The Star Trek franchise has always boldly gone where no other show has gone before in terms of pushing for better representation on TV. The Original Series featured the first interracial kiss on US television back in the 60s, for instance. By the time we got to the 90s, meanwhile, Trek attempted to tackle LGBT characters, though restrictions on what they could do at the time meant they were forced to mostly do this through implication and subtleties for the fans to pick up on.
Now, however, at long last, one star of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine has confirmed that their character was pansexual. Terry Farrell was among the cast who had gathered to promote documentary What We Left Behind: A Look Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention recently. She spoke on the topic of the sexuality of her role Jadzia Daz, a Trill science officer, and revealed: “The only rule was ‘are you interesting to me, and do I want to know more about you?’”
#STLV @4TerryFarrell says Jadzia Dax was pansexual. “The only rule was ‘are you interesting to me, and do I want to know more about you?’” pic.twitter.com/icT21Y0pNN
— TrekMovie.com (@TrekMovie) August 1, 2019
Of course, this fits with what we saw on screen. In “Rejoined,” arguably one of DS9‘s bravest episodes, Jadzia formed a bond with Lenara Kahn, the widow of a former host of the Dax symbiont. Although such a relationship was illegal, the pair shared a kiss. The moment is notable for being one of the earliest instances of two women kissing on television, even if this milestone may have been disguised to viewers at the time due to the sci-fi nature of the plot.
Nowadays, we’re in a very different place when it comes to depicting LGBT characters on TV. Star Trek: Discovery, for one, features a married gay couple in Anthony Rapp’s Paul Stamets and Wilson Cruz’s Hugh Culber. And we have shows that pushed the boundaries, like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, back in the day to thank for that.
