Dax (episode)

New evidence reopens a thirty-year-old murder case and Dax's previous host, Curzon, is the prime suspect.

Teaser
Chief Miles O'Brien accompanies his wife Keiko O'Brien to Earth to visit her mother. During his absence, Jadzia Dax and Julian Bashir are studying the required repair work. When Jadzia decides to call it a night, Julian offers to accompany her to her quarters and she politely refuses. As she walks down the corridor, three hooded figures approach her. One of them, Ilon Tandro, asks her to confirm that she is indeed Dax, after which the two others knock her out and carry her across the corridor. Just then, Julian, having decided to accompany Jadzia back anyway, arrives and tries to rescue her, but he is unsuccessful and is knocked out as well.

Act One
Bashir regains consciousness and contacts Commander Sisko to inform him of the attempted kidnapping. The kidnappers manage to escape by avoiding Odo's security system and disabling the tractor beam. However, Sisko gets it back on line in time to tow the ship back to the station. When the kidnappers emerge, Ilon Tandro identifies himself and claims that he has a valid warrant for her arrest. The charges are treason and murder of his father.

Act Two
In order to stall for time, Sisko sends a message to Klaestron IV to confirm the warrant. Dax refuses to reveal anything about the affair to Sisko. Once a confirmation of the warrant is received, Tandro wishes to be on his way, however Sisko refuses, claiming that while the Klaestrons have an extradition treaty with the Federation, they have no such treaty with Bajor, and as such, there must be an extradition hearing before Dax can be lawfully released.

Odo blackmails Quark into lending his bar for the hearing. Sisko's first argument is that Jadzia Dax is not the person being charged with the crime, Curzon Dax is, and Curzon Dax is dead. Renora, the Arbiter, agrees that Tandro must prove that Jadzia Dax and Curzon Dax are the same person.

Act Three
In the meantime, Sisko sends Odo to Klaestron IV to investigate the evidence. By speaking with Tandro's mother, Enina Tandro, Odo discovers that the charges are based on the fact that during a civil war a coded message informed the opposing side of his father's location. Of the people who knew the location, Curzon was the only one without an alibi. Enina tells him that Ilon has become obsessed with finding the one who betrayed his father, General Ardelon Tandro, and will not be satisfied until someone is punished. Tandro's murder inspired his people to victory and he has since become a worldwide hero. However, Enina is adamant that Curzon did not betray her husband.

Back on Deep Space 9, Dax' fate is uncertain. Thanks to the testimony of another Trill, Selin Peers, about the nature of the relationship between the symbiont and the host, Sisko is able to establish that Jadzia and Curzon Dax are distinct entities, but Ilon argues that failure to punish Trill symbionts for acts committed in past life times would create a perfect crime. Curiously, Jadzia seems complacent about the entire affair.

Act Four
Julian Bashir takes the stand to explain the biological connection between the symbiont and the host of a Trill. He insists that the two individuals are very different, but upon questioning from Tandro, is forced to admit that there is no evidence of a change in the brain activity of the symbiont when it changes hosts. Sisko himself then takes the stand and talks about his long-lasting friendship with Curzon Dax and his "new friend" Jadzia. The Arbiter calls for a recess. Soon afterwards, Sisko receives a message from Odo during a recess that he has discovered evidence of an affair between Dax and Enina, giving Dax a motive for the murder.

Act Five
Enina admits the affair to Odo; when he asks how her husband reacted, she replies cryptically that her husband was not the hero in life that he became in death. She tells him that Ardelon will always be remembered as a hero, but decides it is time for her place in history to change.

When the hearing resumes, Enina enters the courtroom, much to Ilon's shock. Enina tells the Court that when the murder occurred, Curzon Dax was in her bed, and could not have committed it. The arbiter tells Ilon he may want to re-examine his evidence and leaves. The question of if a Trill is responsible for the crimes of its past hosts is left unanswered. Enina turns to Ilon, but he recoils from her touch.

After the hearing is over, Jadzia and Enina walk together along the Promenade. Jadzia says that there is much of Curzon that is still part of her, including the desire to protect the reputation of Dax's old friend, General Tandro. Sadly, Enina supposes that the truth will remain unknown forever - that it was General Tandro himself who sent the coded message, attempting to betray his own people, and that the rebels killed him for the favor.

Enina bids an affectionate goodbye to Jadzia, telling her to live her life to the fullest.

Log Entries

 * Station log, stardate 46910.1. Chief O'Brien has escorted his wife back to Earth to celebrate her mother's hundredth birthday. In the meantime, the rest of us are trying to keep the station up and running.

Memorable Quotes
"You Klaestrons are allies of the Cardassians; your knowledge of the station confirms that they must have given you the layouts. Which not only compromises Bajoran security, but also... annoys us."
 * - Kira Nerys

"I am one hundred years old. I do not have time to squander listening to superfluous language. In short, I intend to be in here until supper, not senility."
 * - Els Renora

"It's all nonsense, Constable! I'm telling you, I knew the man."

"But did you know the symbiont inside the man?"
 * - Sisko and Odo, discussing the murder charges facing Curzon Dax

"I want you to find all the medical evidence you can to support the theory that Jadzia Dax and Curzon Dax are two entirely separate people. Major –"

"Excuse me, sir; I don't know that there is any medical evidence on that."

"Assume there is, then find it."
 * - Benjamin Sisko and Julian Bashir

"Is a Trill responsible for the conduct–for the acts–of its antecedent selves."

"Right, that kind of thing."

"What if I find out the answer's yes?"

"Then that answer is wrong."
 * - Kira Nerys and Benjamin Sisko

"Tell us a little about Curzon Dax Commander"

"''He probably wasn't the ideal trill, he drank a little to much, he could be more interested in women that maybe he should have been.

"I thought he was your friend"

"I'm simply pointing out that he was nothing like the young woman in this courtroom"

"What was exactly your relationship with Curzon Dax?"

"He took a raw young ensign under his wing and taught me to appreciate life in ways I've never thought about before, he taught me about art and science and diplomacy, whatever sense of honor I might have today... he nurtured. Murder, treason... He was not capable of those things."


 * - Benjamin Sisko and Kira Nerys

"You may want to reconsider your extradition request."
 * - Els Renora, to Ilon Tandro after hearing of the affair

Story and script

 * This story was conceived by the producers because they were keen to explore the character of Dax. They realized that she was an extraordinarily complex character, and they wanted to try to tap into some of that complexity. As Peter Allan Fields says, "There was something more we wanted – heart, character – 'Who is this Dax? Is she old? Is she young?' We were exploring ourselves." They were also trying to clarify for the audience some key aspects of Trill society. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
 * The teleplay for this episode was co-written by D.C. Fontana, who wrote such TOS episodes as, and . This was her only credit on DS9, and this was actually the last Star Trek script she wrote.
 * The writers decided to set the hearing in Quark's bar, rather than build a conference room. Michael Piller commented "We wanted to put it in the bar because it's an interesting set. We could have built a room for this to occur in, but the truth is we had shown the space station destroyed in the pilot three weeks before, and there's no reason to believe there's a lot of usable space. Slowly, it's coming back on line; it was not a production requirement". (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p 46)

Reception

 * Ira Steven Behr commented that "Dax" was a "small episode, yet a very well-done one that stands up to anything that was done first season, to an extent. It was one of Sisko's best shows. I think it showed him in a very good light. I liked the Odo stuff and I thought the ending where the wife comes back was touching". (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p 46)
 * David Carson commented "I thought it was a very successful show, marrying camera movement to performance and using the lighting to express the feelings of the piece. It worked very well as an intimate drama and in the courtroom scenes". (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p 46)
 * Brannon Braga enjoyed watching the episode. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p 46)

Trivia

 * The story of this episode bears a vague resemblance to the biblical story of 's decision to split a baby in half. However, the episode mainly served as an avenue by which the writers sought to clarify the process of Trill joinings, particularly given the radical differences between "normal" Trill and the Trill seen in . Themes of this episode also reflect the biblical story of, who was sent to the front lines of war to die so that his wife could become King David's.
 * The image of the surface of Klaestron IV was one of many reuses of the matte painting for Angel I from.
 * Both Gregory Itzin and Fionnula Flanagan make their first Star Trek appearances in this episode. Anne Haney previously appeared as Rishon Uxbridge in . Richard Lineback played Romas in . Spice Williams-Crosby, who has an uncredited role, first appeared in as the Klingon Vixis.
 * At one point Selin Peers refers to the ruling body of the planet Trill as the Trillian government. This was the only time the term "Trillian" was used to describe the Trill – which, in turn, could be viewed as an alternative name, such as "Vulcanian" was to Vulcan, or "Bajora" was to Bajoran.
 * Colm Meaney (Miles O'Brien) does not appear in this episode; and it is stated the O'Briens are visiting Keiko's family on Earth. Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko) does not appear in this episode either.
 * Among the items and costumes from this episode which were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, were the trousers worn by Spice Williams-Crosby.
 * The stardate for this episode is inconsistent with the episodes that follow, actually placing the episode towards the end of 2369. Much of the rest of the season all occurs before this stardate.
 * In this episode only, Dax's quarters features a replica of the fertility idol from.
 * The question of whether a joined Trill inherits legal responsibility from previous symbiont/host combinations is discussed, but ultimately not resolved in this episode.

Video and DVD releases

 * UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 4,.
 * As part of the DS9 Season 1 DVD collection.

Starring

 * Avery Brooks as Commander Benjamin Sisko

Also Starring

 * Rene Auberjonois as Constable Odo
 * Siddig El Fadil as Doctor Julian Bashir
 * Terry Farrell as Lieutenant Jadzia Dax
 * Armin Shimerman as Quark
 * Nana Visitor as Major Kira Nerys

Guest Stars

 * Gregory Itzin as Ilon Tandro
 * Anne Haney as Els Renora
 * Richard Lineback as Selin Peers
 * and
 * Fionnula Flanagan as Enina Tandro

Uncredited Co-Stars

 * Robert Coffee as a Bajoran civilian
 * Jeannie Dreams as an operations division ensign
 * Judi Durand as Deep Space 9 computer voice
 * Randy James as Lieutenant Jones
 * Tom Morga as a Klaestron kidnapper
 * Tyana Parr as a Human DS9 resident
 * Mark Allen Sheperd as Morn
 * Spice Williams-Crosby as a Klaestron kidnapper
 * Michael Zurich as a Bajoran security deputy
 * Unknown performers as
 * Com officer (voice)
 * Furry alien
 * Grey-skinned alien
 * Klaestron bystander
 * Operations division ensign
 * Operations ensign
 * Yellow dabo girl

Stunt doubles

 * Christopher Doyle as stunt double for Siddig El Fadil
 * Unknown stunt performers as
 * Stunt double for Terry Farrell
 * Stunt double for Gregory Itzin