Season Seven: 13 years later

[Eric Cheung]

Okay, a couple of years ago I started rewatching DS9 with my girlfriend and I started a thread stating how Season 1 actually surprised me to an extent. I realized that a lot of the show at that point, though heavy on stand-alones, was better than I remembered.

In retrospect I remembered the show as constantly improving for the most part, but the first season was actually already strong in that the stand-alones weren't so much TNG clones as they were character and world-building opportunities set in the context of detective stories (as opposed to the more sci-fi style stories of TNG and VOY).

I'm finally in the middle of season seven and it too has surprised me.

I liked Ezri Dax at the time, but I read her as just sort of a quirky lightweight who wasn't in any position to be a counselor. But watching the season now, I'm impressed with her analysis, as well as the fact that she's quite conscious of how she uses her neurotic vulnerability as a counseling tool.

Before I took her role as counselor as akin to Keiko just deciding to be a teacher because she was "bored and stuff." But Ezri really was born to be a counselor.

And also, so far I think the only episode in the entire run where I genuinely agree with the crap it gets is "Profit and Lace." It was an episode I think I decided to pass the first time around, and I really do think it's as embarrassing as they say.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with how the show is going.

Any thoughts on late period DS9 upon recent viewings, especially if you haven't seen those episodes since they aired?

 

[Rush Limborg]

I liked Ezri Dax at the time, but I read her as just sort of a quirky lightweight who wasn't in any position to be a counselor. But watching the season now, I'm impressed with her analysis, as well as the fact that she's quite conscious of how she uses her neurotic vulnerability as a counseling tool.

Before I took her role as counselor as akin to Keiko just deciding to be a teacher because she was "bored and stuff." But Ezri really was born to be a counselor.

Well said, good sir! I agree.

 

[DS9Continuing]

I think the way she persuades Vic to get Nog out of the holosuite in "Paper Moon" is quite clever. And the way she manipulates Garak into a claustrophobic attack so she can force him to face it.

.

 

[BennyRussel]

Before I took her role as counselor as akin to Keiko just deciding to be a teacher because she was "bored and stuff." But Ezri really was born to be a counselor.

Ezri was an Assistant Counselor before she was joined, so yes it was something she trained to do and was good at. Joining with the Dax symbiont (eventually) made her even better at the job because it made her more confident and wise.

The Ezri character just didn't have enough time. If she had been added at the beginning of Season Six, she would have gotten more development. But that would have meant losing Jadzia sooner. I'm not sure how I would feel about that.

 

[Eric Cheung]

Exactly. That she was already a counselor was something I had forgotten.

Also, I think Ezri and Jadzia could have run concurrently for a few episodes in season six if they wanted to do that.

 

[Angel4576]

I never had a problem with Ezri or season 7 in general. I know a lot of people did, but for me there's a lot of good episodes in there, and personally, I always preferred Ezri to Jadzia as I found Terry Farrell to play the character just a little too smug for my liking.

 

[tomalak301]

It's been a long while since I've seen Season 7, but I have grown to like Ezri over the years. I think what actually won me over the most was her opinion of the Klingon empire in Tacking into the Wind. For all the episodes before that, I think she was just trying to gain Worf's respect, and once she finally had it, hearing this woman talk about what is so wrong with the Klingon Empire and leading Worf to do what he did is probably my favorite moment of the entire season. It was then when I realized that yes Ezri was a great character, used the position of counselor well, and she really came into her own in that scene.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

You know, I used to think Ezri was a total ninny...but I guess that's because I loved Jadzia so much. But Ezri only had one season worth of character development, and she still managed to be an interesting, if at times silly (not to mention confused) character.

In short, I used to not care about her being there at all, but now I think she actually contributes to the show. The best scene ever (apart from Garak throwing her out of his shop) is where she tells Worf "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but it wasn't that good".

Hehe.

 

[P0sitr0nic]

The only problem with season 7 was they didnt bring back Terry Farrell for her mirror universe chartacter to keep going. Maybe they tried to get her, maybe she said no, but they didnt have to kill off MU Dax (non-dax?) offscreen just because they couldnt fill the role.

 

[MacLeod]

Has it really been 13 years? WAy to go to make us feel old(er) :P

 

[Eric Cheung]

I think one of the only other things I thought about season seven that irked me at the time was that Ezri was being overused at the expense of the other characters, but even that's not true. I mean this was a season that had Odo hanging out with another changeling, and with Weyoun, and there was an episode focused entirely on Nog and Vic Fontaine!

Again, it sounds like I'm focusing on Ezri, or that I even had a major problem with her back in 98/99, but I actually had a bit of a crush on her. I had to laugh when Jake sort of revealed the same thing to his dad.

Not having Terry Farrell back was kind of too bad, but understandable, given she kind of felt done with her character and it seemed like there were some legal problems even getting the rights to use the clips in the finale.

But overall, again, I liked the way the show ended.

 

[Rush Limborg]

but I actually had a bit of a crush on her

Hey, mate--you're not the only one.

 

[Bisz]

I always liked Ezri and S7 and I don't think she was overused, so yah, pretty much agree with you.

As for terrible episodes, the only one I dont like in the whole run is The Muse.

 

[Similitude]

Good god I'm getting old. This was 13 year ago? Wow...

 

[Thestral]

I think what actually won me over the most was her opinion of the Klingon empire in Tacking into the Wind.

One of my favorite scenes in Trek and really climaxes everything we've seen about the Klingon Empire over thirteen years of Star Trek.

 

[Rush Limborg]

^It also goes to show Ezri's wisdom and insight--not tempered by Jadzia's biases.

 

[Admiral Shran]

but I actually had a bit of a crush on her

Hey, mate--you're not the only one.

The line forms behind me.

 

[Ln X]

Ezri was cute, but Kira was even more good-looking...

 

[wissaboo]

I loved the character as well. It was great to see a starfleet character struggling. You don't see that often. And she articulated a lot of the things I had always thought about being "joined"

 

[The Caprican]

I remember HATING parts of season seven when it first aired. I didn't like Ezri. She was irritating. Then I went and rewatched it when I first got it on DVD. I loved her character. I think I was too busy being angry that we lost Jadzia who was, IMHO, the best and most underutilized (in later seasons) characters on the show.

Looking back now, there was a lot that we owe to DS9. We had a nine episode arc where the story just flowed. And every episode (except for maybe Extreme Measures) was outstanding. They were strong sci fi stories, great war stories, and great emotional stories.

And we saw things we had not seen in Star Trek before and haven't seen since.

The Siege of AR-558- by far the darkest war episode, and deeply personal for Sisko, Nog, and the guest stars as well.

It's Only a Paper Moon- this was the first time that we really SAW the scars of war on a young recruit. Nog felt tortured. Even "Hard Time" was resolved or forgotten by the next episode. I actually felt for the kid, and he was never a favorite.

Chimera- The relationship between Odo and (was it Laas?) was a great analogy for homosexuality. A much better effort than TNG's heavy handed "The Outcast".

Sorry, this has gotten long-winded. By suffice to say, looking back on S7, it is one of my favorite seasons of all the series. But I am a little disappointed that everyone focuses on Ezri as the big deal of the final season.