The Ultimate Dax and Worf Watchlist

Jadzia Dax is lieutenant commander and chief science officer on Starfleet station Deep Space 9. She's a Trill scientist with seven lifetimes of memories, thanks to a bond with a 356-year-old symbiont called Dax. Worf, Deep Space 9's strategic operations officer, and a senior security chief who was one of the first Klingons to join Starfleet.

Worf likes prune juice; Jadzia prefers bloodwine. He's a fan of traditional Klingon opera singer Barak-Kadan; she thinks Barak-Kadan is a bore. Worf's uptight on vacation. Dax wants to experience it all.

Their differences may be striking, but the romantic dynamic between Jadzia and Worf through Seasons 4-6 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is as natural as it gets. Despite the complexity of their relationship, akin to any Klingon courtship, their love remained strong — through cultural disagreements, trust issues, and even war.

They shouldn't work, yet they do. Here are our favorite Jadzia and Worf episodes, recapping their DS9 history from first bat'leth duel to marriage.

"The Way of the Warrior, Part I" (Season 4, Episodes 1)

When Dax meets Worf. In medieval cosplay.

Worf joined the primary DS9 cast in this Season 4 opener, having been recruited by Captain Benjamin Sisko to better understand the intentions of Martok, a Klingon general. When Martok and his crew arrive at the Deep Space 9 station to "protect" the entry point of the Alpha Quadrant, Sisko questions their motives. And, since the only people who can understand Klingons are other Klingons, Worf is tasked with getting to know Martok.

Sparks first fly between Dax and Worf in Quark's bar and recreation center. Jadzia, fresh off some kind of Arthurian holosuite program where kissing Lancelot was involved, introduces herself to Worf with a colorful Klingon phrase. He's impressed, if not stunned. Worf also recognizes Jadzia's connection to Curzon, the previous host of the Dax symbiont, and a beloved Klingon ambassador. Like Curzon, Jadzia is fluent in Klingon, both in language and culture.

Worf and Jadzia's second encounter establishes what will become an important activity in their relationship — bat'leth duels in the holosuite. While Jadzia doesn't gain the upper hand, she has Worf considering her mastery over Klingon conduct. Maybe that's why she so easily becomes his confidante, a friend.

"The Sword of Kahless" (Season 4, Episode 9)

"The Sword of Kahless" is that chapter in a relationship where you see a person's true colors. And you decide to stick around. 

While visiting DS9, legendary Klingon warrior and Dahar master Kor regales Jadzia and Worf with a legendary tale about the first bat'leth ever forged, the Sword of Kahless. And, because glorious Klingon history deserves its place in the Hall of Heroes, Kor invites Dax and Worf to join him on an expedition to recover the sword in the far reaches of the Gamma Quadrant.

Finding the Sword of Kahless proves relatively straightforward. Avoiding its irresistible lure of corruptible power, however, is a different story. Worf and Kor come to blows over who is worthier to wield Kahless' ultimate weapon, a cornerstone of Klingon history.

Confiding in Dax, Worf confesses that a) he doesn't trust Kor, and b) he once saw a vision of Kahless in his youth that propelled him towards a unique destiny in Starfleet. It's a show of vulnerability for the normally restrained Worf, and it deepens his bond with Jadzia as she learns just how much he's fought for his place amongst the Klingon and the Federation.

"Sons of Mogh" (Season 4, Episode 15)

This one makes our list for its hot n' sexy bat'lething sequence, a power play between Worf and Dax that foreshadows what's ahead.

"Sons of Mogh" opens on the physical, energetic side of this couple, although the episode places equal emphasis on their emotional connection.

Worf receives an unexpected visit on DS9 from his brother Kurn, now ejected from the Klingon High Council because of Worf's refusal to side with Gowron as Chancellor. Hopeless and adrift, Kurn asks Worf to perform the Mauk-to'Vor ritual, an honor killing. This doesn't go over so well once discovered by Sisko, and Dax interjects to explain the context of the Mauk-to'Vor. Throughout the episode, she defends Worf and Kurn's right to Klingon ritual, again acting as a friend and ambassador, like Curzon before her.

"Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places" (Season 5, Episode 3)

Arguably the most important episode on the Jadzia and Worf watchlist since this is when they "define the relationship." Or, participate in the first of many Klingon mating rituals that lands them both in Sickbay. 

par'Mach is adjacent to "love" in Klingon, but with more aggressive overtones. It has a subtle meaning, and it isn't easily understood by the Ferengi Quark. He's trying to win over the heart of ex-wife Grilka ("The House of Quark"), a noble Klingon woman who once married him for convenience. But Worf falls hard for Grilka too — he loves her inscrutable face and that proud head tilt. In spite of Quark's unworthiness, Worf equips him with the culture, knowledge, and strength he'll need to captivate Grilka.

Grilka should be Worf's perfect woman; she's as traditional as he is. But Grilka isn't Dax. Jadzia pushes, and teases, and lightens Worf's cloudy demeanor. She isn't traditional, and her desire for adventure rules. But, like Worf, Dax has strong convictions. When she appeals to him in Klingon, invoking a message of attraction, Worf is overcome. Dax, a Trill, has initiated a Klingon mating ritual, and it all started with a spicy bat'leth duel.

"Let He Who Is Without Sin..." (Season 5, Episode 7)

The ultimate compatibility test for any couple — vacation together.

Before the Dominion War kicked into full gear, Jadzia and Worf took some much-needed shore leave on Risa, a pleasure planet famous for its gorgeous inhabitants and unnaturally perfect weather. Unfortunately, their trip is preceded by jealousy and bickering, exacerbated by the couple's encounter with Arandis. Arandis, one of Curzon's Risian lovers, killed him through vigorous jamaharon. Worf can't stomach the thought.

Jadzia urges Worf, repeatedly, to just let loose and enjoy himself. She can't comprehend how a Klingon can be so austere, and he can't understand Jadzia's "impulsiveness."

Worf takes his opposition against Risian frivolity a touch too far though, partnering with Pascal Fullerton, a "chairman of the New Essentialists Movement." Fullerton is some kind of evangelist who believes that Risian morals are symbolic of Federation weakness. Worf agrees, and he helps the New Essentialists disable Risa's weather grid so that vacationers experience the planet's heavy rainfall for days on end.

Failing to grasp his perspective, Jadzia presses Worf on why he's ruining what should be a beautiful holiday. To help her understand, Worf reveals a childhood trauma that explains why he constantly holds himself back. It's a powerful meeting of the minds, and it helps the couple break new ground. After getting things off his chest, "Vacation Worf" comes through — relaxed, romantic, and ready to get out of uniform.

"You Are Cordially Invited" (Season 6, Episode 7)

The wedding of Worf, Son of Mogh, and Jadzia Dax.

There's nothing like a wartime wedding to boost morale, and Jadzia and Worf deliver. After pushing up their ceremony so that Worf's son Alexander can attend, Jadzia and Worf work quickly to accomplish the pre-wedding rites according to Klingon law.

For Worf, this means participating in the Kal'Hyah, or the "Klingon bachelor party." It's four days of blood, sweat, song, and deprivation, which is a cakewalk compared to what Dax endures. In order to be embraced as a Klingon daughter, Jadzia must win the approval of Sirella, wife of Martok, and the Mistress of the House. Suffice to say, Sirella's a piece of work. 

Dax's ferocity and complete embrace of Klingon culture makes her a worthy partner to Worf. While she could have accepted defeat and opted into a more secular ceremony, Dax sees it through even when she threatens to break. She is marrying a proud Klingon man, and so she competes in the trials of love. She's the Lukara to Worf's Kahless.

"Change of Heart" (Season 6, Episode 16)

A mission in the Badlands goes just about as well as you'd expect.

With the U.S.S. Defiant away on drills, Jadzia and Worf barely settle into newlywed life when they're assigned a recon on Soukara, a Dominion base located in the Badlands region. To stay undetected, they land in dense forests about a two-day hike from their rendezvous point with Lasaran, the Cardassian spy they've been sent to rescue.

A sneak attack from a Jem'Hadar patrol leaves Dax incapacitated from a disruptor injury. Making matters worse, the weapon was laced with an anticoagulant, so she's bleeding out, quickly. There's no possible way she can continue on her feet, but Lasaran has vital intelligence for the Federation. Worf must choose — fulfill the mission or save his wife. He can't have it both ways.

By guaranteeing Jadzia's survival, Worf denies his warrior instinct. Yet another example where he's willing to soften, or bend, for love. 

"Tears of the Prophets" (Season 6, Episode 26)

Their story concludes with an ending as dramatic as a Klingon opera.

Jadzia Dax's death at the hands of Gul Dukat was an immeasurable blow to Worf. Her loss was particularly poignant since the two had recently decided to have a baby, a unique challenge but one they were willing to face. Jadzia's excitement, and Worf's sense of hope, renewed their love. But their dreams were dashed, and it happened way too quickly.

In DS9's Season 6 finale, Gul Dukat becomes a willing host to a Pah-wraith, a type of non-corporeal being that's an enemy to the Bajoran Prophets. When Dukat's Pah-wraith strikes while she's praying to the Prophets, Jadzia is fatally wounded, but the Dax symbiont is spared. In her final moments, Worf is by her side. He is stoic and brave, offering a blessing to bring her spirit back to Qo'noS. Here, he acknowledges Dax as a full Klingon, claiming her eternal resting place in the home world of his people.

Jadzia's last words are even more tragic, "Our baby would have been so beautiful."

Maybe it's the shortest love stories that have the most intensity. While Worf and Jadzia didn't enjoy years together, they did demonstrate a joint commitment that spanned cultures and worlds. And they aren't the perfect match. That's the point.

Jadzia and Worf argued, sacrificed, and fought to be heard. They made room for each other's perspectives, adapting and growing into a partnership that didn't always gel. This "unlikely" match is anything but, and Jadzia and Worf's pairing stands out as one of Deep Space Nine's most compelling, and heartbreaking, romances.