Odan

[Wishfire 2]

In the TNG episode The Host, Odan identified himself as a Trill. But was he really?

 

I know that all official sources identify him as being a Trill, but there are a couple things that point to another explaination.

 

Towards the beginning of the episode, we see Odan's symbiont pushing against the inside of his stomache, as if it was being rejected. When the symbiont is in Riker, similar things happen to him. Maybe Odan (the host) is not a Trill, but a member of the species Odan (the symbiont) was going to mediate for. That would explain why the symbiont rejected the host (or vice-versa), and would also explain why another member of the same species was available when they got to their destination.

 

Why would this have happened? Maybe something happened to the original host, and the symbiont had to be preserved until a new Trill host was available AND the symbiont had to be around for the peace talks. So the only way that could happen would be to constantly change hosts until a new Trill host arrived.

 

I don't remember the episode completely, so there might be a few things I'm missing, but it seems like a reasonable explaination.

[HRH The KING 0]

I mentioned this on another thread somewhere that Odan appeared before they had really finalised the idea for Trill's which they finally did with Jadzia.

 

They've mentioned previously in an official Trek reference book that some of the things associated with Odan should be forgotten, in favour of the Trill seen in DS9.

[Jack_Bauer 1]

Technically Odan represents the orginal plan for the Trill. However, they didn't like that look on Terry Ferrell because it impeded her looks (though pictures exist of Ferrell with the original look). So Berman decided to go with something similar to the empathic metamorph Kamala from The Perfect Mate because Famke Janssen who played Kamala was considered for the role of Jadzia.

[Wishfire 2]

Technically Odan represents the orginal plan for the Trill. However, they didn't like that look on Terry Ferrell because it impeded her looks (though pictures exist of Ferrell with the original look).

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Do you know where such pictures could be found?

[Jack_Bauer 1]

Here's one I found on Ex Astris Scientifica:

 

She doesn't look all that bad but she looks much better in the spots.

 

Here's another test version, not as good.

 

Edited February 12, 2005 by Jack_Bauer

[Takara_Soong 4]

StarTrek.com says:

 

Among the humanoid Trill joined species, apparently at least two races of hosts are used to house a symbiont: those of the ridged forehead, like Odan, and those like Jadzia, Curzon and Selin, with a narrow speckled band running along the hairline to the sides of the neck, then down along the body.

[Wishfire 2]

Ooh...

 

The first one looks kinda plain.

 

The second one looks like she has some kinda rash! :biggrin:

 

I like her the way they decided in the end.

[prometheus 0]

Speaking as someone who is gay i would say that that episode tackled the question of whether or not you loved someone for WHO they are as opposed to WHAT they are very well. That episode of DS9 that tackled the gay kiss was very welcome. The fact that Crusher could not love Oden in a different body hi lighted the fact that TNG wasnt ready to embrace such things to make sure that it's ratings remained high

[HRH The KING 0]

Hmmmm, they must have retconned the Trill differences. I guess that one goes into the Chekov/Khan catagory.

 

I prefer the "spots" :biggrin:

[Wishfire 2]

Speaking as someone who is gay i would say that that episode tackled the question of whether or not you loved someone for WHO they are as opposed to WHAT they are very well. That episode of DS9 that tackled the gay kiss was very welcome. The fact that Crusher could not love Oden in a different body hi lighted the fact that TNG wasnt  ready to embrace such things to make sure that it's ratings remained high

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I don't see it as Crusher being incapable of loving Odan even as memeber of the same gender, but the fact that Odan (in the original host) didn't tell Crusher what he/she/it was (being a member of a joint species), and Crusher was simply unable to understand the sudden transition. It seemed to me that she was like, "Wait a minute... An hour ago your were a guy... I'm confused..."

 

Seems more of an episode concerning transgenders rather than gays.

Edited February 13, 2005 by wishfire

[Odie 0]

I have to agree with wishfire. The change was to much for Dr. Crusher.

[HRH The KING 0]

The Trill ban on reassociation would have prevented her and the new Odan from being together anyway.

[Wishfire 2]

The Trill ban on reassociation would have prevented her and the new Odan from being together anyway.

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I'm assuming that it only reffers to intimate relationships, as Ben Sisko was friends with Kurzon, Jadzia, and Ezri Dax.

[Takara_Soong 4]

The Trill ban on reassociation would have prevented her and the new Odan from being together anyway.

303126[/snapback]

 

I'm assuming that it only reffers to intimate relationships, as Ben Sisko was friends with Kurzon, Jadzia, and Ezri Dax.

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Which the type of relationship Bev had with Odan. I guess since Riker wasn't a Trill when he was temporarily the host that rule didn't apply since Odan and Bev carried on their relationship after she got past the fact that it wasn't Riker she would be fooling around with.

[gul_nodrog 2]

The Trill ban on reassociation would have prevented her and the new Odan from being together anyway.

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I'm assuming that it only reffers to intimate relationships, as Ben Sisko was friends with Kurzon, Jadzia, and Ezri Dax.

303290[/snapback]

 

Which is exactly why I found the entire introduction of a brand new regular cast member called Ezri Dax on DS9 so annoying. One episode showing the new Dax and revisiting the whole "reassociation" issue between Dax and Worf would have been so much nicer than spending an entire season watching a cheap copy of Jadzia parading around the promenade.

 

I think that Beverly was just reeling from finding out that Odan was a joined species. If she'd known ahead of time, she might have been able to have continued a relationship with him/her ... it was just too much for the good doctor to absorb.

 

Side note: I always skip that episode with Jadzia and Lenara locking lips on DS9. Call me squeamish, but I just don't want to see that. I voted AGAINST banning gay marriage in my state, so please do not lump me in with the right wing homophobes. It just grosses me out to watch two women or two men kissing (but I would not have stopped watching TNG or DS9 because of it).