YouTubeScreenshot of the scene in which Jadzia Dax dies
Jadzia Dax, played by actress Terry Farrell, was a major part of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” from the very first episode. The character was in almost every episode of the show up until the end of the sixth season.
Dax was abruptly killed off in the finale of the show’s sixth season. Fans were shocked, though rumors about Farrell leaving the show had been circulating as the sixth season aired. The circ*mstances around Farrell’s departure were kept quiet for many years.
However, Farrell has since revealed that leaving the show wasnot her decision.
Farrell Says She Wanted to Stay on DS9
Farrell told StarTrek.com in 2011 that her contract was set to expire at the end of the sixth season, so she started the process of renegotiating with the producers. As part of those negotiations, she asked to appear in fewer episodes. Farrell said that after six years of being in nearly every episode, she was “really tired” and that the schedule was very difficult. She wanted to come back as a recurring character in the seventh season rather than a member of the main cast. However, that’s not what the producers and the studio had in mind.
Farrell spoke out about her exit from DS9 in the book “The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years.” She said that producer Rick Berman told her she had to come back as a main cast member for the seventh season or she’d be written off the show.
“The problems with my leaving were with Rick Berman. In my opinion, he’s just very misogynistic… Basically he was trying to bully me into saying yes [to signing a new contract]. Rick said I was hardballing him and I said ‘I’m not. I just want to have a conversation. You’re giving me a take-it-or-leave-it offer and I’m not okay with that.’ So, finally I did have a conversation with him and asked to cut down my number of episodes or just let me out.”
Farrell never reached an agreement with the producers and the studios. She didn’t sign a contract for the seventh season, and her character was killed off.
Berman’s Side of the Story
Berman also spoke to the authors of “The Fifty-Year Mission.” He told a very different story.
“To say that this woman was let go is absolutely ridiculous. She was not fired… She wanted to be a recurring character. You can’t be in a situation on our shows where somebody is just going to seven out of thirteen. I love that people, including some of these actors, love to think that I had all this power. The studio basically said, ‘No way. She’s a regular character and she does all 26 episodes or nothing.'”
Berman continued, saying that the studio ended up in a big legal battle with Farrell about the contract.
He also told the authors that he had a great working relationship with Farrell.
“Terry and I got along perfectly and, for some reason, she departed. Years after she departed, she started saying that I had something to do with her departure, which I can tell you is absolutely untrue.”
He insisted that he had nothing to do with her departure and it was out of his hands.
Farrell Didn’t Tell Her Side of the Story For Many Years
Farrell kept her side of the story quiet for several years after her departure. She didn’t reveal the details until she spoke to the authors of “The Fifty-Year Mission.” Even then, she withheld some of the details. The first time she told the whole story was for the DS9 documentary “What We Left Behind.”
Farrell told the documentary’s host, DS9 producer Ira Steven Behr, that her “heart was broken” when she decided to leave the show. In another scene, Farrell sat with her former costars and passionately told them that she felt like she wasn’t being listened to and she didn’t feel valued on the show. Then, she told them her side of the story for the very first time.
At a GalaxyCon virtual event in March 2021, Farrell said that though she’d talked to some of the DS9 team about her departure over the years, most of them heard about it for the first time while they were filming for the documentary. Farrell also said that, in the end, she’s happy with the way things turned out. Though leaving DS9 was awful, if she hadn’t stood up for herself and left, she wouldn’t have gotten the opportunities that came to her later.
In “What We Leave Behind,” Michael Dorn, who played Worf said, “Only the people involved know the facts. We just know what people want to tell us.”
Only Farrell, Berman, and the studio execs know the real circ*mstances that led to Farrell’s departure. That being said, Farrell’s version of events has never wavered.
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FAQs
Concept and development. Terry Farrell had portrayed the character of Jadzia Dax from the pilot episode "Emissary" through to "Tears of the Prophets", the final episode of season six. The actress had decided not to renew her contract for the seventh season, and so the character was killed off in her final appearance.
Why did they recast Dax? ›
Terry Farrell (originally played Dax) decided to not renew her contract for season 7 in order to go to work on Becker (a sitcom starring Ted Danson). So the DS9 crew were forced to kill Jadzia off and replace the actor for that character.
What happens to Dax in Deep Space Nine? ›
Bashir is able to save the Dax symbiont (leaving space for a replacement to enter the picture in Season 7), but make no mistake: Dax dies. The tragedy prompts Sisko to ditch Deep Space Nine, and he flees to Earth, where he can contemplate his life's purpose in relative peace.
Who replaced Jadzia Dax on Deep Space Nine? ›
In the sixth-season finale Jadzia dies but the Dax symbiote survives, and in the seventh-season premiere returns with a new host Ezri Dax, played by Nicole de Boer.
What happened to Ezri Dax? ›
The Dax sybiont was saved, however, and despite previously established canon that a Trill should really never be around her past lovers, she ended up back on the Deep Space 9 space station, albeit in a new form. If Jadzia was Ginger, Ezri was Mary Anne.
Why was Jadzia written out of DS9? ›
Concept and development. Terry Farrell had portrayed the character of Jadzia Dax from the pilot episode "Emissary" through to "Tears of the Prophets", the final episode of season six. The actress had decided not to renew her contract for the seventh season, and so the character was killed off in her final appearance.
Why did DS9 replace Dax? ›
But it was behind-the-scenes tensions between Farrell and Star Trek's studio, Paramount, that led to Jadzia getting axed from DS9 and replaced with Nicole deBoer as Ezri Dax. Lt.. Commander Jadzia Dax was Deep Space Nine's popular Science Officer and the closest friend of Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks).
Where did Sisko go at the end of DS9? ›
There was nothing left for him outside the Celestial Temple. Thus, when he defeated Dukat, the Prophets transported Sisko to the Celestial Temple. There, he would transcend mortality, becoming a god himself. The Emissary joining the Prophets in the Celestial Temple granted him abilities beyond his imagination.
What does Worf call Jadzia? ›
Par'Mach'kai was a Klingon term of endearment, used to refer to one's romantic partner. ( DS9: "Shadows and Symbols") Worf and Jadzia were each others' par'Mach'kai, as were Tavana and Ortikan. (
Why did DS9 end? ›
"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (DS9) concluded its run after seven seasons in 1999. The decision to end the series was primarily influenced by various factors, including viewership ratings, production costs, and the overall direction of the "Star Trek" franchise at the time.
Worf resigned from Starfleet to fight for Gowron and served on his brother's ship. Gowron won the war after Starfleet exposed Romulan support for the House of Duras.
Why did Rosalind Chao leave DS9? ›
Turned down the chance to work full-time on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) so that she could spend more time with her family. But, she instead agreed to do recurring roles in episodes each season.
What happened to Worf and Troi? ›
Their affair ended sometime before Worf transferred to Deep Space Nine. Worf and Troi's relationship began in the seventh season Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Parallels."
Why did Dax quit? ›
Jadzia Dax was murdered by Gul Dukat when he was posessed by a Pah wraith. There are a few reasons floating around as to why Terry Farrell left: She didn't get along with Rick Berman, whom it is rumored she claimed he was misogynistic. She had trouble maintaining a chaotic schedule.
How long were Worf and Jadzia married? ›
They were together just over a year or so, the marriage lasted maybe a couple months before her death. Did he remember to give his brother back his memories once he cleared their name? And also Picard and Worf are best friends.
How long do Trill symbionts live? ›
They were long-lived compared to most humanoid species, and could easily live beyond 550 years. While one was known to have lived for more than 800 years, that was extremely rare for the species.
Is Jadzia Dax queer? ›
Character Information
Jadzia Dax is a pansexual character from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Was Curzon Dax a Klingon? ›
Curzon Dax was the seventh host to the Dax symbiont and a Federation ambassador. He played a vital role in negotiations with the Klingon Empire, bringing peace between it and the Federation. It was because of Curzon that Jadzia, the Dax host after Curzon, had so many Klingon friends.
Was DS9 cancelled? ›
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine DIDN'T get cancelled they had a planned 7 Season run they set in stone to be the number of Seasons for all of Star Trek during the Berman & Braga Era of the franchise. This precedent was set and planned since Star Trek: The Next Generation.
