5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brush with the Past, July 2, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 8: Dax [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Ah, the mysterious Dax. Note, I didn't put "Jadzia Dax." I simply put "Dax." For a good reason, this episode very skillfully develops who Dax was and things that Dax did, but it doesn't do much towards developing the new Dax, Jadzia. Don't misread me here, (if you can't tell from my 5-star rating) I like this one--a lot. The plot is a little predictable, but it works as a backdrop for characterization. We start off with an intense action sequence and then settle back for an equally intense courtroom drama type episode as Sisko tries to justify that Jadzia Dax is not guilty of an alleged crime committed by Dax's previous host, Curzon. The arguements about Trill customs and rules are interesting. When the symbiont is put into a new host, is that host responsible for actions of the previous host? That's the dilema. Despite the focus being of Trill customs, Sisko gets the brunt of characterization, which is not a bad thing. Yes, this a very nice episode indeed.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
interesting themes and some character development, October 22, 2004
This review is from: Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 8: Dax [VHS] (VHS Tape)
As Dax & Dr. Bashir drink coffee on the Promenade, aliens peer at them from what appear to be the vents from a home air conditioning system - thankfully, the set decorators for DS9 started improving their props as the series kept moving along. The aliens watch and follow Dax as she heads off to her quarters in an attempt to subdue her. Bashir happens upon them as they have her in a choke hold, but the Starfleet trained officer who is shaped like a pipe-cleaner man tries to take on 3 unknown species by himself instead of calling security. Pulllease! And he's not even disciplined later for his unprofessional behavior. After he regains consciousness, he uses his combadge to contact Ops instead of station security. What? While Dax is clearly the only Trill on board DS9 at the time, the station scanners just look for her combadge and can't locate her - whatever. At least if they had blamed the internal scanners - another problem the Cardies left behind, this would have been easier to swallow, but the holes continue like Swiss Cheese.
The method in which the aliens make their escape, defeating every obstacle in their path, is very intriguing and suspense builds until they are finally captured and confronted for assault and kidnapping. The leader of this band of kidnappers is Ilon Tandro (Gregory Itzin) of Klaestron IV. He shows Sisko his warrant for Dax's arrest on chargest of Treason and murder 30 years earlier. The Federation has a treaty with Klaestron IV and must abide by the warrant.
Sisko ponders - if their orders are legit - why would they go through all this cloak & dagger stuff to secrety steal Dax away? There's also the problem with a 30 year old murder and a 28 year old Jadzia Dax. It is Dax's former host, Curzon, who is accused of the crime. The long-dead friend and mentor of Sisko was far from being the exemplary Trill, but Sisko knows that Curzon was not a murderer. He sends Odo on a fact-finding mission to Klaestron IV to investigate the facts.
The crew is frustrated because Jadzia seems sad, yet refuses to defend herself. When questioned by Sisko, she refuses to tell him what happened when he was a Federation liaison to Klaestron and Sisko is in the unenviable position of defending Dax when it appears Dax is ready to accept her fate. The crimes of which her symbiont is accused carry the death penalty.
When Odo uncovers that Curzon was shacking up with the late General's wife at the time of his murder, Sisko believes he now knows why Jadzia has been closed-mouthed and confronts her with this information. He does not hit pay dirt. There is something else the "old man" is hiding and Sisko begins to wonder if Curzon did commit these crimes after all.
When Sisko finds that Tandro's warrant is in order, he fires the only flare he has at his disposal - the station is Bajoran and Bajor does not have an extradition treaty with Klaestron, so they have an extradition hearing on the station, overseen by a Bajoran judge who is over 100 years old and she tells the parties, "I want to be home by supper, not senility."
Instead of getting a Judge Advocate General shipped in from Star Fleet to defend Dax, Sisko defends Dax himself. This was most cheesy, if you ask me - and Tandro, whose own father is the one Dax supposedly murdered, is in the position of arguing the prosecution side to get Dax extradited. Tandro obviously has a personal obsession to seek out revenge and Sisko is too emotionally involved to be affected, but without this set up, where would be the theatrics?
The interesting theme is the discussion of how much of Curzon is in Jadzia. They shared the same symbiont, Dax, but just because Jadzia remembers Curzon's memories - does this mean she is the same person as Curzon? Does this mean she is guilty of crimes he or previous hosts may have committed?
There aren't enough symbionts to go around - not every Trill wants to be "joined" but many do who never get the chance. It is considered to be a great honor to be joined and those who wish to be joined must go through years of academic, psychological and physical tests to prove their ability and worthiness to be joined. They consider the symbiont to be of more value than the host, because it shares the experiences of many lifetimes, yet no ambassador from Trill arrives to defend the symbiont. Trill has a treaty with the Federation, yet they make no request for asylum for the symbiont - holes holes holes!
The story is entertaining in spates, but holes abound. The episode has value in that it helps people to better understand the "worm" inside of Jadzia and to better understand who's who in the world of Trills - but that's about it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jadzia Dax may have to pay for the sins of Curzon Dax, July 7, 2001
This review is from: Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 8: Dax [VHS] (VHS Tape)
It is time to explore the character of Jadzia Dax in this early DS9 episode when Ilon Tandro tries to kidnap the Trill for extradition to Klaestron Four. Dax, or more accurately Curzon Dax, is charged with the murder of General Ardelon Tandro, thirty years earlier during the planet's civil war. Sisko uses the technicality of DS9 being Bajoran to force an extradition hearing while Odo goes to Klasestron Four to investigate the charges and try to save Dax, who refuses to tell him what really happened. A fairly interesting episode dealing with one of the Trill's previous "lives," but the payoff to the mystery is less than satisfying. However, I must say that from the first episode of DS9 the relationship between Sisko and Dax, who the Commander calls "Old Man" because of Curzon, worked for me. Later down the road the series will get a much better handle on Dax's character(s).
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