Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine
Episode
Particulars: S2EP5, “Rejoined”
Standalone
Thoughts: I have my issues with this episode, but it has nothing to do with
the fact that it involves two women in love with each other. I know that aspect
was the part that got the most attention when it first aired, but twenty-two
years later, when gay relationships are more common, it doesn’t really register
to me. No, my problems have to do with Dax’s character and the rules of Trill
society.
First off, while I agree with the idea behind the rules,
the execution of them is stupid. Not wanting a joined Trill to be stuck in the
past and halt the progression and experiences of the new host is fair. Having
them cut off all contact with past family members, which I would presume
includes any great-great-etc-grandchildren, seems a little harsher, but I can
understand that too. Exiling anyone who breaks the rules, so that when they
die, the symbiont dies, is going way too far. Surely exiling the Trill for one
generation would be enough to convince the symbiont never to do it again. But
my big issue is that we’ve been told several times that there are only a
limited number of symbionts, and a lot of people who want to be joined. Isn’t
it a bad idea to get rid of one of those limited resources all because they got
a little emotionally compromised? I know the writers were making it up as they
went along, but they probably should have thought this through a little more.
Then you get to the Dax side of things, and that’s when I
really start to have a problem. As
I’ve mentioned, Dax has a lot of Mary-Sue qualities, and one of those qualities
is the lack of a serious flaw. The good news is, we finally get a flaw. The bad
news is, this is a particularly enraging one. Said flaw is that Dax can be
extremely impulsive, especially when it comes to romance. We actually saw it
first in “Meridian”, when she was willing to give up her Starfleet career to
spend time on another plane of consciousness with a man she’d only known for
about a week and a half. That was irritating, but at least the symbiont was
still technically being used, and when she died, it could go back to Trill and
be joined with another host. In this case, if she goes through with
(re)starting the relationship with Lenara, she’ll be condemning herself and her
lover to exile, and ultimately killing two symbionts, again for a fairly new
relationship. Now yes, they’d been married before, and thus have that history
and chemistry, but that still doesn’t change the fact that they’ve only been
reunited for a week. I’m sure there have been instances of people who break up,
run into each other again some time later, feel the old attractions, and maybe
try to resume the relationship. The thing is, that sort of thing is partially
driven by hormones. Sure, it seems like a good idea in the heat of the moment,
but once the passion dies down a little, you may start to realize having this
relationship wasn’t such a good idea. This is bad enough when it’s just you and
your ex; throw in the long-term consequences presented in this episode and this
really shouldn’t be something Dax just jumps into assuming everything will be
ok. But that seems to be what she’s doing, and it really, really irritates me.
(To be fair, I’ve never been in Dax’s position, and it’s
easy to say these things when you’re not in the heat of the moment yourself.
But I’d like to think I’d at least be wary before jumping into something like
this.)
This isn’t helped by her actions throughout the episode.
Right at the beginning, Sisko suggests she take some leave so she and Lenara
won’t have to interact. Dax refuses because she thinks she can handle it. Once
it becomes clear that their feelings for each other are resurfacing, she should have decided to take that leave,
but the thought never crosses her mind. Later, she invites Lenara out to
dinner, but tries to make it seem innocent by claiming it’s a small dinner with
her friends; well, actually one friend, Bashir. When Lenara accepts, she goes
to Bashir and begs him to cancel his plans and join them, so he can play
chaperone (Bashir’s word for it). Then at dinner, Dax and Lenara spend the
whole time catching up, leaving Bashir incredibly bored on the sidelines. So
let’s see, we’ve got refusing to disengage even though she has an out, lying,
and inconveniencing others with barely a thought to their wishes. This episode
really doesn’t do Dax any favors, does it?
While there are some decent moments, and the interactions
between Lenara and Dax are fine, this is hardly DS9’s strongest episode. Maybe people who like Dax more than I do
will have less of a problem with it, but from where I’m standing, it’s probably
her weakest episode yet. And I’m including the ones where she barely does
anything in that assessment.
How it Relates to
the Whole: As far as I can remember, this won’t really connect to the main
story. You could argue there’s one small bit of follow-up in Season Seven, but
only because it’s a similar situation to what happens here. Much like “Past
Tense”, it’s better to just ignore this one.
Other: *The
reason Lenara has come to the station is to do scientific experiments that
could create artificial wormholes. Sisko even calls it “an important project”.
My question is, why is it important?
I mean, obviously it helps people get from one place to the other faster, but a
specific reason for creating an artificial wormhole would have been all to the
good. On a related note, how do they know where the wormhole goes? Do they have
a way to “anchor” it, or are they just going to randomly wind up somewhere? If
that’s the case, it’s not going to be a lot of help, is it? Then again, I’m
probably overthinking it again.
*In the teaser, we see Dax doing magic, to Bashir’s
amusement and Quark’s amazement. “It’s a trick!” he declares, to which Bashir
responds “Of course it’s a trick.” And all I can think about is that moment in
“A Man Alone”, where Bashir apparently couldn’t figure out the connection
between a puzzle and a brain teaser. Either he’s come a long way since then, or
the writers are quietly praying that we don’t remember some of the stupider
things they had Bashir do in the early seasons.
*A brief running gag in the show is both Dax and Bashir
doing slight-of-hand magic to a baffled Quark by pulling latinum out of his
ear. When Bashir does it, one of the Ferengi waiters comes up and peers into
Quark’s ear, clearly trying to figure out if he can get some of it for himself.
It’s an amusing beat, and I give great credit to whoever thought of it.
*We learn all the information about Trill relationships
during an exposition dump given by Bashir to Kira. It’s not the most subtle way
to get us the information, but it’s not terrible. What really stood out to me,
though, was the fact that it was Bashir and Kira, and that the two of them
seemed very relaxed and at ease with each other. I can’t help but wonder yet
again if that tied into the behind-the-scenes relationship between Siddig and
Visitor, but of course I’ll probably never know for certain. As I’ve said
before, though, I can’t help but speculate a little.
*Worf has a conversation about Klingon dreams where he
all but compares them to Lovecraftian nightmares. He’s so over-the-top about
it, while delivering it in such a level tone, that even the characters are
wondering if he’s joking about it. If he was, then I kind of approve of his
warped sense of humor.
*Why is Eddington the guy doing the engineering work for
the experiment? I thought he was in charge of Starfleet security on the
station. It’s probably because Colm Meaney was filming something else and they
needed a familiar face for the engineering scenes, and I’ll give them credit
for keeping Eddington in the public eye, but they probably should have found a
solution that made a little more sense in this case.
Best
Line/Exchange: This one basically encapsulates everything I was talking
about above;
Dax: You don’t
think I should pursue this, do you?
Sisko (pauses):
No.
Dax: Ok, why?
Sisko: Because
I remember what Curzon used to say about reassociation; that it didn’t matter
whether he agreed with the taboo or not, because the price for violating it was
too high. Exile.
Dax: I know
what Curzon used to say. And I’m not Curzon.
Sisko: And you’re
not Torias either. You’re Jadzia Dax, and you have a responsibility as a joined
Trill, to never…
Dax (interrupting
angrily): I didn’t come here to hear a lecture about my responsibilities!
Sisko (sharply): You came here for advice from a
friend, and that’s exactly what you’re getting!
Dax (glares):
You’re right. (calms down) I’m sorry.
Sisko (sighs):
I know this is difficult for you. I know how you feel about Lenara. But I want
you to think about what will happen if you pursue this. If you’re exiled from
Trill, there will be no further hosts for your symbiont. When Jadzia dies, Dax
dies. That goes against everything you were taught during your initiate
training. You’ve told me again and again that each host is only a link in a
chain. And that the life of the symbiont, no matter what happens, must go on.
Dax: I know
that. And I believe in that. But I also know…I love her, Benjamin.
Sisko (sighs
deeply): I know you do. If I were in your position, I’d probably be just as
ready to throw away everything for the person I loved. But I would also want to
be sure that I was ready to pay the price.
Dax: You’re
right. I need to be sure.
Sisko (stands
up and comes over to her): And if you’re sure, if this is what you really want, I will back you all the
way.
The delivery of these lines matters a lot, but even in
text, I think you can tell that Sisko has clearly thought this through, and
Dax, despite claiming she has, actually hasn’t. The bit about “I didn’t come to
you for a lecture” kind of implies that she was hoping that Sisko would
validate her choices. It’s the clearest instance where you can see her
impulsive nature, and how that can be detrimental. But while it paints Dax in a
bad light, it does the opposite for Sisko. He’s concerned about his friend,
makes sure to say his piece in an attempt to get her to consider all the
aspects of the problem, softens his tone when he thinks that will get a better
result, and finally says he’ll support the decision even if he disagrees with
it. It shows that he’s a good friend, a good father (you could imagine him
having a similar conversation with Jake), and a good leader. So while Dax’s
actions drive me crazy, at least we got to see a good side of Sisko, which
helps soften the blow a little.
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