads in earnest.

Star Trek | Just Like a Trill: The Difference Between Symbionts and Parasites

Biologist Irene Garcia Newton explains the real science behind Star Trek’s Trill symbionts.

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Imagine you and I are Starfleet officers on shore leave. Rather than jet off to Risa (the ‘pleasure planet’) for the 20th time in a row, we make a quick 40-light-year trip to the planet Trill instead.

When we arrive, we bypass the popular Hoobishan Baths and head down into the depths of the planet to find the Caves of Mak’ala, a series of tunnels filled with glowing, interconnected pools of milky water.

We watch as worm-like creatures a little smaller than our forearms swim around the pools. It’s not long before a robed Guardian approaches, who (begrudgingly, we’re hanging out in a very sacred space, after all) explains these are Trill symbionts. He tells us that they can stay here in the pools or, if they want to get out, they can be ‘implanted’ into a Trill humanoid host.

A network of caves and worm-like creatures that need a human host. It sounds more body horror than a holiday, right? That’s no surprise. Sci-fi has taught us that symbiotic relationships don’t end well for the host.

Think of the Facehuggers in Alien (1979). They latch onto a host’s face, use their chest to incubate a baby Xenomorph, and leave them very dead when they burst out. The parasites from The Faculty (1998) burrow into a host’s brain through their ear and then take over their bodies. And there’s the ‘thing’ from The Thing (1982), a parasitic alien that infects and assimilates its hosts before imitating them.

A similar bug-like being also nearly led to the downfall of Starfleet and the murder of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in Star Trek: The Next Generation (‘Conspiracy’ – S1, Ep25) when an army of pink parasites took residence at the top of their hosts’ spines.

But don’t worry, that’s not how things work here on Trill. When we meet the ‘joined’ Trill Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell), one of the main characters in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , we learn that it’s a great honor for Trill humanoids to become hosts. They work hard, train hard, collect degrees like you collect Pokémon, and compete with others for the privilege of becoming a host. Even if we wanted a Trill symbiont implanted into our stomachs at this point, we wouldn’t stand a chance.

The Trill’s style of symbiont-host relationship certainly isn’t as typical in sci-fi as the chest-bursting, brain-controlling variety. However, science shows us many different types in the real world—some much closer to home than you might realize.

Symbiosis Explained

“Symbiosis was originally a term coined by Anton de Bary [a German botanist, microbiologist, and mycologist] to mean two organisms, differently named, living together,” says Irene Garcia Newton , an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Indiana University Bloomington who specializes in microbial symbiosis. “It is a very broad definition meant to encompass negative and positive interactions, as long as they are long term associations.”

Newton says the key thing you need to know about symbiosis is: it’s everywhere. “Pretty much all animals and plants have microbial symbionts—sometimes bacteria, sometimes fungi, sometimes both,” she explains. “Everything has a symbiosis, even you.”

However, as we’ve learned from several of the sci-fi examples earlier, symbiosis can look drastically different on a case-by-case basis. This is why there are three types: commensalism, mutualism, and parasitism.

Commensalism; or, Don’t Mind Me

Commensalism is a type of symbiotic relationship where one living organism benefits and the other doesn’t benefit or suffer. They simply don’t get anything out of the deal.

There are many real-world examples of commensalism. Jackals separated from a pack have been spotted following tigers around and eating their leftovers. Hermit crabs use the shells of dead creatures to upgrade their homes. The remora fish is one of my favorites, which hitches a ride on the side of giant sea creatures for transport, protection, and to eat the bigger animal’s leftovers.

Out of the three, this is the type of symbiosis with the fewest examples in science fiction. I think that could be because there’s not much drama compared to mutualism and parasitism, which we’re about to encounter next.

However, in Star Trek: The Original Series (‘Wolf in the Fold’ – S2, Ep14), we do hear of (but, unfortunately, don’t meet) a species called the Drella that feed on love, which could be commensalism, but we never get to find out for sure.

Star Wars fans might also argue that the midichlorians, which Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) calls “a microscopic life form that resides within all living cells,” are an example of commensalism. It’s these life forms that channel the Force, allowing those sensitive to it to tap into its power. Then again, we don’t know enough about the fictional science of the midichlorians, and this could be mutualism instead.

Mutualism; or, Everybody Wins

Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship in which both living organisms benefit. We see this type of symbiosis loads in the real world. For starters, more than 80 percent of plant and tree species depend on mycorrhizal relationships with fungi. They give the fungi sugars, and the fungi provide them with water and other kinds of nutrients.

Many birds have this relationship with larger animals, like the oxpecker, which picks parasites off big mammals, like rhinos—a good meal for the oxpecker and better health for the rhino.

Anemones and clownfish (or anemonefish) have a similar close bond. Anemones have stinging tentacles that subdue prey, like crabs and fish. But clownfish are immune, so they hide from predators among the anemone, a win for the clownfish. But they also keep the anemones free from parasites, and provide them with nutrients from their feces, and their bright colors might even lure in prey, a win for the anemones, too.

There’s also mutualism inside your body. Your gut microbiota helps you digest food, and it gets a place to live and things to eat in return. It’s a similar story for the microbes that live on your skin, which help promote immunity and prevent infection.

The Babel Fish in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1978) might be my favorite sci-fi reference. Pop one of these tiny yellow fish in your ear, and it’ll feed on the brain waves of everyone you encounter while also serving as a universal translator. It’s “possibly the oddest thing in the universe”, according to The Guide, but mighty handy, too. There’s also a Futurama episode called ‘Parasites Lost’ (S3, Ep2) in which Fry gets infected with worms that make him stronger and more intelligent.

Parasitism; or, Used and Abused

Parasitism is when one organism benefits and the other suffers. There are many instances in which you might play the role of the host. Think head lice, ticks, the tiny mites that cause scabies, and a whole bunch of tapeworms, roundworms, and other shaped worms that make you very ill.

Several examples of parasitism in nature sound so grim I’m a little hesitant to share them. Like the female hawk wasp, which stings and paralyzes a spider, lays her eggs in its body, and when the baby wasps hatch, they climb out, and their first meal is the spider—which is, horrifyingly, still alive throughout this whole process. If that hasn’t provided you with enough nightmare fuel, Google “zombie ant fungus”. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

With these kinds of Cronenberg-esque scenes occurring in real life regularly, it’s no surprise sci-fi creators have dreamed up all manner of monstrous parasites of their own. We’ve already covered a few of these, like the parasitoid Alien Facehuggers that use a host’s body to grow a Chestburster, but there are plenty more.

In the very- The-Thing -like episode of The X-Files called ‘Ice’ (S1, Ep8), worms feast on a host’s brain and make them extremely violent. The Goa’uld species in Stargate SG-1 reside in a host’s neck and subsume their personality, transforming them into an absolute drama queen.

In Star Trek: The Original Series, there are several parasitic stories. The flying jellyfish-like parasites on the Deneva colony cause “a pattern of mass insanity” (‘Operation – Annihilate!’ – S1, Ep29). There’s also the Redjac, a noncorporeal parasite that possesses its host, turns it into a serial killer, and then feeds on fear—this is how Trek explains Jack the Ripper (‘Catspaw’ – S2, Ep7).

Symbiosis, Not So Simply

Although classifying symbiosis enables us to understand their differences and spot them the next time we watch a nature documentary or a sci-fi TV show—parasitic! mutual!—Newton warns this is a bit simplistic.

“The word ‘symbiosis’ in common usage has become synonymous with ‘mutualism’. This clouds our understanding of interactions,” she tells me. “The mechanisms and dynamics of mutualisms and parasitisms are very similar and also, mutualisms can break down and become parasitisms.”

We can see this in science fiction, too. For example, I’d class the artificially intelligent machines in The Matrix (1999) as having a parasitic relationship with humans. Humans scorched the sky in Operation Darkstorm, so the machines could no longer use the power of the sun. This wasn’t a problem for long, as the machines then used humans as an alternative power source instead. It certainly sounds parasitic, right? But maybe if you prefer the “juicy and delicious” steak in the Matrix compared to “the same goddamn goop every day” you get on the outside as Cypher (Joe Pantoliano) does, then it could be mutualism?

Let’s also consider the Goa’uld in Stargate SG-1 , which might take over a host’s body, but give the host benefits, like an extended lifespan and boosted strength. Is that maybe a little bit of mutualism? The Tok’ra, a faction of the Goa’uld, also believes in the body’s equal sharing between symbiont and host, so not all are necessarily parasitic. (I’d still like them to stay as far away from my neck as possible, though, thanks).

What’s more, the Venom symbiote, which has a long history throughout Marvel canon, doesn’t fully take over its host’s body but often does force them to do pretty dangerous or violent things. Where does that sit on the scale between mutualism and parasitism?

Introducing the Trill in The Next Generation

If we had to categorize the Trill relationship, we’d be looking at mutualism. That’s because the Trill symbionts get to live their lives outside of the pools. And, because the symbionts can live for centuries, the Trill hosts get their accumulated skills, knowledge, and experience.

The symbiont’s personality, memories, and impulses then exist alongside the host’s. Being ‘joined’ also comes with an elevated social status in Trill society, which benefits them both.

But it wasn’t always this way. We learn the most about the Trill from Jadzia Dax, a Trill and principal character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. But two years earlier, when we first met a ‘joined’ member of the Trill in Star Trek: The Next Generation (‘The Host’ – S4, Ep23), they not only looked different but had a relationship that leaned more toward parasitism than mutualism.

Trill ambassador Odan (Frank Luz) had a ridged forehead, typical in Star Trek: The Next Generation’s ‘alien of the week’ style storytelling. But fast-forward to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Jadzia Dax has a human forehead and, instead, a series of spots and marks down each side of her face, neck, and body. Some fans have explained this away by saying that they were, perhaps, from different parts of Trill. But, allegedly, the show’s creators simply didn’t want to cover up Terry Farrell’s face.

The ‘joining’ of the Trill changes from Star Trek: The Next Generation to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , too. In TNG , the Trill symbiont solely determines the personality, needs, and experiences, whereas the host takes a back seat. In DS9 , the symbiont and host have equal footing after they join and then live together as one. When asked to explain how the symbiont and host brains work in tandem, Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) describes them “like two computers linked together” (‘The Passenger’ – S1, Ep8).

Trill as Queer Representation

I couldn’t find an official explanation for what prompted the change in the Trill between Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Sure, it could have been a continuity error, but I think that presenting the relationship between Trill host and Trill symbiont as mutual opened doors to many opportunities.

The most obvious is the storytelling potential and character development of a species built on mutualism rather than parasitism. Choose parasitism, and the creators may always have to tell an uncomfortable story that errs a little too much on the side of horror. Choose mutualism, and they can explore all kinds of themes that might arise when you put two lifeforms in the same body, like those centered on identity, sexuality, responsibility, and morality.

I believe it’s how heavily the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine creators leaned into these themes that made the Trill an interesting species to explore – an interest that endures amongst fans today. I was delighted to find that there’s still so much love online for the Trill. Many fans write about how fascinating they continue to find Trill-centred stories, and some also express how transformative Trill characters were to their own development, understanding, and acceptance.

In the online magazine Lady Science , Rebecca Ortenberg writes about the episode (‘Rejoined’ – S4, Ep6) when Jadzia Dax kisses Lenara Khan (Susanna Thompson) —whose symbionts were married to one another when they had different hosts:

“I think what I saw in Dax was less about representing someone who sometimes kissed the people that I grew up wanting to kiss but instead about something deeper, something queer in a more existential way. At that age, I didn’t think of myself as liking girls. I didn’t think of myself as liking anyone. But I felt a decided “otherness” and uncertainty with my sense of self that I saw reflected on the small screen.”

Similarly, Redditor Hylaia wrote: “When I was a teenager watching DS9 , the Trill characters were the first time I ever recall being forced to think about and challenge my conception of the gender binary. It’s probably true for many others too. For DS9 to do that in the mid-90s was such a cool thing and a smart and thoughtful way to push the envelope.”

Many have explicitly read Jadzia and – from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 7 – Ezri (Nicole de Boer)’s stories as transgender allegories. They point to parallels between the trans experience and Ezri’s dysphoria, as well as the problems that her joining with Dax had on her personal life. There are also times when both Jadzia and Ezri correct other characters when they use their old host’s name or outdated pronouns. A great example is when Kor, a Klingon, greets Jadzia by saying: “Curzon, my beloved old friend!” Jadzia replies with, “I’m Jadzia now,” and Kor (rather than kicking up a fuss) simply smiles and says, “Well, Jadzia, my beloved old friend!” (‘Blood Oath’ – S2, Ep19)

Women at Warp writer Elissa Harris shares: “Dax, the symbiont who has lived numerous lives in various humanoid bodies… is trans. She may not be explicitly trans, but in terms of the stories that get told through her—about gender, personal change, social discomfort and assumptions based on appearances… she is very much trans […] Whether or not they intended to, the writers and performers on that show made my life better and easier in a very specific way.”

The stories told on-screen make a difference, which is why the ways creators tell them matter, too. That’s why it was so positive to see that the creators of Star Trek: Discovery cast non-binary actor Blu del Barrio and trans actor Ian Alexander in Trill roles as Adira and Grey Tal. Not only might some fans see themselves and their experiences mirrored in the Trill, but in the actors chosen to play them, too.

I rewatched an episode of Star Trek: Discovery (‘Forget Me Not’ – S3, Ep4) about the Trill when I was writing this article. There’s a beautiful scene where all of the past Tal hosts greet Adira Tal and say, “welcome to the circle”. Adira Tal now feels connected to the Tal symbiont and all of the hosts before them. This struck me as incredibly powerful, and I read it as not only a reconciling of past Trill hosts but our own reconciling of our past selves and our ancestors. I like that in each Trill, as in each of us, there can be a sense of belonging. Or, as Admiral Senna Tal says to Adira Tal: “Joining made us more than we could ever be alone.”

I don’t believe we all have to come away from every Trill episode having had a profound moment of realization or affirmation. But I do think the Trill are a special species. After their experience, Adira Tal describes the symbionts as “a gift for everyone” (S3, Ep4), and I can’t help but think they aren’t solely a gift for those in the Star Trek universe but for all of us in ours, too.

Stories of the Trill enable us to cultivate more understanding, compassion, and appreciation of difference, both in ourselves and others, rather than fear it. And this is incredibly important because no one exists in isolation. We are all living in symbiosis with each other.

This article was originally published on February 16th, 2022 on the first Companion website.

Origins [ ]

Dax, formerly Ezri Tigan , was born on New Sydney in the Sappora system . Her mother, Yanas Tigan , was a successful mining magnate on Sappora VII , and she and Ezri disagreed on many occasions. Her father was often absent – Ezri noted it was because he couldn't bear to be around his wife. Ezri's closest family member was her younger brother, Norvo (who gave her the nickname Zee ), while her older brother, Janel , was someone whom she looked up to. Ezri dreamed constantly of ways to escape her family, and eventually managed to do so by joining Starfleet . ( DS9 : " Prodigal Daughter ", " Field of Fire ")

Joining with Dax [ ]

Ezri on Earth

In 2375 , Ezri was an ensign serving as an assistant ship's counselor aboard the USS Destiny when it was dispatched to Deep Space 9 on a medical emergency – to carry the Dax symbiont back to Trill following the death of its previous host, Jadzia Dax . En route, the symbiont took a turn for the worse, and, as the only Trill aboard, though one who had decided against joining, Ezri had little choice but to undergo the joining procedure, with only a fifteen-minute lecture from the ship's non-Trill surgeon to prepare her.

Following the joining, the Destiny continued onward to Trill, only now to deliver Ezri so she could meet with members of the Symbiosis Commission 's Evaluation Board , who gave her counseling on how to deal with her new memories, but they were unable to help her further. With her friends and family having difficulty adjusting to her changed personality, and her own confusions about who she really was, Ezri took a leave of absence.

Seeking some sort of link to the person she was now, Ezri sought out Benjamin Sisko , a friend of Dax's previous two hosts, to see if he could help her through the difficult process of integrating eight lifetimes of experience. At the time, Sisko was searching for the Orb of the Emissary , and Ezri agreed to accompany him, Jake , and Joseph Sisko , to Tyree to find it, noting " it'll be just like old times... except, different ". It was while traveling there that Ezri discovered she now suffered from space sickness – warp drive made her 'a little queasy '. Another effect of the joining was a change of dexterity, from right hand to left hand. Despite her rapid mood swings and general insecurity, Ezri was able to help Sisko discover the Orb, and restore the Prophets to the Celestial Temple . ( DS9 : " Shadows and Symbols ")

On Deep Space 9 [ ]

Ezri with the claustrophobic Garak

At that point, Sisko returned to Deep Space 9, bringing Ezri along with him. She found Jadzia's former colleagues still grieving for her, and was prepared to return to her duties aboard the Destiny , hoping to reduce their pain in seeing her. However, Captain Sisko asked her to remain aboard to work as the station's counselor, with a field promotion to lieutenant junior grade , and waived her remaining training. Her first assignment was to attempt to alleviate Elim Garak 's claustrophobia . But, when the sessions broke down, and Garak turned on her, the emotional anguish caused her to decide to resign her commission. She quickly changed her mind when she was finally able to diagnose the root of Garak's attacks.

Although many of Jadzia's friends and colleagues quickly accepted the presence of a new Dax in their lives, her relationship with Jadzia's widower, Worf , did not go quite as smoothly. Initially, Worf wanted nothing to do with her, considering her presence an affront to his wife's memory. However, he soon realized that his actions were more of an affront, and relations between them began to warm. ( DS9 : " Afterimage ")

Ezri played in the Niners baseball team against the Vulcan team, the Logicians , from the USS T'Kumbra as an outfield player in center field. During practice, she damaged her knee trying to make a catch, but recovered enough to play in the game, making an impressive catch using some of Emony 's gymnastic skills ( Julian Bashir dubbing it a " Fancy Dan "), and taking over from Miles O'Brien as first base coach following Sisko's ejection from the game. ( DS9 : " Take Me Out to the Holosuite ")

Following Dr. Bashir's treatment of Sarina Douglas , Ezri helped her settle in, and supported Bashir when the treatment appeared to have broken down. Sarina noted of Ezri: " The day she realizes that she's more than just the sum of her parts, she's really going to be something ." ( DS9 : " Chrysalis ")

Ezri getting acquainted with Kira

When Kor visited the station, seeking a command in the war , Ezri once again found herself having difficulty separating herself from Dax's previous hosts, wanting to go off with him, fighting side by side. Quark overheard part of her conversation with Kira Nerys over the subject, and misinterpreted it, believing she wanted to pursue a relationship with Worf again. When he confronted her over his objection to such a move, Ezri set the record straight, but considered it one of the kindest and dearest things she'd ever heard. ( DS9 : " Once More Unto the Breach ")

Quark was very taken with the young Trill, as he had been with Jadzia, and continued to pursue her for many months.

Ezri accompanied the USS Defiant when it resupplied the Starfleet position at AR-558 in the Chin'toka system . While there, she bonded with one of the engineers there, Kellin , and helped come up with the method to expose the " Houdini " subspace mines that littered the planet. When the Defiant was forced to break orbit, Ezri remained on the surface. It was her first experience of conditions on the front lines, and in the brutal Jem'Hadar assault that followed, she acquitted herself well. ( DS9 : " The Siege of AR-558 ")

Following the events at AR-558, Ezri attempted to assist Nog in dealing with the trauma of losing his leg in the attack. However, Nog's post-traumatic stress caused him to seek comfort in the Bashir 62 holoprogram , rejecting other's efforts to help. Despite this, Ezri continued to support him, advising his friends and colleagues to give him time, and giving Vic Fontaine hints on how to push Nog back towards reality. ( DS9 : " It's Only a Paper Moon ")

Shortly thereafter, Ezri returned home to Sappora VII for the first time in three years, when O'Brien disappeared on New Sydney while searching for Morica Bilby . She found it difficult to reintegrate herself into her family, and when it was revealed that Norvo had been responsible for Morica's death, blamed herself for not being there for him to help her brother sort himself out before it happened. ( DS9 : " Prodigal Daughter ")

Ezri carrying a TR-116 rifle . Note that she is a left-handed shooter

Ezri got on very well with Hector Ilario , another new officer aboard the station, and, following his murder, she decided to investigate on her own. However, lacking in knowledge of criminalistics, she chose instead to confront Joran , Dax's sixth, and one of the shortest-living living, host. Joran's presence in Dax persuaded Ezri to perform the Rite of Emergence , so that he could direct her in finding the killer. The Joran aspect attempted to turn Ezri towards his own mindset , but she was able to resist to some extent, and was relieved to be able to force Joran's memories deep within her subconscious once the killer was caught. ( DS9 : " Field of Fire ")

When Vic's program triggered a secretly-embedded jack-in-the-box subroutine, Ezri helped in the plan to restore the scenario to normal, working herself into the program as a waitress. ( DS9 : " Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang ")

Not long after, Ezri encountered Captain Boday , the Gallamite , who had dated Jadzia for a short time. The two shared dinner, something Bashir and Worf disapproved of. ( DS9 : " Penumbra ")

Following the destruction of the IKS Koraga , and the disappearance of Worf near the Badlands , Ezri found herself once again struggling to separate herself from the memories of Dax's previous hosts. Seemingly driven by her memories of Jadzia and Worf's relationship, Ezri appropriated a runabout , and set off in search of his escape pod, disobeying direct orders from Captain Sisko in the process. Worf was recovered safely; however, when they attempted to return to Federation territory, the runabout was attacked by two Jem'Hadar fighters , and destroyed in the atmosphere of Goralis III . While awaiting rescue, the close quarters and general air of tension between Worf and Ezri led to them sleeping together. This new development in their relationship was cut short, however, when a few hours later, the two were captured by a group of Breen , and taken to a vessel in orbit. ( DS9 : " Penumbra ")

During their captivity, Ezri soon realized that Worf was seeking a relationship with her in an attempt to recapture that which he had with Jadzia. Both were subjected to intense mental interrogation, torture and mistreatment during their captivity aboard the Breen ship . When Ezri was returned to their cell following one session, she unknowingly expressed feelings for Julian Bashir, something that surprised even her. However, this admission soured her relationship with Worf yet again – albeit temporarily. The pair were then transported aboard a Jem'Hadar fighter, as negotiations between the Dominion and the Breen Confederacy got underway. ( DS9 : " 'Til Death Do Us Part ")

Ezri and Worf were taken to Cardassia Prime , where it was intended that they would face trial and execution for war crimes soon after. Knowing how little time they had left, just before they were to be executed, the two were able to reach a final reconciliation over their previous relationship and come to a new understanding – as friends. However, they were able to escape back to Deep Space 9 with the unexpected assistance of Damar , who, having become disillusioned with the Dominion and Cardassia's waning influence in the quadrant, gunned down their Jem'Hadar executioners and told them how to escape Dominion territory, and to let Starfleet know that they had an ally on Cardassia. ( DS9 : " Strange Bedfellows ")

Ezri and Worf returned to Deep Space 9 as news filtered in of the attack on Earth . Settling back into life on the station, Ezri found it difficult to reconcile her newly-discovered feelings for Bashir with her friendship with the doctor and sought support from Worf as to whether she should disclose her feelings to Bashir. She began avoiding Julian, which led to him confronting her over it. Ezri was preparing to tell Bashir when he was called away. The situation was set aside when the Breen launched a counterattack at the Chin'toka system , leading to the Second Battle of Chin'toka , at which Ezri manned the communications console aboard the Defiant . When the vessel was disabled by the Breen energy-dampening weapon , Ezri safely evacuated along with the rest of the ship's complement. ( DS9 : " The Changing Face of Evil ")

Following the Defiant crew's safe return, Bashir once again attempted to discover the reason behind Ezri's avoidance, and, once again, Ezri's attempt to disclose her feelings was cut short, this time by Julian's discovery that Odo had become infected with the morphogenic virus affecting the Founders . The confusion led Bashir to believe that Ezri was seeking to restart her relationship with Worf. ( DS9 : " When It Rains... ")

Ezri later helped Worf determine the correct course of action to take following Gowron 's disastrous attempt to take control of the Klingon defense strategy. Considering it a small piece of a larger puzzle, she noted that the Klingon Empire as a whole had become corrupted, and felt that the society was in deep denial about the true nature of their leaders. She discovered that both Worf and Martok had decided to make her a member of the House of Martok – Martok considered her "an honorable woman and a worthy successor to Jadzia". Ezri thought it was very sweet of him. ( DS9 : " Tacking Into the Wind ")

Julian and Ezri's first kiss

At some point during the year, Ezri had loaned Julian a copy of A Tale of Two Cities that had belonged to Jadzia. It was this book that enabled him to realize that he and Miles O'Brien were trapped inside Luther Sloan 's mind. Ezri was the one who discovered the two in an empty science lab after O'Brien missed an appointment to fix her sonic shower . ( DS9 : " Extreme Measures ")

The awkwardness between Ezri and Julian continued, now with each avoiding the other. Finally, they confronted each other and admitted their feelings. Both agreed that their friendship was too important to risk jeopardizing it and decided to remain friends. However, that idea was quickly abandoned, and the two shared their first kiss in a turbolift heading to ops , much to the chagrin of Worf and O'Brien. ( DS9 : " The Dogs of War ")

Ezri and Bashir spent their first night together the day before the new USS Defiant departed to lead the Allied invasion of Cardassia . The two made a pact to come back alive. Ezri once again manned the communications console during the Battle of Cardassia . Following the successful conclusion of the battle, and the end of the war, Ezri encouraged Worf to accept Chancellor Martok's offer of a position as Federation Ambassador to the Empire. Ezri remained on Deep Space 9 following the war. ( DS9 : " What You Leave Behind ")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " Image in the Sand "
• " Shadows and Symbols "
• " Afterimage "
• " Take Me Out to the Holosuite "
• " Chrysalis "
• " Treachery, Faith and the Great River "
• " Once More Unto the Breach "
• " The Siege of AR-558 "
• " Covenant "
• " It's Only a Paper Moon "
• " Prodigal Daughter "
• " The Emperor's New Cloak "
• " Field of Fire "
• " Chimera "
• " Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang "
• " Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges "
• " Penumbra "
• " 'Til Death Do Us Part "
• " Strange Bedfellows "
• " The Changing Face of Evil "
• " When It Rains... "
• " Tacking Into the Wind "
• " Extreme Measures "
• " The Dogs of War "
• " What You Leave Behind "

Background information [ ]

Ezri Dax was played by Nicole de Boer .

While Ira Steven Behr and Ronald D. Moore were creating the character of Ezri Dax, they presumed she would be a regular character, but some initial uncertainty was involved. " I've got a pretty good idea, " commented Behr, " but it could always change, casting could always change. " Moore stated, " We haven't really crystallized it yet. It's safe to say we are virtually certain it's going to be a woman. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 51)

At first, there was some speculation that the new Dax host might meet Jadzia Dax, similar to how Jadzia meets Curzon Dax in DS9 : " Emissary ". However, this turned out not to be case for Ezri. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 50)

The writing staff put a lot of effort into trying to create Ezri Dax as an interesting character. Ron Moore has stated, " It felt like the best way to go was to go young, to go with a young, fresh-out-of-the- Academy kid, who is now an old soul, and to have that host not be so adept at it. This is a person who wasn't quite ready for this whole honor that has been bestowed on them, and is having adjustment problems. " ("Special Crew Dossier: Ezri Dax", DS9 Season 7 DVD special features)

The casting choice of Nicole de Boer felt immediately right to Ira Steven Behr. He has commented, " I can say that when Nikky walked in to audition, she was exactly what I had in mind, the way she looked, the way she acted, just the whole package was exactly what I saw Ezri Dax to be. " ("Special Crew Dossier: Ezri Dax", DS9 Season 7 DVD special features)

The newly created character brought a fresh streak to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in its final season. Ira Behr has pointed out, " It's very tough in the last year, because a) you're thinking so much about the end of the series, and b) you're so busy worrying about, 'Well, we don't want to repeat ourselves.' So to have this new character suddenly come on, who's not a new character, because she's still Dax, was just such a wonderful thing for us, because it was like, 'Oh, we know what to do with that. We could give you twenty stories with that.' We had to cut back on those stories because we didn't want to have the cast up in arms about just doing Ezri Dax stories. Because she brought so much baggage with her, from Jadzia, it was like, 'Oh, we can play in that pond for weeks.' " ("Special Crew Dossier: Ezri Dax", DS9 Season 7 DVD special features)

Michael Piller thought the introduction and integration of Ezri to the series was highly successful. He commented, " I wish I had done that in the first two-hour pilot . I'm not saying that Jadzia wasn't successful, but it took a long time to make Dax successful. She became a Dorothy Parker kind of dry wit. As Ezri, she had issues and conflicts. Instead of having her character change off camera, she was thrown into chaos on camera. It was a great twist. " ("DS9 Goes Out Strong and Defiant to the End", Star Trek: Communicator  issue 124 )

Nicole de Boer has approved of the role Ezri played as a counselor. " It's ironic to have this person being a counselor when she's so messed up herself, " de Boer remarked. " It makes her a good counselor, actually, in some ways, because she can relate really well to people. She has a different way of doing it; it's not Deanna Troi . It's not that type of counseling, but it's different, it's good and it works for Ezri! " ("Meet Ezri Dax: Nicole de Boer", Star Trek: Communicator  issue 119 )

In the original ending of " Tacking Into the Wind ", Ezri orders bloodwine (which she hates) in Quark's, to toast Martok . When Ezri goes to toast Worf's brief time as the Klingon leader, Ezri asks how that felt. Worf tells her that he wished his father, Mogh , could know he was Chancellor, if only for a moment. Ezri tells Worf that his father knows, as does Jadzia. The two then toast Chancellor Worf. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion - A Series Guide and Script Library )

In the theoretical eighth season story pitch in the DS9 documentary What We Left Behind , Ezri is captain of the USS Emmett Till and is married to Dr. Bashir. She is depicted as wearing the future uniform which first appeared in " All Good Things... ", as well as in " The Visitor " and " Endgame ".

Prior to the introduction of Ezri Dax, Star Trek author Peter David once joked to his actor friend Bill Mumy that he could perhaps play the ninth host of the Trill symbiont. Mumy rejected that notion when it was pointed out to him that doing so might mean he would have to play the new character as being married to Worf. [2]

Ezri Dax was the only main cast member from the four Star Trek series in existence during the Playmates license not to receive an action figure from the company. Diamond Select Toys released an Ezri figure in late 2007.

Ezri is one of only two main characters in the spin-offs of Star Trek made from 1987 to 2005 ( TNG - ENT ) to not have appeared as a holographic duplicate . The other is Jake Sisko .

Apocrypha [ ]

The cover of the Star Trek: Destiny novel Gods of Night illustrating Ezri with the rank of captain

In the Deep Space Nine relaunch series of novels , Ezri begins to integrate her past lives into her current personality, prompting her to change to a career in command , changing her uniform department color to red. This process of integration led to much confusion and frustration in her relationship with Dr. Bashir, which eventually dissolved in Unjoined . In Mission Gamma she is assigned as executive officer of the USS Defiant during a historic post- war mission of exploration in the Gamma Quadrant .

As of the novel series Star Trek: Destiny , Ezri Dax had been promoted to captain – albeit due to the deaths of her previous senior officers during a recent battle – and served as commanding officer of the Federation starship USS Aventine . In Destiny , Dax worked with Jean-Luc Picard and William T. Riker to save the Federation from the Borg , during which Worf – now first officer of the USS Enterprise -E – assured her that her new captaincy did honor to Jadzia's memory, despite Ezri's initial concerns that Worf would resent her promotion over him, particularly since his lack of a captaincy could be attributed to his decision to save Jadzia's life over completing a key mission. Dax also appears in the Star Trek: Typhon Pact novels Zero Sum Game and Brinkmanship and the Star Trek: The Fall novels Revelation and Dust , A Ceremony of Losses , and The Poisoned Chalice . Ezri's next appearance was in the novel Takedown , where the Aventine was enlisted by now-Admiral Riker as part of a Cytherian plot.

In Moments Asunder , the first novel of the Star Trek: Coda trilogy, the First Splinter Timeline version of Ezri Dax was exposed to temporal energies that killed not only the Ezri Tigan host, but also the Dax symbiont .

Nicole de Boer approved of the storyline of Dax's promotion to captain. She commented: " Just the fact she got to captain – I mean, that is pretty cool – and it does make sense for Ezri because she was on that sort of trajectory. She was growing. I would have liked to have had a little longer on the show to become even more confident. What would be cool is if we did another show and you did see me walk through the doors with wonderful confidence because she was so lost before. And they [the other characters] would be like, 'Whoa! That’s Ezri! She’s really grown a lot.' But then we could also see how those people inside her have manifested in interesting ways now that she’s really grasped how to do it. That would be really fun just to explore all that stuff but with more confidence than I could at the time because it was brand-new for her. " [3]

In the background story for Star Trek Online , Ezri is retired from Starfleet by the year 2401 when she objects to Federation inaction in the face of proven Alpha Quadrant infiltration by Species 8472 . In the "Victory is Life" expansion, Dr. Bashir – having also retired from Starfleet, to a private practice on Trill – mentions that he was asked to return to Starfleet by Kai Kira and Captain Dax, presumably referring to Ezri. He also mentions being married to the captain of the Aventine , also implied to mean Ezri. The STO fiction blog "Spores", which links to the "Age of Discovery " expansion, confirms that Ezri is the Captain Dax that Bashir is referring to, and that she is the Captain of the Aventine . Nicole de Boer made her STO debut as Ezri in January 2024, featuring in the episode "Scorpion's Abyss". Teamed with the player character, Captain Harry Kim , and the Lukari admiral Kuumaarke, Ezri leads a task force into fluidic space to seal a vortex being used by the mirror universe 's Borg Kingdom.

In " What We Left Behind ", the writers of Deep Space Nine imagined now Captain Dax and Bashir having married and them both serving aboard the USS Emmett Till ( β ) and assigned to the Gamma Quadrant .

External links [ ]

• Ezri Dax at StarTrek.com
• Ezri Dax at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Ezri Dax at Wikipedia

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What are the Trill in Star Trek? Explained

In many ways, it’s easy to explain the Trill of Star Trek . They are a humanoid species from the planet Trill located in the Alpha Quadrant. They look just like Humans except for the cluster of dark spots running along the sides of their heads and – though it’s often unseen for censorship purposes – along their bodies. There’s an aspect of Trill culture that’s a little more difficult to explain, though, but I’ll give it a try anyway.

What is a Trill?

The Trill are as scientifically advanced as most alien races throughout the galaxy of Star Trek . They, too, love to put things under a microscope and study them in official research capacities. It’s potentially in their pursuit of knowledge that they discovered a long, long time ago that some of them had the ability to link with a Trill symbiont.

Related : The Best Star Trek TV Shows, Ranked

They undergo surgery during which a big worm is placed in their abdomen. This process forms an immediate connection between the host and the symbiont. The two then embark on a lifelong journey of sharing memories and life experiences after they are joined. It’s not such an easy concept to explain to anyone new to fandom.

The Trill were first introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and have been a have since become staple of the franchise. We even got to see the ancient underground pools where Trill went to better understand, or sometimes heal, the symbiont within them.

Notable Trill in Star Trek

However, Deep Space Nine didn’t just introduce the Trill or their cultural practices. The series gave us the most famous Trill of all: Jadzia Dax. She was the First Officer and BFF of Captain Sisko. She was also the closest that many transgender Star Trek fans had ever gotten to complex representation in a popular sci-fi series.

As much as we love (and miss) her, though, Jadzia was not the only Trill to get into space shenanigans like time travel and facing one’s own insecurities. She came from a long line of Trill who’d joined with the Dax symbiont. Some of whom we met in Deep Space Nine , like the incorrigible Curzon or the emphasis Ezri.

Then, of course, there’s Barnes in Lower Decks and Gray Tal in Discovery . Technically, there’s also Adira Tal but that complicated history is for another time. Just know that explaining the Trill of Star Trek just got a little easier. You’re welcome!

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Published Nov 19, 2022

The Trill of It All: An Interview with Terry Farrell

Go beyond the spots with the Deep Space Nine actress who played Jadzia Dax.

StarTrek.com

Terry Farrell 's turn as Jadzia Dax on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is near and dear to many fans' hearts. She made Jadzia her own for six years, imbuing the character with a warmth and lightheartedness that the somber and often dark series needed. Farrell departed the space station after the sixth season, beaming directly over to the sitcom Becker .

StarTrek.com had the opportunity to catch up with Farrell for an exclusive two-part interview in which she candidly recounted her Deep Space Nine experience. Below is the first part of the conversation.

StarTrek.com: Deep Space Nine was already in production when you landed the role of Jadzia Dax. What do you remember of that period when you auditioned, met the Paramount brass, got the role, had costume fittings and makeup tests, then had to get on set and start filming?

Terry Farrell: I was a nervous wreck; I was really excited. After everything I had to do to get the role, I was then stunned when I got there and saw how big the set was. If I remember right, I was thinking, “This is enormous. This is the biggest set I’ve ever been on.” I’m talking about the Ops set — it was so intimidating and overwhelming.

I was already so overwhelmed from the makeup tests and all of the excitement. If I remember, pretty much everything else had been shot and we had to shoot my stuff because I was the last person hired. Then they changed my makeup. I had a forehead and they didn’t like how that looked. So [make-up supervisor] Michael Westmore came up with the spots and took out the forehead. So we had to re-shoot.

It was really like being thrown in the trenches. I wish I could go back and do it again, knowing what I know now, I think I’m far better prepared to play Dax, just as a woman and as a human being on the planet, being 47 years old. I think I’d do a far better job of playing Dax right now.

StarTrek.com: Once you settled in, how easily did you slip into Jadzia and what intrigued you most about the character?

Terry Farrell: What interested me most was trying to find her strength. She wasn’t defensive at all; she was always calm and relaxed and confident. She had a peaceful, mature way about her. I think that’s what I held on to. I don’t think I really attained that for myself, without being Dax, until I had a child. But I think that playing her was actually my anchor to feeling safe in the world at that time. Playing Dax made me feel like I was secure and I was safe.

startrek.com

StarTrek.com: Deep Space Nine was so dark, but Jadzia was so hopeful and positive – without being in anyone’s face about it. How important a role did you feel the character played within the context of the show?

Terry Farrell: Avery Brooks [who played Benjamin Sisko] used to always tell me that I was too open, and honestly, I think that’s just a part of who I am. I think that’s part of what I bring to the picture. I have a lot of energy. It’s hard for me to hone it in and relax and be stabilized. That constant energy flowing through her was just being optimistic. I played Mimi in Mimi & Me , and it was really off the wall. That’s just how I channeled me being Terry; that’s my personality coming through.

StarTrek.com: Now flip that. How important was it to you as an actor to have those moments on DS9 where we saw a more serious side of Jadzia? You had many episodes that involved darker moments, among them the Mirror Universe.

Terry Farrell: Those I wish I could do again, the Mirror Universe episodes, because I didn’t quite trust that I was going to be OK. There was one in particular [“ You Are Cordially Invited ”], which David Livingston directed. Worf and Jadzia got married. David was really supportive. Michael [Dorn] and I and David all really worked together, and it was one of those magical shows to work on.

Then we had the episode [“ Change of Heart ”] where Worf and I went on a trip and I almost died, and Worf had to make this decision whether to stay back and save me, or go ahead with the mission. That was another one where I felt like we were all very connected. Those are a couple that stand out in this moment, talking to you. But a lot of them, especially in the first couple of years, I felt like I was a fish out of water. I was trying to figure out how this was working for me. I was still getting caught up in memorizing all my dialogue. I think it took a couple of years for me to feel like I was immersed in it.

StarTrek.com: How did you and Michael Dorn react when the producers came to you and said, “We’re going to pair up Jadzia and Worf?”

Terry Farrell: Oh, we’d thought we were so clever flirting with each so we’d have more stuff to do together, just because we were friends. Ha!

You’d think they had that planned the whole time because it all just went so easily. I loved it because Michael and I were such good friends. We could just hit heads and really talk things out. I learned so much from working with Michael, as a person and as a performer. He’s a very good friend.

StarTrek.com: You left Deep Space Nine after Season 6 and went straight on to Becker , which you then did for several years. Do you ever regret the decision to leave DS9? Was it the right choice for you, then and now?

Terry Farrell: My contract had ended, so I didn’t feel like I left the show. I felt like my contract had ended and there wasn’t a negotiation (for another year). It was ironic that Becker also let me go, as a person, I was really fortunate to have the experience of working on a half-hour show as well. That also took me a few years to get in the trenches and really wrap my brain around where I was at. The first year was terribly difficult because I was so used to being a hero. It’s very hard, then, to go be on a sitcom where your character is so neurotic and can’t get anything right. I had no break in between — I died one day (on DS9) and the very next day I tested (for Becker) for the same executives at Paramount. It was a lot.

This article was originally published on August 2, 2011.

Stay tuned to StarTrek.com for more details! And be sure to follow @StarTrek on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Who Is Curzon Dax?

One of the best characters in Deep Space Nine never had his own body.

Quick Links

Who was curzon dax, did curzon dax appear in any other series, curzon dax was antagonistic.

The greatest aspect of any Star Trek series is the characters. Star Trek features a wide variety of characters that serve to enrich the universe the writers create. Deep Space Nine had some of the most compelling characters from a Star Trek project since the original series. The Trill, for example, provide a great deal of range with their characterization. They're a humanoid species who bond with a worm-like alien known as a symbiont. The Trill implant the symbiont within a host, of which only a select few receive the honor of becoming, and they receive all the memories from the symbiont's previous hosts. The most popular Trill in Star Trek is Jadzia from Deep Space Nine , who hosted the Dax symbiont.

There were seven Trill to host the Dax symbiont before Jadzia, and characters throughout Deep Space Nine referred to the previous host often enough to make fans feel like he was a whole character in the series. His name was Curzon , and while he never appeared onscreen except for a brief second while he was on his deathbed, fans who watch the entirety of Deep Space Nine will know who Curzon was and what he was like.

Star Trek: Is Jadzia Dax Transgender?

Curzon Dax was the seventh host to the Dax symbiont and a Federation ambassador. He played a vital role in negotiations with the Klingon Empire, bringing peace between it and the Federation. It was because of Curzon that Jadzia, the Dax host after Curzon, had so many Klingon friends. Despite dying before Deep Space Nine's pilot episode, Curzon's legacy lived on, as everyone Curzon ever mmet held deep respect for him. He was an honorable Trill, minus a few transgressions due to his womanizing ways. Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) credits Curzon for turning him into the honorable Starfleet officer he became.

When Curzon wasn't working with the Federation as an ambassador, he was back on Trill working as an evaluator for the Symbiosis Commission, where he approved and denied young hopeful Trill who wanted to become hosts themselves. While he was popularly respected, Curzon wasn't above upsetting some people to get what he needed. During negotiations with the Klingon Empire, he walked out while the Klingon warrior Kang was speaking. While seen as rude by most in attendance, it was a power play that asserted dominance and potentially turned the tide of the negotiations.

Curzon and Kang became good friends after that one interaction. Kang eventually named his first child Dax, showing how much he admired the Trill. Curzon also befriended the Klingon's Kor and Koloth , joining them on a number of adventures, one of which led to the forming of a blood oath. That debt wouldn't be repaid until Curzon passed, leaving it to Jadzia to fulfill during her time on Deep Space Nine.

Curzon being deceased before the events of Deep Space Nine makes it difficult for any other series like Star Trek: Picard to feature the "old man." His appearance would have to occur prior to Deep Space Nine , but not as far back as TOS , eliminating Strange New Worlds as a possibility. Time travel is always a possibility, as Star Trek is no stranger to the concept. Fans will have to be patient and wait for the possibility of a modern Curzon Dax appearance. That might not be too far off because Tawny Newsome, a leading actress in Star Trek: Lower Decks , voiced her wish to see the Trill character when talking to Collider :

I’m dying to see Curzon Dax. We’ve never actually seen Curzon. We saw René Auberjonois play a version of Curzon, but we’ve never actually seen him. Well, we saw a dead body on a table [...] Maybe he breathed or something, but I don’t think we heard his voice. So yeah, I wanna see that character come in.

Between Sisko and every single Klingon Jadzia interacted with on Deep Space Nine , it's no secret that everybody liked Curzon. However, he wasn't always the positive, wholesoe character that everyone painted him as. For starters, he was a womanizer who fell in love with somebody new every week, according to Jadzia. He also rejected every DS9 fan's favorite Trill from becoming a host at first. Curzon was adamant that Jadzia was not suitable to host a symbiont, despite Jadzia impressing every other evaluator with her high test scores. During the episode "Facets," Jadzia learns it was because Curzon had feelings for her.

During that episode, Jadzia performed the zhian'tara ritual . She confronted each of the symbiont's previous hosts, giving the audience a glimpse at all the different personalities contained within Jadzia. The ritual required Jadzia to transfer the consciousness of each host into a different person, with Jadzia choosing her closest colleagues to embody them. Constable Odo (René Auberjonois) had the privilege of taking on Curzon's consciousness. Since Odo was a Changeling, the experience of accepting another consciousness into his body was more unique than anyone anticipated. He took on Curzon's physical attributes as well as his personality.

Sisko was more than happy to interact with his old mentor again. However, after having a body again that could conform to his features, Curzon didn't want to return to the symbiont. Odo enjoyed the hedonistic lifestyle so much that he agreed to host Curzon indefinitely. Jadzia managed to learn that Curzon's biggest reluctance was the feelings he felt for Jadzia. He was embarrassed by it, but he also thought he could finally be with her. I took some convincing, but Jadzia managed to talk Curzon into rejoining the symbiont. Odo had a newfound perspective on food and all the other joys that "solids" found in life, thanks to Curzon.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star trek: what happened to worf after deep space 9.

Star Trek: Discovery Reveals Another Iconic DS9 Connection

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 4, episode 3, "Jinaal".

• "Jinaal" has multiple DS9 references from the Trill zhian'tara ritual to a Ferengi bartender.
• A Ferengi officer in USS Discovery's bar references Quark from DS9.
• Discovery's USS Nog is a tribute to actor Aron Eisenberg. Alex Kurtzman hopes it will continue Nog's legacy.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 3, "Jinaal" returns to Trill, but that's not the episode's only big connection to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . In "Jinaal", Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) participates in a Trill zhian'tara ritual, embodying Jinaal Bix to lead Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) to the next clue in their treasure hunt. This ritual first took place in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 25, "Facets", in which Lt. Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) conducts the ceremony, to meet the previous Dax hosts.

Interestingly, the subplot of "Facets" is about Nog (Aron Eisenberg) applying to Starfleet Academy, and a Ferengi Starfleet officer features in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 3 , "Jinaal" too. However, while the Ferengi officer serving aboard the USS Discovery wears the same gold uniform as Ensign Nog in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , he shares more in common with Nog's uncle, Quark (Armin Shimerman). In the closing scenes of "Jinaal", the Discovery crew unwind in the ship's lounge bar, where they're served drinks by a Ferengi bartender .

Every DS9 Alien In Star Trek: Discovery

Star trek: discovery has its own ferengi bartender like ds9’s quark.

Star Trek: Discovery 's starship bar features in the closing scenes of "Jinaal", and it's revealed that it counts a Ferengi officer among its staff. This is notable for two reasons, the first being that Star Trek 's starship bars are generally run by civilians like Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) or Honus (Anthony Atamanuik) from Star Trek: Lower Decks . It's interesting that the USS Discovery has a serving officer behind the bar, though given the Ferengis' talents for hospitality, it might not be surprising that this particular Ferengi has chosen to serve as entertainment officer .

Commander Rayner looks like he could use the sympathetic lobes of a Ferengi bartender to share his troubles with.

Star Trek: Discovery 's Ferengi bartender is also a direct reference to Quark's Bar in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . While they're not the first Ferengi that viewers have seen in Star Trek: Discovery 's 32nd century, the ship's new bartender is the character that most clearly links back to Quark in DS9 . Sadly, the Ferengi bartender plays a non-speaking role , meaning that there's no sense of how the character stacks up with Quark and his DS9 family. This must be particularly disappointing for Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie), who looks like he could use the sympathetic lobes of a Ferengi bartender to share his troubles with.

Ferengi In Starfleet Was Set Up By Star Trek: DS9 & Lower Decks

It was Nog's decision to join Starfleet Academy in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that paved the way for more Ferengi in Starfleet . While there haven't been any named Ferengi officers in Star Trek shows set after DS9 , there has been at least one starship captain glimpsed in Star Trek: Discovery . Another 32nd century Ferengi was seen to follow Nog into Starfleet Academy in Discovery 's season 4 premiere. Nog's admission and exceptional service during DS9 's Dominion War paved the way for more Ferengi to become Starfleet officers, from the 24th century all the way to the 32nd.

Ronald D. Moore praised the decision to have Nog apply to Starfleet Academy in the book Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages saying: " Somehow, Captain Nog sounds cool "

Nog's father, Grand Nagus Rom (Max Grodénchik) made further strides in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, when he negotiated for Ferenginar's entry into the Federation. By the time of Star Trek: Picard 's season 2 premiere, the flag of Ferenginar was glimpsed behind Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) as he delivered a speech to the newest graduates from Starfleet Academy. Ferenginar becoming a member of the Federation made it much easier for Ferengi to follow the example of Nog by pursuing a career in Starfleet .

Star Trek: Discovery Honored DS9’s Nog

As well as the Ferengi officers glimpsed in the 32nd century, Star Trek: Discovery has honored Nog in other ways, too. One of the ships in Starfleet's 32nd century armada is the USS Nog, which performed heroically during the evacuation of Earth in Discovery 's season 4 finale . The captain of the USS Nog held out under the extreme pressures caused by the Dark Matter Anomaly's debris field in order to meet their maximum passenger capacity. It was a heroic act that more than honored the legacy of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Ensign Nog.

The USS Nog is an Eisenberg-class starship, named for the late Aron Eisenberg. This fact was confirmed by Star Trek: Discovery 's co-showrunner Alex Kurtzman (via TrekCore ) who hoped to " see more of the USS Nog as it helps Starfleet build a brighter future. " There's no more fitting a tribute to the legacy of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Aron Eisenberg, and the beloved character of Nog than that.

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

Screen Rant

Star trek theory: discovery's trill symbiote is from deep space nine.

Star Trek: Discovery season 3 has introduced Adira, a human host of a Trill symbiont - could the symbiont be Dax from Deep Space Nine?

Star Trek: Discovery has introduced a new character named Adira, bonded to a Trill symbiont - could it actually be the Dax symbiont from  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ? The USS Discovery has arrived in the  32nd century , and the crew have been shaken to discover a future where Starfleet is in retreat after a mysterious cosmic event known as the Burn.

But there are still so-called "True Believers" in the principles of the Federation, and in  Star Trek: Discovery season 3, episode 3, the Discovery picked up one of them. Played by Blu del Barrio, Adira is the first non-binary character to appear in  Star Trek . Although the show depicts several characters referring to Adira as she/her, del Barrio has confirmed that their identity and pronoun use will be consciously addressed in the show in time; consequently, it's appropriate, with this knowledge, to refer to Adira with the pronouns they/them.

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Not only is Adira  Star Trek 's first non-binary character, they are also the first human seen to be safely bonded to a Trill symbiont . The symbiont had originally been bonded to a True Believer admiral named Senna Tal, who died two years ago. Most viewers have assumed this was a high-ranking Trill, with "Tal" serving as the symbiont's name, but it's worth noting that's just an assumption at this stage. Given that's the case, it's possible Adira's Trill symbiont is a very familiar one - Dax from  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

Adira & the Trill Symbiont Explained

Introduced in  Star Trek: The Next Generation , the Trill are a humanoid race who have developed a symbiotic relationship with a race of veriforms common to their homeworld. Only a minority of the Trill are compatible with the symbionts, but once entered into the relationship proves mutually beneficial, with the two joining together in quite a beautiful way. The symbiont hungers for experience, and gets to expand its knowledge and understanding of the universe, while the Trill gains the ability to draw upon the knowledge and experiences of past hosts.

The Trill had joined Starfleet by the 23rd century, although they kept their symbionts a closely guarded secret, and according to the canon novel  Dead Man Standing they even refused to use transporters for fear operators would notice the odd bio-signatures. Although a handful of Starfleet officers knew about the symbionts, simply because they had become close friends of a Trill, they only became public knowledge after an incident aboard the USS Enterprise in the  Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Host". There, Riker offered to join with a Trill symbiont in order to keep it alive, but the experience nearly killed him.

But  Star Trek: Discovery season 3, episode 3 introduced the first known non-Trill to have successfully joined with a symbiont. Apparently the previous host, Admiral Senna Tal, died two years ago, and their symbiote was passed on to  Adira . While Adira thankfully seems to have experienced a more successful joining than Riker, it's worth noting they do not enjoy the perfect union typically experienced by an actual Trill; Adira struggles to consistently access the memories of previous hosts. It's reasonable to assume the USS Discovery will head to Trill in order to find a way to access Admiral Senna Tal's memories of Starfleet, since the season 3 trailers showed the symbiont pools of Trill.

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Adira's Symbiont Could Actually Be Dax

It's reasonable to assume the symbiont originally became stranded on Earth as a result of the Burn , which essentially cut the planet off from the rest of the galaxy. Sometime between 3068 and 3088, roughly 100-120 years before the USS Discovery's return, almost all dilithium in the galaxy was suddenly rendered inert. Countless vessels were destroyed when the matter/antimatter reactions in their warp engines went out of control, and the remaining starships lacked the fuel to travel any significant distance. Any Trill on Earth at the time would most likely have been unable to get back to Trill, which would have been a serious problem in the long term. A Trill cannot survive without a compatible host or the right nutrient fluids, which are found on Trill. Evidently at least some humans have proved compatible enough to keep the symbionts alive, fortunately, as evidenced by Adira's and it's possible their predecessor Senna Tal was another human host, not a Trill at all.

Star Trek: Discovery hasn't revealed much about Adira's symbiont yet, but one fact does stand out: Adira was able to recognize "antique" Starfleet technology from the 23rd century, and indeed they could manipulate it with remarkable ease, even managing to modify Discovery's systems to block transporters. That suggests Adira's symbiont is a long-lived one even by symbiont standards, and was most likely involved with Starfleet back in the 23rd century. Interestingly, this corresponds with the Dax symbiont that featured prominently in  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Dax's third host was Emony Dax, an Olympic gymnast who was drawn into Starfleet affairs in John Jackson Miller's recently-published canon novel  Dead Man Standing , and even crossed paths with Philippa Georgiou and Section 31 during that mission. Meanwhile, note the Dax symbiont went on to pick up the kind of technological expertise and knowledge demonstrated by Adira as well.

What Dax's Return Would Mean For Star Trek: Discovery

At first glance, the idea of Dax's return would feel like nothing more than an appeal to nostalgia. But it's important to remember there is a reason such nostalgic approaches work; it is because they add something familiar, something that makes viewers feel relaxed and at home. That could be quite a useful element in  Star Trek: Discovery season 3, which is essentially set in a post-Federation galaxy very different to anything envisioned by Gene Roddenberry. What's more, should Adira gain reliable and consistent access to Dax's previous hosts, they would be able to give the Discovery crew - and, by extension, viewers - a quick catch-up on anything that has changed over the last few centuries.

Furthermore, there is actually a potential story purpose to using the Dax symbiote in this way. As noted, Dax is uniquely positioned to understand Discovery and the crew's experiences - not least because Emony Dax encountered Philippa Georgiou in her time working for Section 31. That prior knowledge would lead to her instinctively distrusting Georgiou, adding yet another interesting character dynamic to  Star Trek: Discovery season 3. It will be interesting to see whether or not the showrunners take this approach.

Next:  Star Trek Discovery Season 3: Every Change To Earth In The 32nd Century