Deep Space Nine
| Season
1
Rating:
   
Reviewed on: 11 April 2003
Reviewed by: Michael Axe
Another good character establishing episode. While the storyline itself may be a little weak and predictable in places, it’s really secondary to the opportunity to gain further insight into Jadzia Dax and her status as a joined Trill. The episode revolves nicely around a philosophical debate, but without holding up a specific answer as being right, instead allowing the viewer to reach their own decision.
Prior to DS9, the Trill had only really appeared in one episode of TNG, and so a recap/exploration of their species was really needed. And I have to say, up until this episode, Jadzia’s character was probably the least well developed on DS9 as well, but this story happily kills two birds with one stone.
On the one hand, Jadzia’s actions (primarily her silence, her one-on-one conversations with Sisko, and the final scene with the general’s widow) and her testimony in court, give us a much better understanding of who Jadzia Dax is. We also get a far better understanding of how her character/personality has been created – by getting insight into Jadzia’s life before the joining, as well as seeing Curzon through the eyes of Sisko and the widow. Bashir’s scientific analysis of Jadzia Dax’s brainwaves was a nice way of showing how the “new person” is neither Dax nor Jadzia, but is also somehow both of them– and all this theory is illustrated brilliantly with a portrayal of Jadzia Dax that incorporates so much of Curzon’s personality and history, while also conveying Jadzia’s own achievements and aspirations.
Then on the other hand, we have the wider argument about the status of joined Trills generally. Where does the divide between one life end, and the next begin? Should a new host be held responsible for the actions of the previous one, or should the symbiont be forgiven all its sins when it changes bodies?
The hearing provides a nice forum for this philosophical debate, and the Bajoran judge was a wonderfully written and acted character. She managed to be both no-nonsense and fair, strict yet humorous, and blunt yet open minded – all in all a very well fleshed out character instead of the usual clichéd judges we see so often.
The other great thing about this hearing is it’s not just like the kind we’ve seen before on TNG or other shows. This isn’t a trial, so we focus on the philosophical debate rather than a (slightly predictable) murder mystery. And unlike the hearing to decide if Data was “human” or not, this hearing is far less clear cut…
Sisko spends the episode arguing that Jadzia Dax and Curzon Dax are not the same person … and yet his own actions seem to contradict that statement. He refers to Jadzia as “Old Man”, and constantly refers to Jadzia and Curzon both as one (e.g. “…if you were still a man…”). There’s also the fact that he’s so friendly with Jadzia – a fact that is entirely due to his belief that it’s a continuation of the same friendship he had with Curzon. All this seems to support the fact that Jadzia Dax and Curzon are, at least to a great degree, the same person in his eyes – yet still he argues they are separate individuals in court.
The beauty of the episode is that no answer is reached – the hearing ends with the widow’s revelation before the judge makes a ruling. One viewer may feel that it’s ridiculous to punish Jadzia for Curzon’s crime – yet another could say if she benefits from Curzon’s friendships and experience, she must also take on his responsibilities and consequences, and she knew this when she volunteered. One viewer may say they are separate people – another may say they are more the same than they are different. The great thing is no one can say what is the right answer, and the whole issue is left open to subjective interpretation.
I’ve heard the Trill species described as an allegory for re-incarnation and souls, and in this episode, that metaphor certainly works. If your soul does travel from one body to the next, would your soul be “you” (e.g. Curzon Dax), or just some kind of essence of you (e.g. the symbiont)? Would your reincarnated self be a continuation of the “you” from before, or some new entity (e.g. Jadzia Dax) that still somehow retained what was at the core of the former “you”? More importantly, should anyone be able to give you clear answers to these questions, or are they simply a matter of personal interpretation and belief?
Though the truth about the general’s death was fairly easy to predict (at least broadly speaking), the episode merely used that mystery to convey the bigger message, in much the same way it had an action packed opening to balance the rest of the episode that is almost entirely dialogue. But it’s the fact that the episode avoids clear answers that is the key to its success. No important question ever has a clear answer, and the writers credit the viewers with enough intelligence to reach their own conclusions.
Michael Axe is the author of a number of novellas and screenplays, and is a main reviewer for ST Universe. All his reviews are copyright © Michael Axe and are used here exclusively with his permission. |
