You Are Cordially Invited

One of the problems I noticed in season 5 and 6 of "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" is the relationship between Worf and Jadzia Dax. While Dax liking a Klingon man makes a lot of sense in light of this being's past, you also wonder why a competent and supposedly intelligent lady would want to be with Worf. Most of the time, he's a nasty grouch. But more troubling is that he behaves like an abusive boyfriend--trying to control her. So, I was less than thrilled to see the characters marrying. I wanted to see Jadzia to meet someone better and marry them...such as Quark or Morn!

The show begins with Martok coming to DS9 with his lovely wife. Now that Worf is part of his family, it's appropriate for Martok to do the bachelor stuff with Worf while the new bride meets with Martok's wife, the matriarch. Two problems come up, however. Martok's wife is an evil shrew and she has little interest in allowing any non- Klingons into the clan. And, Jadzia hates her guts and would sooner kiss a rattlesnake than be nice to the lady. As for Worf, this Klingon bachelor party is about what you'd expect--a chance for his male buddies to gather around and suffer. Will the pair manage to survive these ordeals and actually get married?

This is an interesting episode. But, as I said above, it was hard to really care about the couple as they seemed so mismatched and strange. Still, it's worth a look.

The whole time that Dax and Worf have been developing a relationship, it has been a distraction. When I realized that this was going to be an episode about the wedding, I thought I would skip it. I wish I had. While there were some interesting things about the Klingon marriage rites, I was glad to see it end.

Do the writers hate Terry? Attention seeking, short sighted, rude, selfish, childish, and dumb. That was how she was written in this episode. Coupled with the poor acting and the not believable, forced relationship with Worf, the episode was insufferable. I'm not a jadzia fan, and this made it worse. Even though at the end Dax confesses that she needs to grow up, it was too late. The irriation that built up toward jadzia during the episode wasn't even diminished in the slightest. I rolled my eyes constantly throughout the episode and now they need to be massaged. Always skating by on her looks. So annoying and insulting.

My marriage was fraught with obstacles and my wife and I's relationship reminded me so much of what Worf and Dax went through. This was a fun episode showing the complexity of their relationship and Sisko taking charge.

Look, I'm a sucker for the more goofy, light-hearted episodes of Trek. And not only does this episode manage to provide thay levity after a very serious two-parter, but it does so while also showcasing some serious acting chops from its cast, and providing some wonderful characterization, to boot.

I also appreciate the flipped-on-its-head trope of the man being the one obsessed with wedding details, and the woman being the one to acquiesce for the good of the relationship. Dax rules.