The problem early on of course is Ezri. It is the last season, it has a lot of plot to get through, to wrap up this long arc with the Dominion War…and we are dealing with trying to acquaint the audience to this new character. I like the idea of the Trill, and I think had they killed off Jadzia in an earlier season…like at the end of 5, and spent 6 trying to deal with this…maybe this whole idea of a new Dax could have really worked and been interesting. As it stands though it is rushed, it is weak, and the stories she is given are too often terrible. And it isn’t really what we want to focus on this season.
Having such an important character to most of our main cast die could have been a great thing for this season. Worf lost his wife, Sisko lost a mentor and longtime friend, Bashir/Kira/Quark lost a close friend…and imagine how powerful this season could have been with her empty chair…this real feeling of loss that real soldiers in war are often forced to feel. I think that could have been a good statement in this series, it could have been powerful. Unfortunately the Ezri plot sort of spoils that a bit.
Luckily there are a few winners before we even get to the “Final Chapter”…and that makes this season still seem pretty solid…but once the so-called “Final Chapter” begins, it rules, it wraps up every storyline as best they could…and in the end I feel it was a solid end to a fantastic series.
NEXT TIME: Whole Series Recap