A Case Of The Olds

When I was a little kid and I ended up in a game of house, do you know who I inevitably played? The grandpa. When I played The Princess Bride, I was Miracle Max. My favorite picture book as a child was literally called, "A Little Old Man." I'm the kid who screams at other kids to stop playing their music so loud, to get off her lawn, and who really, really appreciates fig newtons.

I mention all of this because I think a lot about a DS9 character who is frequently referred to as, "Old Man." Jadzia carries a symbiont named Dax who used to live inside a cranky old bastard named Curzon. Sisko had a great fondness for his cantankerous mentor and still does--even though that old bastard now kind of lives inside Jadzia. It sounds a little confusing but when Jadzia Dax strides confidently in and out of scenes, playing tonga with the Ferengi, appreciating beauty in all genders/species, and lecturing her old mentee about honor or loyalty or whatever, it seems totally natural.

I feel like I'd be a great trill. In fact, if I weren't completely sure about the fact that I (sadly) don't live in the Star Trek universe, I'd check to make sure I didn't have some super old guy's discarded symbiont in my gut. My symbiont probably wouldn't be as cool as Dax though. My symbiont would just mumble a lot about the price of gas and then adjust his suspenders (which I have and wear often) then refuse to go outside because it's too crowded/sunny (which I do) and then announce that he's off to take a nap. (Don't judge. Naps are awesome.) Actually, I guess I'd be a really crappy trill. I'd totally be turned down for The Joining. And that'd be ok with me since I really just want to sit inside and plow through a sack of Werther's anyway.