The biography of Jadzia Dax has to take two
parts; that about the symbiot "Dax" who is around 300 years old and has had
a number of hosts over the years, and that of the humanoid Trill woman, Jadzia.
The symbiot has a colourful history, having been joined to no less than seven
other hosts including a murderer. The host before Jadzia was Curzon Dax,
a great mentor of Benjamin Sisko in his youth.
Jadzia was an attractive and brilliant young woman who worked very had to get accepted for the Trill joining programme. She was thrown out of the programme after a poor report from Curzon Dax during the initiate assesment. She was then reaccepted into the programme in an unprecidented move and finally became the host to Dax when Curzon died.
Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Terry Farrell became
a professional model at age 17 when she signed up with the Elite modeling
agency in New York City. She spent three years working as a model and cover
girl for such magazines as MADEMOISELLE and VOGUE.
She moved to Los Angeles in 1984 and made her TV debut with Daryl Hannah. Both played models in the short-lived 1984 ABC series PAPER DOLLS; Terry's character was Laurie Caswell, an intelligent model. One of her other co-stars on the show was Jonathan Frakes, who would enter the STAR TREK universe ahead of her in 1987 on STAR TREK-THE NEXT GENERATION.
Terry made guest-appearances on FAMILY TIES and THE COSBY SHOW. Other TV work included a role in the movie BEVERLY HILLS MADAME with Faye Dunaway. In the TV movie DELIBERATE STRANGER, about serial killer Ted Bundy, she played one of the victims of star Mark Harmon. Terry also appeared in an episode of the TWILIGHT ZONE in the remake of the classic TZ story "After Hours," in which she played a mannequin who came to life at night. Terry had another fantasy role, guest-starring in one of the best episodes of QUANTUM LEAP, "Leap For Lisa." She played a nurse whom the Dean Stockwell character is accused of murdering in the 1950's.
Terry has appeared in a variety of films, including the Rodney Dangerfield comedy BACK TO SCHOOL. She played the reporter Joey Summerskill in the horror movie HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH which was released in the summer of 1992. It was this film where she would be seen and subsequently called to test for DEEP SPACE NINE.
On the day she auditioned for Deep Space Nine, Terry had two other auditions.
She didn't expect to land the DS9 part because she knew that the series had
been casting roles months before she ever walked through the door. After
she completed her first reading for Deep Space Nine, they wanted her to read
another scene. She had to make her next audition so, that same day, she drove
up to Universal in Studio City and then back down to Paramount in Hollywood
to read for Rick Berman and director Dave Carson. Two days later, Paramount
was negotiating a contract with her agent, however, she still had not been
given the role. She had to audition twice more during the following week
before the producers were certain.
Jadzia Dax, the Trill, was a character who was refined from a type of alien
introduced on an episode of STAR TREK--THE NEXT GENERATION called "The Host."
Originally Dax was to have been the character later named Melora who was
featured in the second season episode of the same name. Melora was a character
from a low gravity world which required her to use a high tech wheelchair
in the gravity of Deep Space Nine. Although they ultimately decided to go
in a completely different direction with Dax, the episode "Melora" demonstrated
just how interesting this character could be. She could "swim" in zero gravity
and reveled in such this environment which she could activate in her private
quarters. Instead, Dax became a Trill, a symbiotic being comprised of a humanoid
host (Jadzia) and an ancient sluglike being (Dax) who had lived through many
life-times, the most recent being in the host named Curzon -- one of Commander
Benjamin Sisko's oldest and dearest friends. As such, it would prove to be
a challenging role for any actress. But the actress who would win this rare
role would be Terry Farrell.
Terry Farrell was the final actor cast among the regular cast of DEEP SPACE
NINE. In fact, filming on "The Emissary" had already begun and director Dave
Carson scheduling scenes around the uncast role of Dax. Terry was reportedly
one of the only actresses testing for the part who was able to grasp the
concept of the character. Jadzia Dax, of course, is a Trill named Jadzia
with a symbiont named Dax living inside of her. Jadzia Dax is the latest
form of Dax who has lived in many bodies, the previous one having been that
of a man. Now a female, Dax, although a merged personality with Jadzia, is
able to look at life through new eyes and react to the different way the
entity is treated by people. Some of the actresses testing for the part actually
thought they would have to try to talk in a deep voice, like a man, but Terry
saw deeper than this and realized that the part was more of a matter of attitude
than of voice. Thanks to Terry's insight, Dax has emerged as the most interesting
character in the series.
Originally the Trill in "The Host" had a different look requiring heavier makeup. Two days into the shooting of "The Emissary," it was decided that this was not the look they wanted. Michael Westmore designed the simplified look for the Trill. Terry had to film two days' worth of scenes over again with the new Trill look, consisting of the interesting circular pattern up one side of her face. In "The Host" the Trill was unable to use the transporter, a facet of the character which has been altered for the new improved Trill seen on DEEP SPACE NINE. By the time the makeup question had been resolved, all of Dax's scenes had to be filmed in one week, resulting in some 16 hour days.
As played by Terry Farrell, Dax has emerged as truly one of the more interesting characters on the series. The fact that Dax is not only able to ignore Quark's sexist remarks, so much so that she actually enjoys the company of the Ferengi. She explained to Kira in one episode why she finds the Ferengi fascinating in spite of their many negative personality traits, confessing that over the several hundred years of life Dax has come to find the Ferengi the most interesting people they have ever met.
Terry Farrell plays Dax as both a young woman and a person possessed of a great deal of knowledge and experience. She exudes confidence as Dax has had many generations to make mistakes and to learn from these mistakes. This aspect of Terry's character is periodically examined, such as in the early first season episode titled "Dax" which explored in detail the true nature of a Trill. The current host is obligated to take responsibility for the past deeds and misdeeds of the symbiont inside them.
Terry says that that being part of the ensemble cast of Deep Space Nine is
like working in a theatre company of actors. "It's a special feeling to feel
that safe at work. We're so lucky because there aren't any ego problems.
Everybody is very professional. This is very different from other things
I've worked on. I wasn't prepared for this. I think the fact we all get along
gives and have this chemistry really makes the show work, as it has for the
other two STAR TREK casts."
Terry Farrell is that special ingredient that really makes DEEP SPACE NINE
work.
For comments, suggestions, ideas etc.etc. please Mail-me.
by Mario Guatteri