Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

The greatest aspect of any Star Trek series is the characters. Star Trek features a wide variety of characters that serve to enrich the universe the writers create. Deep Space Nine had some of the most compelling characters from a Star Trek project since the original series. The Trill, for example, provide a great deal of range with their characterization. They’re a humanoid species who bond with a worm-like alien known as a symbiont. The Trill implant the symbiont within a host, of which only a select few receive the honor of becoming, and they receive all the memories from the symbiont’s previous hosts. The most popular Trill in Star Trek is Jadzia from Deep Space Nine, who hosted the Dax symbiont.

There were seven Trill to host the Dax symbiont before Jadzia, and characters throughout Deep Space Nine referred to the previous host often enough to make fans feel like he was a whole character in the series. His name was Curzon, and while he never appeared onscreen except for a brief second while he was on his deathbed, fans who watch the entirety of Deep Space Nine will know who Curzon was and what he was like.

Who was Curzon Dax?

Curzon Dax was the seventh host to the Dax symbiont and a Federation ambassador. He played a vital role in negotiations with the Klingon Empire, bringing peace between it and the Federation. It was because of Curzon that Jadzia, the Dax host after Curzon, had so many Klingon friends. Despite dying before Deep Space Nine’s pilot episode, Curzon’s legacy lived on, as everyone Curzon ever mmet held deep respect for him. He was an honorable Trill, minus a few transgressions due to his womanizing ways. Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) credits Curzon for turning him into the honorable Starfleet officer he became.

When Curzon wasn’t working with the Federation as an ambassador, he was back on Trill working as an evaluator for the Symbiosis Commission, where he approved and denied young hopeful Trill who wanted to become hosts themselves. While he was popularly respected, Curzon wasn’t above upsetting some people to get what he needed. During negotiations with the Klingon Empire, he walked out while the Klingon warrior Kang was speaking. While seen as rude by most in attendance, it was a power play that asserted dominance and potentially turned the tide of the negotiations.

Curzon and Kang became good friends after that one interaction. Kang eventually named his first child Dax, showing how much he admired the Trill. Curzon also befriended the Klingon’s Kor and Koloth, joining them on a number of adventures, one of which led to the forming of a blood oath. That debt wouldn’t be repaid until Curzon passed, leaving it to Jadzia to fulfill during her time on Deep Space Nine.

Did Curzon Dax Appear in Any Other Series?

Curzon being deceased before the events of Deep Space Nine makes it difficult for any other series like Star Trek: Picard to feature the “old man.” His appearance would have to occur prior to Deep Space Nine, but not as far back as TOS, eliminating Strange New Worlds as a possibility. Time travel is always a possibility, as Star Trek is no stranger to the concept. Fans will have to be patient and wait for the possibility of a modern Curzon Dax appearance. That might not be too far off because Tawny Newsome, a leading actress in Star Trek: Lower Decks, voiced her wish to see the Trill character when talking to Collider:

Curzon Dax Was Antagonistic

Between Sisko and every single Klingon Jadzia interacted with on Deep Space Nine, it’s no secret that everybody liked Curzon. However, he wasn’t always the positive, wholesoe character that everyone painted him as. For starters, he was a womanizer who fell in love with somebody new every week, according to Jadzia. He also rejected every DS9 fan’s favorite Trill from becoming a host at first. Curzon was adamant that Jadzia was not suitable to host a symbiont, despite Jadzia impressing every other evaluator with her high test scores. During the episode “Facets,” Jadzia learns it was because Curzon had feelings for her.

During that episode, Jadzia performed the zhian’tara ritual. She confronted each of the symbiont’s previous hosts, giving the audience a glimpse at all the different personalities contained within Jadzia. The ritual required Jadzia to transfer the consciousness of each host into a different person, with Jadzia choosing her closest colleagues to embody them. Constable Odo (René Auberjonois) had the privilege of taking on Curzon’s consciousness. Since Odo was a Changeling, the experience of accepting another consciousness into his body was more unique than anyone anticipated. He took on Curzon’s physical attributes as well as his personality.

Sisko was more than happy to interact with his old mentor again. However, after having a body again that could conform to his features, Curzon didn’t want to return to the symbiont. Odo enjoyed the hedonistic lifestyle so much that he agreed to host Curzon indefinitely. Jadzia managed to learn that Curzon’s biggest reluctance was the feelings he felt for Jadzia. He was embarrassed by it, but he also thought he could finally be with her. I took some convincing, but Jadzia managed to talk Curzon into rejoining the symbiont. Odo had a newfound perspective on food and all the other joys that “solids” found in life, thanks to Curzon.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Release Date

January 3, 1993

Creator

Rick Berman, Michael Piller

Genres

Sci-Fi

Seasons

7

Number of Episodes

176

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