Letter to Paramount

November 3, 1995

Lucy Salhany, President UPN
Kerry McCouggage, President Paramount Television
Rick Berman, Executive Producer
Jeri Taylor, Executive Producer
Michael Piller, Executive Producer
Avery Brooks
Terry Farrell
Ronald Moore
Rene Echevarria
5555 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90038

Dear Executives and Creative Staff:

The Voyager Visibility Project, USS Harvey Milk Gay & Lesbian Star Trek Association and Planet Stonewall Gay & Lesbian Science Fiction Association would like to congratulate everyone involved in the production of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode titled "Rejoined" on the quality of this program and its positive messages about love, tolerance, friendship and sexuality.

Avery Brook's direction was astute, Terry Farrell and Susanna Thompson's acting was inspired and Ronald Moore and Rene Echevarria's storyline was positive. The kiss between Jadzia and Lenara was electric and we were happy the camera didn't flinch. We acknowledge that the gender of the two lovers was never mentioned as a problem by any character; it was the Trill taboo against an association with a loved one from a past life that was the issue.

In terms of a visual connection and affection between two characters of the same sex and the attitudes of various characters toward such a liaison, this episode certainly blew the competition out of the water.

Although the characters of Jadzia Dax and Lenara Kahn can by no means be described as gay/lesbian given the fact that they are an entirely difference species of being, we believe that many viewers will be able to see parallels between the taboo they face and the taboos gay and lesbian people face.

However, we also believe that the concept of the Trill may confuse any number of people (in addition to Quark) and we were disappointed, but not surprised, by the convenient disappearance of the problem at the end of the episode. Gays and lesbians cannot choose to walk away from their sexuality without risking total self-destruction. Still, we endorse and support any positive effort to broaden the spectrum of sexuality represented on Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

The fact remains that you could certainly have made the character of Lenara Kahn a male, thus taking almost no risk in terms of potential fallout. Moreover, you could have presented this storyline -- although much less effectively-- without making a major character such as Jadzia one of the star-crossed "lovers". We hope that it continues to be clear that Jadzia does not particularly care about the gender of her partners.

We hope that the positive reception this story should garner will encourage you to add a positive, on-going human gay or lesbian character to the featured cast of Voyager or Deep Space Nine in the very near future. After all, it would be a much more effective, direct and courageous statement to show a gay or lesbian human being as a resident character on DS9 or Voyager--an ongoing character who has a distinctive personality and depth, who grows and changes and interacts with other members of the crew, who doesn't exist as a eunuch, who doesn't die or have everyone he or she loves die or disappear, who has a chance to relate to a lover the way Sisko relates to Cassidy Yates or O'Brien relates to Keiko or Kira related to her Bajoran Kai.

In regard to the notion that one episode can adequately explore this subject, we are reminded of "Let That Be The Last Battlefield", a single episode of TOS that made a statement against racial prejudice. Though that particular message certainly bears repeating, TOS had been making a MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE statement against racial prejudice and for inclusion from the very first time we saw Uhura and Sulu on the bridge.

In fact, if Gene Roddenberry had produced "Battlefield" as a single episode "statement against racial prejudice", but every character on the bridge of the Enterprise had been white ... it would have been much less effective ... if not an outright insult to the idea of racial equality. If Uhura and other non-white crewmembers had never existed, the message would have been dramatically undercut, if not regarded as empty posturing.

We believe the same lesson applies to the subject of sexual orientation in the 1990's.

Again, congratulations on this episode. We look forward to the day we will see an positive, openly gay or lesbian character --who would be engaging and intriguing even if his or her sexual orientation were never revealed ... and whose orientation would be treated as no more or less important and integral to the character than the sexuality of any of the heterosexual characters-- integrated into the cast of Voyager or Deep Space Nine.

Sincerely,

Timothy D. Perkins Director, Voyager Visibility Project http://www.gaytrek.com/gaytrek

NOTE TO USSHM/PS/VVP MEMBERS:

Please send your own letter to the producers and to:

F.J. Biondi, Jr.
President & CEO
Viacom, Inc.
200 Elm Street
Dedham, MA 02026

Deep Space Nine Production Office Attn: Ira Steven Behr Cooper Bldg., Rm. 200 Paramount Pictures, Inc. 5555 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90038

Your letter should be on a single page of white paper, typed or neatly handwritten in black ink. You should mail it in a #10 (long, business size) white envelope. Include your return address. DO NOT put "Star Trek," the name of the show, the name of the character(s), stickers or insignia of any kind on the envelope. (You'll be dismissed as a wacko and your letter tossed if you do.)

"Rejoined" Story Synopsis--To Be Posted

Personal Reaction To "Rejoined"

I agree that the direction was astute, the acting was inspired, and the message was positive. I thought that the kiss between Jadzia and Lenara was electric and I'm happy the camera did not flinch. I also acknowledge that the gender of the two lovers was never mentioned as a problem by any character; it was the Trill taboo against an association with a loved one from a past life that was the issue.

Yet I have some problems with "Rejoined" and the praise being heaped upon it as a bold step forward. If this is a step forward, it is a small step. After thirty years of Star Trek and promises of regular gay and lesbian characters, it is a very small step. After all, an allegory is only an allegory. A single episode is a single episode. And the convenient exit and subsequent disappearance of the "issue" is just a little too pat for me.

As gay and lesbian readers already know, we aren't just tempted to break the majority's taboo about whom we can love once in our lifetime ... we are attracted every single day of our sexual maturity and this attraction is hard-wired into our brains. Our Lenaras do not conveniently disappear, thus neatly solving our problem (although we did see that Jadzia was left heart-broken and devastated). If one Lenara does reject us or leave us for places we cannot follow, it doesn't change our basic situation. We will be attracted to other Lenaras and other Lenaras will be attracted to us. And we do not have the convenient "out" of being an "alien", let alone an alien who has actually lived as a member of the opposite sex, thus providing a rational explanation for our atypical behavior.

Perhaps I should be pleased that some people are criticizing this episode for "promoting homosexuality", since I thought it really had little to do with being gay or lesbian ... other than as a metaphor. After all, Jadzia and Lenara can by no means be described as lesbians --even though they certainly "looked" like lesbians. I mean they are definitely female in physical gender, they are definitely attracted to each other and they definitely display physical affection toward one another.

I admit this is may be nit-picking and I should take the attitude that "if it looks like a duck, etc.". But we have the "symbiot" (I hope that's the term for the slug-like being inside the humanoid body and not a term for the joined being) to confuse the issue. Does the symbiot have a gender outside the host? Will some viewers think that the Jadzia host is being controlled by the symbiot Dax ... that Jadzia is a man in a woman's body? If they do, does it make any difference to the message. Does this make Jadzia bisexual --or is this a once-in-a-lifetime event precipitated by the presence of a loved one from the past in an inconvenient body?

One possible way to clarify the Trill attitude to same-sex liaisons would have been to have shown Lenara's brother arriving on the station with his male lover --while still expressing strong opposition to the reassociation. Another way to cement the message would be to show other examples of same-sex relationships on the station --or make references to them.

At least "Rejoined" was far superior in terms of imagery to "The Outcast", where we had a male actor kissing a female actor who was playing a sad sack, rather unattractive genderless character. Here, two extremely attractive female actresses playing two females --although aliens with an admittedly confusing gender history --kissed passionately. Although Babylon Five's announcement that a major character was being revealed as gay or bisexual may be part of the reason Trek producers moved forward with this story, Babylon Five copped out at showing any physical contact between the two women, let alone a passionate kiss.

On the other hand, the Bab Five characters were two human women whose liaison was smoothly woven into the subplot of the episode and we can expect to see at least one of them again --although it remains to be seen whether or not we ever see her with another women. The possibility of continuing the B5 relationship seemed destroyed when Talia's personality was wiped. But there's the chance Talia's personality may be restored.

I suppose there's also a chance that Renara could change her mind and come back to DS9 to take up residence with Jadzia. And there's the chance Jadzia could make it clear that she is open to future same-sex relationships.

Another concern I had was the talk about being prepared to "pay the price" for the relationship and the rather stereotypical "but this can never be" ending. The talk about being prepared to pay the price was all too realistic in terms of gays and lesbians living in today's society --there is often a price to pay. Some people might interpret these lines as implying that gays and lesbians have to put up with bigotry and discrimination if they follow their hearts. We also know there is an even higher price to be paid for denying who we are, a subject which "Rejoined" does not address. Then again, the fact that one of the women was compelled to walk away was an effective dramatic method of evoking sympathy for the predicament of the characters.

My biggest concern is that the producers will not follow up this story --that they will take the attitude that they've finally produced a single episode that focused on "the gay issue" and was well-received and that they need do nothing more.

In regard to that notion, I'd like to remind the producers that we have yet to see --let alone get to know-- one openly gay or lesbian character on any iteration of Trek. One of the reasons this episode stands out so vividly is that we have never seen evidence of other such relationships --or even heard references to them-- in the past.

"Let That Be The Last Battlefield" was a single episode of TOS that made a statement against racial discrimination. (You may remember the two characters whose faces were half black and half white. The characters themselves had to reveal the fact that they were two separate "races" because neither the crew of the Enterprise nor most viewers could know that the key difference between them was which half of the face was black and which was white. A preposterous distinction ... which parrallels some of the preposterous notions about racial differences held by human beings today.) And, though any statement against racial prejudice is valuable and that particular message certainly bears repetition, there was really little need to produce this episode precisely because TOS had been making a MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE statement against racial prejudice and for inclusion from the very first time we saw the characters of Uhura and Sulu on the bridge.

In fact, if Roddenberry had produced "Battlefield" as a single episode "statement against racial prejudice", but every character on the bridge of the Enterprise had been white ... it would have been much less effective ... if not an outright insult to the idea of racial equality. If Uhura and other non-white crewmembers had never existed, the episode would simply have been empty posturing.

And, after all is said and done, isn't there a parallel here? Wouldn't it be a much more effective, direct and courageous statement to show a gay or lesbian human being as a resident character on DS9 --an ongoing character who has a distinctive personality and depth, who grows and changes and interacts with other members of the crew, who doesn't exist as a eunuch, who doesn't die or have everyone he or she loves die or disappear, who has a chance to relate to a lover the way Sisko relates to Cassidy Yates or O'Brien relates to Keiko or Kira related to her Bajoran lover.

Again, although this excellent episode presented an extremely positive message and delivered some historic same-sex imagery, the substitution of one episode for the inclusion of a fully developed on-going character(s) would be a great disappointment.

Request for Copies of Reviews and Comment From Print Media

Please keep an eye out for reviews and commentary on "Rejoined" and send copies to the Voyager Visibility Project, 1377 Fulton St., Suite 3, San Francisco, CA, 94117.

Sci fi Series Defy Same Sex Boundaries

By Mike Antonucci, San Jose Mercury News

As liberal as television supposedly is, certain images are rare. Notably and unreasonably rare.

Wouldn't we have a healthier culture, for instance, if a couple of sitcoms were cast with black-white couples each season? And wouldn't prime time look a lot more realistic with some displays of affection between gays and lesbians.

Isn't it telltale that TV has been relatively casual about some issues --did someone mention violence?-- but so cautious about others.

Two syndicated science fiction series, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Babylon 5," are challenging their industry's sense of caution about depicting same-sex relationships. But they're doing it in very different styles.

For "Deep Space Nine," it's essentially a one-show leap. In tonight's episode, the duality of the alien Jadzia Dax character is explored in a complex allegory about personal freedom and social condemnation. There's no missing the intent to deliver a message, although there's room to debate what that message is. A pivotal scene involves a prolonged kiss with another alien woman.

On "Babylon 5", executive producer J. Michael Straczynski has been creating an atmosphere in which gay and lesbian relationships are part of the ordinary backdrop rather than the focus of a script. In a recent episode, for instance, one female character discovered than another had left a room by reaching out in bed for her. But their sleeping together didn't push any social boundary.

"In the year 2259." says Straczynski, "no one cares."

Neither do Dax's friends and colleagues in the "Star Trek" universe, but tonight's story about her is told in large-scale metaphoric terms. The producers obviously felt they needed to raise big questions as a justification for bucking tv conventions.

To Staczynski, such an approach is patronizing.

He describes it as a heavy-handed effort to depict gays and lesbians "as people, too." In effect, it stigmatizes them because it seeks to defend a lifestyle that doesn't have to be on trial in the first place.

NOT JUST SEXUAL

But Terry Farrell, who plays Dax, says "Deep Space Nine" is simply written differently, with fewer "soap opera" character threads than the ones developed incrementally on "Babylon 5".

Besides, says Farrell, she sees the issues presented by this episode in the wider context of all TV and cultural inhibitions.

"It's not just sexual," says Farrell, who gives an exquisitely expressive performance. "it's about a couple that society finds unacceptable. It could just as easily be about racial or religious disapproval."

The set up for what transpires is that Dax is a Trill --a combination being whose host body contains a worm-like symbiot. Her love affiar tonight is with another Trill whose host body is a woman, and the attraction between them is based on the symbiots' history with previous married hosts that were male and female. It's incredibly convoluted and, as the Ferengi barkeep Quark notes, will end up giving you a headache.

In one sense, the two-beings-in-one-body factor obscures the same- sex issue. But Trill custom strictly prohibits "re-association" with previous mates, and that taboo is justified as being essential to social order. You'll find the symbolism unmistakable.

LIKELY COMPLAINTS

Critics of the episode are likely to have two main complaints: That it's pushing a political agenda for "normalizing" homosexuality, and that, as such, it's a particular betrayal of families because of the extra attraction science fiction has for children.

To which the responses might be: That the episdoe is illustrating what's normal for an untold number of people, and that many parents give their children sexual information with exactly that perspective.

If the argument were about context --racy dialogue or risque conduct-- it would be a different matter. TV ought to offer a safe harbor, a true family hour, where any material that's crass, explicit, gratuitous or salacious is avoided, regardless of whether the references are to heterosexuality or homosexuality.

But the argument is about a double standard, not language, nudity, promiscuity or exploitation. It's about heterosexuals judging homosexuals.

Objecting to the routine depiction of any gay and lesbian attachments, such as Dax's kiss or the same-sex hand holding in "Babylon 5" crowd scens, is just an attempt to keep real life off TV. And telling gays and lesbians to be invisible is another way of telling them not to be.

Everybody who disapproves of gay and lesbian relationships is entitled to their conviction, which is often rooted in deep religious beliefs. But gays and lesbians are entitled to their lives, either by nature or by choice.

TV's an influential medium, and that's why it should be inclusive, not exclusive. You've got an off switch at your disposal if you disagree, and there's influence in that as well.

NO AGENDA

Straczynski insists that there's no agenda to be found in his vision of a futuristic societ that has a relaxed homosexual component. There are reflections from all over the political spectrum in "Babylon 5," including powerful religious overtones that he has cultivated in the show despite his own atheism.

The importance of religious belief also has been a recurring theme in "Deep Space Nine," thereby serving the conservative cause of bringing more statements of faith and spirituality to TV.

Both "Deep Space Nine" and "Babylon 5" are presenting ideas in ways that defy left- or right-wing pigeonholing. That's good TV.

Queer Characters on Alien Nation and Babylon Five

(Warning: Potential Spoiler Information Included)

Babylon Five's highly-touted, "matter-of-fact" bisexual characters appeared on US television screens this month, and --given the ratings battle shaping up between Babylon Five and Deep Space Nine-- perhaps it's not such a surprise that Paramount has announced that a female-female love story with be featured in an upcoming episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

What is hugely ironic is that the ALIEN NATION made-for-television movie (which aired in SF October 10th) beat both Star Trek and Babylon Five to the punch on matter of fact portrayal of gays (that's gays, not bisexuals) --although the portrayals did not focus on a main character and were set in the present/very near future. There were some great lines --not the least of which was a reference to the Gingrich Home for Orphans, where an alien mystery child (who has been discovered apparently abandoned in the streets of Los Angeles) is taken in lieu of the police station and hospital. When the wife of the Tectonese or "Newcomer" policeman worries about whether their militant son was releasing his "alienword" fluids regularly and how this might be affecting his socialization, since he seemed to be hanging around aggressive males, the father said "There's nothing wrong with dating males, dear!" ... "You're not picking up that hydrophobia thing humans have are you?"

And when the human male police detective involved with the Tectonese female doctor decides to attend "sex education" classes for interspecies couples, since humans are often seriously injured when trying to mate with the stronger aliens due to ignorance of alien physique and a tendency to rush to action, we see a male-male interspecies couple graduating the class along with the hetero interspecies couples to universal applause and without any extraneous comment. (The alien male in the couple was even called "Walt Whitman"!!!!)

While your editor always disliked the police story/alien story aspect of Alien Nation, I'm often amused and entertained by the way the interaction of the species and the culture of the aliens is portrayed. This show certainly does not shy away from sexual topics --and is the better for it. The producers of this program deserve applause for the direct and matter-of-fact treatment of the fact that gay sexuality exists.

As for the appearance of a bisexual character on Babylon Five, I give them a "C". I was seriously underwhelmed. The series did live up to its commitment to introducing a "bisexual" main character --and they deserve credit for that. The female character of Ivanova, second in command of the station, invites the female character of Talia, the blonde bombshell commercial psychic who has played a continuing role in various episodes to stay with her when Talia says she has to temporarily vacate her quarters due to a "air circulation system glitch" and can't find a hotel room. The two are shown having this conversation at a sidewalk restaurant and are comparatively warm and friendly toward each other --given that they are both rather cool and non-demonstrative types.

The episode plot line revolves around the arrival of another psychic who has fled the ominous Psi Corps that controls all human psychics who had served on the station during the initial episodes. This woman had been the only human to link with a Vorlon, after the mysterious Vorlon Ambassador Kosh has been poisoned in an assassination attempt. She has learned that Psi Corps has planted an agent on Babylon Five, someone who has had a second personality programmed into them so deeply it cannot be detected by traditional psychic scans but so powerful it will completely wipe out the existing personality when triggered by a key word. Ivanova is known to have barely escaped recruitment into Psi Corps after her mother was revealed to be a powerful Psi. Her mother resisted recruitment and her mind was destroyed as a result. The renegade psychic wants to send the trigger message to key command personnel to see if the personality will emerge --and Ivanova is resisting.

Later in Ivanova's quarters, Talia tells Ivanova, who is worrying about the situation, that she can trust her, and she says, "speaking of trust", she is going to trust Ivanova implicitly ... as she approaches close to Ivanova's face and looks into her eyes and makes as if to touch her hair. Cut to Ivanova's reaction. Later that night, Talia wakes up alone in bed and reaches over to feel for Ivanova, who is gone. (The renegade psychic is attacked during this time period by an unknown assassin.) The next morning, Talia comes out of the shower to ask Ivanova where she was last night.

This is an extremely cautious approach, with the relationship based on implication more than action. We never see a kiss, an embrace, or even a lingering touch. What the two women say to each other -- without a "darling" or "lover" thrown in for confirmation-- must carry the message that this is more than a close friendship. Those who do not want to see or acknowledge a sexual relationship will have an easy time denying one --as every scene seems to have two interpretations.

One interesting aspect of the show was that what Ivanova considers her "terrible secret" which she reluctantly reveals to Commander Sheridan in a scene similar to many "coming out" scenarios is NOT her bisexuality, but the fact that she is psychic.

The fact that Talia turns out to be the deep agent --who has her personality completely replaced by a hateful, taunting Psi Corps implant-- effectively ends the chance for any on-going relationship. Talia taunts Ivanova about the things she has said to her "at night", when she implies the "evil" personality could come out and that what she said was only in order to get information.

Given that the female "bisexual" is a favorite heterosexual male fantasy, this is the safest, most non-threatening kind of queer character the producers could choose to portray. It would be a shame if Ivanova's character were to run "straight" into the arms of the first man to come along "for comfort" and the remain there for the duration of the series. This is not my understanding of bisexuality.

I may raise Babylon Five's grade, depending on how the character and relationships of Ivanova develop during the course of the show. I encourage you to write and voice your concerns.

Synopsis of "Divided Loyalties" Episode of Babylon Five

From Bab Five Online Newsletter By J.C. Williamson

Open on The Zocalo, where Delenn and Sheridan chat at a hardcopy "Universe Today" vending machine. She volunteers her need to better understand the Earth media's intrusive tactics, noting that Minbari respect privacy and are told only what they need to know. He stands by as she orders her usual customized edition, bemused as he overhears her standard request for "Eye On Minbari." She stammers, then admits that it's good to "learn things about my homeworld before I am told what I need to know."

At Syria Planum, Mars Colony, a man runs frantically through a system of dark, wet sewers, with trackers in hot pursuit. Fatally injured, he falls a the foot of a Ranger. It is not a chance meeting. The runner hands the Ranger a data crystal and gasps his dying warning for B5: "Tell them it's not safe."

Sheridan and Garibaldi chance to meet in a public W.C. They chat aimlessly as Garibaldi debugs the place, until a Pak'ma'ra emerges from his special stall (with a shudder of delight) and leaves. Their conversation abruptly shifts to a covert cell discussion -- should Talia Winters be brought into the fold? Agreeing that she's proven trustworthy and useful, they decide affirmatively.

Winters and Ivanova share a friendly meal in the Zocalo. They laugh, recalling their initial animosity, which has evolved into a friendship. Ivanova, alerted by C&C of a strange ship's arrival, prepares to leave. Winters mentions that she must locate a place to stay while her quarters are being repaired and Ivanova quickly invites her to spend the night.

In C&C, Ivanova tries hailing the ship but no response comes. Corwin scans the vessel and reports one lifeform.

Garibaldi and Franklin wait at the docking bay as an emergency unit searches the retrieved mystery ship. It's an Earth Alliance ship but cannot be identified. A searcher confirms that one unconscious being is aboard and Franklin alerts MedLab. As the survivor is wheeled out, past Garibaldi, he exclaims in recognition: It's Lyta Alexander, B5's infamous first and former telepath -- the one who's accusations nearly ruined Sinclair and the only human known who scanned a Vorlon and lived to tell the tale.

In MedLab, alone with Franklin, Lyta regains consciousness. She immediately panics, resisting Franklin's attempts at aid and demanding to see Captain Sheridan. She appears irrational, threatening Franklin with a hypo and insisting that, "I don't want to see any of you alone .... One of you is a traitor. And I can prove it."

In Sheridan's office, Lyta appears collected but wary. Sheridan, Garibaldi, Ivanova and Franklin listen, incredulously, as she briefs them on her recent activities: After a detention and intense yet fruitless interrogation regarding her Vorlon scan, Lyta escaped Earth, intending to somehow get herself into Vorlon space, where she's felt inexplicably drawn since her glimpse inside Kosh's mind. To pay her way, she worked for Free Mars, involving herself in their covert operations. That underground learned of Psi Corps' secret facilities on Syria Planum and their experiments with "sleepers" --people with Artificial Personalities constructed using deepscan and drugs. Lyta emphasizes that such a mole would not be conscious of the sleeper within. At the appointed time , a telepathically transmitted password would activate the sleeper, obliterate the original personality, and only the construct would survive. Much to the other's discomfort and disbelief, Lyta insists that a sleeper known as "Control" has infiltrated the B5 command staff. But she has the password. She offers to flush out the traitor via telepathically transmitting that word (much to Ivanova's horror). Lyta, explaining that she is in danger from the sleeper, who "watches" from within the unknowing mole and will likely act in self-preservation, requests protection and Sheridan has Garibaldi take her to a holding cell.

Sheridan mulls over the dilemma in the zen garden, where a happy Delenn joins him. She banters cheerfully until she finally gets a smile out of him. As they enjoy their warm moment, she gently caresses his hand -- he's mildly startled, but does not pull away. She offers, "Something has gone your way for today. Wait just a little while and the wheel turns." And then his link beeps, it's Garibaldi, calling him away from this pleasant interlude.

Garibaldi's investigation confirms Lyta's activities and he believes her warning. Sheridan suspects Lyta's story might be yet another deception, then suggests Jack, the guard who betrayed and shot Garibaldi, might have been Control. They concur on the possibility. They also concur that Susan Ivanova won't be easily persuaded to submit to Lyta's test.

Susan, dressed in her nightsilk, is indeed "on a rampage," venting her frustration on her defenseless kitchen cupboards. A robed Talia emerges from the bedroom, toweling her hair and looking utterly relaxed. She chides Susan for her cupboard abuse, prompting a sheepish smile. As they chat, Susan asks if Talia knows Lyta. She does. They were close friends once and she still respects Lyta. When Susan responds that she doesn't know who to trust anymore, Talia empathizes, then intimately offers that she trusts one person -- and that person is Susan. Susan's soulful, trusting look answers her clearly.

Garibaldi instructs Zack to have Lyta transferred to a cell with sleeping accommodations. He queries Zack about his NightWatch involvement and Zack blithely replies that he'll wear the armband as long as they pay him.

Alone in Ivanova's quarters, Winters stirs in her sleep and drowsily reaches to the other side of the bed. Its emptiness obviously surprises her and she's now wide awake.

Lyta is escorted from her holding cell by two guards. Out in the corridor, the lights blow out. The guards move to protect her but one is shot down. A gloved hand appears, holding a PPG. Another shot, and the second guard goes down. Lyta, shaken but alert, takes the guard's PPG, fires and escapes.

In the captain's office, Sheridan, Garibaldi and Ivanova debate their next course of action. Now Sheridan believes Lyta's warning but Ivanova still balks. Sheridan counters that no one knew about Lyta but their core group and Garibaldi reiterates that the sleeper will protect itself. Sheridan now wants Lyta to perform the probe, despite Ivanova's angry refusal to submit.

The babcom interrupts Delenn, alone in quarters and working. Lyta desperately appeals for her help, asking Delenn to meet her and Delenn, who remembers her, willingly agrees.

Susan arrives at her quarters and finds Talia at her door. Talia is there to fetch her things, realizes Susan is upset and encourages her to open up. Susan cryptically refers to dangerous lies and damning secrets. Talia counters that everyone has secrets and reminds Susan that people care truly about her -- especially Talia.

Delenn chases an impatient Sheridan onto a lift, where she quietly informs him that Lyta wants a meeting with the command group. She's honor-bound to keep Lyta's whereabouts secret, so Sheridan agrees to Delenn's terms.

Sheridan returns to his quarters where, to his surprise, a deeply distressed Ivanova awaits. She blurts out an astonishing confession -- she's a latent telepath. Stunned, Sheridan recalls his disturbing vision of Ivanova and a raven as Ivanova pleads her fear of Lyta's probe. Suddenly a message comes from Delenn: "Now."

Delenn delivers Lyta to the group in Sheridan's office and discretely departs. Sheridan volunteers to be tested first and before he even knows he's being probed, he's cleared. Next, a relieved Franklin is pronounced clean. Garibaldi solemnly hands over his PPG before he's tested. As Lyta transmits the password, he flinches and jerks wildly -- then laughs at everyone's horror-stricken responses. He's clean too, although no one is much amused. It's Ivanova's turn, but she's not ready. So one by one the entire command staff is brought past Lyta, who checks them without their even sensing her probe. Lyta's adamant that the sleeper is highly placed and all attention turns to reluctant Ivanova. When Sheridan pleads that they must all cooperate or be defeated from within, Susan grouses but finally submits. It's tough for Lyta to read her, but she too is clean. Suddenly, Winters pops in, unaware of the covert proceedings. Lyta automatically probes her -- the traitor is revealed. Enraged at being decloaked, the Winters construct grabs Garibaldi's forgotten PPG and shoots but misses. Garibaldi and Lyta subdue her but she screams vile Psi Corps threats as she's hauled away.

The cell group, minus Ivanova, debates what Winters knew and what her construct knows still. They decide that what she knows is balanced by what they now know about Psi Corps. They're sobered further, recalling how close they came to bringing her into the cell group. Garibaldi also recalls that Kosh has a data crystal made from a scan on Winters and perhaps "something else," which he promises to expand upon later.

The Winters construct paces angrily in her quarters, under guard. Ivanova enters, emotionally spent. Although she knows better, Susan tries to reach Talia -- but the Winters construct laughs cruelly at her efforts. "I was trapped inside her mind, only able to come out at night, to whisper in her dreams. And you believed everything she said." Ivanova, painfully realizing her Talia is dead, sadly departs.

Ambassador Kosh receives Lyta in his quarters. She anxiously assures him that she never told anyone what she saw in his mind. Somehow, she hid it from all who probed but cherished the memory of his "song" for her private moments. Now she must leave the station, again on the run, but she begs one favor. " Kosh, I want to see you again. Just one more time, before I go."

He doesn't reply but Lyta watches in total awe and wonder as the Vorlon's encounter suit slowly opens. A bright light pours forth, reflected only in her wide eyes. A strong, unfurling sound is heard as we ... FADE TO BLACK.

Paramount Press Release Confirms
That Dax Will Meet Female Lover
From Former Lifetime

As previously posted, a Paramount Press release and article in TV Guide have confirmed that upcoming episode of (#478) of Deep Space Nine titled "Rejoined" will have Jadzia Dax meeting a woman to whom she was married when the Dax persona was joined with a male humanoid known as Curzon. The Paramount release states that Dax "must choose between her feelings and the rules of Trill society" (which prohibits contact with persons with whom one has formed sexual relationships during previous lives). Guest stars include Susanna Thompson as Dr. Lenara Kahn, Tim Ryan as Bejal Kahn, James Noah as Pren and Kenneth Marshall as Eddington. Teleplay by Ronald Moore and Rene Echevarria. Story by Rene Echevarria and directed by Avery Brooks.

Text of TV Guide Article

Jadzia Dax, the female Trill played by series regular Terry Farrell, will have a romance with another female Trill, Lenara (guest star Susanna Thompson). No, it's not a lesbian storyline, technically.

"A hundred years ago, Dax inhabited a male host and had a remarkable love affair and marriage with Lenara, who inhabited a female host," Berman explains. "Three hosts later, they meet on the space station when they're both inhabiting female bodies and fall in love all over again." Will the episode --which features considerable flirting and even a kiss-- shock some viewers? "I hope so," says Berman. "Will they be shocked to the point where they never watch us again? I doubt it. The best Star Trek episodes have always been the ones that make us think. That's what science fiction is all about."

The kiss, Terry Farrell admits, "was difficult ecause I do not find myself attracted to my own sex. I had to get past that, because the story was important enough ... but it was uncomfortable." She credits Avery Brooks, who directed the episode, with being "very impassioned and supportive. He worked hard to keep this a true, serious love story, not something sensational. This is not like [the infamous "lesbian kiss" on] Roseanne."

Continues Farrell, "When Rick first asked me last summer if I would kiss a woman, I made some sort of wisecrack, but then I seriously thought about it and realized that this is the kind of brave stuff I always dreamed our show would do. We've got all the adventure and fighting and the computer technobabble, but there's not a lot of opportunity to find out what really, really touches our characters. This episode is worth all those shows where I only had one line."

Letter To Paramount Re: Rejoined Press Release

October 8, 1995

Lucy Salhany, President UPN
Kerry McCouggage, President Paramount Television
Rick Berman, Executive Producer, Star Trek
Jeri Taylor, Executive Producer, Star Trek
Michael Piller, Executive Producer, Star Trek
5555 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90038

Dear Executives:

The Voyager Visibility Project has read recent published stories and press releases confirming that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine plans a storyline in which the female Trill character Jadzia Dax meets a woman who was Dax's wife and lover when the non-humanoid entity in the Trill joined species occupied a male humanoid body in a "past" lifetime. According to published remarks in "TV Guide", Jadzia Dax and the Trill Lenara Kahn, now joined to another female body, fall in love all over again in "Rejoined".

Supposedly, there will be an obvious attraction, flirting and a kiss between lovers. As a representative of VVP, I'm writing to express our cautious optimism about the storyline and to express our general support of the manner in which questions about gender and gender roles are raised through the character of Jadzia Dax.

Several transgendered persons have written the project to express their feeling that Dax is a metaphor that may help others better understand their situation --and state that they feel a strong connection to the character.

Depending on the manner in which the story is executed, this may prove to be a small, but positive additional step toward inclusion of characters with alternative sexualities. The fact that the press releases about "Rejoined" also mention that it is against Trill custom --if not Trill law-- to associate with lovers from past lives and that the list of guest characters indicates that Jadzia's love interest may be married to a humanoid male does not bode well for the future of any relationship.

While the Voyager Visibility Project supports any positive effort to broaden the spectrum of sexuality represented on Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the character of Jadzia Dax is not representative of the gay or lesbian experience and can by no means be considered a gay or lesbian character.

We want to reaffirm our position that it is long past time for Star Trek to add a positive, on-going and human gay or lesbian character to the featured cast of Voyager or Deep Space Nine. We hope that the response to this story will help you realize that the addition of a gay or lesbian character would add a new excitement and increase interest in either series.

We believe that such a character would make an extremely important statement about tolerance and inclusion at a time when gay and lesbian people are the objects of increasingly vicious attacks and demonization by the religious right. It would be an affirmation to gay and lesbian youth that there will be a place for them in the future, just as Whoopi Goldberg as stated that the original character of Uhura inspired her to believe there could be a future for her despite her problems at the time.

This is also the reason we believe that it is important that this character be "human" as opposed to "alien", even though all of the aliens on Trek are humanoid, and, in the case of Jadzia Dax, extremely attractive. As people who are too often seen as "unnatural", "outsiders" and "aliens" because of our sexual orientation, it will be all too easy to dismiss a gay or lesbian alien character as "unreal" or "not relevant to real life" ... as literally "inhuman". In the case of Jadzia Dax, we feel there will be many people who attribute any fraternization with a same-sex partner to the "male" alien entity inside the "female" body taking control of both. (It will be interesting to see if "Rejoined" offers any clear insight on this subject.)

We note that Jadzia Dax has always been identified as heterosexual in previous episodes, one in which she falls in love with a male from a planet shifting into another dimension. We also note that this announcement and episode comes well after Babylon Five announced that a "gay or bisexual character" would be revealed to the audience during the course of the first four episodes of this season, that the character is rumored to be a female who has a relationship with another female and that this episode will air at about the same time as "Rejoined".

It may be worth repeating our admonition to the executive producer of Babylon Five that a one-episode flirtation with a same-sex partner, which is immediately and permanentedly replaced by successive and repeated relationships with partners of the opposite sex does not reflect our understanding of bisexuality.

We encourage you to continue to produce storylines that explore sexual identity and applaud positive portrayals of gay, lesbian, bisexual or multiple gendered characters. We also encourage you to introduce alien species with multiple sexes, species that change genders or have no gender or multiple genders and species that pursue non-sexual methods of reproduction. After all, it is a tradition that science fiction explore the differences that humanity might encounter should we actually venture outside this solar system ... just as it is a tradition that the way humanity deals with those differences is often a metaphor for how we deal with those who are different from ourselves here on earth.

There is certainly a large body of science fiction literature that has done an excellent job of speculating on this subject ... and, even with the recent boom in science fiction programming, television has barely scratched the surface of this body of work.

Again, we look forward to seeing this episode ... and hope that it brings us closer to the day we will see an positive, openly gay or lesbian character --who would be engaging and intriguing even if his or her sexual orientation were never revealed ... and who's orientation would be treated as no more or less important and integral to the character than any of the heterosexual characters-- integrated into the cast of Voyager or Deep Space Nine.

Sincerely,
Timothy D. Perkins
Director, Voyager Visibility Project

Please send feedback to Outspeaker at: outspker@ccnet.com.