This episode is actually closer to six stars, but I give it an extra star if only for the presence of Jeffrey Combs, seen here in his first role on DS9. The well-regarded character actor is slathered so thickly in FX makeup that he is nearly unrecognizable until you can hear his voice. He plays Tiron, a wealthy creep with a thing for Major Kira, and he tries to lean on Quark to obtain her. Of course, Quark can't make her do anything she doesn't want to do, and the results are hilariously disturbing in a "Windowlicker" kind of way. This storyline, while somewhat weak and silly, is way better than the A plot, wherein Jadzia Dax falls quickly and conveniently in love with the handsomest, ruggedest resident of a planet that only exists in this dimension every sixty years. It's almost romantic, except that Terry Farrell and her supposed paramour Brett Cullen have absolutely no chemistry. Director (and sometime Commander Riker) Jonathan Frakes does comedy very well, but he should really steer clear of romance, especially on this show. One of the more strikingly boring episodes of the series so far.
23 Reviews
Frakes directs; Combs debuts; Jadzia falls in love; we fall asleep.
Jemiah8 December 2010
Warning: Spoilers
A better B story than the A Story
brdavid-429-9627024 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Directed by Johnathan Frakes, this is the story where Dax falls in love, for reasons, to someone she just met and only knows for a few days. Granted, let's assume for a minute that this can happen, the episode does nothing to convince me that Dax is truly in love with Deral. Yes, we have a few instances where they are walking in a garden, they climb a tree, they have a few nights together, they solve the problem of keeping the planet stable between dimension, but the A story is incredibly weak in convincing me that Dax is in love enough to give up her career and live in a state she has no idea would be like. In many ways this like having a fling with that special someone for a week, only to go off with them over at some isolated island where you are totally isolated. It's just not convincing and it makes for a tiring episode.
But then we have the B story, Quark is approached by a rich horny man who wants nothing more than to bed Kira, but since the real Kira is out of the question, he wants a hologram version. So now we have Quark and Kira going at each other in a rather playful and amusing manner. Jeffery Combs is excellent and is probably the best thing this episode has to offer. I would say skip the whole thing but the B story is worth it. Perhaps you can skip the Meridan story altogether and just play the B Story. Either way, an episode worthy for season 1, not when you are 3 years in.
But then we have the B story, Quark is approached by a rich horny man who wants nothing more than to bed Kira, but since the real Kira is out of the question, he wants a hologram version. So now we have Quark and Kira going at each other in a rather playful and amusing manner. Jeffery Combs is excellent and is probably the best thing this episode has to offer. I would say skip the whole thing but the B story is worth it. Perhaps you can skip the Meridan story altogether and just play the B Story. Either way, an episode worthy for season 1, not when you are 3 years in.
That Old Black Dimension's Got Me in a Spell
Hitchcoc11 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Jadzia falls in love with a guy who lives most of his time in another dimension. The premise is so ridiculous that I shouldn't type another word. Of course, there are picnics and smooching, but unless Jadzia's contract was up, we knew there would be a tragic ending. The more entertaining part of this episode involves Quark trying to get Kira to be part of one of his porno holo-suite programs. This is a forgettable episode.
Love and lust
Tweekums15 April 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This episode featured two stories; the main one in the Gamma Quadrant where Sisko, Dax, Bashir and O'Brien a surprised when a planet materialises in front of then and back on the station Quark is commissioned to design a holosuite program featuring Major Kira. The planet that appears is Meridian, it shifts between our dimension where the inhabitants take on normal humanoid form and another where they are non-corporeal. Each time they return to this dimension they stay for a shorter period of time than the previous time and the fear that eventually they will cease to exist. The crew of the Defiant help them find away to stabilise the shifts. While doing so Dax finds herself falling in love with one of them and plans to stay with him when it shifts again... this would lead to her being gone for sixty years.
The main story wasn't bad but I preferred the secondary story where Tiron, an alien played by Jeffrey Combs who later in the series plays regular character Weyoun, hires Quark to make a pornographic holosuite program starring Kira... Kira modifies to program in a way that is hilarious and gives Tiron a shock.
The main story wasn't bad but I preferred the secondary story where Tiron, an alien played by Jeffrey Combs who later in the series plays regular character Weyoun, hires Quark to make a pornographic holosuite program starring Kira... Kira modifies to program in a way that is hilarious and gives Tiron a shock.
Brigadoon...in space!
planktonrules21 December 2014
The plot from this is lifted from the play/movie "Brigadoon"...though without all the singing, Van Johnson, Gene Kelly and the rest. When the story begins, the Defiant spots a planet that just appears! They are invited to land and learn from these nice folks that their planet appears and they live their lives every 60 years. Then, it disappears after a bit and becomes invisible and the folks go to sleep for another 60 years! It's actually a pretty ridiculous idea but try not to think about it.
During their visit with the nice folks, a VERY frisky guy from the magical planet seems VERY bent on getting his groove on with Jadzia Dax. Slowly, Jadzia also starts having feelings towards the guy. In fact, she's so taken by him that she agrees to move to the planet to stay with the guy. Ultimately, this doesn't work, as the writers weren't about to write her off the show...yet.
Overall this is a reasonably pleasant episode though it's hardly original. Worth seeing but forgettable.
During their visit with the nice folks, a VERY frisky guy from the magical planet seems VERY bent on getting his groove on with Jadzia Dax. Slowly, Jadzia also starts having feelings towards the guy. In fact, she's so taken by him that she agrees to move to the planet to stay with the guy. Ultimately, this doesn't work, as the writers weren't about to write her off the show...yet.
Overall this is a reasonably pleasant episode though it's hardly original. Worth seeing but forgettable.
Snoozefest
MyOpinionIsFact18 August 2013
This episode is really boring. The whole "extra dimensional" aspect of the story is beyond science fiction and into science stupidity. On top of that they layer an extremely cheesy love story. Wouldn't be so bad if the male lover's acting weren't so terribly unrealistic. Someone in the writing staff of ds9 has the idea romance and seduction occur when a man stares creepily at a woman in awkward silence. It's atrociously shallow and silly. There's a "filler" subplot involving an alien trying to get a holosuite program of Major Kira. It's stretched-out too long but it builds to a funny, if cheap, laugh. Overall this episode has been one of the weakest in the ds9 series until this point. Totally forgettable.
Not the best, but...
gabot092930 November 2022
I love DS9, but this episode is kind of slow, but is the episode where you see Odo's feeling......... it is quite sweet......... Everyone does have their view, I personally thought it could have been better........ And they should have put more effort into the script....... the Meridian planet storyline could have been more exciting....... By the way why do we need so many characters to leave a review on any show, sometimes an few sentences is all it takes to describe how you feel about a television series. This is a little frustrating but I understand you want a long detailed review. Thank you.
Just insultingly bad
GreyHunter24 July 2019
I'm not going to mince words here -- the A plot with Dax and the dimension-shifting alien was an insult to script-writing, common sense, and every single attempt at characterization over the course of the series. Literally nothing about it made sense, from the sudden life-changing decision-making, to any attempt to make the dimensional alien attractive enough to lead to such a decision, to the fact that none of the other primary characters seemed to see that the entire situation was completely ludicrous. Whoever wrote this episode should be ashamed. Whoever greenlit it should be ashamed. People who happened to be standing near the set when it was filmed should be ashamed. It was just hack writing and a hack episode.
I'll give it three stars because of the B-plot, and that's stretching credulity too. The B-plot wasn't bad, per se, but it was also lazily done. It had so much untapped potential for hilarity that the writer never attempted to explore. That one joke at the very end wasn't nearly enough to make the plot worth it, especially when a better writer could have turned the entire sequence into a really funny farce. The idea behind it could have been developed much better than what we got -- too many potential comic scenes were left a straightforward drama and exposition. Quite disappointing.
I'll give it three stars because of the B-plot, and that's stretching credulity too. The B-plot wasn't bad, per se, but it was also lazily done. It had so much untapped potential for hilarity that the writer never attempted to explore. That one joke at the very end wasn't nearly enough to make the plot worth it, especially when a better writer could have turned the entire sequence into a really funny farce. The idea behind it could have been developed much better than what we got -- too many potential comic scenes were left a straightforward drama and exposition. Quite disappointing.
Insultingly stupid romance episode, only Quark can save the day
romkevdv1718 November 2021
An episode harkening back to the real stinkers of TNG. The sci-fi element here is boring and dull, not used in any interesting way. The romance is the worst part of it by far, reminding me of the TNG episodes where Troi and Beverly would blindly fall in love with some stranger with little to no personality. Did they really have to do this to Jadzia as well? The Trill with 8 lifetimes of experience and who has been shown strongly standing for herself, rejecting advances from not only Bashir but a multitude of people. She's very independent and does what's in her best interest. But here, she just falls head over heels for this rando after climbing a tree with him, it's inexplicable and so out of character. Within a day she's madly/wildly in love with him as if they've been dating for months. I thought we had left these kind of episodes with TNG, which often regress into old-fashioned and antiquated writing for their female characters. But I guess with Star Trek it's just something to be expected.
Quark's storyline is far better, not surprisingly. The scene when Kira catches Quark trying to get a holo-image makes for great comedic interactions. We've also seen Kira fall in love with Vedek Bareil, which despite being a bit forced, was at least foreshadowed and they had some chemistry at least and showed genuine care. We also didn't see it develop in one day, it is implied they have already spent quite some time together, which is a smart trick by the writer's. But this episode forces the writer's to create chemistry, romance and some kind of emotion arc all at once and it's obvious they can't pull it off. Romances in Star Trek work when it's between main members of the cast, people we know and whose relationships we see develop. Even then, Troi and Worf was no doubt a dumb experiment for a couple that has no things in common nor chemistry nor any reason to be together except fate. Jadzia's decision, WITHIN A WEEK, to spend 60 years with this guy in limbo is absolutely insane. It is an absolute insult to the past two seasons of strong female characters, or of the strong characters in general. DS9 usually does not focus too much on romance except for comedic or minor story use. The acting here is just as atrocious, I think Terry Farrell playing Jadzia probably also found it hilariously stupid and corny. They have no chemistry and her dedication to him is like some helpless Victorian-era wife, who just cares for him and does nothing except to please him. A normal episode would have Jadzia scoff at his suggestion at building a house for the two of them. One of the worst episodes I have seen so far, not only unoriginal and insulting but unbearably dull to sit through. So much of this episode is dedicated to her romance and there's nothing, absolutely nothing, to be interested by in their relationship or their dialogue and especially not their acting. The only salvageable part of this episode is Quark, luckily he is a constant positive aspect to any of the DS9 series, which does also have a good standard of quality regardless. It gets a 3 because its not as bad as the Star Trek episode where Beverly crusher gets Stockholm syndrome with a Scottish ghost. Star Trek writers need to steer away from romance, I mean it doesn't even work for your target demographic. I don't think many Trekkies get excited with another episode of Troi, Beverly, Jadzia, Kira etc becoming an object and falling blindly in love with any guy with a face.
Quark's storyline is far better, not surprisingly. The scene when Kira catches Quark trying to get a holo-image makes for great comedic interactions. We've also seen Kira fall in love with Vedek Bareil, which despite being a bit forced, was at least foreshadowed and they had some chemistry at least and showed genuine care. We also didn't see it develop in one day, it is implied they have already spent quite some time together, which is a smart trick by the writer's. But this episode forces the writer's to create chemistry, romance and some kind of emotion arc all at once and it's obvious they can't pull it off. Romances in Star Trek work when it's between main members of the cast, people we know and whose relationships we see develop. Even then, Troi and Worf was no doubt a dumb experiment for a couple that has no things in common nor chemistry nor any reason to be together except fate. Jadzia's decision, WITHIN A WEEK, to spend 60 years with this guy in limbo is absolutely insane. It is an absolute insult to the past two seasons of strong female characters, or of the strong characters in general. DS9 usually does not focus too much on romance except for comedic or minor story use. The acting here is just as atrocious, I think Terry Farrell playing Jadzia probably also found it hilariously stupid and corny. They have no chemistry and her dedication to him is like some helpless Victorian-era wife, who just cares for him and does nothing except to please him. A normal episode would have Jadzia scoff at his suggestion at building a house for the two of them. One of the worst episodes I have seen so far, not only unoriginal and insulting but unbearably dull to sit through. So much of this episode is dedicated to her romance and there's nothing, absolutely nothing, to be interested by in their relationship or their dialogue and especially not their acting. The only salvageable part of this episode is Quark, luckily he is a constant positive aspect to any of the DS9 series, which does also have a good standard of quality regardless. It gets a 3 because its not as bad as the Star Trek episode where Beverly crusher gets Stockholm syndrome with a Scottish ghost. Star Trek writers need to steer away from romance, I mean it doesn't even work for your target demographic. I don't think many Trekkies get excited with another episode of Troi, Beverly, Jadzia, Kira etc becoming an object and falling blindly in love with any guy with a face.
So bad it's good
amtiwgvi19 February 2021
I firmly believe that it's okay for TV to have an off day, and this episode is mostly about the DS9 crew dealing with their Riker-level horniness for some aliens. It was (unintentionally) funny, no one was getting angsty about Cardassians, I liked it.
The real "Brigadoon" saves this...barely
aarondyer-36-69877117 June 2014
The minute the planet appeared in space, I said to myself, "This is Brigadoon!" It was so obvious.
I loved Brigadoon but not because it was Brigadoon. I'm a huge fan of Cyd Charisse and Gene Kelly. They carried this. The music and singing and costumes carried it. These characters and actors cannot carry the DS9 adaptation of it. It succeeds only as an homage to the original film. It has little merit of its own.
On top of all that, we already know the outcome even if we don't know the film. Dax is a recurring character and can go nowhere. There is no element of surprise. This is a poor episode but bearable if you're reading or knitting while you watch it.
I loved Brigadoon but not because it was Brigadoon. I'm a huge fan of Cyd Charisse and Gene Kelly. They carried this. The music and singing and costumes carried it. These characters and actors cannot carry the DS9 adaptation of it. It succeeds only as an homage to the original film. It has little merit of its own.
On top of all that, we already know the outcome even if we don't know the film. Dax is a recurring character and can go nowhere. There is no element of surprise. This is a poor episode but bearable if you're reading or knitting while you watch it.
Jumped the Meridian and put it into the ditch.
thevacinstaller29 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I can properly use a spoon to remove the inside of a space coconut, I can also walk in a part and climb a tree ---- Jadzia...... let's make out and have you completely abandon Starfleet for me.
Jadzia --- my girl! You are an absolute drop dead gorgeous stunner of a woman and I suggest you set some higher standards then being able to walk in a park and climb a tree. I dunno --- How about a famous inventor? A single dad space commander?
It's not a very envious task to try to establish an earned relationship within 45 minutes but the chemistry and casting and dialogue just doesn't work in this episode.
The B-Plot is a bit nasty. I wonder if it's some type of commentary on a particularly creepy portion of the star trek fandom ---- hey, stop looking at me like that ---- The idea of Quark getting kira's likeness for a virtual sex avatar is ethically dubious to say the least. I think Kira was a bit too lenient with Quark when she discovery what was going on. She should have kicked him right in the ear lobes.
Well, they can't all be classics. There's only been a few stinkers in DS9's run so far.
Jadzia --- my girl! You are an absolute drop dead gorgeous stunner of a woman and I suggest you set some higher standards then being able to walk in a park and climb a tree. I dunno --- How about a famous inventor? A single dad space commander?
It's not a very envious task to try to establish an earned relationship within 45 minutes but the chemistry and casting and dialogue just doesn't work in this episode.
The B-Plot is a bit nasty. I wonder if it's some type of commentary on a particularly creepy portion of the star trek fandom ---- hey, stop looking at me like that ---- The idea of Quark getting kira's likeness for a virtual sex avatar is ethically dubious to say the least. I think Kira was a bit too lenient with Quark when she discovery what was going on. She should have kicked him right in the ear lobes.
Well, they can't all be classics. There's only been a few stinkers in DS9's run so far.
Holy hell who wrote this garbage
beanslegit15 October 2021
I got about 5 minutes into this one before deciding to skip it. I'm on my second run through DS9 and I have no memory whatsoever of this episode so I presume I came to the same conclusion first time around too.
Totally ludicrous premise about the dimension shifting planet and some cringe inducing lines right off the bat, not good.
Totally ludicrous premise about the dimension shifting planet and some cringe inducing lines right off the bat, not good.
Lets climb a tree
stephendibb10 October 2020
I loved it
sandraignatzy22 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I don't get the bad reviews. I actually loved the episode! I liked, that we got to know Jadzia a bit better and I enjoy a good love story. I even shed a tear. The Quark and Kira arc was fun, too, as always with Quark. So what's not to like?
Mixed Opinion
youngsteve19 February 2017
This is a mixed episode, containing two stories, one good, & the other pretty boring.
Not too surprisingly the boring part involves Dax, who has a romance with a humanoid from a colony on a planet that only appears for a few days before disappearing again for 60 years.
The other story is back on the space station where an alien has the hots for Major Kira, but as he cannot get her teams up with Quark to arrange something. Pity this wasn't fleshed out more and the tedious Dax plot was squeezed instead of the other way around. Terry Farrell may have been attractive but she was a lousy actress, as is her character.
Not too surprisingly the boring part involves Dax, who has a romance with a humanoid from a colony on a planet that only appears for a few days before disappearing again for 60 years.
The other story is back on the space station where an alien has the hots for Major Kira, but as he cannot get her teams up with Quark to arrange something. Pity this wasn't fleshed out more and the tedious Dax plot was squeezed instead of the other way around. Terry Farrell may have been attractive but she was a lousy actress, as is her character.
The absolute worst episode
coastcityoutlaws21 April 2020
Ridiculous
facebook-217-27002528 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
It's absurd to think that a hundreds years old being would fall in love in just a couple days. It was outside the expected personality traits of Dax. This left a sour taste in my mouth the entire episode, despite the very fascinating concept of the planet shifting dimensions.
A Sappy Love Story and A Very Interesting Ethical Situation
dand101013 September 2021
Quick Review:
Story #1 - Sisko and the squad are off in the Gamma Quadrant in the Defiant exploring strange new worlds. This after getting their butts handed to them by the Jem'Hadar and the Founders. That confrontation wasn't even close if you will remember. And the Dominion didn't just physically destroy them in short order, they mentally and psychologically controlled them as well. This mission defies common sense and makes me wonder if the writers were getting bored with stories on the space station. It's so much more fun being out there in space and meeting interesting beings.
The planet they come across has an interesting dilemma they face as a society relating to dimensional shifts.
One of the sappiest Trek love stories ever to unfold on the screen does so involving Dax with one of the planetary lover boys attracted to women with spots. Planet man: "How far do those spots go down?" Dax: "All the way..." This romance is silly and ridiculous on so many levels. It makes Captain Kirk's weekly infatuations seem mature and realistic by comparison.
By the way Dax, did you happen to mention the worm living inside of you?
In the end the love story was so contrived it made me upset the writers were trying to present something which completely insulted the viewers in a way that had me saying, "Give me a break..."
Story #2 - Quark is offered a lot of compensation to create something interesting (and definitely ethically challenged) relating to the holosuite and Major Kira by an alien that reminds me of Pinocchio's naughty friend Lampwick. This weirdly obsessed alien asks Quark to create a computer simulation of Kira because he has been rejected in real life by her. When Quark asks the alien why he wants a holosuite creation of Kira they have a non-verbal understanding that borders on obsessive creepiness. All I could think as I watched the episode is: Oh boy, when Kira finds out........Instead...there is a hilarious twist which made me laugh out loud.
Story #1 - Sisko and the squad are off in the Gamma Quadrant in the Defiant exploring strange new worlds. This after getting their butts handed to them by the Jem'Hadar and the Founders. That confrontation wasn't even close if you will remember. And the Dominion didn't just physically destroy them in short order, they mentally and psychologically controlled them as well. This mission defies common sense and makes me wonder if the writers were getting bored with stories on the space station. It's so much more fun being out there in space and meeting interesting beings.
The planet they come across has an interesting dilemma they face as a society relating to dimensional shifts.
One of the sappiest Trek love stories ever to unfold on the screen does so involving Dax with one of the planetary lover boys attracted to women with spots. Planet man: "How far do those spots go down?" Dax: "All the way..." This romance is silly and ridiculous on so many levels. It makes Captain Kirk's weekly infatuations seem mature and realistic by comparison.
By the way Dax, did you happen to mention the worm living inside of you?
In the end the love story was so contrived it made me upset the writers were trying to present something which completely insulted the viewers in a way that had me saying, "Give me a break..."
Story #2 - Quark is offered a lot of compensation to create something interesting (and definitely ethically challenged) relating to the holosuite and Major Kira by an alien that reminds me of Pinocchio's naughty friend Lampwick. This weirdly obsessed alien asks Quark to create a computer simulation of Kira because he has been rejected in real life by her. When Quark asks the alien why he wants a holosuite creation of Kira they have a non-verbal understanding that borders on obsessive creepiness. All I could think as I watched the episode is: Oh boy, when Kira finds out........Instead...there is a hilarious twist which made me laugh out loud.
This is just bad, for so many reasons.
txriverotter12 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
It's been said before and I'll agree and say it again, the main story line of this episode sucks in a most major way.
Some of the crew are on a runabout in the Gamma Quadrant and suddenly a planet appears out of nowhere. Somehow this planet only shifts into this dimension every 60 years, then shifts back to its original dimension. Might have been a cool plot had they actually explored that dynamic and not a ridiculous attempt at "wuv, twu wuv" between Dax and one of the shifting aliens.
Somehow in the course of 48 hours Dax and this guy fall hopelessly, endlessly and deeply in love. Yeah, right! They barely know each other!
There is no way in hell they've fallen so deeply in love that they simply cannot live apart and so Jadzia must give up her Starfleet career, her family, her friends and everything she's known all her many lives, to go live in this other dimension with this dude.
And also, she's a Trill!! The biggest and most obvious problem with this is that if ANYTHING were to happen to Jadzia or the Dax symbiont, who the hell in the alternate dimension would know what to do about it?! They never mention that there are Trill in the other dimension, so she'll receive proper care in an emergency. They don't talk about ANYTHING in the or get dimension! No proper preparation, nuttin!
This is the most ridiculous premise they could've come up with and it's obvious the actors and probably Jonathan Frakes, who directed, know it as well, because the acting and directing are totally unconvincing. Jadzia and her "deep love" have zero chemistry for someone she's supposedly giving up everything for, and the romance scenes come off as creepy and stilted rather than, well...romantic.
The secondary plot involving Quark and an alien who wants a holographic copy of Major Kira is much better, and they should've devoted more time to it, or explored the science of the shifting planet, rather than focusing on the not-at-all believable romance.
Not to mention, the very next episodes, Jadzia is back in the saddle again, flirting and carrying on with everyone. Which is fine, she's single. But dayum! She sure seemed to get over that deep, deep loss purty darn quickly!
Ugh! This episode is a stinker!
Some of the crew are on a runabout in the Gamma Quadrant and suddenly a planet appears out of nowhere. Somehow this planet only shifts into this dimension every 60 years, then shifts back to its original dimension. Might have been a cool plot had they actually explored that dynamic and not a ridiculous attempt at "wuv, twu wuv" between Dax and one of the shifting aliens.
Somehow in the course of 48 hours Dax and this guy fall hopelessly, endlessly and deeply in love. Yeah, right! They barely know each other!
There is no way in hell they've fallen so deeply in love that they simply cannot live apart and so Jadzia must give up her Starfleet career, her family, her friends and everything she's known all her many lives, to go live in this other dimension with this dude.
And also, she's a Trill!! The biggest and most obvious problem with this is that if ANYTHING were to happen to Jadzia or the Dax symbiont, who the hell in the alternate dimension would know what to do about it?! They never mention that there are Trill in the other dimension, so she'll receive proper care in an emergency. They don't talk about ANYTHING in the or get dimension! No proper preparation, nuttin!
This is the most ridiculous premise they could've come up with and it's obvious the actors and probably Jonathan Frakes, who directed, know it as well, because the acting and directing are totally unconvincing. Jadzia and her "deep love" have zero chemistry for someone she's supposedly giving up everything for, and the romance scenes come off as creepy and stilted rather than, well...romantic.
The secondary plot involving Quark and an alien who wants a holographic copy of Major Kira is much better, and they should've devoted more time to it, or explored the science of the shifting planet, rather than focusing on the not-at-all believable romance.
Not to mention, the very next episodes, Jadzia is back in the saddle again, flirting and carrying on with everyone. Which is fine, she's single. But dayum! She sure seemed to get over that deep, deep loss purty darn quickly!
Ugh! This episode is a stinker!
The Worst
wxryycb24 October 2022
Okay so...
The B-plot is super funny and I love it. Also, this episode gets a great hat-tip in Lower Decks. That's why I gave it a two of ten. Because there's nothing else even remotely worth seeing here. Dax and her creepy lover are flat and uninteresting-just like the world, the premise, etc.-and the whole thing is stupid.
Honestly, I'm surprised that this even got to air. And Frakes is usually a pretty decent director, so you have to assume that this was a garbage in/garbage out situation. But honestly, I'm just stunned that in such an incredibly good show like DS9 that this ever was even approved.
But hey! That b-plot!
The B-plot is super funny and I love it. Also, this episode gets a great hat-tip in Lower Decks. That's why I gave it a two of ten. Because there's nothing else even remotely worth seeing here. Dax and her creepy lover are flat and uninteresting-just like the world, the premise, etc.-and the whole thing is stupid.
Honestly, I'm surprised that this even got to air. And Frakes is usually a pretty decent director, so you have to assume that this was a garbage in/garbage out situation. But honestly, I'm just stunned that in such an incredibly good show like DS9 that this ever was even approved.
But hey! That b-plot!
Sweet nothings and technobabble
snoozejonc17 April 2022
Jadzia has a love story with a character from a planet that shifts dimensions.
'Meridian' follows a long line of poor Star Trek attempts at romance and does not break with tradition.
The Jadzia scenes are well described by other reviewers and there is not much I can add to other than that I do not think there was much the actors and director could do with the material, as it is an irretrievably poor character story. Terry Farrell acts the part of someone who is in love and delivers all verbal and physical expressions well. Sadly the dialogue flits between exchanges uninteresting technobabble and uninspired words of affection with Brett Cullen.
It's not all bad. Some of the cinematography is quite good, like the shots from above during the tree climbing sequence. I also think the emotional scene between Dax and Sisko is well made, albeit annoying if you like the characters and resent what the writers are doing with them.
The Quark subplot with Jeffrey Coombs' character is fairly amusing, in a creepy way. Ultimately though it consists of a lot of build-up to a sight gag that is nicely delivered on screen, but not as funny as the writers probably thought it was at the time.
'Meridian' follows a long line of poor Star Trek attempts at romance and does not break with tradition.
The Jadzia scenes are well described by other reviewers and there is not much I can add to other than that I do not think there was much the actors and director could do with the material, as it is an irretrievably poor character story. Terry Farrell acts the part of someone who is in love and delivers all verbal and physical expressions well. Sadly the dialogue flits between exchanges uninteresting technobabble and uninspired words of affection with Brett Cullen.
It's not all bad. Some of the cinematography is quite good, like the shots from above during the tree climbing sequence. I also think the emotional scene between Dax and Sisko is well made, albeit annoying if you like the characters and resent what the writers are doing with them.
The Quark subplot with Jeffrey Coombs' character is fairly amusing, in a creepy way. Ultimately though it consists of a lot of build-up to a sight gag that is nicely delivered on screen, but not as funny as the writers probably thought it was at the time.
Sub Rosa Dax
tomsly-4001521 October 2023
This episode reminds me of TNG's Sub Rosa. There, Dr Crusher completely acted out of character, fell head of heels in love and threw her Starfleet career overboard because she was in love. Same thing with Dax in Meridian. In Sub Rosa though Crusher was manipulated by some alien energy life forn while Dax falls in love without anyone possessing her.
Not only is Dax in this episode completely out of character. We see a romance evolving that might work for teenagers when they first discover their feelings. Dax though has the life expirience of several centuries. Falling in love just like that with Creepy McCreepo on Meridian is just not believable. It is even more unrealistic, that this happens in just a few days. If they want to show a deep love affair in a 45 minutes episode, then at least make this planet stay in our dimension for 6 months and send Dax, a science officer, there to investigate this phenomenon during that time. Then it might work to tell the viewers that Dax fell in love while she was closely working on that project with that guy.
But set aside the unrealistic turn of events: This slimebag is just creepy in every way. He is more interested in Dax' spots and how far they go than in her as a person. All those advances look cheep and hardly any woman would fall for them.
The concept of a phase or dimension shifting planet has been revisited by the Orville episode "Mad Idolatry" in a way more interesting way than just focussing on a love affair. Meridian misses completely the point of exploring this space phenomenon and the unique culture of the people living on that planet. There are so many questions but instead we see Dax climbing trees and eating berries next to a pond.
Not only is Dax in this episode completely out of character. We see a romance evolving that might work for teenagers when they first discover their feelings. Dax though has the life expirience of several centuries. Falling in love just like that with Creepy McCreepo on Meridian is just not believable. It is even more unrealistic, that this happens in just a few days. If they want to show a deep love affair in a 45 minutes episode, then at least make this planet stay in our dimension for 6 months and send Dax, a science officer, there to investigate this phenomenon during that time. Then it might work to tell the viewers that Dax fell in love while she was closely working on that project with that guy.
But set aside the unrealistic turn of events: This slimebag is just creepy in every way. He is more interested in Dax' spots and how far they go than in her as a person. All those advances look cheep and hardly any woman would fall for them.
The concept of a phase or dimension shifting planet has been revisited by the Orville episode "Mad Idolatry" in a way more interesting way than just focussing on a love affair. Meridian misses completely the point of exploring this space phenomenon and the unique culture of the people living on that planet. There are so many questions but instead we see Dax climbing trees and eating berries next to a pond.
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