Ziyal is like, incredibly thematically significant in DS9⌠She embodies the scars of occupation, Dukatâs egotism and his reinterpretation of his role during it, as well as both Kira and Garakâs struggles to reconcile their pasts with the futures they want to see.
Ziyal is also just very much a compelling character in her own right. A woman who lost her childhood and is unprepared for adulthood, and finds herself caught between being seen as a naive child and a traitor on both halves solely due to the circumstances of her birth. People push and pull her in different directions, trying to fill her head with their own ideals and philosophies.
She seems to compulsively cling to an idealised vision of her awful father, something she obviously used as a coping mechanism in her bleakest moments during the years in the labour camp. Sheâs drawn to Garak because of what he could represent for herâ and I think itâs very crucial there that two characters so heavily defined by the dynamics with their fathers having such strong incestuous overtones with them have a relationship dynamic which muddies familial, platonic, and romantic affection on both halvesâ and while she also wants Kira to play house with Dukat to fulfil her fairy tale of a happy family sheâll never have⌠but she still knows she canât make Kira do that.
She knows something is wrong and off and uncomfortable, and you can see her trying to suppress that feeling when it comes to her dad, over and over again⌠and when she finally pushes back, finally lets herself admit that her father is never going to be the ideal she dreamed of⌠her whole life gets cut short.
Oh, Ziyal⌠I donât think itâs possible to overstate how much I deeply, dearly adore her.
I will never get over her character, you really said everything I feel about her
