Image in the Sand (30 Sep. 1998)

Having returned to Earth a couple of months ago, Sisko waits for the Prophets to instruct him on what to do next. When he receives one, he begins searching for the woman behind the face in ... See full summary »

Director:

Les Landau

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry, Rick Berman (creator),

Stars:

Avery Brooks, Rene Auberjonois, Nicole de Boer

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Avery Brooks	...	Captain Sisko / Benny Russell
Rene Auberjonois	...	Odo
Nicole de Boer	...	Ensign Ezri Dax (as Nicole deBoer)
Michael Dorn	...	Lt. Commander Worf
Cirroc Lofton	...	Jake Sisko
Colm Meaney	...	Chief O'Brien
Armin Shimerman	...	Quark
Alexander Siddig	...	Doctor Bashir
Nana Visitor	...	Colonel Kira
James Darren	...	Vic Fontaine
Brock Peters	...	Joseph Sisko
Jeffrey Combs	...	Weyoun
Casey Biggs	...	Damar
Barry Jenner	...	Admiral Ross
J.G. Hertzler	...	Martok

Storyline

Having returned to Earth a couple of months ago, Sisko waits for the Prophets to instruct him on what to do next. When he receives one, he begins searching for the woman behind the face in the sand in his vision. Meanwhile, back on DS9, Kira deals with a promotion and handling the decisions surrounding her command, and finding herself wishing for the return of Sisko. And Worf deals with the loss of his wife, Jadzia Dax.

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Plot Keywords:

24th century

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 September 1998 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The introduction of several new changes. Nicole de Boer makes her first appearance as Ezri Dax, replacing Jadzia Dax's name on the credits who died last season. Major Kira is promoted to Colonel, and sports a new hairstyle and a new uniform. And the first appearance of Sarah Sisko, a Prophet who is Sisko's mother.

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Goofs

(possibly deliberate by the filmmaker) Worf and O'Brien reminisce about the Enterprise. O'Brien mentions Barkley and his "holo-suite" programs. On the Enterprise they are called holo-decks, not holo-suites.

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Quotes

Damar: You ever wonder what goes on? Inside the wormhole, I mean?
Weyoun: ...Not really.
Damar: The Prophets and the Pah-wraiths locked in some form of celestial battle. It's fascinating.
Weyoun: I'd never realized you had such a vivid imagination.
Damar: Th' a lot about me you don't know.

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Soundtracks

"All the Way"
Written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen
Performed by James Darren

User Reviews

Introducing Ezri Dax

Of all the Season Openers of DS9, this one set up the final story arc so well that our interest was piqued even with the loss of Jadzia Dax.

There has been a minor scattering of the main characters of DS9. A new Bajoran Religion of people worshiping the Pah-Wraiths has emerged. The Celestial Temple has been closed and the Bajoran Orbs are all dark and "The Sisko", not knowing what he is to do, is on Earth, mainly sitting in front of a piano at his Father's (Played by the great Brock Peters) New Orleans Restaurant. Worf seeks Honour for his deceased wife Jadzia, who was brutally murdered by the Pah-Wraith/Gul Dukat entity.

And so while all of these disparate elements converge, The Sisko sees the image of a woman - A woman who plays an important role in this final story arc. And we meet Ezri Dax, who was not a Trill Host Initiate but was compelled to offer herself as Host to Dax due to an emergency.

And this is what I mostly want to talk about - Nicole De Boer is Ezri-Dax. And although she is not explored in this episode that much, she does come to be a major plot element of this final season.

When I initially watched these episodes that showed how another Host would be after joining with Dax, I hated the Ezri character and I thought she was rather silly. But I have not seen these eps since they were played on TV in the 1998-1999 season, it has been almost 12 years since the final season of DS9, and now I can watch these final eps, and it is as if I am seeing them for the first time- I had seen each of the eps of the previous seasons, more than once, so I was very familiar with the DS9 story: Of Season Seven I had only vague recollections. And so in December of 2011, I am viewing the final season of what I think of now as a great Trek show, one that was basically dismissed by Trek canonisers because of its vast differences from Gene Roddenberry's Future Earth.

Well, this series was NOT about Earth, as The Next Generation and TOS was. This series was shown, in the Season 6 Ep "Far Beyond the Stars" - as the imaginings of an under-appreciated coloured Sci-Fi writer of the 40's and 50's, about a Coloured man who was a widower with a young son being the commander of a huge Space Station on the edge of Known Space

• A Sci Fi story that would NOT have been published back then. And that

story of DS9 was never allowed to be published due to that particular racial bias. So, the way I see it, is that "Benny Russel" is the actual creator of Deep Space Nine, long before Roddenberry - And since the story was allegedly conceived in the Post War years, the story has WW-II elements in it. Oh yes, we know that the concept was shown to Sisko in a vision of the Prophets, but who is to say, that there never was a Benny Russel who was never allowed to publish a story of a coloured Captain - In charge of a Multi-Racial and Multi-Species "Space Station"? Part of Quantum Physics states that our imaginings, the books we read, the TV shows we watch, COULD be other Quantum Realities - Or at least could be stories about "Alternate Time-lines" - This is why I like Fringe so much, because it explores that even more than it was explored in Next Generation and DS9.

Getting back to Ezri-Dax, it is now apparent to me, that Nicole De Boer was carefully cast, and actually uses many of Terry Farrel's mannerisms, eye movements, ways of speaking - This is one of the best continuations of a character I have ever seen, and I BELIEVE it – I really believe now, that Ezri Dax contains the memories of Jadzia Dax, and Curzon, and all of the hosts of the Dax Symbiote.

Sometimes, I forget she is not really Nicole De Boer, who is actually an actress of Merit (The Dead Zone series) - She seems at times to be a shorter version of Terry Farrel. And so as Jadzia was the science officer, Ezri is now a "Ships Counselor" of sorts - Because that is the Ezri host's special talent- But when required, she can, and does, tap into the previous knowledge of the Jadzia symbiote, and can sometimes perform a task which a science officer would do. This Season, even explores how the one Host who was a murderer could help Ezri solve a Murder Investigation on the Station. And so, I just say it here, this season opener sets up a whole universe of possibilities for ontinuation of the DS9 story arcs.

When I watch this DS9 Ep in particular, the Original Trek Story Arc was still strong, but I knew, that this was the end of Trek the way we had known it for the last 15 years of the TNG universe. So: This episode, represents, to me at least, that Trek was turning down the lights, drinking a cup of Tarkalian Tea, and getting ready for Bed - To be Awakened by JJ Abrams in 2009.