Capsule Review: DS9 1.08 "Dax"
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fairladyz2005, who introduced me to DS9, also sent me a list of TNG episodes that were relevant to DS9. One of them was "The Host," a Season 4 TNG episode that first introduced the Trill. The DS9 episode "Dax" is in many ways an inversion of "The Host." Where the Trill character in "The Host" had to prove himself to be the same guy as a previous incarnation in order to gain the trust of warring factions, the titular Trill in "Dax" must prove herself a different person in order to get away from the crime a past self is accused of committing.
That question, the meaning of identity, is the central subject of "Dax" much as it was in "The Host." However, the understanding of that question, along with the setting information on the Trill, has become a great deal more sophisticated since TNG. Much like the changes in the Ferengi since their first appearance (TNG 1.05 "The Last Outpost"), it shows the evolution of Trek writing.
One of the things that impressed me about this episode was that the writers seemed to have done their homework on the law, for the most part. Dax's extradition hearing concentrated on the narrow legal question of whether Jadzia Dax is the same person as Kurzon Dax and deserves tohang for stand trial for his crimes. The payoff comes at both the scene and episode level: The courtroom scenes are tightly paced without rambling all over the place into guilt and innocence, and the limited legal question kept the episode focused on the central question of identity. Plus, it meant an impatient judge could remind the parties stay on point, which obviously no courtroom drama is complete without.
Much like with the Ferengi, the Trill have gone through an overhaul since their first appearance in TNG. In the original TNG treatment the symbiant completely subsumed the host's identity, making the central question in "The Host" one of physicality--if the person was the same inside but had a different body, was it the same person? In "Dax" the question is more complex because the host is entwined with rather than overtaken by the symbiant. As in any good legal drama, there are good arguments for both sides of the issue.
Losing the forehead bumps was a good call, too.
Given the foregoing, the resolution seems almost a letdown. The Dramatic Reveal of Dax's innocence wandered off the central legal issue and seemed to render the whole question of identity moot. Also, technically speaking complete innocence shouldn't have been a bar to Jadzia Dax's extradition since the substantive issue of guilt and innocence was still a matter for the competent court to decide, so long as the extradition hearing found that Kurzon Dax was still alive. I'm guessing the general's sulky son withdrew the charges because of the nightmare of scandal that would result from Dax going to trial, and such a decision has a real-world logic of its own. I just wish the judge at the extradition hearing hadn't acted like the widow's revelation closed the matter.
Nevertheless, the resolution of the case revealed a deeper truth than a definitive conclusion to the extradition hearing would have. As discussed above, there were good arguments for both sides of the issue. Providing a definite answer would have obscured the complexity of the question. The true crux of the matter was not in the courtroom but in the character: Jadzia felt herself honor-bound to keep Kurzon's promise, and to carry on Kurzon's values. What's more, she was fully prepared to accept the consequence of her decision, and his.
Regardless of who a court of law might say she was, Jadzia's integrity was her own answer to a more important question: How she would live her life in relation to its context. That context may vary from person to person, and certainly you don't see Jadzia's exact situation in real life, but her choice between principle and expedience is something everyone has to face at some point. And her choice, the way I see it, is a far more profound victory than a triumphant win in court.
"Dax" may not have had the most original or unexpected resolution, but the abovementioned subtlety in the writing still drew me into the story and made me think. The episode was also a smart legal drama with an appealing sense of humility that a court is not always the final arbiter of truth, and the real story happens with the choices of men and women in their lives. The courtroom is a forum where some very interesting issues are laid bare, though, and the courtroom scenes were worth it for that reason.
fairladyz2005, who introduced me to DS9, also sent me a list of TNG episodes that were relevant to DS9. One of them was "The Host," a Season 4 TNG episode that first introduced the Trill. The DS9 episode "Dax" is in many ways an inversion of "The Host." Where the Trill character in "The Host" had to prove himself to be the same guy as a previous incarnation in order to gain the trust of warring factions, the titular Trill in "Dax" must prove herself a different person in order to get away from the crime a past self is accused of committing. That question, the meaning of identity, is the central subject of "Dax" much as it was in "The Host." However, the understanding of that question, along with the setting information on the Trill, has become a great deal more sophisticated since TNG. Much like the changes in the Ferengi since their first appearance (TNG 1.05 "The Last Outpost"), it shows the evolution of Trek writing.
One of the things that impressed me about this episode was that the writers seemed to have done their homework on the law, for the most part. Dax's extradition hearing concentrated on the narrow legal question of whether Jadzia Dax is the same person as Kurzon Dax and deserves to
Much like with the Ferengi, the Trill have gone through an overhaul since their first appearance in TNG. In the original TNG treatment the symbiant completely subsumed the host's identity, making the central question in "The Host" one of physicality--if the person was the same inside but had a different body, was it the same person? In "Dax" the question is more complex because the host is entwined with rather than overtaken by the symbiant. As in any good legal drama, there are good arguments for both sides of the issue.
Losing the forehead bumps was a good call, too.
Given the foregoing, the resolution seems almost a letdown. The Dramatic Reveal of Dax's innocence wandered off the central legal issue and seemed to render the whole question of identity moot. Also, technically speaking complete innocence shouldn't have been a bar to Jadzia Dax's extradition since the substantive issue of guilt and innocence was still a matter for the competent court to decide, so long as the extradition hearing found that Kurzon Dax was still alive. I'm guessing the general's sulky son withdrew the charges because of the nightmare of scandal that would result from Dax going to trial, and such a decision has a real-world logic of its own. I just wish the judge at the extradition hearing hadn't acted like the widow's revelation closed the matter.
Nevertheless, the resolution of the case revealed a deeper truth than a definitive conclusion to the extradition hearing would have. As discussed above, there were good arguments for both sides of the issue. Providing a definite answer would have obscured the complexity of the question. The true crux of the matter was not in the courtroom but in the character: Jadzia felt herself honor-bound to keep Kurzon's promise, and to carry on Kurzon's values. What's more, she was fully prepared to accept the consequence of her decision, and his.
Regardless of who a court of law might say she was, Jadzia's integrity was her own answer to a more important question: How she would live her life in relation to its context. That context may vary from person to person, and certainly you don't see Jadzia's exact situation in real life, but her choice between principle and expedience is something everyone has to face at some point. And her choice, the way I see it, is a far more profound victory than a triumphant win in court.
"Dax" may not have had the most original or unexpected resolution, but the abovementioned subtlety in the writing still drew me into the story and made me think. The episode was also a smart legal drama with an appealing sense of humility that a court is not always the final arbiter of truth, and the real story happens with the choices of men and women in their lives. The courtroom is a forum where some very interesting issues are laid bare, though, and the courtroom scenes were worth it for that reason.