I liked Jadzia, but I’ll admit Terry’s charm carried her a long way in making the character likable.
Early on, the writers were betting heavily on the “alien feeling” of a young woman being referred to as an “old man” and being so knowledgeable. But that didn’t land as much, because Star Trek isn’t a stranger to smart, young-looking characters. So they mostly relied on Sisko reminding us she used to be an old guy to sell it.
Her being immature and mischievous was a feature, not a bug—and she was especially at her best when Worf was around. He was so serious, and she was the opposite; they brought out the best in each other. The fact that she carried so much baggage, knowledge, and life experience, yet still broke the mold by being playful—instead of philosophical and speech-prone like, say, Picard—made her interesting and unique.
She was meant more as a “fun friend.” She wasn’t the adult in the room like Janeway. For all her experience and knowledge, she was one of the crew, one that would play with the holodeck, gossip. and go for drinks after work. I never got the feeling Dax overall was a responsible person—and neither was Jadzia. And I felt that was intentional. I get why some people might not like her, but I think that’s just a matter of taste.
