Absolute worst character in DS9 History: Ezri Dax
- Thread starter ZeNd
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G
Gul Sengosts
Guest
Finally arrived at DS9 S7 in my Trekathon. It's been a long time and I hardly remember her from my previous watches, so kind of a blank slate here. 4 episodes in, Ezri seems ok but nothing to write home about. Not sure if I like her more than Jadzia or not, but I tend towards more.
The problem with Jadzia was that unlike the rest of the main cast she hardly seemed to develop or show as an actual character. She just was... kinda there. That she spent most of her latter time bickering with Worf in a bad romance didn't help. It was repetitive as hell and, frankly, annoying (I'm still not sure Worf was a good addition to DS9, but that's another story).
So far they've tried to establish her as a vulnerable, insecure character, which is cool, but also so far there's not much depth. It's all a bit by the numbers. I guess I'll have to see how it turns out.
Definitely not the worst DS9 character though, not by a long shot.
The problem with Jadzia was that unlike the rest of the main cast she hardly seemed to develop or show as an actual character. She just was... kinda there. That she spent most of her latter time bickering with Worf in a bad romance didn't help. It was repetitive as hell and, frankly, annoying (I'm still not sure Worf was a good addition to DS9, but that's another story).
So far they've tried to establish her as a vulnerable, insecure character, which is cool, but also so far there's not much depth. It's all a bit by the numbers. I guess I'll have to see how it turns out.
Definitely not the worst DS9 character though, not by a long shot.
They never showed any of Jadzia's family. And Ezri's family was weird. I agree, Jadzia should have had more development. But I like her relationship with Worf and how Jadzia respected the Klingon traditions and on the other hand never failed to criticize them if necessar.
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M
marlboro
Guest
I agree with you about both Jadzia and Worf. Worf is a great character, and had some very good moments on DS9, but I really hated how they wrote him sometimes.
"You're pathetic!!!...." Haha one of my favorite DS9 scenes. I love Garak.I'm not a fan of Ezri either. Like ZeNd said, they devoted way too many episodes to her, when the final season really should have been used to tie up all the plot lines. As a result, the finale felt a little too rushed, and the viewers (or at least, this one) felt like the writers were cramming Ezri down their throats. Plus I just couldn't get past her cuteness and her annoying little-girl voice. It made it hard for me to take her seriously. Although I did enjoy when Garak tore her apart in "Afterimage". What can I say? I'm a little evil.
Triskelion, your avatar made me spit tea on myself. Well done.
You don’t seem to understand the role or proper behavior of a good therapist. Garak ripped Ezri a new one, and there were hurtful comebacks she could have made, but she was professional enough to realize that her hurt at what Garak said was about her and not.her patient. Garak was attacking someone who, ethically, couldn’t strike back. And later, he acknowledges her as Dax at her pinning ceremony. Subtly, because he’s Garak, and that’s how he rolls.
I loved Jadzia! She was strong, independent, joyful, witty,,, saw the value of joy in ones life… I hates it when they brought in Ezra. Her character was a whiny, insecure, nit wit. Her constant state of confusion, and declarations of no being able to settle into her role with Dax. She didn’t serve that character well, at all.
She annoyed the crap out of me, so much that when she was on an episode, I’d occupy myself until she was gone from a scene..
Worst decision to allow Terry Farrell go because of a contract dispute….
Also, Bashir,,, wow,,, he was a annoying little pip. So immature, then condescending, self absorbed and just too much. Didn’t like him at all.
Brooks, he was great…the episodes about racial inequality were unnecessary. And over acted in some cases. History has ugly chapters, when tv promotes healing and not the continuous bashing of ancestors deplorable actions. Time to come together…
She annoyed the crap out of me, so much that when she was on an episode, I’d occupy myself until she was gone from a scene..
Worst decision to allow Terry Farrell go because of a contract dispute….
Also, Bashir,,, wow,,, he was a annoying little pip. So immature, then condescending, self absorbed and just too much. Didn’t like him at all.
Brooks, he was great…the episodes about racial inequality were unnecessary. And over acted in some cases. History has ugly chapters, when tv promotes healing and not the continuous bashing of ancestors deplorable actions. Time to come together…
You cannot really "come together" by repressing hurtful history, not between people in private relationships and not between groups. You need an honest reckoning/ acknowledgement - both of what happened and how it stil shapes present life - before you can move on. History is not like a book where a chapter is "finished" because we say so.
As for Ezri... I don't think I 'd describe her as the worst character ever, but that late in the game, I wasn't ready for any new main caracter, not even if they had replaced someone I didn't care about. Consider that I did like Jadzia, and the way she was written out/ killed off... Ezri could have been the best charcter ever and wouldn't have worked for me. That said, I don't think she was the best char ever, and the way they tried to cram her in, plus the awful Bashir romance, while they should have been wrapping up all the old storylines properly... She just grated on me. It was no fault of the actress, but imo they should have just made her a guest for a few eps, then have her move on. Otoh, Jadzia's death could have been more powerful if they had actually have the symbiont die, too.
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I wouldn't say she is the worst character ever, but as far as I'm concerned she definitely falls in the lower range.
Another resurrected topic, but one I have feelings regarding so what the hell.
Ezri was, as envisioned, not a bad character. She was a way to put a different spin on the Trill: normally, a Trill/symbiont pairing is carefully determined by highly skilled professionals on the Trill homeworld, and the candidates are carefully selected and trained. Look at Verad, who struggled all his life to qualify and was rejected. That's how it should work, and even then, mistakes do happen (Joran).
Ezri, contrastingly, had no training whatsoever. She and Dax were randomly thrown together, creating a crazy neurotic character. And they could have gone with that, but not in one season. And having her come aboard as a counselor??? That's like finding that your therapist is crazier than you are.
Regarding the Terry Ferrell issue, the options (best to worst):
1. Give Terry what she wanted. It was for one season for crying out loud.
2. Delete Dax completely. Either the symbiont dies, or it leaves the show to go back to Trill.
3. Create a whole new character that you have no time to develop.
By and large, the writers on DS9 did good work. They had the most well rounded protagonist in Trek, they developed not only the main characters but even second tier ones like Weyoun, Nog, and Martok (and they understood something that the other shows didn't: characters are supposed to rank up over time). The matter of Ezri Dax was one of their few missteps.
Ezri was, as envisioned, not a bad character. She was a way to put a different spin on the Trill: normally, a Trill/symbiont pairing is carefully determined by highly skilled professionals on the Trill homeworld, and the candidates are carefully selected and trained. Look at Verad, who struggled all his life to qualify and was rejected. That's how it should work, and even then, mistakes do happen (Joran).
Ezri, contrastingly, had no training whatsoever. She and Dax were randomly thrown together, creating a crazy neurotic character. And they could have gone with that, but not in one season. And having her come aboard as a counselor??? That's like finding that your therapist is crazier than you are.
Regarding the Terry Ferrell issue, the options (best to worst):
1. Give Terry what she wanted. It was for one season for crying out loud.
2. Delete Dax completely. Either the symbiont dies, or it leaves the show to go back to Trill.
3. Create a whole new character that you have no time to develop.
By and large, the writers on DS9 did good work. They had the most well rounded protagonist in Trek, they developed not only the main characters but even second tier ones like Weyoun, Nog, and Martok (and they understood something that the other shows didn't: characters are supposed to rank up over time). The matter of Ezri Dax was one of their few missteps.
Seems like these old threads never die.
Why should they? As long as new members keep coming, with new perspectives, they remain relevant and worthy of discussion. I wager there's probably 20y worth of recurring topics on some subjects: Janeway the Tuvix murderess, the Prime Directive is an incredibly f***ed up rule, who was the best captain, etc.
I personally think it makes more sense to resurrect old threads than recreate them, because it gives the reader access to more people's perspective, but I'm not a mod here.
Farrell did improve as an actress during the series. By season 6 she could handle her scenes with Worf - in love with him, teasing him - quite well. She could tell a joke okay. She was still not very good at expressing sorrow or pain, and needed lines to do what some actors could do with an expression. I didn't regard her as some treasure that the producers should have been happy to pay generously just to keep her there. It is a shame they didn't part on better terms to allow Jadzia to be in the finale or occassional flashbacks.
I think the writers transitioning Dax to Ezri was a great idea and worked well. I liked her as a fairly realistic character with real character flaws - confusion, spacesickness, unsure of herself. I don't really trust characters who seem like they're superhuman in all aspects - smart, strong, emotionally stable, educated, etc. etc. This was one problem with Jadzia as a character to me - not well developed enough to have flaws. I think it would have been a missed opportunity to have the symbiont die or never return to DS9 after season 6.
The writers did tie up most of the loose ends during season 7 - and what they didn't, I'm not sure it was because lack of episodes.
I think the writers transitioning Dax to Ezri was a great idea and worked well. I liked her as a fairly realistic character with real character flaws - confusion, spacesickness, unsure of herself. I don't really trust characters who seem like they're superhuman in all aspects - smart, strong, emotionally stable, educated, etc. etc. This was one problem with Jadzia as a character to me - not well developed enough to have flaws. I think it would have been a missed opportunity to have the symbiont die or never return to DS9 after season 6.
The writers did tie up most of the loose ends during season 7 - and what they didn't, I'm not sure it was because lack of episodes.
Yeah, Jadzia really bloomed as a character when she was with Worf.
They played off each other brilliantly. Jadzia's snarky wit, contrasted with Worf's stodgy conservatism.
Of course, this isn't meant to imply that Jadzia "needs" a man to complete her...but maybe, just maybe, she WANTS one.
Like on L&O:SVU with Benson and Tucker. Obviously, Olivia is a strong, independent woman, but nevertheless loved Ed Tucker deeply and enjoyed being with him. (Those don't have to cancel each other out!) Same story here.
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Nothing wrong with that.
I actually am okay with Jadzia being killed. Deep Space Nine benefited from the fact that it established it would always have higher stakes than most. She should have just died in "Change of Heart."
Ezri is a fine character because I don't in any way shape or form want her to be Jadzia.
Ezri is a fine character because I don't in any way shape or form want her to be Jadzia.
I wish Worf had let her die for the good of the mission. It would have been in a far more meaningful and interesting death, and it would have set the stage for some great Worf stuff going forward. I also felt it was a little 'too human', a bit like the changes to Ferengi society in the final episodes.
I dunno, I think Worf is infinitely more likable and human making that decision. Part of Deep Space Nine is people making the wrong decision for perfectly understandable reasons.
If I was the writer and a sadist, which I am both, I would have had Worf choose Jadzia over the mission and she'd still die.
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