If Not Ezri...

[Richard Baker]

Well they couldn't have done: Afterimage, Prodigal daughter, Field of Fire, Till Death Do us Part without her.

And they would have had to change substantially half of the stories if she wasn't there.

Those were shows written about her- if she was not there they would have come up with something else for those episodes.

They could have killed the worm as well.

Jadzia/Dax's death would have been even more tragic- having such a long life end in a really pointless way.

Jadzia's death reminds me a lot of Tasha Yar's- more of just collateral damage which achieved nothing instead of having a character going out with a significant moment or sacrifice.

 

[locutus101]

It's too bad Ezri never had her zhian'tara. It would have been interesting to see Jadzia being played by another actor. hey, they could have added a dramatic touch with Worf saying goodbye to Jadzia, one last time.

 

[DonIago]

Part of why I wish the new Dax had been a man is specifically because I would have liked to see Worf needing to adjust to that.

But the concerns about the male-dominated cast are relevant as well.

 

[Hugo Rune]

After the "I can do anything, anything better than you" of Jadzia (who I enjoyed more than most, it appears), I was happy to see a more neurotic character, unsure and naive going through a little journey of discovery in that last season. It would have been more natural if it had happened over a few seasons, but they only had 26 episodes.

They perhaps went a little too far out of their way to integrate her into so much of the season (especially reverting back to the one-to-ones with Sisko), but de Boer's natural charm made her a strong addition to the cast and she played off well against Brookes, Dorn and Siddig.

I think it could have been so much worse and am glad it was such a well picked up ball after the drastic fumble of Jadzia's death.

Hugo - Ben, maybe my memories are playing tricks on me, but have you gotten stranger?

 

[Andrews]

I agree with Hugo. She was a good subtle, nuanced character. But Dax as a male, would have been an interesting choice. Wonder how that would have played out.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

In a way, you could say that Ezri was the newbie, the one for whom so much is strange and unfamiliar. Like a kid on her first day of school. You kind of needed that to bring out the contrast between her and the others, who are now station veterans.

 

[Long Syntax]

I don't think Ezra was a bad replacement, made even more impressive by a strong effort by Nichole DeBoer.

 

[Jedi Marso]

I don't think Judzea needed to be replaced at all. They could have just rolled forward with the remaining cast members. Although I'm not rabid about it either way, I fall into the 'not an Ezri fan' side of the house- neither the character nor the actress.

 

[locutus101]

I don't think Ezra was a bad replacement, made even more impressive by a strong effort by Nichole DeBoer.

I think it was an excellent replacement, unlike Terry Farrell, Nchole DeBoer could play.

 

[Long Syntax]

I think it was an excellent replacement, unlike Terry Farrell, Nchole DeBoer could play.

I actually liked Terry Farrell in the DAX role and would have preferred she stayed on for the last season. I've seen alot of comments about Terry's abilities, including you can be pretty OR talented. I think that really short changes an actor who was with the series for most of its run.

 

[locutus101]

I actually liked Terry Farrell in the DAX role and would have preferred she stayed on for the last season. I've seen alot of comments about Terry's abilities, including you can be pretty OR talented. I think that really short changes an actor who was with the series for most of its run.

The thing is that she didn't leave on very good terms.

 

[Long Syntax]

The thing is that she didn't leave on very good terms.

Yeah, that's true. I've read a some accounts of how that went down and I guess I've decided it reflected poorly on Mr. Berman rather than Terry. In the end I guess I liked Terry, but given the reality of her exit I also liked Nichole as well.

 

[locutus101]

Yeah, that's true. I've read a some accounts of how that went down and I guess I've decided it reflected poorly on Mr. Berman rather than Terry. In the end I guess I liked Terry, but given the reality of her exit I also liked Nichole as well.

Well, on the other hand her departure was classier than Denise Croby's who died killed by a talking oil slick.

 

[Arpy]

I don't think I ever read much about her departure, but it Farrell wanted to do other work, maybe they should have worked with her. It was the last season, and they worked around Meaney's movie needs on TNG. Even as a regular, she didn't need to be in every episode.

I heard Larry Nemececk say on a podcast at Trek.fm (great site) that they specifically wanted a female replacement, looking at the breakdown of the cast. I didn't like the idea of Dax returning. I thought it a little disrespectful to Jadzia that she should be "recast."

I'm not sure how I feel about the symbiont not dying as well. It undermines the idea death in real life, but okay -- it does say something about Trills being different. Although, if the series followed its own rules, Dax wouldn't have returned to its previous life.

What about a the Romulan Worf? The only (or one of the few) Romulans in Starfleet? To help the new alliance. It would introduce a new alien race, but not one that needed too much distracting world-building, with built-in drama, and be totally new. "Prodigal Daughter" may have been very different with her, and she and Bashir could have maybe done some Section 31ing. She could also be over a hundred and still look like T'Pol -- so she could be an interesting confidant or strategist with Sisko, and also be a window into TOS Romulus...flashbacks to TOS or the Movie Era Romulus?

 

[TheSubCommander]

...then who'd you have added that last season?

Or how would you have done the character differently?

(And come to think of it, who was DS9's science officer that last year, and who was their counselor the previous 6?)

I ended up actually liking the Ezri character better than Jadzia. It wasn't the fault of De Boer that she was brought in for the final season, but I think it would have done the Ezri character a world of difference had she been brought in to replace Jadzia a season or 2 earlier. Things wouldn't have felt so rushed or shoehorned.

That said, I think it was a missed opportunity to cast Suzie Plakson for a role in DS9 as part of the main cast. She wouldn't necessarily have needed to be a Trill, but I always liked her in the roles she played. She would have been a fun character, whomever she portrayed.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Ezri was acceptable as a replacement, but I don't find her comparable to Jadzia, who lit up the screen, whenever she was on. Jadzia was the main reason I watched the show. Behind her lovely eyes was a thousand years of wisdom ... and yet, she was so sweet and entertaining, at the same time. Ezri kind of tip-toed around it, in the early going, but she finally just accepted that, "... I'm the new Trill on the show," and on her own terms ... she did fine.

 

[retroenzo]

I admit I did like Ezri, but I do think they concentrated a lot on her character in the final season with too many Ezri-centred stories. Presumably to get value for money from de Boer.

I agree with a previous comment though that it would have been good for Dax to have ended up in a male symbiont to see how that affected the relationships with everyone. Can you imagine for instance how much more awkward it would have been between Worf and a male Dax? Unfortunately if they'd done that, they'd have been left with just one female regular - Kira. Possibly Leeta at a push.

 

[Arpy]

^Worf and a guy would have been amazing. I hadn't thought of that. Not a gay relationship (they should save that for you know, actual gay characters they never dared with), but what would that look like?

Again, Ezri is fine, but the point of this thread isn't to prove your allegiance to her by not being able to brainstorm. I think my next thread will be what if Picard were commander of the station, or if Patrick Stewart played Sisko?

 

[2takesfrakes]

I would not want DS9 to be deprived of Avery Brook's atrocious, Shatneresque acting style! For the show's stationary format, someone over-the-top leading the cast was absolutely essential. Sir Patrick Stewart was the perfect choice to show Trekkies - and, indeed, the world - that rotten acting doesn't have to be synonymous with STAR TREK ... which William Shatner and his co-stars had so firmly established. But there was no need to go past the point of making the point, by having Stewart be in absolutely everything. I'm glad he wasn't. He passed the baton to Avery and told him to "have fun with it." You couldn't ask for a better send-off, than that.

 

[TheSubCommander]

Ezri was acceptable as a replacement, but I don't find her comparable to Jadzia, who lit up the screen, whenever she was on. Jadzia was the main reason I watched the show. Behind her lovely eyes was a thousand years of wisdom ... and yet, she was so sweet and entertaining, at the same time. Ezri kind of tip-toed around it, in the early going, but she finally just accepted that, "... I'm the new Trill on the show," and on her own terms ... she did fine.

I suppose it comes down to personal taste. Terry Farrell is a very attractive woman, but I was never really into Jadzia that much. I could take Jadzia or leave her. She was ok, but I never bought her acting as a 300 year old being. Early seasons were very bad, especially any episode with the multiple personalities coming out. She got better as time went on, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the Jadzia/Worf relationship, either.

Ezri was definitely a big change, and I am not sure making her a councilor was the best job. She definitely took a half season to seem more comfortable in the role, but again that is chalked up to trying to introduce a new character that replaced a well-established one into the final season. By the end of season 7, I found myself liking Ezri better than ever liked Jadzia.