Terry's 3M's

They killed off one of my favorite Deep Space Nine characters last night.

A couple of months ago, I heard a rumor someplace that Terry Farrell might not renew her contract for the series next season.

Last week's previews mentioned that one of the crew would die this week. Bryan and I were discussing who it might be. I suggested that it might be an occasional character, perhaps Nog. Bryan insisted that he had seen a commercial later and that this would be a major character. It was then that I said that it would probably be Dax and cited the above rumor as my basis for the suggestion. His reaction was, "They better not kill Dax. Anybody but Dax." [Bryan, who is 11, spent most of the school year in the throes of unrequited puppy love. He has discovered girls and women.]

The way that it was done seemed hasty and a bit confusing. But, the deed is done and Jadzia Dax will no longer be gracing OPs or the Promenade at Deep Space Nine.

Jadzia Dax was a member of a species known as Trill. She was a rare Trill as she was host to a symbiont. That's a creature that looks like a cross between a human heart and a worm. What it is, is an entity which holds the memories of all it's previous hosts from the time when it was implanted in the host [usually sometime in the host's 20's] until the death of host when it is removed and later placed into another host. There are more Trills than there are symbionts and there is a rigorous training program [in which only la creme de la creme are chosen] to go through before being joined. Because Jadzia was joined, she had the memories of 7 lifetimes.

Jadzia was young, beautiful, and special.

Before becoming joined, she had earned several degrees in biology and other sciences. She was brilliant.

As Jadzia Dax, she acquired some new skills and abilities. She spoke Klingon. She fell in love, persued [although Worf thinks he did the wooing] and became the wife of a Klingon.

Things about Jadzia that I will miss:
--her exuberance. Jadzia knew how to have fun and enjoy life. Whether she was playing Tongo, wrestling as morning exercise, learning how to use a batleth [Klingon sword], babysitting the O'Brien baby, or throwing a party, Jadzia was THERE--in the moment.

--the way she was always joyous when good things happened to her friends.

--her intelligence. She would grabble with a scientific problem until she could find an answer. And before she married Worf, one of her tests of worthiness to be admitted to a great Klingon house was to be able to recite the history of ALL the women of the house...going back over 23 generations.

--her high sense of morals. When Quark started selling guns, she stopped being friends with him until he saw the error of his ways and stopped.

--her persistence. She kept an eye on her goal and didn't stop striving until she had acheived her goals.

--her sense of humor. She was subtle, but effective in her little quips.

Sometimes, I wish I were more like her. She will be missed.