History Recap / StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS04E06Rejoined

Dax is wowing Bashir and Quark with some sleight-of-hand when Sisko calls her to his office. Stone-faced, he informs her that the station is about to be visited by a science team including a certain joined trill named Lenara Kahn. Rather than go on leave to avoid Lenara, however, Dax decides to stay. She joins the welcome party and meets Hanor Pren, Lenara Kahn and Lenara's brother Bejal Otner. Dax and Lenara exchange stiff pleasantries about it being "a long time" before Lenara leaves. When Kira looks at Dax askance, she explains that Lenara was once her wife.

Quark has it explained to him that Dax's former host Torias was married to Kahn's former host Nelani. Kira asks why the two symbionts can't get back together, and Bashir explains that it's highly taboo for symbionts to associate with loved ones from their former hosts. In fact, getting romantically involved with former lovers will get the offenders banished from Trill society, ensuring that the symbiont dies with them. During a welcome luncheon, Dax and Lenara break the ice with a brief conversation, noting how everyone is covertly watching them.

Dax helps out with the science team's mission of creating an opening in the space-time continuum. In the process, they recollect some of their previous hosts' relationships. Getting warmer with each other, Dax invites Lenara to dinner and has Bashir chaperone. The poor doctor is left in silence as the two former lovers reminisce. Their flirting does not going unnoticed by the other two Trill. Bejal confronts Lenara, but she denies rekindling her relationship with Dax. Upset by the encounter, she returns to Dax, who suggests that they stop seeing each other, but they both agree that their feelings cannot be avoided. They share a passionate kiss before separating.

Dax visits Lenara in sick bay, and Otner thanks Dax for saving his sister before politely excusing himself. Dax congratulates Lenara on her achievements, even if they weren't what she was hoping for. She invites Lenara to continue her work on the station and get back together, consequences be damned. But Lenara has gotten cold feet and isn't sure she's ready to throw away everything for Dax. She says she needs time to think it over on Trill, but Dax knows that if she leaves, she'll never return. Dax waits for Lenara on the promenade hoping that she will change her mind, but Lenara casts only one regretful glance back at her before departing, leaving a grief-stricken Dax alone.

* BittersweetEnding: Dax saves Lenara's life (no [[StuffedInTheFridge fridging]] here) but Lenara still can't bring herself to commit to such a taboo relationship, and Dax can only watch and [[CryCute weep]] as Lenara leaves with the science team.

** When Lenara says she just needs time to think things over on Trill, Dax knows full well that if Lenara leaves she has no intention of coming back.

A Trill science team arrive at [=DS9=], exploring the possibility of creating stable wormholes for space travel. But issues arise when Dax finds out the expedition is headed by Lenara Kahn. Formerly Nilani Kahn, widow of Torias Dax. And the two have to wonder if possible exile is worth rekindling their previous hosts' romance.

** Dax cheerfully assures Sisko she's fine about her upcoming meeting with Lenara. Sisko wordlessly turns her commbadge the right way up, because she's pinned it on upside-down.

* FateWorseThanDeath: The punishment for rekindling romantic relationships from a previous host's life is permanent exile from Trill. Which means [[FinalDeath no new host for the symbiont when the current host dies]]. In the end, Lenara isn't willing to go through with it.

* WhatHaveWeEar: The episode opens with Dax demonstrating her sleight of hand tricks for Quark and Bashir, ending with pulling a bar of latinum out of Quark's ear. Quark assumes she just used a teleporter. Later Bashir [[BrickJoke does the same trick again]], causing Rom to peak in Quark's ear to see if there's any more latinum in there.

* LetMeGetThisStraight: Quark trying to sort out the complications of Trill relationships. It gives him a headache.

* WhatHaveWeEar: The episode opens with Dax demonstrating her sleight of hand tricks for Quark and Bashir, ending with pulling a bar of latinum out of Quark's ear--Quark assumes she just used a teleporter. Later Bashir does the same trick again, causing Rom to peak in Quark's ear to see if there's any more latinum in there.

* SpeculativeFictionLGBT: "Reassociation" with a past lover is a social taboo among Trills because it's regarded as "unnatural". Combined with Dax's NewOldFlame having a woman as her current host, the relation to how homosexuals are regarded is obvious.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: [[SpeculativeFictionLGBT Oh boy, yes.]] The DVD features have quite a few people talking about how much joy they took in walking right up to the line of Rick Berman's ban on homosexual material. Technically Dax and Lenara are simply resuming a previous heterosexual relationship, but the audience can never forget that they're actually seeing two women acting out a romance.

* VerySpecialEpisode: "Reassociation" with a past lover is a social taboo among Trills because it's regarded as "unnatural". Combined with Dax's NewOldFlame having a woman as her current host, the relation to how homosexuals are regarded is obvious.
-->'''Kira:''' I don't understand how two people who've fallen in love, and made a life together, can be forced to just walk away from each other...because of a taboo?

** Dax assures Sisko she's fine about her upcoming meeting with Lenara. Sisko wordlessly turns her commbadge the right way up, because she's pinned it on upside-down.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Oh boy, yes. The DVD features have quite a few people talking about how much joy they took in walking right up to the line of Rick Berman's ban on homosexual material. Technically Dax and Lenara are simply resuming a previous heterosexual relationship, but the audience can never forget that they're actually seeing two women acting out a romance.

* DoggedNiceGuy: Despite having his own crush on Dax, Bashir acts as chaperone for what he knows full well is just an excuse for Dax and Lenara to have dinner together. When he's called away by a medical emergency, Lenara notes what a good friend he is to play along.

* LittleBrotherInstinct: Bejal talks Lenara out of staying with Dax.

--->'''Bashir:''' ...the whole point of joining is for the symbiont to accumulate experiences from the span of many lifetimes. In order to move on from host to host, the symbiont has to learn to let go of the past, let go of parents, siblings, children, even spouses.

* ForbiddenLove: "Reassociation", e.g. rekindling a romantic relationship that the past host was involved in. The punishment involves being exiled from Trill, so when the host dies, so will the symbiote.

* BaitAndSwitch: Sisko warns Dax that Lenara Kahn is on the Trill science team, and gives her the opportunity to go on leave during this time. The conversation makes it look like Lenara is someone who has a grudge against Dax, but it turns out she used to be Curzon Dax's wife and Sisko is just trying to make things easy for the Old Man.

** And the explanation given in this episode also applies.
--->'''Bashir:''' ...the whole point of joining is for the symbiont to accumulate experiences from the span of many lifetimes. In order to move on from host to host, the symbiont has to learn to let go of the past, let go of parents, siblings, children, even spouses.

* IronicEcho: Noting how everyone at the party is eyeing them, Lenara jokes that they should "throw ourselves at each other, profess our undying love for each other and complete disregard for Trill society." Dax gives the same line to Sisko after realising she's still in love with Lenara, noting that the joke is not so funny now.

* AFriendInNeed: When Dax comes to him for advice, Sisko bluntly argues against reassociating with Lenara because of the severe consequences, but makes it clear at the end that he will back her no matter what her decision.

* IronicEcho: Noting how everyone at the party is eyeing them, Lenara jokes that they should "throw ourselves at each other, profess our undying love for each other and complete disregard for Trill society." Dax ends up giving the same line later on, a bit more seriously.

* HoldingHands: Pren isn't happy when he sees Lenara and Dax doing this during their dinner date.