Did Ezri violate the Trill Taboo?

[Jefferies]

In the episode Rejoined Dax encounters a joined Trill to whose symbiont Dax had been married in a previous life. The episode established that Trill society considers any reassociation of the newly joined with relations of previous hosts a total taboo. Instead they must seek out new relationships and leave their old lives behind them.

I believe the social reasoning behind this is to prevent symbionts from forming a closed elitist circle amongst themselves. Thus they are forced to spread out keeping them in touch with society. This also forces the symbionts to gain new experiences and spread their wisdom and knowledge around to different endevours with each new host. In the long term this helps keep Trill society vibrant and dynamic and prevents the joined from dominating positions of power, as they have to work themselves up through the ranks with each new joining.

However, in the case of Ezri a number of these rules are breached without much concern. Not only does she reassociate with almost all of Jadzias relations that were current when she died, but she goes to live and work in the exact same place. Add to this that she wasn't even a proper symbiosis initiate but an emergency solution this must have caused a lot of resentment back on the homeworld. All in all this seems like quite a drastic oversight by the writers or maybe I'm remembering all this incorrectly?

 

[Rush Limborg]

The exact taboo is that they can't become romanitcally involved wth those they were involved with previously.

Remember, in "Rejoined" Dax and Kahn were still allowed to work with each other.

Note Ezri's lines in "Afterimage" to Sisko, as they discuss things right after the opening credits.

 

[Admiral Shran]

^ Yeah, they can't become romantically or intimately involved with a previous host's intimate relations - which, as much as it pains me to say, Ezri did violate when she slept with Worf.

If it was taboo for Trills to have any kind of relationship with people from the previous host's lives, then Jadiza would have also violated it by being friends with Sisko (and Kor, Kang, and Koloth).

 

[DS9 Gal AZ]

As has been said, Ezri violated the Trill taboo by sleeping with Worf, not by associating with Jadzia's friends and letting them become her friends as well. However, it doesn't seem anyone reported her little mistake with Worf back to the Symbiosis Commission, so she essentially got away with it. I believe the punishment for such an act is normally exile, correct? Meaning that for the exiled, joined Trill, when they die, the symbiont dies with them instead of being put into a new host.

 

[Rush Limborg]

Of course...there is the question as to whether she actually did "do it" with Worf....

I dunno--Worf and Jadzia "make out"--and have to go to Julian about their severe injuries. As Worf himself once noted, "Earth females are too fragile".

The worst Ezri got was a slight ache in the neck.

And of course...they both slept clothed.

 

[T'Girl]

Jadzia and Worf had a long term relationship, culminating in a beautiful marriage.

Erzi and Worf had sex a few times, not exactly the same thing.

 

[Cicero]

As has been said, Ezri violated the Trill taboo by sleeping with Worf, not by associating with Jadzia's friends and letting them become her friends as well. However, it doesn't seem anyone reported her little mistake with Worf back to the Symbiosis Commission, so she essentially got away with it. I believe the punishment for such an act is normally exile, correct? Meaning that for the exiled, joined Trill, when they die, the symbiont dies with them instead of being put into a new host.

Ezri's situation might also be somewhat different, given the circumstances of her joining.

Of course...there is the question as to whether she actually did "do it" with Worf....

I dunno--Worf and Jadzia "make out"--and have to go to Julian about their severe injuries. As Worf himself once noted, "Earth females are too fragile".

The worst Ezri got was a slight ache in the neck.

And of course...they both slept clothed.

You may have a point; the dialogue doesn't actually indicate that much more happened than we were shown.

 

[Admiral Shran]

Of course...there is the question as to whether she actually did "do it" with Worf....

I dunno--Worf and Jadzia "make out"--and have to go to Julian about their severe injuries. As Worf himself once noted, "Earth females are too fragile".

The worst Ezri got was a slight ache in the neck.

And of course...they both slept clothed.

You may have a point; the dialogue doesn't actually indicate that much more happened than we were shown.

I'm pretty sure they "did it."

Dialogue from Strange Bedfellows....

Worf: I realize Jadzia saw physical love differently than I do. To her it could mean many things, but to me it was a deeply spiritual act. When I made love to you... my motives were not spiritual.

So, as to why she wasn't bruised like Jadzia was - maybe Worf was being "gentle."

As to why they were clothed when they were captured - it was a chilly night and they got dressed afterwards to stay warm.

 

[Mary Ann]

As to why they were clothed when they were captured - it was a chilly night and they got dressed afterwards to stay warm.

And from a production point of view, it saved TPTB from having to deal with the issue of what a half-naked Klingon actually looks like.

 

[T'Girl]

^^^ I wonder if "it" has spikely ridges?

 

[Cicero]

Of course...there is the question as to whether she actually did "do it" with Worf....

I dunno--Worf and Jadzia "make out"--and have to go to Julian about their severe injuries. As Worf himself once noted, "Earth females are too fragile".

The worst Ezri got was a slight ache in the neck.

And of course...they both slept clothed.

You may have a point; the dialogue doesn't actually indicate that much more happened than we were shown.

I'm pretty sure they "did it."

Dialogue from Strange Bedfellows....

Worf: I realize Jadzia saw physical love differently than I do. To her it could mean many things, but to me it was a deeply spiritual act. When I made love to you... my motives were not spiritual.

So, as to why she wasn't bruised like Jadzia was - maybe Worf was being "gentle."

As to why they were clothed when they were captured - it was a chilly night and they got dressed afterwards to stay warm.

Ah. I've never actually seen Strange Bedfellows, so my impression was only from earlier/later episodes (mostly Penumbra).

 

[DS9 Gal AZ]

According to Memory Alpha, Worf and Ezri did indeed have sex, and the powers explained their being clothed after an apparent night of passion by basically admitting, as macloudt said, that they didn't want to deal with what a half-naked Klingon would look like ... though honestly, I don't why they'd really have to make him look different than a very muscular human male ... I mean, I assume the only reason a naked Ezri, for example, would look different than a naked human female would be that her spots go all the way down to her feet. They're all humanoids, it stands if their anatomy is similar enough for sexual intercourse that shouldn't look that different from each other, dressed or undressed.

 

[ares93]

According to Memory Alpha, Worf and Ezri did indeed have sex, and the powers explained their being clothed after an apparent night of passion by basically admitting, as macloudt said, that they didn't want to deal with what a half-naked Klingon would look like ... though honestly, I don't why they'd really have to make him look different than a very muscular human male ... I mean, I assume the only reason a naked Ezri, for example, would look different than a naked human female would be that her spots go all the way down to her feet. They're all humanoids, it stands if their anatomy is similar enough for sexual intercourse that shouldn't look that different from each other, dressed or undressed.

They have three lungs, two livers and god knows what else. with an anatomy so different, god knows how they look under their uniform.

Trills on the other hand are far more similar to humans. although, its never really been established, i'm gonna take an educated guess and say that there's isnt such a huge difference aside from the symbiont and whatever is related to it (symbiont pouch, insoboramine and so on.). what i do find interesting is (purely scientifically speaking) is how their organs must be arranged. since the symbiont takes uses up quite a bit of room as well, and they dont look like they're pregnant or anything, makes me well, frankly clueless. how the hell does everything fit?

 

[Admiral Shran]

^ Maybe Trills have an ultra small intestinal tract, compared to Humans.

And as for Worf, we know that Klingons have a ridge running down their backs along the spine, as well as ridges on their feet - from TNG: Ethics.

 

[ares93]

^ Maybe Trills have an ultra small intestinal tract, compared to Humans.

And as for Worf, we know that Klingons have a ridge running down their backs along the spine, as well as ridges on their feet - from TNG: Ethics.

perhaps... quite possible actually. but still, the size of the symbiont makes me think of Heinlein's Box.

purely medically speaking, knowing how much organs can move (even rearrange), for instance during a human pregnancy, i'm still a bit skeptic about if they even thought it through.

btw, since i brought it up. joined female trills and children. another huge and unexplained gap. maybe trill physiology might deserve a thread of its own...

 

[Gul Re'jal]

Did we actually see any pregnant Trill? I think we didn't. So maybe they don't carry their babies in their tummies. The Ocampas don't so maybe the Trills don't too.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

As has been said, Ezri violated the Trill taboo by sleeping with Worf

Does it apply when one of the partners is not a Trill, as in this case?

 

[Gul Re'jal]

^I think so. The diversity is for the symbiont to experience as much as possible and if a host hangs out with the same people all the time the experience is limited. Friends are good, the same wife all the time not. It was my impression that species are irrelevant.

 

[Gul Re'jal]

Double post.

 

[Rush Limborg]

Did we actually see any pregnant Trill? I think we didn't. So maybe they don't carry their babies in their tummies. The Ocampas don't so maybe the Trills don't too.

Hmm...well, they seem to "romantically interact" with humans in the "standard" sense...if the womb is not in the exact same area, I'd say its in the general vicinity. "Fertilization" can only travel so far.

(Sorry about all this, folks--I'm just answering the question....)