Dear Johnny Fanboy,

In your reply to Amanda Hughes' recent nit-pick about Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, you correctly stated that Odan's love for Beverly Crusher survived a change of host in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode The Host. However, this statement opens up a whole new can of worms... or perhaps I should say can of symbionts.

Odan is very different from any other Trill to subsequently appear in Trek. Odan's hosts look different from the Trill that we later become so familiar with in Deep Space Nine. Both of Odan's Trill bodies have Klingon-style head ridges rather than Dax-style spots. The Odan symbiont appears to completely dominate its host bodies, whereas the DS9 episode Dax makes it clear that the symbiont does not control the host, but rather the two consciousnesses blend.

The Official Star Trek Fact Files have suggested that there may be two humanoid species inhabiting the Trill home world, which would explain some of the above problems. However, that does not explain why Odan sees nothing wrong with continuing a romance into its next life, whereas the DS9 episode Rejoined makes it clear that this is considered highly immoral by Trill society.

Lawrence Michaels

Johnny Fanboy replies:

I do buy into the two humanoid species theory. We have already accepted the fact that two intelligent races inhabit the Trill home world - the symbionts and the hosts - so why not a third, a second species of host? This does not seem quite so unusual in light of the five Xindi races depicted in Enterprise.

The "ridged" species of host may possess less dominant personalities than the "spotted" species, which could explain why Odan's hosts are overwhelmed by the symbiont's mind in a way that the spotted varieties tend not to be. This could also explain why Odan is so laidback about the prospect of continuing a romantic relationship after the passing of a host. It could be that the Trill taboo to which you refer only applies to the spotted species, owing to the fact that their hosts are more strong-willed and are expected to lead independent lives.

On the other hand, perhaps Trill society does not have a problem with continuing relationships that are formed in the last few weeks of a host's existence. When a host knows its time is almost over (which was not the case with Odan, but the law would still apply) it might be deemed acceptable to embark upon a relationship that will continue into the next "life", as a way of moving on.

Return to: