Jadzia is the eighth host for the Dax Symbiont and the discoverer of the Bajoran wormhole. At the time only a spritely 28 year old Trill Federation officer on her first assignment, she already had the memories and experiences of seven past lifetimes, which gave Jadzia a broad view of life and ingrained in her a sense of humor hard to shake. Even in the worst disasters or the most precarious situations, Jadzia can seemingly function with no nervousness or apprehension, an invaluable quality since she often encountered the unexpected while on DS9.
Jadzia has two parents and one sister, all still alive by 2372. Although she was not above breaking windows at night when young, the quiet, shy and naive young woman had worked hard since childhood to qualify for the Trill hosting program and received academic degrees in exobiology, zoology, astrophysics and exo-archaeology at Starfleet Academy, although at the time of her DS9 posting at age 28 as a lieutenant she has never served on a starship. She made history by becoming the first successful initiate to the Trill hosting program after being rejected once in 2367. She spent three hard years at the center, almost never leaving the grounds and not receiving basic flight experience certification of Level 3 until her last year of training.
Jadzia chose Dax even though Curzon, who was the former host to Dax, was the one who rejected Jadzia after only two weeks of training, citing his reasons as lack of motivation focus. This feeling of failure stayed with Jadzia for years, despite her later success. She had studied his infamous record and was almost broken by the pressure he put on her, crying herself to sleep each night until she was dropped. It was only later, after she doubled her efforts and passed the training with his approval, that she learned his rejection had been out of misplaced guilt due to his sexual attraction to the attractive young woman. The Joining was completed as Curzon neared the end of a slow, lingering death in mid-year.
With such a conflicting relationship with the previous host of Dax, Jadzia found herself in a love/hate relationship with his legacy that at times overtook her. And with her off-world posting where her physiology is less understood, Jadzia Dax has had to endure more discomfort and peril than the share of a typical Joined Trill.
In the case where Klaestron IV's General Tandro's son accused Jadzia for Curzon's alleged murder his father, she decided it more favorable to face a death sentence than expose Tandro's role as a rebel collaborator or Curzon's affair with his wife. But both truths eventually surfaced and Jadzia need not sacrifice herself. In 2370 she supervised her own first initiate trainee, Arjin, only three years younger than she, and reconciled herself with some suppressed bitterness about Curzon's treatment of her. Curzon's legacy figured again when she swore to uphold a blood oath Curzon made with Klingons Kor, Kang and Koloth that might have have cost her life, needless to say her Starfleet career.
The state of Symbiosis had many quirky possibilities, and Dax has had to go through them all. It had been forced to reintegrate memories from two unexpected hosts: one, in 2370, was the once-rejected host candidate Verad who hijacked the symbiont from Jadzia, and again a year later, when a failing memory block revealed in series of hallucinations that the one-time murderer Joran Belar and the Symbiosis Commission cover-up of the error 85 years earlier. After years of procrastination due to her uneasiness at confronting Curzon again, she underwent first Trill zhian'tara Rite of Closure to meet all previous hosts, when the uniquely melded Odo/Curzon reincarnation almost decided to stay in that form permanently. The eventual return of Curzon's memories to Jadzia allowed her the additional experience of a changeling's perspective.
Dax's reunion with Curzon's old protege Ben Sisko at DS9 was unique in light of
the Trill ban against reassociation. Even more so, in 2372 she had considered remating with former host Torias' widow's symbiont Kahn in its current host, Lenara - until Lenara succumbed to the social pressure and broke it off. Earlier, her only romantic encounter since ca. 2270 had been a bittersweet encounter with a resident of planet Meridian, a dimension-shifting world destined to appear in solid form in this universe once every 60 years. She had made up her mind to join him in his non-corporeal state in another dimension, but was physically unable to and had to be removed from Meridian, back to the Defiant.
Dax's long life as both genders has broadened her perspective on romance, sexuality, and multiculturalism. She generally enjoys the attention shown her by men overall and is tolerantly amused by the crushes of Bashir and Quark, actually enjoying the Ferengi oddities that turn Kira off. Julian had suffered most at the hands of the smiling but merciless beauty who would not fall for his assiduous attentions. Like Julian, Quark has also quietly resigned himself to the fact that Jadzia Dax will not be romantically attached to him. She's been studying up on the Rules of Acquisition and had always wanted to see a Ferengi in Starfleet but like Sisko was skeptical of Nog's Academy application. Dax even thinks Morn is cute, and went on a date with him once even though she turned down his dinner invitation. She later accepted one from the clear-skulled Gallamite Capt. Boday. Still, her longevity has made her rather indifferent to secrecy and privacy: she's somewhat jealous that Sisko won't share his personal side as much as he did with Curzon.
For his troubles and determined attempts to win her over, Jadzia's relationship with Bashir has deepened from his boyish love to a solid friendship. She submitted Bashir's Carrington nomination through an old friend of Curzon's and throws him a surprise birthday party each year (so it becomes less of a surprise and more of an anticipated treat). He, in turn, has risked his life and career on more than one occasion to save hers, usually due to a condition in her symbiotic state.
Dax conditions herself and remains in superior physical condition, enjoying Galeo-Manada style wrestling as well as the more well known Klingon marital arts, which she began studying after her Joining thanks to Curzon's previous extensive contact with the culture. Her hadling of the bat'tleh is commendable. A near match in combat expertise for Worf, she became his unexpected confidant when the Klingon signed aboard the station in early 2372, searching with he and Kor for the Sword of Kahless and intercepting his brother Kurn's Mauk-to'Vor ritual suicide.
Dax is a self-professed "night owl" who hates to be "appropriate" - thus explaining her interest in forgotten composers like the Romulan Frenchotte, Yridian symphonies and Klingon opera as well as interstellar gourmet and Klingon food. She is better at poker and Tongo than Curzon ever was, but she and Sisko are an even match at traditional 2-D chess. She also inherited a love of steamed azna from prior hosts, along with the Altonian brain teaser puzzle some 140 years before her Joining - when either Emony or Audrid were Dax's host. A Black Hole is one favorite drink, although on duty she usually prefers an iced raktajino with extra cream. Her quarters are heavily decorated with small sculptures, knick-knacks, and scientific antique tools. She experimented with a pompadour hair style before returning to her familiar look in an attempt to look more responsible.
Jadzia's romantic relationship to Worf culminated in their subsequent marriage on stardate 5124.7. They were wed in Klingon fashion, and was planning to honeymoon when an unexpected mission paired them off to a dangerous rescue of a Cardassian defecter. Jadzia was hurt and Worf risked everything to take her back. His love for Jadzia is intense despite his Klingon stoic appearance, and only in front of her does his face seem to soften, lips almost hovering in a smile.
She was so happy with her marriage to Worf. She was so happy at the prospect of having children. Her sudden death at the hands of a beserk pah-wraith inhabiting Gul Dukat came as thunder on a clear night- devastating and incomprehensible to everyone who knew her. Jadzia died and the now host-less Dax is sent back to Trill where the next host is waiting.
Dax bought a sense of equilibrium and a preternatural stability to the job as science officer. With her expertise and Dax's feedback, she has saved the Station and the Defiant on many occassions. She will be missed and mourned, most of all by those who loved her.
[Trill]
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