Mark the occasion: “Equilibrium” is a Dax-centric episode I enjoyed. I had nearly forgotten about it until watching it again earlier this morning.The neat part is how the episode came about. It is based on the act of magician Jeff Magnus McBride. Michael Piller is a big fan of McBride’s, whose act consists of removing one mask only to reveal another. This sequence happens several times in the episode to chilling effect. The writing staff felt masks served as a fine metaphor for the Trill’s passing of a symbiotic to a new host. As a bonus, mcBride himself was cast in the role of Joran Beral.
I must say Dax was at her least annoying here--aside from the early scenes in which Joran’s memories come rising to the surface, causing Dax’s temper to flare. When
Dax begins hallucinating visions of a man in a mask threatening her, she has Bashir examine her. He finds evidence the symbiotic is rejecting her. Sisko, Bashir, and Dax head to Trill to seek expert help.
Even though Dax is something of a celebrity for being the only rejected applicant to ever eventually be joined, the staff places its highest priority on saving the symbiont. While they make minimal efforts to save Jadzia, the medical staff seems eager to place the symbiont in another host as soon as Jadzia is too weak to maintain the connection.
What is really happening is a cover up. Over eighty years ago, the Dax symbiont was mistakenly given to an “unfit" candidate, Joran Beral. Joran had murdered the doctor who originally rejected him. He was joined for six months before the symbiotic was removed and given to a proper host--Kurzon.
But the damage was done. It was known known over half the population could serve as a suitable host. The joining commission purged records and suppressed Dax’s memories of Joran’s existence in order to cover it up out of fear the symbionts would become a commodity people would sell and fight over to possess.
Sisko agrees to continue the cover up if Dax is spared. The only way she can do so is to embrace the violet memories of Joran instead of suppressing them. In a scene reminiscent of Equus, Dax embraces the murderous memories in order to find peace.
“Equilibrium” is a fascinating episode for several reasons. One, it makes Dax into a more appealing character for me. No small feat, that. I cannot stand Barbie Dax. Two, it demonstrates further that Sisko will go to unethical lengths to serve what he considers the greater good. In this case, he is willing to cover up what could be a major change to trill for the better, with more joined trill working to improve society, in order to save his friend. I suspect Picard, for instance, would have had a tough time taking part in the cover up while demanding his crewmember be saved. But then again, Janeway probably would have left one of her crew die in order to maintain the cover up, so it balances out. Finally, there is a comradelier revealed among the main cast, sans Quark and conspicuously O’Brien, as they all meet at Sisko’s for dinner. It is something that has been missing up until this point. They never particularly seemed to like each other up until now.
Do not get used to me enjoying Dax episodes, but I like this one a lot.
Rating: *** (out of 5)
