Jadzia Dax must come to terms with her feelings of inferiority when she meets her past hosts in an ancient Trill rite of closure.
Jadzia Dax prepares for her zhian’tara, the Trill Rite of Closure. During the ritual, Jadzia will meet Dax’s previous hosts, which will be accomplished by transferring the memories of each into someone’s body. Sisko, Kira, Bashir, Odo, Quark, O’Brien, and Leeta agree to participate, and a Guardian performs the ceremony. Kira undergoes the transference first, becoming Lela, Dax’s initial host.
The Guardian leaves Jadzia alone with Lela, who exhibits several traits Dax has inherited. So do subsequent hosts O’Brien/Tobin and Leeta/Emony. Quark experiences some discomfort hosting a female entity, Audrid, while Bashir/Torias regrets that an accident ended his life too soon. Jadzia then prepares for her most difficult meeting – with Joran, who once committed murder. Sisko has volunteered to host his memories, and the transference is conducted inside a holding cell.
Sisko/Joran berates Jadzia, telling her she is not worthy of the Dax symbiont, then tricks her into lowering the force field and attempts to choke her. But Jadzia overpowers him with a few Klingon-style blows, bringing Sisko back. Later, she admits to Sisko that she may have put off her zhian’tara because she is afraid of not measuring up to the other hosts. Jadzia is still haunted by the time Curzon forced her out of the Initiate program. Did he feel she just wasn’t good enough?
Odo has volunteered to host Curzon, and when the transfer occurs, he literally morphs into a combination of himself and the old man. Odo/Curzon is thrilled to see Sisko. When Jadzia joins them in Quark’s, Sisko leaves, knowing she needs to speak with Odo/Curzon about her feelings of insecurity. But he says nothing to make her feel better, only that he felt sorry for her. Jadzia replies that when Curzon’s memories are restored to her, she fears that without his respect, she won’t respect herself. Odo/Curzon happily answers that she won’t have that problem – Curzon and Odo love being joined, and have agreed that Curzon should stay in Odo’s body permanently.
With Jadzia in danger of losing a part of herself, Sisko offers to talk to Odo/Curzon. Instead, she works up the courage to face him herself and demands that her memories be returned. Odo/Curzon initially refuses. But Jadzia stands up for herself, and uncovers the surprising fact that Curzon forced her out of the program because he was in love with her. She tells Curzon that she loves him too, and that they can be joined forever through Dax if he returns to her body. This convinces Odo and Curzon to separate, and Curzon’s memories return to Jadzia, finally giving her the self-confidence she needs.
~1:[2,#B],3:[3,#I]@1“Family Business”@2Deep Space Nine episode #69
Quark returns to his home planet to confront his mother, who has broken the Ferengi law prohibiting females from earning a profit.
In Quark’s, an agent named Brunt from the Ferengi Commerce Authority their version of the IRS – serves Quark with a Writ of Accountability for improper supervision of a family member. Quark and Rom’s mother, Ishka, is charged with earning a profit – an illegal activity for Ferengi women. As the family’s eldest male, Quark is held responsible. He and Rom return to their homeworld, Ferenginar, where Quark must convince Ishka to confess, as required by Ferengi law.
The brothers arrive at their childhood home with Brunt, but Quark is not comfortable with seeing his mother again. They are surprised to find Ishka wearing clothes, which is also illegal for Ferengi women. Brunt tells Quark he has three days to get his mother to sign a confession, then leaves. Later, Ishka confirms over dinner that she broke Ferengi law by investing a portion of her monthly stipend from Quark, earning a meager three bars of latinum in the process. Still, she refuses to confess, which angers her oldest son.
In her room, Ishka reveals to Rom that she will not admit to being wrong. This is a matter of pride, and proof that she is just as capable of earning profit as a man. But Quark discovers that Ishka has actually been conducting business transactions under dozens of aliases all over the Ferengi Alliance, making much more than just three bars of latinum. Even if Quark sells everything he owns, he will be unable to pay back what his mother has earned. Quite simply, he’s ruined.
Quark confronts Ishka, who accuses him of being jealous of her financial acumen – just like his deceased father. With that, an infuriated Quark decides to turn in Ishka to the F.C.A. Rom tries to stop him, but the conversation deteriorates into a brawl, after which Ishka declares that if Quark insists on reporting her secret transactions, then she won’t stand in his way.
In the Tower of Commerce, Quark waits outside Brunt’s office when Rom suddenly rushes in with the news that Ishka will split her profits with Quark, fifty-fifty. Seeing the entire affair in a different light, Quark hurries home to accept Ishka’s offer. But when he arrives, Quark learns Rom made up the story, lying to both of them to force a conversation between the two. Alone with Quark, Ishka tells him that, since he is her son, she will sign the confession and give back the money. Later, she pays her reparations to Brunt, and a relieved Quark says his good-byes and leaves. Now alone with Rom, Ishka reveals that she outsmarted Quark and the Ferengi government yet again – by giving up only a third of her profits.
~1:[1,#B],2:[3,#I]@1“Fascination”@2Deep Space Nine episode #56
Teleplay by Philip LaZebnik
Story by Ira Steven Behr & James Crocker
Directed by Avery Brooks
No stardate given
First aired in 1994
GUEST STARS
Lwaxana Troi MAJEL BARRETT
Bareil PHILIP ANGLIM
Keiko ROSALIND CHAO
A Bajoran celebration on the station serves as the backdrop for an epidemic of inexplicable romantic attractions among the crew.
The Bajoran Gratitude Festival, an annual celebration, is about to get underway, and both Kira and O’Brien await the arrival of their loves. But while Kira’s encounter with Bareil is sweet, O’Brien’s long-anticipated reunion with his wife Keiko is strained – she is exhausted and their daughter, Molly, is sick. To make matters worse, Lwaxana Troi also arrives, and immediately seeks out Odo, hoping for a romantic rendezvous, but he is uninterested. Similarly, Kira is too busy setting up for the festival to spend time with Bareil, and Keiko is too tired to enjoy her time with her husband. But at the opening festivities, Lwaxana experiences a brief headache, which Bareil and Jake seem to feel simultaneously.
As the festival gets underway, Bareil and Kira finally find some time to spend together, but are interrupted by Jake, who insists on speaking with Kira in private. Once Bareil leaves, Jake shocks Kira by saying he is in love with her. Bareil, meanwhile, wanders to Dax, and finds himself suddenly smitten with her. As all this happens, Lwaxana continues her futile pursuit of Odo, then has another brief headache near Dax, who appears to feel it also. O’Brien’s romantic endeavors are also thwarted as Keiko says her research on Bajor will keep her there for another few months, then storms away from her angry and hurt husband.
O’Brien talks with Quark, where the proprietor treats him to a taste of the Ferengi philosophy on women, inadvertently showing O’Brien how much Keiko means to him. Meanwhile, Kira finds Bareil, and is hurt when he dismisses her as no more than a friend. Dax, while hiding from Bareil, has joined Sisko, and surprises her friend with the announcement that she is really in love with him.
Bashir’s examination of Dax reveals nothing wrong, and she pretends it was all a joke until she and Sisko are alone again, at which point she kisses him. Meanwhile, O’Brien speaks to Keiko through her locked bedroom door, telling her he will resign to stay together, but Keiko says she needs to think about it. Later, Odo, Lwaxana, and Bashir see Kira on their way to Sisko’s upcoming party, and Lwaxana feels another headache, at which Bashir and Kira react. The two of them then go to the Infirmary, where they immediately kiss passionately.
At the party, Sisko watches in horror as Dax chases him, Bareil chases Dax, Bareil hits Sisko, Dax slugs Bareil, Jake moons over Kira, and Kira and Bashir can’t keep their hands off each other. Keiko arrives at the party in a stunning red dress, walks up to her husband and tells him not to resign, then kisses him. Quark shows up, then proclaims his undying love for Keiko. Luckily, Sisko and Odo notice that before Quark saw Keiko, Lwaxana had a headache, after which Quark seemed to feel the same headache. Bashir discovers that Lwaxana has Zanthi Fever, in which Betazoids experiencing a headache from the condition project their amorous feelings for someone onto those in close proximity. To Sisko’s surprise, it only affects people who already have a pre-existing latent attraction. Bashir cures her and says everyone will be back to normal in a few days. But for Keiko and O’Brien, the effects of this Gratitude Festival are real.
~1:[2,#b],3:[3,#i]@1“The Forsaken”@2Deep Space Nine episode #17
Teleplay by Don Carlos Dunaway and Michael Piller
Story by Jim Trombetta
Directed by Les Landau
Stardate 46925.1
First aired in 1993
GUEST STARS
Lwaxana Troi MAJEL BARRETT
Ambassador Taxco CONSTANCE TOWERS
Ambassador Lojal MICHAEL ENSIGN
Ambassador Vadosia JACK SHEARER
Anara BENITA ANDRE
While an alien entity wreaks havoc with the station’s computer, the irrepressible Lwaxana Troi sets her sights for romance – with Odo!
Bashir plays reluctant host to a delegation of Federation ambassadors, one of whom happens to be Lwaxana Troi, mother of the Enterprise’s counselor, Deanna Troi. Lwaxana creates a scene in Quark’s when she discovers her priceless hair brooch has been stolen, but Odo catches the culprit and returns the heirloom to her. The Betazoid develops an instant attraction to the shape-shifter. Meanwhile, much to Sisko’s chagrin, Bashir brings the other three ambassadors to Ops, where a frustrated O’Brien struggles with the station’s uncooperative computer. Then, an unidentified vessel comes through the wormhole. Unoccupied, it appears to be an alien probe. Sisko has it towed to a position a few hundred meters from the docking ring, while they attempt to establish a link with it in order to download information. Elsewhere, Lwaxana, dressed to kill, makes a move on Odo, who upon realizing her intentions, nervously avoids her and makes a beeline for Ops.
Much to O’Brien’s surprise, getting the station’s computer to perform a data transfer from the probe is unusually easy. While he and Dax work with the data, Odo seeks Sisko’s advice about Lwaxana’s romantic advances, but finds Sisko amused that the shape-shifter can handle thieves and killers but not an amorous Betazoid woman. Odo returns to the Promenade, runs right into Lwaxana, then tries to escape into the Turbolift, but she gets in with him. Suddenly, it stops between floors – the power has failed. Odo signals to be beamed out, but then the transporter also mysteriously goes dead. Lwaxana finally has Odo where she wants him – alone at last.
O’Brien is baffled to find that both the Turbolift and the transporter are in working order, even though they aren’t working. Told that he can’t even shape-shift his way out, Odo is resigned to being stuck with Lwaxana for a while. Odo suggests that he and the Betazoid pass the time quietly, but no such luck Lwaxana rambles on and on. Back in Ops, O’Brien informs Sisko that the computer rerouted the E-P-S power flow uncharacteristically fast, but for some reason still didn’t activate the Turbolift circuits. O’Brien’s gut instincts tell him that, strange as the notion sounds, the computer’s personality has changed – becoming more obedient, and performing as if it wants constant attention – much like . . . a child.
Sisko, Kira, O’Brien, and Dax discuss the mystery, and a theory develops that they may have actually downloaded a non-biological life form into the computer. O’Brien suggests that transferring all of that downloaded programming off the station might purge the life form, and sets to attempt the procedure, but the computer seems to be stopping him at every turn. In the Turbolift, meanwhile, Odo shares some private thoughts about his background with a sympathetic Lwaxana, who notices that he isn’t looking well. He reminds her that he must revert to a liquid state every sixteen hours – and this is now hour fifteen. While time continues to tick away, O’Brien attempts a manual transfer out of the computer, but sparks suddenly fly from his console during the process, followed by a plasma explosion around the station’s guest quarters. Fire breaks out in the corridor, trapping Bashir and the three ambassadors.
While Sisko, Kira, and a rescue team try to cut their way into the corridor, O’Brien acts on a hunch and begins to construct a subprogram within the computer that will attract the entity, which he feels is actually acting like a stray puppy. In the Turbolift, Odo cannot hold his shape any longer, so Lwaxana lifts her dress to form an improvised basin, into which Odo dissolves safely to his liquid form. Back In Ops, O’Brien has the computer route all back-up functions through his new subprogram, after which all systems come back on line. Sisko and Kira, now able to get into the fire-scorched corridor, search through the rubble, and are surprised when Bashir and the ambassadors come out from a wall compartment, soiled but safe. Lwaxana and Odo, now back in his humanoid form, are freed from the Turbolift, and she leaves him with a hint of romance to follow when next they meet, while O’Brien explains to Sisko that the subprogram he built will keep their “adopted pet” life form happy, busy, and out of their way from now on.
