• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

The Trill and the Symbiosis Commission

Kilana2

Kilana2

Vice Admiral
Admiral
As a sociologist I always thought that the Trill are one of the most fascinating species in the Trek universe. (I started reading DS9 novels long before I was really familiar with the TV show and I was always fond of the Trill stories.)

I was surprised when I found out that only a small percentage of the population was deemed fit to be joined with a symbiont. Not to mention the creepy kinship of the symbionts with the TNG parasites…..

Even so they gave the Dax symbiont to Joran Belar despite of the careful and meticulous selection process of the hosts.

Where there any more joinings that turned the hosts into instable personae who showed signs of a personality disorder or violence afterwards?

If so, failed joinings were likely covered up by the Symbiosis Commission, too.

Where there any more emergency joinings like Ezri being joined with Dax?

Ezri had a hard time adjusting to the Dax symbiont after all.

The Kaz symbiont comes to mind. I can’t remember the details of Gradak and Jarem, though.

They finally stopped joining hosts. What happened to the Symbiosis Commission after that?
 
The Trill are by far my favorite Trek species.

Kilana2 said:
Where there any more joinings that turned the hosts into instable personae who showed signs of a personality disorder or violence afterwards
Click to expand...
"Butcher of Balin" was a joined Trill who commited terrible crimes. While it was believed that he was possessed by evil spirits it seems more like the combination of host and symbiot didn't work.
 
The Trill are one of my favourite species, too. I think the DS9 anthology The Lives of Dax is possibly the most complete and fascinating look into Trill culture and history, with The Worlds of DS9: Trill: Unjoined running it a close second.
Just in case you haven't read The Lives of Dax anthology (and seen TNG The Host and DS9 Equilibrium, I've spoiler coded the rest of my reply.
Some failed joinings were mentioned in Joran's story. "The Butcher of Balin" was the first failed symbiosis that the Gard symbiont dealt with, with Joran Dax being the fifth.
Although not an emergency joining, Jadzia's story Reflections shows the Roa symbiont to be passed from host to host like a commodity.
And in the TNG ep The Host, Riker was briefly joined with the Odan symbiont (although I discount this from my headcanon)
The DS9 ep Equilibrium showed us that despite the TSC telling the populace that only a small percentage of humanoid Trills were capable of joining, about half could.

Edit: I can't believe it took me half an hour to craft my reply - Jinn's wasn't there when I started, so I've kind of repeated him/her.
 
Sins of the Mother is my favorite story. There was a huge playground to discover for the authors after the show.

I didn't like the concept of the re-casting of the Joran character. The first one was too bland. The second one - the Zhian'tara Joran - was much better. The actors hadn't any physical resemblance.
 
Last edited:
I have to agree with you, Kilana2. On both counts.
Sins of the Mother is emotionally gripping every time I read it, although, it's not that much further ahead in my "favourite" stakes than the stories featuring Lela, Tobin, Joran, Jadzia, and Ezri. Emony's, Torias', and Curzon's stories, while good, just don't feel "essential" to me - but I wouldn't do without them!
As for the live-action Jorans, like you I preferred the second one, but I thought he was a little too old to be a Trill joined for just six months (although, there's nothing to say that a humanoid Trill has to be in their mid-twenties when first joined). Perhaps that's just how Ezri imagined him, rather than what he actually looked like?

I liked the Symbiosis Commission's specific task for the Gard symbiont to deal with unstable joinings, and how the Watchers came into being starting with Neema Cyl. The continuation of the Cyl symbiont's story in the Mission: Gamma books (as Taulin Cyl) was a nice touch, but the hosts prior to Taulin - Reck and Elista - must have had very short lives considering that Neema lived to be very old, and Taulin was in his 50s in 2376?
 
In case of an emergency joining they would probably pick even an older unjoined host, especially to get sure the symbiont survives, provided no one else is suited. Maybe some Trill applied for joining later in life. But I must admit: the chances of being picked as a host might well lessen with increasing age.
 
The Symbiosis Commission and its tradition of secrecy were truly a story of decadence.

I'm glad that jerk Commission doctor Renhol was killed in the neo-Purist crisis. She didn't deserve the Trill presidency.
 
It makes me want to re-read Unjoined. I would certainly do it if I had the time..... So many books still unread on my shelf. :shrug:
 
We still don't know if joinings were resumed since 2376. And would the Galactic Commonwealth borrow symbionts for breeding?
 
In the mirror universe all the joined Trill were killed off - obviously except Curzon. Where there any symbionts left in the Caves of Mak'ala?????
 
Wasn't it discovered that in the MU the parasites had infiltrated the symbionts, or is my memory that bad?
 
DonIago said:
Wasn't it discovered that in the MU the parasites had infiltrated the symbionts, or is my memory that bad?
Click to expand...
Yup, during the 23rd century. Spock's agent Saavik discovered it and reported to Emperor Spock, who assessed the parasite infestation as a threat to his Memory Omega plan and thus ordered the extermination of all symbionts save for the Dax symbiont.
 
Kilana2 said:
As a sociologist I always thought that the Trill are one of the most fascinating species in the Trek universe. (I started reading DS9 novels long before I was really familiar with the TV show and I was always fond of the Trill stories.)

I was surprised when I found out that only a small percentage of the population was deemed fit to be joined with a symbiont. Not to mention the creepy kinship of the symbionts with the TNG parasites…..

Even so they gave the Dax symbiont to Joran Belar despite of the careful and meticulous selection process of the hosts.

Where there any more joinings that turned the hosts into instable personae who showed signs of a personality disorder or violence afterwards?

If so, failed joinings were likely covered up by the Symbiosis Commission, too.

Where there any more emergency joinings like Ezri being joined with Dax?

Ezri had a hard time adjusting to the Dax symbiont after all.

The Kaz symbiont comes to mind. I can’t remember the details of Gradak and Jarem, though.

They finally stopped joining hosts. What happened to the Symbiosis Commission after that?
Click to expand...

There was that episode that showed that about half of the Trill population was capable of being joined, but the Symbiosis Commission had covered that up so that symbionts would not end up being treated as a commodity, etc.

Kor
 
I was happy when I learned that Dr. Bashir was able to save some of the once joined hosts. I guess the surviving symbionts keep on living in the Caves of Mak'ala.

And I think that Ranul Keru won't be forced with an emergency joining any time soon....
 
For anyone who has paid attention to the Trill storyline, do you think joined Trill had an unfair level of influence in Trill society, or do you think they didn't and the Purists and neo-Purists were completely spouting propaganda?
 
From everything that was shown I think the joined Trill did have a disproportionate amount of influence, though I'm not suggesting that was ever their intention. In other words, I don't think the Joined were trying to keep the Unjoined down or anything.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
In defense of Jadzia/Julian
2
Replies
26
Views
3K
BohandiAnsoid
B
McCovey Cove
Star Trek: First Duty (PC #5) - "A Work in Progress" (COMPLETED)
Replies
2
Views
874
Robert Bruce Scott
Robert Bruce Scott
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top