Why Bother Introducing Ezri Dax in Season 7?

[TheLobes]

Frankly, Nicole was an excellent addition. Again, she brought a fresh perspective to the show, with her young-at-heart, Jimmy-Stewart enthusiasm and idealism. Originally, Bashir was the idealist--but all the years of experience toned it down. The show, with its increasingly dark tone, needed some idealism--some "innocence", if you will--to contrast it.

Well, thats the problem, isnt it? Even if you feel the show needed something like that, how on Earth can a character be innocent and idealistic when shes got all those lifetimes of memory?

I dont think the show really needed a new innocent and idealistic character, because there just wasnt time to explore it. Also, the tone of the show wasnt as dark as previous sessions.

 

[Rush Limborg]

Frankly, Nicole was an excellent addition. Again, she brought a fresh perspective to the show, with her young-at-heart, Jimmy-Stewart enthusiasm and idealism. Originally, Bashir was the idealist--but all the years of experience toned it down. The show, with its increasingly dark tone, needed some idealism--some "innocence", if you will--to contrast it.

Well, thats the problem, isnt it? Even if you feel the show needed something like that, how on Earth can a character be innocent and idealistic when shes got all those lifetimes of memory?

In her case, it's her personality. For one, as Kellin said to her in "AR-558", her memories don't necessary mean experience. For another--even with that, her charm is that she's able to still hold on to a sense of optimism.

I dont think the show really needed a new innocent and idealistic character, because there just wasnt time to explore it. Also, the tone of the show wasnt as dark as previous sessions.

Well...some could say that that was partly due to Ezri.

 

[milo bloom]

I loved Jadzia for six seasons, but when Ezri came on I realized that Jadzia was actually a bit of a dullard. Ezri just felt so much more real, in comparison Jadzia just seemed more like a "character", like you realized you were watching a TV show.

Plus it's a great bit of continuity porn, you have this trick for continuing on a character, and it gets a little bit of service here and there, but then you're given the opportunity to actually use it! And they do! Compare to, say, the TNG ep Second Chances. You have the opportunity to let Will Riker finally grow as a human being, while still keeping Frakes, and.....nothing.

 

[Rush Limborg]

I loved Jadzia for six seasons, but when Ezri came on I realized that Jadzia was actually a bit of a dullard. Ezri just felt so much more real, in comparison Jadzia just seemed more like a "character", like you realized you were watching a TV show.

I believe it was E.M. Forster who came up with the two catergories of fictional characters: "flats" and "rounds"--or, "types" and "multidimentionals".

Jadzia is a "flat/type". Her character can basically be summarized into a single sentence or two. For the first couple of seasons, she's the "typical" cool girl who is austere and above it all, with little to no romantic inclination. "Blood-Oath" on, she's the "typical" action-oriented, partying "tomboy", if you will--one of the guys.


Ezri...she's pretty darn complex. On the one hand, she's innocent, childlike, optimistic and trusting. On the other hand, she's a psychologist--and often finds herself confronting some dark realities of existance ("Prodigal Daughter" and "Field Of Fire")--and she can take it, triumphing over Joran's influence.

On the one hand, she's conflicted on the inside, at times unsure of who she truly is, and was meant to be. On the other hand, she is "in control" enough to manipulate Vic to do the right thing and force Nog to man up--and she has the guts and confidence to call Worf out when he needs it.

Ezri's a "round/multidimensional". It's very difficult--and hardly possible--to limit her to a couple of sentences.

 

[Kestra]

Adding Ezri as a full time character was a misuse of time. As someone else has already mentioned I would have preferred if they brought back Dax that this new Dax was only on for one or two episodes and then actually moved on with its life instead of just been Jadzia lite.

I don't see her as Jadiza lite (unless I'm misinterpreting what you said?) but I do agree with the rest of it. I'd prefer that we could have seen that Dax has continued on, but not had them introduce a new main character. I think it was a disservice to both the audience and to the character.

I also disagree with Rush, but there's no point in going into that.

 

[TiberiusMaximus]

No offense, Rush, but I think you've simply analyzed Ezri more because you like her more - which is fine, I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just that I think Jadzia's a deeper character than you give her credit for. That's just my opinion, though, you're welcome to differ.

Also, what you said about Ezri being a multidimensional (another term is dynamic character) makes me think that they really should have introduced her sooner - like you said, she had a lot of nuances and was quite a dynamic character. Introducing her sooner could have allowed more time for that to develop. I think that a lot of the time, people dislike Ezri because her dynamic character development was pushed into such a small time-frame that she seemed flighty and all over the place, as opposed to smoothly developing. Of course, there are those who like 'flighty and all over the place.'

I don't think introducing Ezri was a mistake - the mistake was introducing her so late in the series. You could also say they waited to long to further develop Dax - it would have actually been quite interesting if Jadzia had died earlier...but I wouldn't have liked that.

I seem to be one of the few people on this forum who likes Jadzia and Ezri...

 

[TheLobes]

In her case, it's her personality. For one, as Kellin said to her in "AR-558", her memories don't necessary mean experience.

But its implied in many episodes that Jadzia Whatever was a very different type of person than Jadzia Dax. Its fine and necessary to make Ezri have a new personality, but she didnt feel at all like a Dax. Theres things that the writers make her do, sure, and then all the characters remark on how like Jadzia she is, but theres no substance to it. Generally she seemed like a totally new character, and the effects of the joining seemed kind of vague, as if the writers never really committed to it. Of course, if she had been put in before this would have been different. However, the writers could have put pre-Ezri into the first show of season seven, have her make the decision and let us see what she was like before. I think the writers trusted more to the fact that she was attractive than to her actual place in the story.

I think its interesting that when people who like Ezri talk about why they like her, its things they themselves project onto the character. Again, this seems due to the writers not bothering with her character.

 

[sonak]

eye candy

 

[TheLobes]

eye candy

Nerd candy, only equalled by 7 of 9. Yes, Im a nerd too.

 

[pimp]

Anyways it was all Terry Farrell's fault for leaving the show in season 6 otherwise Ezri would not have come into play don't know if that is even better because I did not really like her too lol - Jadzia that is

 

[Trek4Ever]

If the reason they introduced Ezri was because they needed another female lead why not just promote Chase Masterson or Louise Fletcher to regulars? I found both characters more interesting than Ezri and they were already established. Frankly all they had to do with Dax is do an episode where she's just a guest star to show that the character of Dax had lived on. And yeah I think it would've been interesting to have it be a male or a very young female Trill who would be attracted to Jake and vice versa.

 

[sonak]

If the reason they introduced Ezri was because they needed another female lead why not just promote Chase Masterson or Louise Fletcher to regulars? I found both characters more interesting than Ezri and they were already established. Frankly all they had to do with Dax is do an episode where she's just a guest star to show that the character of Dax had lived on. And yeah I think it would've been interesting to have it be a male or a very young female Trill who would be attracted to Jake and vice versa.

How would they have involved kai winn or leeta in regular station business? They needed an actual crew member I think, for practical reasons.

 

[Trek4Ever]

If the reason they introduced Ezri was because they needed another female lead why not just promote Chase Masterson or Louise Fletcher to regulars? I found both characters more interesting than Ezri and they were already established. Frankly all they had to do with Dax is do an episode where she's just a guest star to show that the character of Dax had lived on. And yeah I think it would've been interesting to have it be a male or a very young female Trill who would be attracted to Jake and vice versa.

How would they have involved kai winn or leeta in regular station business? They needed an actual crew member I think, for practical reasons.

Neither character had to be involved with station business. Jake was supposedly a regular character but he was just a civilian. And as for Winn, towards the final episodes she appeared in most if not all the episodes. So for all intents and purposes she was a regular.

 

[Jono]

Adding Ezri as a full time character was a misuse of time. As someone else has already mentioned I would have preferred if they brought back Dax that this new Dax was only on for one or two episodes and then actually moved on with its life instead of just been Jadzia lite.

I don't see her as Jadiza lite (unless I'm misinterpreting what you said?) but I do agree with the rest of it. I'd prefer that we could have seen that Dax has continued on, but not had them introduce a new main character. I think it was a disservice to both the audience and to the character.

I also disagree with Rush, but there's no point in going into that.

"Jadzia lite" might not be the best phrasing for what I meant. I wasn't meant to say she was like Jadzia, but rather she was leaching off Jadzia's life...it that makes sense.

 

[Kestra]

That makes some sense. Do you mean that they wrote her as too involved in past relationships and whatnot? Do you think you would have liked Ezri more as a character if they had established her independent of Dax?

 

[Jono]

That makes some sense. Do you mean that they wrote her as too involved in past relationships and whatnot?

Yes. I'd have preferred it if Dax moved on instead of just inhabiting its previous life.

Do you think you would have liked Ezri more as a character if they had established her independent of Dax?

As in if Ezri appeared on the show before season 7 or if Ezri joined in season 7 as a completely new character with no Dax slug?

 

[Rush Limborg]

No offense, Rush, but I think you've simply analyzed Ezri more because you like her more - which is fine, I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just that I think Jadzia's a deeper character than you give her credit for. That's just my opinion, though, you're welcome to differ.

Well, to be sure, "types/flats" can be, and often are, given complexity. I'm just saying that, in the end, her characer is simply a new take on a typical "mold".

Also, what you said about Ezri being a multidimensional (another term is dynamic character) makes me think that they really should have introduced her sooner - like you said, she had a lot of nuances and was quite a dynamic character. Introducing her sooner could have allowed more time for that to develop. I think that a lot of the time, people dislike Ezri because her dynamic character development was pushed into such a small time-frame that she seemed flighty and all over the place, as opposed to smoothly developing. Of course, there are those who like 'flighty and all over the place.'

QFT and ITA.

I don't think introducing Ezri was a mistake - the mistake was introducing her so late in the series. You could also say they waited to long to further develop Dax - it would have actually been quite interesting if Jadzia had died earlier...but I wouldn't have liked that.

I seem to be one of the few people on this forum who likes Jadzia and Ezri...

Well, as I've often said, Jadzia is a great "buddy" kind of person. I wasn't too keen on her death, ether--I agree with Miss Farrell that she should've gone out in a more worthy manner than just getting blasted in the chest by Dukat for the simple reason that she was in the way.

I agree that, ideally, Ezri should've been brought in a lot earlier. I wonder how she and Jadzia would've gotten along....

 

[Vinkula]

I like Ezri and it was good to add new Dax there. I was so disappointed when Jadzia died (My fav of DS9)... I got some relief that Jadzia is somehow alive. (Even tho I know the symbiont things and all.)

 

[TiberiusMaximus]

I agree that, ideally, Ezri should've been brought in a lot earlier. I wonder how she and Jadzia would've gotten along....

Hmm...the possibilities are endlessly awesome and interesting. Rush, I think you've planted the seeds of a fanfic in my head...

Another thing they could have done is had not just two, but three Daxes...granted, the way the show was structured didn't really allow for that but it could be interesting - almost like Doctor Who in a way. Maybe they could have included more scenes with Curzon to begin with, even in flashbacks, and then moved on to Jadzia and eventually Ezri.

 

[Rush Limborg]

^Funny story:

One of my most bizzare story concepts concerns Ezri carrying on with all the previous hosts, in "Field Of Fire" fasion.

All I really have is the title:

Reservoir Dax.