inconsistency with trills between ds9 and TNG

[Worf'sParmach]

I am confused between the two shows, because Dax was very clear that each Dax was it's own person not the same as the Dax before him, yet in TNG episode the host it seems like the riker host is Odon and not somebody else?

There is no "official" explanation as to why the two were so different. It's a plot hole between the two series. Any in-universe explanation is just fanwanking.

They were going to initially make Terry Farrell's make up look like the Odan Trill, but after screen tests they didn't like how it looked on her and they didn't want to cover up so much of her face. Along with that, having one person not be able to use a transporter would have been a logistical nightmare so they dropped that as well.

IMO, It would have been better to scrap the name Trill and just make up a new species.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I was under the impression that the no-transporter thing was just because they hadn't known about the symbiont and the biofilter would have seen it as a parasite.

 

[vulcan redshirt]

And of course, not forgetting that the Odan symbiont was placed into Riker for a while, with no physiological damage (even if only for a short while)

 

[warriorsfan]

If they had gone with the Trills from TNG, too many fans would have gone "Uhh, wait, isn't this slavery?"

Yeah, as depicted in that episode, the symbiont was more like a goa'uld from Stargate. It was not a symbiotic relationship, but one where the symbiont took over the host's body like a true parasite.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

If you go with the Forged in Fire explanation, as I do...

Spoiler: novel

The Ridged Trill are the result of Klingons visiting a Trill colony and accidentally infecting it with the Klingon Augment virus

...then perhaps this is the reason why the Ridged Trill hosts have no will of their own. Maybe that infection sapped it.

 

[GalaxyX]

I don't get the whole point of the Trill, TNG or DS9 variants.

What's the benefit?

At least in Stargate, it's clear that the worm/snake is capable of providing its host with physical advantages, like the capability to heal serious injuries, and extend life at least twice as much as the host could live on it's own.

I don't get the point of the trill in TNG at all, and I hate hate hate that episode. Not a TNG high point to be sure.

I kinda get that the DS9 trill hosts benefit by having all the memories of previous hosts blended into the current host's memory and personality. Supposedly this procedure grants the wisdom of multiple lifetimes to the current host. Is that all the host gets?

 

[Seven of Five]

I'm sure it was mentioned in DS9 about it being an honour in Trill culture to be a host. I'd love the chance to have other people's personalities bobbing around in my head, especially as it would mean when I would also live on. It's a soft reincarnation.

Spoiler: Novel explanation on Trill appearance

And as far as the explanation in the novel about a Klingon Augment infecting the Trill homeworld, I don't think my eyes roll far enough. We know that the Trill/Klingon makeup was changed because of technical issues. Why bother going to such lengths to create boringly contrived solutions to a very small problem?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ It doesn't seem contrived to me. They have to explain it somehow, why not that way?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Yeah, especially when there's a more straightforward explanation of the spotted and ridged trill are two variants of the same species. I mean, we already have precedent for multiple sentient races evolving on the same planet with the Xindi (Don't know if that novel was before or after ENT). Why not just say, they are two different races of Trills?

 

[Worf'sParmach]

I've always wondered whose idea it was to do that first joining...

"Hey, you know those slugs that live in the caves underground? I wonder what would happen if I put one in my belly?"

 

[TheSeeker]

I mean, obviously all Trill males are heterosexual and all Trill females are bisexual.

And exactly how did you establish this "fact"?

 

[Seven of Five]

^ It doesn't seem contrived to me. They have to explain it somehow, why not that way?

Spoiler: Does this need to be in spoiler tags?

It's the explanation of the Klingon appearance that ENT did that bothered me the most. I mean obviously, I'm judging this plot twist in the novel without having read it, but I'd rather they just leave it a mystery.