54. Meridian

Summary

The Defiant encounters strange gravitational anomalies near a star, and watch in amazement as a planet materializes before their very eyes. They beam down to the small village of 30 inhabitants who inform them that their planet, Meridian, has a dual existence. They spend 60 years in noncorporeal form, existing as pure consciousness, then the planet and the people return to the physical plane for a period of time that is shortening with each trip. Eventually, when their time as solid beings decreases to zero, the planet and all the people will cease to exist. While working on a way to keep Meridian in the corporeal dimension, Dax falls in love with Deral, the village's scientist. At first he wants to leave the planet and come with her to DS9 but ultimately decides he can't leave his people, so Jadzia and Julian find a way to modify her quantum signature so she can stay with him even after the dimensional shift. The crew find a way to extend Meridian's time on the physical plane to 30 years, but Jadzia's plan to stay with Deral doesn't work...she has to be beamed away at the last minute just as the planet vanishes.

Meanwhile on the station, Kira is bothered by a persistent suitor named Tiron. When she puts him off by telling him that Odo is her lover, he decides to have Quark make him a holoprogram of her. Quark's efforts to obtain a holoimage of Kira keep failing, and when she and Odo catch Quark breaking into her personnel files Kira decides to give him a taste of his own medicine and allows him to complete the program...but she and Odo make some changes. When Tiron tries on his new program for size, he finds a willing and able Kira body...with Quark's head.

Analysis

Ho hum. More romance with the alien du jour. Everyone's gotta have a turn at this particular Trek staple...Jadzia Dax, come on down! Of all the one-episode romances, this is probably the worst. Well, maybe not...Second Sight is pretty lame...but it's a photo finish. Dural fails to make any kind of impression whatsoever...except perhaps as a pretty good imitation of a two-by-four...and Dax falls for him at the drop of a hat with no apparent motivation or chemistry between them. I'm all for love everlasting and all that, but come on. Would she really give up her career, not to mention 60 years of Idanian spice pudding, for this cookie cutter? Very lame. The whole Meridian plot is nothing more than a rehash of Brigadoon. At least Brigadoon has groovy Scottish dancing. This has...tree-climbing. Ho hum. I will say that Dax and Sisko's goodbye scene is genuinely affecting, and the episode does boast some really cool camera work, courtesy of director Jonathan Frakes. Even he couldn't save this Dullsville of an episode, though.

The B plot is more entertaining but leaves you feeling sort of dirty. Tiron is so odious I'm amazed even Quark would do business with him. Quark's efforts to get a holoimage of Kira are diverting, no more no less. But it's almost worth it for the famous "sweetheart" scene (see Classic Scene, below).

Rating: 2.5

Memorable Quote:

Sisko: By the time I see you again, I'll probably be a great-grandfather.
Dax: Then I can call you "old man."

Classic Scene:

The teaser, in which Tiron comes upon Odo and Kira at the replimat, is definitely a classic. In an effort to spurn Tiron's advances, she grabs Odo's hand, introduces him as her lover, and calls him "sweetheart." After a few shocked seconds, he plays along. It's a hoot. The best line is after Tiron leaves and she thanks Odo for going along with it, she rises to leave and says casually, with a grin. "See you later, sweetheart." The stunned look on Odo's face is almost worth sitting through this episode. But it's at the beginning! You don't have to sit through the rest! Hoo-ra!

Sexually Slanted Line 'O the Episode:

"How far down do they go?" --Deral...how low can you go, baby?

The O/K Status Report

Odo's reaction to Kira's concoction of their romance for Tiron's benefit is a bit telling...this is before we got any actual confirmation of his feelings but after she leaves, he stares at the hand that she held and you can just tell he's thinking "I'm never going to wash this hand again."

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