While gender identity has rarely been a major point of discussion in Star Trek, it comes up more often than fans think — and in very interesting ways. Back in the 1960s, such topics weren’t allowed to be explored on a mainstream TV show. Then the Stonewall Riots of 1969 happened, and suddenly LGBTQ+ people were all over everyone’s screens. This push toward progress eventually led to powerful scenes like Adira (Blu Del Barrio) coming out as non-binary in Star Trek: Discovery in 2020. The representation of transgender and gender non-conforming (GNC) characters was a significant milestone.
Along the way, though, there have been characters throughout the franchise whose gender identity wasn’t so clear-cut. In fact, it could be quite easy to miss when a series was signaling to the audience that a character wasn’t cisgender – meaning they didn’t identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. When Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) made her first appearance in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, it wasn’t apparent that she wasn’t just another cisgender character until she interacted with Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) for the first time. Jadzia might not have been explicitly transgender, but her experience of gender left audiences fascinated.
Curzon Passes the Dax Symbiont to Jadzia
If any Star Trek species was going to explore gender identity, it was going to be the Trill. Every society wants to pass on the lessons of its ancestors. Some do it by verbally sharing their people’s history; others do it by writing about notable events of the past. In Trill society, symbionts are worm-like creatures passed from host to host that carry knowledge as well as personal experiences, and even remnants of each host’s personality.
Trill undergo rigorous training at the Symbiosis Institute in the hope of being chosen for the responsibility of being joined with a symbiont. This duty is a great honor for anyone chosen to carry it. Deep Space Nine depicted Curzon (Frank Owen Smith) as a bit of a wild card, but he was dedicated to ensuring the survival of the Dax symbiont. It’s part of why he was so hard on Jadzia when she was going through her own training process as a shy but determined candidate.
The Dax symbiont was technically passed between cisgender hosts: from a cis man to a cis woman. Yet, the symbiont taking on new pronouns and gender presentation in the process echoes some people’s experience of being transgender.
Jadzia’s Unique Relationship to Gender
This wasn’t the only instance of Jadzia’s gender experience being relatable for many transgender and GNC viewers. Carrying the Dax symbiont from Curzon meant that she shared some of his characteristics, while still being her own person. This was initially an issue for Sisko, who struggled to see echoes of Curzon in Jadzia while accepting her new gender presentation and pronouns. In season 1, episode 4, “A Man Alone,” Jadzia tries to give him a gentle out by letting him know that it’s not uncommon for Trill to have friendships that “don't survive because of the change.” Benjamin quickly lets her know that his feelings are temporary, and she encourages him to “allow [himself] to feel comfortable with [his] discomfort” until time takes care of the rest.
Luckily for Deep Space Nine fans, her words hold true, and Jadzia and Sisko go on to form a strong friendship. Their relationship both acknowledges the previous Dax host, while allowing Jadzia to simply be herself. Benjamin even gives her the nickname of ‘Old Man,’ which is how he often referred to Curzon. It’s tongue in cheek without any real intention to cause harm or offense, as it doesn't imply that being transgender or GNC is wrong.
In the same episode, Quark (Armin Shimerman) uses the phrase “when she was a he” when talking about Jadzia. In this case, it’s just a matter of fact. Quark's words are neither disparaging not mocking. It’s just a part of who Jadzia is – like Jadzia’s ability to give helpful advice as someone who’s experienced the world as a woman and as a man. And what's more, it’s what makes Deep Space Nine so unique in its depiction of this character. The show never makes an issue out of how she used to use be a man who used he/him pronouns. The easy acceptance of her new self is quite refreshing.
Transgender Representation in Star Trek
The Next Generation
Star Trek has spent many years silently exploring gender identities – for better or for worse. While Jadzia’s experience of gender identity was queer-coded, Deep Space Nine never explicitly described as her transgender or GNC. Where Sisko's reunion with the new host of a familiar symbiont continued a relationship, Beverly Crusher’s (Gates McFadden) similar experience in Star Trek: The Next Generation was the end of one. When a Trill man that she loved, Odan, died, his symbiont was joined with a female host. Dr. Crusher, despite loving Odan, ended the relationship at that point. It came across as a romantic partner being rejected for being transgender.
The series later tried to right its wrongs in season 5, episode 17, “The Outcast.” Soren (Melinda Culea) J’naii, a race of beings who identify as androgynous, but she realizes she identifies as a woman and wants to openly live her life as such. Soren is made to stand trial for her identity, and her choice to be honest about it. In an impassioned speech, she defends herself:
“I am female. I was born that way. I have had those feelings, those longings, all of my life. It is not unnatural. I am not sick because I feel this way. I do not need to be helped. I do not need to be cured. What I need, and what all of those who are like me need, is your understanding. And your compassion.”
There’s no doubt that many transgender and GNC viewers watched this scene and felt represented in a way they hadn’t experienced from Star Trek before. Unfortunately, Soren’s bravery was punished with the J’naii form of conversion therapy, and her true gender identity was suppressed.
Discovery & Other Recent Examples
Finally, Star Trek: Discovery showed up and decided it was time for the subtext to finally come out of the closet. Jadzia is no longer the closest Star Trek has come to portraying a transgender or GNC character. In season 3, episode 8, “The Sanctuary,” Adira came out as non-binary with a preference for they/them pronouns, telling Paul Stamets: "I've never felt like a 'she' or a 'her.'" Adira's boyfriend Gray (Ian Alexander) was just casually transgender, which is interesting considering he’s a Trill like Jadzia.
Fans with an affinity for villains were delighted Strange New Worlds introduced Dr. Aspen (Jesse James Keitel), a non-binary humanitarian turned leather-bound baddie, played by a transgender actress. Not to be left out, Nickelodeon revealed that Zero (Angus Imrie) from Star Trek: Prodigy is completely genderless.
More representation of transgender and GNC characters is a beautiful thing, but it has left fans questioning if Jadzia really counted. She definitely didn’t do gender like her peers. She also didn’t have a clear label regarding her gender identity, any more than she did for her sexual orientation. Regardless, she presented a casual and matter-of-fact portrayal of being transgender and GNC unseen at the time. Jadzia transcended gender expectations so that later Star Trek characters could soar.