If one thing has defined the current era of Star Trek, it has been legacy. Whether it is prequels showing the early lives of Kirk and Spock, follow-ups showing the later lives of Picard and Riker, or voice appearances in Lower Decks or Prodigy, a lot of beloved characters have had their chance to shine again on screen. That said, not every character has had that chance yet.
Among these characters, one Star Trek character who really needs to make a return to the screen is Ezri Dax.
During her brief tenure on Deep Space Nine, we got to know a lot about her, but the series basically ended at the beginning of Ezri’s story. It would be great to see what she’s up to now. (In the early 25th Century, that is.)
Performed by Nicole de Boer in the final season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Ezri was the ninth host of the Dax symbiont, joining after the tragic death of Jadzia Dax at the end of the previous season. Unlike most joined Trill, however, a key trait of Ezri was that she was neither prepared nor interested in becoming a host prior to joining.
This tension drove much of Ezri’s character arc in Deep Space Nine, and it helped to set her apart from Jadzia. That said, there were times when Ezri’s function in various episodes was simply to appear in contrast to Jadzia. All of this was fine for introducing a new character, but then the series ended before she fully came into her own.
As opposed to the six years we got to know Jadzia, we only got one for Ezri. Yes, Deep Space Nine as a series was narratively ready to end after its seventh season, but it genuinely feels like Ezri Dax was just getting started. There are just so many threads left untied for Ezri at the end of that show.
Enough time has passed since Deep Space Nine’s end that we can easily jump forward and see what Ezri’s life is like now. Has she fully accepted being joined? Did her budding romance with Dr. Bashir ever go anywhere? How does Trill society treat her? After all these years, is she still considered unqualified to be a host? Basically, what has her life and career been like since we left off over 20 years ago?
An argument could be made that these sorts of questions are threads that exist for any character’s story, but Ezri Dax is a particularly interesting character. Not only are Trill a fascinating species to explore in Star Trek as a whole, but Ezri is compelling as a rather unconventional Trill. Seeing her live an unconventional life could help to illustrate Ezri and her world even better.
Granted, there have been various novels and comics over the years that have shown parts of Ezri’s life after Deep Space Nine, but there is a certain feeling that those don’t count somehow. For one thing, the tie-in novels seldom direct how the shows are written. On top of that, Star Trek started on TV, and that’s where its stories most belong.
Whether it is through live action or animation, seeing Ezri as she is now (or, more accurately, in the early 25th Century) is an exciting prospect. There are a whole host of stories that could be mined, showing both how her own life has evolved and also how Trill society views her as a joined Trill who was never trained to be joined.
Granted, there have been various novels and comics over the years that have shown parts of Ezri’s life after DS9, but there is a certain feeling that those don’t count somehow. For one thing, the tie-in novels seldom direct how the shows are written. On top of that, Star Trek started on TV, and that’s where its stories most belong.
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