Season 7- Would U Rather Have Seen a Recurring Jadzia or Stick w/Ezri?

[Ro_Laren]

In another Trekbbs thread, someone posted a TrekMovie.com convention report from last year. Apparently, at last year's Vegas Con:

Farrell, who left DS9 after the sixth season, was asked about the DS9 series finale and said she would have been happy to return for that or for a recurring role in the final season, but she wasn’t asked. She also revealed that she was disappointed that Jadzia Dax had to die

My question is this: are you happy with how Producers dealt with the Dax character? That is, are you glad that they killed off Jadzia and brought Ezri along for Season 7 as the new Dax host? Or, would you rather have seen Jadzia Dax stick around as a recurring character or perhaps just in the Season finale?

As Terry Farrell was adamant about leaving the show, I wish that the Producers would have given her a Season 7 reccurring role (Jadzia Dax and Kira Nerys are my favorite DS9 characters) vs. killing her. Since the Dominion War was going on, it makes it seem very plausible that Starfleet could have reassigned Jadzia Dax somewhere other than DS9, even if that meant she could not be stationed with Worf, her husband. Season 7 episodes, like those of other seasons, took place in many venues other than DS9. There was a lot of interaction with other Starfleet ships. The Producers could have very easily have brought Jadzia Dax back for random episodes or just the Series finale.

It makes you wonder – did the Producers decided to kill Jadzia out of spite? Or was it solely for creative reasons? That is, when they decided to kill Jadzia, did they do so solely because they thought that it would be interesting to explore the ramifications of her death on the crew? Or, did they not only want to explore the ramifications of her death on the crew, BUT HAD THEY ALSO already thought about the idea of bringing Dax back in a new host?

**** I have a typo in one of the poll options and Trekbbs won't let me edit the typo. The word "reoccuring" (second poll option) needs to be changed to "recurring" - can a Mod pelase make this change?? Thanks in advance!

[Melakon]

Farrell signed for six years, and apparently was pursuing other offers when the 7th season was offered. She decided to accept an offer for a new comedy series, where she worked another four years. We don't know why she left DS9. Maybe she wanted to do comedy. Maybe the hours were better, with fewer all-nighters. Maybe she was offered more money. Maybe she had the hots for Ted Danson.

The producers had a choice of keeping Dax alive for possible guest appearances (no guarantee Farrell would be available), and bringing in a completely different and unrelated character to replace her. Or they had the option of sacrificing Jadzia and moving the symbiont into a new character, a science fiction opportunity.

Once they decided to kill Jadzia, I would have preferred the Dax character being killed off completely, giving Sisko a double loss. I have no objections to Nicole DeBoer, and she could have become a completely different non-trill character.

[Takeru]

Killing Jadzia was the right choice, it would have been silly not doing it, actually seeing an established Trill getting a new host is much more interesting than just hearing about it or seeing guest stars, but I think the new Dax should have been male

[Melakon]

Takeru wrote:

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. . .I think the new Dax should have been male

But that would have left Kira as the only female main cast member. I don't think they wanted to do that.

[BillJ]

Should've killed her and the slug. Ezri was a cop-out.

[Tosk]

I'm glad they did what they did. Jadzia being in "some" episodes means things stay as they are. Killing Jadzia gave them dramatic opportunities. And say what you will about Ezri, bringing her in gave them even more.

[JirinPanthosa]

I hate it when contracts determine who lives and dies, nothing breaks the fantasy of a show more than knowing 'fourth wall' forces drastically changed the outcome. I would have much rather given her a recurring role.

Character deaths lose all their dramatic impact if you know they happened because the actress's contract was up instead of because it was the logical outcome of the plot.

[Melakon]

JirinPanthosa wrote:

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Character deaths lose all their dramatic impact if you know they happened because the actress's contract was up instead of because it was the logical outcome of the plot.

For hypothetical situations, are you advocating they kill the actor as well?

[Kira Nerys]

I would have preferred that Jadzia stayed as a reoccuring character .I don't know if that would have been an option for Terry Ferrell at that time.

[T'Girl]

I too think the "new Dax" should have been male, perhaps with lingering feelings towards both Worf and Bashir.

Kira wouldn't have been exactly the only female on the shop, just the only female star. Lovely Leeta would have been there too.

[DS9forever]

I liked Ezri. It must annoy the haters that she is a Captain in the novels, but it shows the popularity of the character.

[Takeru]

Melakon wrote:

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But that would have left Kira as the only female main cast member. I don't think they wanted to do that.

They had Leeta, Kai Winn and Kasidy as major recurring characters and they could have used Keiko morw, it's not like Kira was the only female left on the show. TNG had Marina Sirtis as the only female main cast member during season 2, it happened before.
Or they could have introduced a new female main character and have the male Dax be recurring.

I think a male Dax would have been more interesting, it would have been great to see what changing gender does to a joined Trill. How does a straight male host deal with memories of being in love with men, especially if the former husband is still around? What about Bashir? What would he feel if the male Dax still has feelings for him and is similar in personality to Jadzia Dax? What if Bashir recognized some of Jadzia's quirks that he thought of as cute or lovable before, woult the person be more important of the newly attached penis?
Things like that were touched on a little bit during the Odan episode of TNG and the Lenara Khan DS9 episode but it would have been different with major characters over an entire season or at least part of it, the most important part would have been that it involves male characters, the "gay stuff" in both the Odan and Khan episodes was about women.

[DS9forever]

^ None of the characters you mentioned are members of Starfleet or the Bajoran Militia.

[Takeru]

DS9forever wrote:

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^ None of the characters you mentioned are members of Starfleet or the Bajoran Militia.

Why does that matter?

[Worf'sParmach]

At the time it aired in the late 90s, I would have said let Jadzia be recurring and/or bring her back for the finale. In hindsight, I am not so sure. Ezri has grown on me over the years. From the producers point of view, if there was any character that would be easy to kill and replace, it's Dax. You get someone new who's not really new and still has connections to the cast.

I must say, I always thought it was ironic that (on of the reasons) Terry Farrell left because her character didn't get enough storylines, but as a result of her departure the Ezri Dax character got several.