User Reviews

I have a trek bias ---- I absolutely adore boring episode of people just talking to one another.

I recently listened to a DS9 podcast and the guest would often complain about Terri Farrells acting performances ----- I am puzzled by that assertion as I thought she was great in this specific episode.

I like the glimpse into the trill culture via dax's handling of this accusation. With Jadzia there is a loyalty to the previous hosts that I find compelling.

We end up not getting a definitive answer to the question whether a current host is responsible for the actions of a previous host but from my viewing of this episode it seems to me that Jadzia feels a personal responsibility for it.

The best trek episode provide the viewer with questions that remain after the episode has ended and this particular episode falls into that category.

Dax is abducted by three from the Klaestron planet and accused by their leader, Ilon Tandro of murder and treason. DS9 pulls the runaway vessel back with a tractor beam. But Ilon insists he has the right to take Dax back to Klaestron for crimes committed 30 years ago by Curzon Dax. According to Ilon, his father General Tandro was murdered by Curzon and betrayed by him even though his father and Curzon were thought to be great friends. General Tandro's memory is now revered as a martyr to freedom. To sort it out, a Bajoran arbitrator holds a hearing to determine if Jadzia Dax is indeed responsible for a crime supposedly committed by Curzon Dax. Throughout the hearing Jadzia is curiously passive and will say nothing in her defense. The highlight of the episode is Fionnula Flanagan's performance as General Tandro's widow, Enina. The back and forth between the opposing sides at the hearing is fascinating but Enina brings the hearing to an abrupt end by telling the truth about what really happened 30 years ago. To find that our heroes often have feet of clay is always sobering.

I'd like to have seen what the ruling would have been if Dax actually was found guilty. Would the 'new' Dax be responsible for crimes of the 'old'? Unfortunately, there was a convenient resolution and we'll never find out.

Dax is put on trial for extradition due a crime allegedly committed whilst joined to a previous host.

This is a worthwhile character episode for Dax and a great insight into the Trill species.

The plot is reasonably good with a solid central question that asks if someone should be held responsible or the crimes of their ancestors. How it unfolds as a court room drama is mostly good. As Jadzia is a main character there is no real suspense in the plot as you know she is not going to be executed, but the arguments presented are fairly engaging all the same.

This is for me the strongest Sisko episode since 'Emissary'. Much like Patrick Stewart in TNG episodes like 'Drumhead' and 'Measure of a Man', Avery Brooks looks very comfortable portraying someone delivering a passionate defence. Other characters also contribute well like Odo, Dr Bashir, and Kira Nerys.

The Trill species is one of the strongest ideas the Star Trek writers had, and in this episode they start to realise it's potential as a sci-fi concept and a means of exploring more complex themes. It would have been better if Curzon Dax was actually guilty of murder, but I guess the writers were either not allowed to do it or didn't want to really answer the central question.

Shortly after this episode opens a group of aliens attempts to kidnap Jadzia Dax from DS9. They almost get away with her but are caught in the station's tractor beam. Once caught they claim that they are extraditing her for capital crimes committed by Dax's previous host Curzon. They claim they must be allowed to take her due to extradition treaties with the Federation however Sisko points out that DS9 might be run by the Federation but it is in fact Bajoran territory so they will have to have a hearing in front of a Bajoran arbiter. While the two sides set out their arguments Jadzia is strangely quiet and Odo goes to Klaesron to see if he can find out what happened there thirty years before.

This episode gave an interesting insight into Dax's character despite the fact that she doesn't say much. It nicely explores the morality of holding holding one host responsible for the sins of the previous host and whether it is the host or the symbiont which is responsible. While these questions aren't really answered we do see that Jadzia is willing to risk her life to protect the reputation of somebody Curzon once cared for.

This episode is necessary character development for the Dax character, is the Host guilty of crimes of the Symbiote? That is the question posed for Arbiter Anne Haney (Renora) — a 100-year old Bajoran woman.

The Sisko is defending Jadzia-Dax while Ilon Tandro (Gregory Itzin), A Klaestron, prosecutes the case against Curzon-Dax.

At the beginning of this episode, Tandro abducts Dax with the help of Spice Williams ("Vixis" from Star Wreck V) and a another Trill man hiding in the shadows (Selin Peers- Richard Lineback). Vixis cold-cocks Bashir after he pulls off her hood, revealing a Klaestron Woman. She then beats the crap out of him, but he manages to call for help in a dazed state, and at the last minute Tandro is prevented from Trill-napping Jadzia.

If successful, The Klaestron's abduction of Jadzia would have been upheld because of Federation Treaties with that planet. However, the abduction occurs on a Bajoran Station, and Bajor has no such treaty, making it an illegal abduction. And as the Klaestrons are pals of the Cardassians, this "annoys" The Bajorans, and specifically Major Kira.

Dax is accused of murdering Tandro's father, a famous Klaestronian General: 30 years in the past: And then giving secret codes to certain rebels. But that was Curzon-Dax, Jadzia had not even been thought of by her parents yet.

The Sisko from his past association with Curzon-Dax knows for a fact he would not have killed anyone, but how to prove it? By twisting Trill law to all ways it can be twisted.

It is unclear what the Arbiter will find, for Tandro, or The Sisko, until Tandro's mother Enina (Fionnula Flanagan) shows up, with some shocking facts: Curzon could not have been killing General Tandro, because he was at that very moment making the beast with two backs with his wife! And it was The General Himself that gave the secrets to the rebels, who killed him for it in gratitude.

That the writers and producers of DS9 would bring this information out, is a merit to 1990s Syndicated Television: Which was slightly less strict than Network TV: This subject matter was treated as gently as possible and still to have it's shocking effect: The information is dumped out in the last 5 minutes of the episode.

It is to be noted that Curzon, a basic Alpha-Male, is was never portrayed as the drooling testosterone driven type, and that he actually had feelings for Enina, and those feelings and the secret of the encounter was kept by Curzon to his death, so as not to make a scandal.

This was why, initially, Jadzia-Dax will not defend herself, she would have been put to death herself to protect Enina.

In the end, it was the great Fionnula Flanagan's character that decided that it was time to tell this secret, the memory of General Tandro would not be hurt by this knowledge: He has been elevated to Hero and Martyr status.

In "Dax" Dax is accused of a murder occurring 30 years prior on another planet when the Trill was still in its previous body. Odo travels to the planet to try to clear this officer's name. Meanwhile Sisko & Co. try to fight an extradition request in a Bajoran tribunal, questioning the legality of accusing a Trill host of a former host's potential crime.

This one had me scratching my head right off the get go. Why doesn't Odo just arrest Tandro and his goons for kidnapping and assault charges? They tried to illegally and forcefully take Dad off the base. The easiest way to buy some time here is to lock them up, that way they have no way of transporting Dax off of the base. It doesn't seem like any other Klaestron IV residents are clamoring for Dax's arrest so I can't imagine anyone else coming.

Then we come to the matter of Dax's behavior. I understand not wanting to talk about an old affair but really? You'd rather face execution than cop to an old fling with a friend's wife? Maybe I have a higher degree of self-preservation but I'd much rather use my alibi and confess to the affair rather than head for the gallows. I found that unbelievable. And we never get a satisfying explanation from Dax on her reasoning.

These two issues took me out of the episode a bit and made it hard to fully enjoy.

1.07 "Dax"

A foreign government wants to extradite Lt. Jadzia Dax to try her for treason allegedly committed by the former Dax host, Curzon, who was also Commander Sisko's close friend and mentor. Sisko is able to force an extradition hearing arbitrated by a Bajoran representative to attempt to determine whether or not Jadzia can be tried for the crimes of which her predecessor is accused.

Star Trek has a number of good courtroom drama episodes, with "The Measure of a Man" from TNG's second season leading that impressive collection. "Dax" does not unfortunately find a place among those quality stories. While the premise sounds like it could be interesting, the execution does not live up and the writers failed to make any relevant connection to contemporary social issues (at least that I could discern). The "drama" here is flat, the social commentary absent, and the acting dull and lifeless--in strong contrast to the aforementioned legendary episode from the sister show--all of which adds up to a below-average episode in this first season.

THE GOOD

-It's nice to finally get an episode centered on Dax. She has been seriously neglected as a character up to this point, including the aspects of her complicated relationship to Sisko, and this episode does a bit to explore that relationship. Unfortunately, it ends up mostly being Avery Brooks' mediocre dialogue delivery versus Terry Farrell's stoic silence (which she does well, but it's just not interesting).

-Does a good job of demonstrating how, even though she appears to be a young woman, Jadzia has the integrity and conviction of someone much older and wiser. That is really the only lasting takeaway from the ep.

-The shot where the tractor beam chases the Klaestron ship off the screen and then a few seconds later drags it back onto frame is great. Nice blending of quality effects with creative shot design.

-The cranky old Bajoran arbiter is amusing. She is the only one who isn't phoning in her performance here.

THE BAD

-Ironically, in the episode that bears her name and is ostensibly all about her, Dax herself does almost nothing here.

-The story is honestly boring. The ending is a rushed and anticlimactic deus ex machina.

-I hate to keep comparing this episode to "The Measure of a Man," but every courtroom drama ST ep naturally is benchmarked against that great ep. What is lacking here is...literally everything. The acting is far inferior. There are no epic speeches. No thrilling dramatic moments (by contrast, Riker's "Pinocchio's strings have been cut" moment still gives me goosebumps to this day). No important social commentary. "TMoaM" had so many powerful things to say about slavery, consciousness, free will, and more. What is the relevance of this ep? Are they commenting on the importance of redemption? Something about amnesia? I have no clue. It all feels so pointless, especially with the abrupt and unsatisfying ending.

THE UGLY

-First mention of the Klingon coffee, raktajino, which would become a station favorite, essentially replacing Earth coffee on the show.

-Bashir's flying elbow into the Klaestron agent trying to abduct Dax looks like something Kirk would try. The whole brawl was sloppy like a TOS fight, which I found surprisingly entertaining.

-Bashir retcon watch (WARNING: this section contains major spoilers for a future story arc) -- With the way Bashir's physical abilities are portrayed post-genetic-engineering reveal, he should have been more coordinated during the critical fight to try and rescue Jadzia from the Klaestron abductors. Instead he looks like an adolescent who doesn't understand how human limbs work. He looks like Gumby getting electric shock therapy. The closest we've ever come to a real life version of a Bethesda game glitch was Bashir's "fight scene." It's bad, is what I'm saying.

-It seems highly unlikely that the culpability of current hosts for the crimes of former hosts would not be an issue that would have previously been settled by Trill law, and thus would serve as a guide for the proceedings of this ep. And yet no such precedence is ever mentioned.

"Honestly honey! It was this worm inside me that slept with that woman, it wasn't me!"

Who knows, right? Maybe the symbiote is actually responsible but it would still be unjust to punish a host who did not commit the 'crime'?

Sometimes you will find news stories presenting the argument for/against current generations paying the price for the sins of previous generations. It's a whole giant can of worms because if we go back far enough, it gets crazy! We got genocide, barbaric burning of 'possessed' mentally ill people, who knows what they did to the LBGT community.

Is it loyalty or shame or a sense of protector ship that motivates Jadzia? Not sure.

Oh, attempting a seal team 6 extraction on foreign soil without a consult is not exactly the best way to ingratiate yourself to the Bajorans.

I like this one.