Trill initiate

Trill initiates are those of the Trill species who join an initiate program in order to train themselves for potential joining with a symbiont. The initiate program consists of an intense series of exams and evaluations, both mental and physical, that are designed to eliminate all but the most suitable and dedicated applicants.

Initiates are first evaluated by the Trill Symbiosis Commission, which is responsible for their training. Near the end of the program the initiates are assigned to a field docent, a joined Trill who will evaluate the suitability of the initiate in real-world environments.

Curzon Dax was known to be a particulary harsh field docent and personally eliminated many candidates, including Jadzia. Jadzia went on to become the only initiate ever to be rejected and then later re-accepted for the program. The experience made her determined to be a different type of docent for initiates when she was charged with evaluating Arjin during his initiate period.

The strenuous nature of the evaluation can be intimidating for many initiates, and rejection often leads to deep disappointment and loss of purpose. Verad serves as a striking example. After his rejection from the program, which he believed was unwarranted, he determined to capture a symbiont from a current host and join with it outside the strictures of the Symbiosis Commission. To this end he removed the Dax symbiont from Jadzia Dax and was briefly joined with it 2370.

References

• DS9:
  • "Dax"
  • "Playing God"
  • "Equilibrium"
  • "Facets"