132: The Longevity of Memories

The Orb: A Star Trek Deep Space Nine Podcast

“Blood Oath” and Trill obligations.

A struggle with past lives is something all Trill must face. How much a joined Trill owes to past hosts is an ongoing question that is addressed from time to time in Deep Space Nine. In the second-season episode “Blood Oath,” Dax comes face to face with three old friends—the Klingon warriors Kor, Koloth, and Kang—and feels an obligation to uphold a promise made 80 years earlier. Only the person who must carry out the actions is not Curzon but rather Jadzia, and this puts her at odds with Commander Sisko and her duty as a Starfleet officer.

In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing explore “Blood Oath” and what it says about how joined Trill cope with memories that span multiple lifetimes. Does a Trill have an obligation to uphold promises made by past hosts? How much of the choice falls on the current host and how much on the symbiont? We also discuss the choice to bring back three of Kirk’s most famous Klingon antagonists, as well as the original actors, and how DS9 pays homage to The Original Series.

Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)