The Orb 50: New Song or New Verse?

Trill on Trial.

The concept of a joined species is an interesting and mysterious one. Two separate beings—each with their own will and identity—come together to form one. If it were a once-in-a-lifetime event for both, the union might be easy to define. But in the case of Trill, one half of this merging gets to do it over and over again—which raises the question of culpability. Can a current host be held responsible for the actions of a previous host?

In this episode of The Orb, hosts Christopher Jones and Matthew Rushing delve into what it means to be joined, the extent to which one Trill union is unique compared to a previous one, the potential of tug-o-war between host and symbiont, and why this unique aspect of Trill society was unknown even to other Federation worlds until the late 24th century. Is the existence of a symbiont more like the tracks of an album or the movements of a symphony? We challenge our preconceived notions and follow the evolution of Trill within the DS9 story.