DS9: Prodigal Daughter

[clearspira]

I like the idea behind Ezri. There is great story potential behind a greenhorn having 8 lifetimes worth of experience suddenly dumped on them. There is also a darker element to it because Ezri's mum isn't automatically wrong in her opinion: was Ezri guilted into it? Was she ushered into the ready room with her captain, XO, and chief medical officer where they sat down this rather naive ensign and gravely told her that only SHE could save this life? Gotta wonder.

Its just a shame that there was no time to devote to her in season 7. Its also a shame that any extra time she may have had was stolen by Vic Fontaine AKA DS9's Neelix. I know, I know, he has his fans. But i'm not one of them. As Confused Matthew pointed out, he also stole Quark's screentime too as his nightclub took up the role that used to be taken up by Quark's bar.

[Sir Will]

Its also a shame that any extra time she may have had was stolen by Vic Fontaine AKA DS9's Neelix.

Oh BS he did. Chuck already called people out for grossly overstating how much screentime he had over the last 2 seasons. He was done poorly in his first episode, that's all. Yes, he was a major character in 2 episodes in S7. And both were better than the stories they came up with for Ezri. That's on the writers/ Paper Moon is a highly regarded episode and Nog is the main character there. And the heist episode. A fun fluff piece like Bashir's Bond program that could have had any setting but they chose Ocean's 11 at Vic's.

[clearspira]

Its also a shame that any extra time she may have had was stolen by Vic Fontaine AKA DS9's Neelix.

Oh BS he did. Chuck already called people out for grossly overstating how much screentime he had over the last 2 seasons. He was done poorly in his first episode, that's all. Yes, he was a major character in 2 episodes in S7. And both were better than the stories they came up with for Ezri. That's on the writers/ Paper Moon is a highly regarded episode and Nog is the main character there. And the heist episode. A fun fluff piece like Bashir's Bond program that could have had any setting but they chose Ocean's 11 at Vic's.

Two episodes too many.

[stryke]

I'm still in the camp of Ezri being a bad idea given the writer's have admitted since that several established characters like Jake effectively got the shaft as they ran out of time to give everyone satisfying conclusions to their arcs. So could have helped that a lot by cutting her and some of the other s7 waste of times like that sodding Baseball episode or indeed the Ocean's 11 pastiche which I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it was purely done just to get Ezri's actress in that cocktail dress.

Also for anyone else that was wondering what Chuck was referring to about with the idea for the ep that made the writers uncomfortable. I think from looking at memory alpha is he's refferring to the discarded planned reveal that her mother was behind Ezri getting Dax and they backed away from that idea as it was felt that it made Starfleet too sleezy and corrupt.

[RobbyB1982]

The actual best thing to do with Ezri would have been to have her show up to bring Sisko out of his funk, give all the characters and the audience a chance to say goodbye to Jadzia... and then left.

She was never going to be able to endear herself in one season to replace the character that had been around for six, it was an impossible task. One less character would have meant that much more time all around to go to other things.

[RobbyB1982]

like that sodding Baseball episode or indeed the Ocean's 11 pastiche

Eh, I'm not a fan of those episodes but the show DID need breaks from the constant bleakness and war... the majority of the last two seasons was all war fovused, the last 10 episodes straight were one big pile of plot.

There were other filler episodes like them going to the Mirror Universe AGAIN that would have also saved some time. After her introduction, Ezri had two dedicated episodes, plus another multiple set of episodes where she and Worf split the A plot over them making a mistake and sleeping together.

There's lots of stuff you could have cut in the last season with hindsight. But they DID need some light fluff episodes before the end.

[clearspira]

The actual best thing to do with Ezri would have been to have her show up to bring Sisko out of his funk, give all the characters and the audience a chance to say goodbye to Jadzia... and then left.

She was never going to be able to endear herself in one season to replace the character that had been around for six, it was an impossible task. One less character would have meant that much more time all around to go to other things.

I agree with this. Maybe have her return in the finale to replace one of the departing DS9 crew.

[stryke]

There's lots of stuff you could have cut in the last season with hindsight. But they DID need some light fluff episodes before the end.

I'm not objecting to them being light and fluffy, I'm objecting to the baseball episode especially being absolutely sodding dire and so I wish they'd done something else with that airtime instead. I'm also kind of amused you brought up the Mirror Universe one which now I think about it does also seem to be some excuse for yet more Ezri fanservice. I suspect a certain producer was rather enjoying having a newer actress to push around given what we know about the reasons why Dax needed a new host in the first place.

It's not like they couldn't do it either in that last season after so many great fluffier episodes in the earlier seasons. Quark riffing on Picard was hilarious and Nog's subplot in Treachery, Faith, and the Great River might be my favourite use of his character for two examples. Hell, the reason I didn't mention the Mirror Universe one myself is it does have its moments to justify the outing with inexplicable Fountaine, some great physical acting with the cloaking device, and Rom attempting to process how it all just doesn't make any sense.

[Meushell]

I like the idea behind Ezri. There is great story potential behind a greenhorn having 8 lifetimes worth of experience suddenly dumped on them. There is also a darker element to it because Ezri's mum isn't automatically wrong in her opinion: was Ezri guilted into it? Was she ushered into the ready room with her captain, XO, and chief medical officer where they sat down this rather naive ensign and gravely told her that only SHE could save this life? Gotta wonder.

Yeah, I never saw that comment as an issue. I always felt that Ezri was guilted into it. Why couldn’t Dax be put into stasis?

Also for anyone else that was wondering what Chuck was referring to about with the idea for the ep that made the writers uncomfortable. I think from looking at memory alpha is he's refferring to the discarded planned reveal that her mother was behind Ezri getting Dax and they backed away from that idea as it was felt that it made Starfleet too sleezy and corrupt.

That would certainly be dark, and I can see her doing that for her daughter’s “own good.” That would also explain why Dax couldn’t just be put into stasis. As for why Starfleet would go along with it, would they really have to be involved? Maybe a civilian was paid off or something. Ezri notices someone on the payroll looks familiar, then realizes Dax saw them right before almost dying. As for not being put into stasis, maybe that was too risky or the doctor panicked.

[Scififan]

I did kind of liked the idea that Ezri became a psychiatrist because she came from a dysfunctional family.