yellowandgray:
I don’t know when the writers decided Julian was an augment, but I feel like his augmentation really changes how you interpret his character in early seasons, especially in the context of his arrogance. Julian being arrogant and young are very important, if not some of the most defining, characteristics but when you add in his genetic manipulation it’s interesting because you could argue that his confidence is no longer in himself but what was done to him. If you are given robotic legs that can run 30 miles per hour, it’s not arrogant when you claim you can run faster than any other human, it’s a fact. Similarly, if Julian has been genetically modified to be smarter than other people it’s no longer arrogant to consider himself more intelligent, it’s him believing in the procedure that had been done to him. I always think of the blight episode, which of course has Julian basically thinking that he’s the only person who will be able to save these people and Jadzia rightfully calling him out on that. Without his augmentation, he’s just a young man with a hero complex and a bloated ego. But with his augmentation, he has literally been manipulated to be smarter than an average human, if he can’t figure it out why would someone without the added manipulation be able to? Not to say this still isn’t an arrogant thought process, but I feel like it’s a little sadder than simple young overconfidence, it’s not pride in yourself it’s pride in something he had no control over.
