Verad was an unjoined Trill male who lived during the mid-24th century.
History
Mediocrity
Verad was a prospective candidate for hosting a Trill symbiont whose application was turned down by the Symbiosis Commission. Although initially unable to become an initiate, Verad had spent years trying to qualify for symbiosis, and bitterly resented being deprived of his ambition.
For a time, Verad worked as the communications clerk at the Federation consulate on Khefka IV. While stationed there, he visited an accommodation house where he met Mareel; the two fell in love and he took her with him to Trill when he was recalled. (DS9: "Invasive Procedures")
"Verad Dax"
Tired of his mediocre life, he decided to steal the Dax symbiont from Jadzia Dax and escape into the Gamma Quadrant. Accompanied by Mareel, having hired Klingon mercenaries T'Kar and Yeto to assist him – the crew had tricked Quark into providing them access to the station by claiming that they wanted to purchase some liquid data chains from him – he took control of the nearly-empty Deep Space 9, in 2370, during a plasma storm that required most of the crew to evacuate. Although Dax reminded him that the joining could cause psychological damage to him, Verad threatened to kill the crew if Dax refused, and she agreed to go through with the procedure knowing that it would kill her. Julian Bashir implanted the Dax symbiont within him.
Claiming to now be "Verad Dax", Verad changed greatly after the joining: he became more confident, intelligent, and according to him, felt better than ever, but he also became distant towards Mareel and eventually planned to explore the Gamma Quadrant without her. He also tried to continue Dax's old friendship with Benjamin Sisko, treating Sisko as a friend as they warmly commiserated over some of Sisko's previous experiences with Curzon. Sisko terminated the friendship, however, when Verad refused to return Dax to Jadzia and thereby save her life. Verad 'defended' his decision of not returning the symbiont by claiming that it could be damaged with another rapid exchange of hosts.
Joran feeling strange and empty
After Sisko and the crew of Deep Space 9 regained control of the station, after Quark provided a distraction that allowed Bashir to knock one of the Klingons out and subsequently release Odo, the Dax symbiont was returned to Jadzia Dax. The removal of the symbiont left Verad shattered, feeling strange and empty; Mareel, nevertheless assured him that he wasn't alone, and that he had her and always will.
Following the symbiont's return Jadzia, she explained that she remembered it all: "Everything he thought… everything he did… and it's so… sad. I guess he'll always be with me now…" (DS9: "Invasive Procedures")
| The hosts of Dax |
|---|
| Lela • Tobin • Emony • Audrid • Torias • Joran • Curzon • Jadzia • Ezri Verad • Yedrin |
Appendices
Background information
Verad was played by John Glover.
He was described in the script as "slight and nervous looking. Leopard-like spots on the side of his head identify him as a Trill." He was further described as "middle-aged, a little out of shape… nervous… and very, very scared. Verad averts his eyes. Whenever Verad talks, he avoids making eye contact."
Following the implantation of the Dax symbiont, Verad was then described as "a changed man. The differences are undeniable. There's a look of confident serenity on his face. He stands taller, carries himself better. The nervousness is gone and when he speaks, he now looks people straight in the eye."
Apocrypha
Verad appears in The Lives of Dax story "Reflections", attempting a black market operation of 'loaning' symbiotes to various Trill.
He also appears as the antagonist in Star Trek: Divided We Fall, a crossover featuring the characters of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: The Next Generation, attempting a coup against the 'oppressive' joined Trill 'dictatorship', committing suicide once his plans are thwarted. This story gives his full name as Verad Kalon.
External links
- Verad at StarTrek.com
- Verad Kalon at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works