Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Dax
Join us for a deep dive into the life and backstory of Star Trek's favourite old man.
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00:00Dax is one of the oldest, smartest, and most fascinating characters in all of Trek.
00:05As a joined trill, the Dax Symbiont pass from host to host, retaining the memories of nine
00:10different lifetimes.
00:11Each host brought something new to the collective personality, for better or for worse.
00:16Dax has an incredibly well-developed backstory spanning most of Trek history.
00:20They've worked many jobs, learned countless skills, and traveled all across the Quadrant.
00:25But the Symbiont has also been through a lot of dark times and narrowly avoided death on
00:29more than a few occasions.
00:31For this list, we're going to look back at Dax's life from Leela to Esri.
00:35Along the way, we'll also learn about how the character evolved behind the scenes and
00:39the massive impact they have had on Star Trek as well as the world in general.
00:43I'm Ellie for Trek Culture, here with 10 Things You Didn't Know About Dax.
00:4810.
00:49Dax's Original Makeup
00:51As you probably know, the trill looked very different when they first appeared in The
00:54Next Generation.
00:56They had prominent forehead ridges as opposed to Jadzia's iconic spots.
01:00However, the makeup crew for DS9 originally planned for a much more canon-friendly look
01:04for Jadzia.
01:05We got to have a look at early test shots of Jadzia with forehead makeup in the special
01:09features for the Season 2 DVD.
01:12After weeks of experimentation, the crew struggled to settle on a final look for the character,
01:16and Terry Farrell explained that the markings would keep reducing with each test until eventually
01:21it just looked like she got hit in the forehead.
01:23Eventually, the Paramount executives made the final decision to remove her forehead
01:27markings, then went through several variations of spots before deciding on the final look.
01:32No explanation was ever given in canon for why the trill in Next Gen looked so different,
01:37but Terry Farrell theorized that spotted trills were from the north of their planet and the
01:41ones with forehead ridges were from the south.
01:43This actually became the explanation for the two different Romulan appearances in Trek,
01:47so it may very well be true, but you'd still have to acknowledge the design change of the
01:51symbionts somehow.
01:529. The Symbionts' Life Before Joining
01:55You may get the impression that Trill Symbionts spend their whole lives joined with humanoid
02:00trills, but it's actually more complicated than that.
02:03The Dax Symbiont was born in 2018 and lived for 150 years before finally being joined
02:08with their first host, Leela, in 2168, shortly after the time period of Star Trek Enterprise.
02:15Not much is known about these early years of the Symbionts' life.
02:17We know that unjoined Symbionts are bred in pools on the Trill homeworld where they reside
02:22under the protection of the Trill Guardians until being joined.
02:25The Symbionts could communicate with each other using electrical pulses in these pools,
02:29so it's likely the first century and a half of Dax's life was spent learning all they
02:33could from fellow Symbionts before transitioning to life as a humanoid.
02:37Trill Symbionts can usually live for several centuries, so for them, their first 150 years
02:42are like their childhood.
02:448. Why Terry Farrell Chose to Leave the Show
02:48When her original contract with Paramount ended in 1998, Terry Farrell made the decision
02:52not to renew it.
02:54She left the cast of DS9 and joined the sitcom Becca.
02:57Farrell wasn't happy to leave the show, and she didn't want Jadzia to be killed off, nor
03:01did anyone else.
03:02In the 50-year mission The Next 25 Years, Farrell explained that Rick Berman's alleged
03:06comments behind the scenes were a large factor in her decision to leave the show.
03:11She claimed that he regularly made misogynistic remarks about her appearance, refused any
03:15changes for her new contract, and even sent another producer to tell her,
03:19"...if you weren't here, you know you'd be working at Kmart."
03:22Ooh. Ow.
03:23Terry Farrell bravely stood up to this disrespect by deciding that she would leave the show
03:28unless they would allow her to appear in fewer episodes as a recurring character, rather
03:32than a member of the main cast.
03:33Farrell really cared about Jadzia, and nobody wanted the character to be killed, but again,
03:38allegedly, Rick Berman and or the studio were unwilling to make these changes or to capitulate
03:43at all.
03:44In fact, Deep Space Nine lost one of its most beloved characters.
03:47Thankfully, Farrell continued to have a successful career, proving that she didn't need to let
03:51herself get bullied to be successful.
03:53After Jadzia's death in the show, Nicole DeBoer went on to play a new incarnation of the Dax
03:58character Esri in the seventh season.
04:00DeBoer, who was unaware of Farrell's reason for leaving, performed the role wonderfully,
04:05though the circumstances behind Farrell's departure unfortunately highlighted systemic
04:09issues in the entertainment industry that are still being dealt with today.
04:137.
04:14Past relationships
04:15Jadzia's marriage to Worf in 2374 was that host's first wedding, but the symbiont had
04:22actually already been married five other times with different hosts, three times as a bride
04:26and two as a groom.
04:28In fact, Dax parented nine children previously.
04:31Trill Society actually has a law against reassociation between joined trills and loved ones they
04:36knew in previous lives, primarily to allow each host to have completely new experiences.
04:41For this reason, Jadzia was likely forbidden from seeing her children, just as she was
04:45forbidden from continuing her relationship with Nalani Khan, the widow of Tarias Dax.
04:51The exact rules against reassociation are slightly vague, but if found guilty, the punishment
04:55would be total banishment from Trill Society, which would prevent their symbiont from ever
04:59joining to a new host.
05:01Generally, trills disapprove of reassociation in all forms, but Jadzia and Esri were allowed
05:06to freely work with Sisko despite being his best friend previously as Curzon, so it's
05:11likely that only immediate family or partners are banned from reassociation.
05:166.
05:17Dax's unofficial hosts
05:19Aside from the nine primary hosts, the Dax symbiont was also briefly transferred to the
05:23Trill Varad in the episode Invasive Procedures.
05:27Varad dedicated his life to the goal of becoming joined with a symbiont.
05:31He was absolutely devastated when he was denied for symbiosis.
05:34Trying to escape a life of mediocrity, Varad and some accomplices invaded the station and
05:39forced Bashir to transfer Dax from Jadzia's body to his own.
05:42Eventually, the crew was able to return the symbiont to Jadzia, but she was left with
05:46permanent memories from Varad.
05:48Strangely, the Varad personality didn't resurface during Dax's Jintara in Facets, so it's possible
05:54that their brief joining didn't affect the symbiont as profoundly as the other, more
05:58permanent hosts.
05:59Additionally, we saw another Dax host named Yedrin in The Alternate Future from Children
06:04of Time.
06:05This host was, however, removed from history when the crew of the Defiant prevented the
06:09ship from crashing on the planet Gaia, causing the timeline to change.
06:145.
06:15Inherited Traits
06:16Every host of the Dax symbiont can be seen as a new individual, a combination of the
06:21newest hosts and all those who came before.
06:23Still, each of their past lives had a small influence on their personality.
06:27For example, Leela would always walk with her arms behind her back, a habit that later
06:31hosts maintained.
06:32Sisko was particularly surprised by how similar Jadzia was to his old friend Curzon, the previous
06:38host.
06:39Jadzia maintained his love for Klingon culture and gambling, as well as his friendship with
06:43Sisko.
06:44Some traits would not be passed on to new hosts.
06:46For example, Tobin Dax bit his nails frequently, but no other host did.
06:50It's largely unpredictable which habits will be kept.
06:53Unfortunately, unwanted personality traits could also be passed on, like the host Jorun's
06:58murderous tendencies.
07:00But the most extreme of these traits could be suppressed with practice.
07:034.
07:04Emoni and McCoy
07:06When the Defiant crew traveled to the original series' time period in Trials and Tribulations,
07:11none were as excited as Dax, who had personal experience living in the mid-23rd century
07:16from her time as Emoni Dax, the third host of the symbiont.
07:20Dax was very nostalgic for this era, from the clothes to the tricorder designs.
07:25At the time, Emoni Dax was a professional gymnast.
07:28In the 2240s, she judged a gymnastics competition on Earth at the University of Mississippi,
07:33and it was here that she happened to meet a young Leonard McCoy, who was attending the
07:37university at the time.
07:38Apparently, the two got up to a bit more than gymnastics, as Jadzia remarked that she always
07:43had a feeling he'd become a doctor because he had the hands of a surgeon.
07:47It was a hilarious moment and connected Deep Space Nine to the original series wonderfully,
07:52just like the rest of this episode.
07:533.
07:54Dax's importance to the queer community
07:57Dax's character has always resonated strongly with members of the queer community.
08:01The iconic episode, Rejoined, included a kiss between Jadzia and the wife of her former
08:06host, one of the first televised kisses between two women.
08:09The episode also showed a lesbian love story in a way that wasn't sensationalized, sexualized,
08:15or treated as odd in any way.
08:16Their love was forbidden, not because they were gay, but because of trill laws regarding
08:20reassociation.
08:22This allowed the story to tell an allegory of gay oppression inside a world that was
08:25beyond homophobia.
08:27Many trans people also see themselves in Dax.
08:30Dax was friends with Sisqó when they were living as a man, but later became Jadzia.
08:34The two remained very close friends, but their relationship was changed in subtle ways.
08:38This is very similar to many trans people's experiences when coming out to friends.
08:42Sisqó even had to adjust to using new pronouns and a new name for her.
08:46Likewise, Dax adjusted to her own new identity as well.
08:49Years after Deep Space Nine at Star Trek Las Vegas 2019, Terry Farrell confirmed that she
08:54imagined Jadzia as pansexual, something we all assumed to begin with.
08:58The character canonically loved both men and women, after all.
09:02Jadzia, and then later Esri, made so many queer people feel represented at a time where
09:06good representation was much harder to find.
09:092.
09:10Esri and Nicole DeBoer
09:12In many ways, Nicole DeBoer's experience of joining the show is much like her character
09:16Esri's experience of arriving on the station.
09:19Although Esri reminded the Deep Space Nine crew of their lost friend, their love for
09:22Jadzia made it easier and quicker for them to grow attached to the new Dax.
09:26In an interview with Heavy, DeBoer explained that the same was true for herself.
09:30She reminded her castmates of Terry Farrell, but in a way that made them very welcoming
09:34to her.
09:35She even drew on this connection to Esri while performing.
09:38She also mentioned how she could relate to Esri's struggle to find her own identity after
09:42being joined, explaining that while she didn't get a worm pit in her belly, she, like many
09:46others, had a long journey of self-discovery while growing up.
09:49DeBoer's natural connection to the character really helped her bring Esri to life and to
09:53create a whole new personality for Dax.
09:561.
09:57Captain Dax
09:58The Star Trek Enterprise episode, Azati Prime, marked the only time we've seen the Enterprise
10:03J on screen.
10:05Captain Archer was taken to the 26th century by Daniels and witnessed the Battle of Procyon
10:10V, an important confrontation between the Federation and the Sphere Builders.
10:14In this episode, we only got to see a small part of the interior and a display of the
10:18ship's exterior on a screen, but Beta Canon expanded on this story quite a lot.
10:23In Star Trek Online, your character can travel to the 26th century to assist the Enterprise
10:27J in the Battle of Procyon V. During the mission, you learn that the captain of this Enterprise
10:32is a Dax.
10:33We don't get to know much about them, but this would be such a cool future for the character,
10:38if true.
10:39We don't know exactly how long Trill's symbionts live, but Dax could very well be alive in
10:43the 26th century.
10:44Their years of firsthand experience from the earliest years of the Federation would make
10:49them an incredible captain of the flagship.
10:51And there you have it, 10 things you didn't know about Dax.
10:53If there's something we missed, then please do let us know in the comments down below.
10:57And while you're there, don't forget to like and subscribe, and tap that notification bell.
11:01Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there, and I can be found across various social medias
11:05just by searching Ellie Littlechild, I've been Ellie for Trek Culture.
11:08I hope you have a wonderful day, and remember to boldly go where no one has gone before.