To Boldy Sew: Star Trek Deep Space Nine S03E08: “Meridian”

To Boldly Sew is a recap of DS9 episodes, with a specific focus on the fashions of the many aliens and other characters that make up the series. Feel free to discuss matters of plot and general Star Trek things in the comments. 

All screenshots come from trekcore.com, which is the same place as the original TNG fashion blog (http://sttngfashion.tumblr.com/).


Kira gets a drink from the replicator and sits at a table with Odo. It’s a little too hot so he wonders why she doesn’t specify a lower temperature, but she thinks coffee should be too hot to drink right away. Odo of course doesn’t understand why. To slow down the experience and savor the taste.

She asks if he ever tried eating. Once, he admits, but since he doesn’t have taste buds it was unsatisfying and messy. He doesn’t want to talk about it any further.

A man comes over and says hi to Kira. She greets him as Tiron.

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My initial impression of this guy’s dress on first watch was: “fancy,” but on closer inspection (ie looking at this screenshot) I’m not sure that’s accurate. Mostly it’s kind of an explosion of different fabrics and patterns and colors. In true Trek fashion, the shoulders are a completely different style than the rest of the outfit. He seems to be wearing a jacket, maybe, but I can’t quite tell, and parts of the fabric are shiny, which is probably why I initially thought “fancy.”

Tiron says Kira left Quark’s without saying goodbye and he was devastated. She says he was doing all the talking. He says he is at a disadvantage, knowing nothing about her while she knows so much about him. Odo senses the awkwardness and starts to excuse himself. Kira basically commands him to stay.

She introduces Tiron as a business associate of Quark’s and then tells Tiron that Odo is her lover and puts her hand on his. Tiron says Odo is a lucky man. Kira says she’s a lucky woman. Odo, astonished, agrees that they are both very lucky.

Tiron says they make an…interesting couple and asks what Odo does, then says it must be a challenging job to be head of security at such a large station and hopes he’s compensated adequately. Kira says money doesn’t matter; all they need is each other. She calls Odo sweetheart and says money isn’t everything.

Undaunted, Tiron says that money can buy everything. But he does finally leave.

Kira thanks Odo and says she wishes he was around the night before, then leaves. Odo looks down at his hand where she was touching his.

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Sisko is on the Defiant and updates the log to say that despite the Dominion threat, he’s exploring the Gamma Quadrant.

Bashir comes onto the bridge and says he’s done this analysis and found them an M-Class problem. Dax wanted to go down to the surface, but O’Brien is worried about running into the Jem’Hadar. Sisko says there’s no sign of Dominion activity.

Dax picks up some unusual stuff on the sensors, so they go to look at the Trialus system where it’s coming from. When they get close, they put the star up on screen. Dax says there are gravimetric distortions, but they don’t seem to be coming from the star itself.

Where else would it come from? O’Brien wonders, as there are no planets in the system. (Is it still a system if it doesn’t have any planets?)

The ship suddenly shakes for some reason and they look up at the screen and see that a planet is there.

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CUE THEME

Dax says the planet has settled into a stable orbit. The others wonder where it came from.

Sisko proposes cloaking, but O’Brien says there should be traces of that, which he’s not finding.

Dax then reports that they’re being scanned by a settlement of approximately 30 humanoid inhabitants on the southern hemisphere of the planet, who seem to be the only humanoids on the planet. The settlement hails them.

Sisko introduces himself to a woman who appears on screen. She says she is Seltin Rakal of Meridian.

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Seltin is wearing a hat or kerchief or something of some kind, which we’ll come back to. Other than that, she’s got a blue shirt and a red vest. No embellishments, no funky patterns, no beads or braids. Simple. I like that.

Sisko says they were studying the star system when the planet appeared. She agrees that this must have been a surprise and explains that they came from a dimension that intersections with this one.

She offers to explain more in detail and invites them to join her for “First Meal.” Sisko agrees but says that he needs to know the planet won’t disappear in the middle of dessert. She says they’ll be there for a while.


 

On the planet, a handful of people are hanging out and eating around a round table. Seltin gives a small speech about how good it is to all be at the table together, plus visitors, then sits down beside Sisko.

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The table is circular, with people sitting on the inside as well as the outside, allowing more to fit in without them sitting farther apart. It’s a neat design that I suppose helps to foster conversations.

We don’t get a really good look at most of the other people here, but they seem to have similar fabric – slightly shiny, slightly patterned, but otherwise kind of simple. The woman near the front of the screen shows off the same style of hat that Seltin is wearing, which seems to cover the top of the head but let the hair spill out freely beneath. Also, we can see now that Seltin’s shirt seems to be a dress or maybe a long tunic, and her vest is actually a long jacket.

The man beside Dax says he admires her markings and asks if they’re decorative. No, she says, are yours? No, he admits. He asks how far down they go. All the way.

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How often do you think she hears that line?

The guy is wearing a striped shirt of a vaguely purplish shade and a vest of a brownish-gold pattern. It doesn’t clash, exactly, but it doesn’t really go together either.

Across the table, O’Brien gives an awkward grin as presumably he finds the flirting amusingly awkward.

Meanwhile, Seltin and Sisko are talking. He’s not eating and says his curiosity is bigger than his appetite. He asks about the dimensions. She says the planet has a dual existence and shifts between two dimensions.

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Seltin’s hat thing appears to be made out of a semi-sheer material, giving hers more of a kerchief look. Also, there is a subtle bit of pattern or striping on the sleeve.

Dax asks what causes the shifts, and she admits they’re not entirely sure, but Deral has been studying the phenomenon. Deral is the guy next to Dax who was asking about her markings. He says that his theory is the dimensional shifts are caused by fluctuations in the quantum matrix somehow caused by the sun.

Bashir asks what the other dimension is like, and Seltin says it’s without form and they exist as pure consciousness. The planet also becomes non-corporeal, but then they return and everything is the same as when they left.

O’Brien asks if when they return it’s as if no time has passed. She says they only age when they’re in corporeal form. Bashir grins and says this existence has its advantages.

Deral says that they always look forward to the many pleasures of this existence. He grins at Dax and helps her to eat a weird vegetable that looks like an odd pepper. She admits it’s delicious and gives him kind of flirty eyes in response.

He then says the delicious food is worth waiting 60 years for, which surprises them all – 60 years is a long time for a meal, O’Brien remarks.


Back on DS9, Tiron is at Quark’s again, and he orders some Andorian ale from Quark. He is done with the holosuite in ten minutes rather than the full hour he paid for, and he seems depressed about this. Quark says the program is effective.

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Quark, unable to compete with Tiron for the Flashiest Outfit of the Episode award, has given up and stuck with one of his usual jackets made of upholstery fabric. This one looks gray but has subtle stripes of pink and green and yellow – all of which are completely unnoticeable to me on the television screen.

Tiron disagrees and says the program is boring. Quark says no refund – the contract says that satisfaction is not guaranteed. For such a valued customer, he will allow him to try a different program at no extra charge. While Torian chugs the glass, Quark looks through a device at the other options.

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I think Tiron is wearing the same outfit as his meeting with Kira and Odo, but I can’t be sure. In any case, it’s a similar style. To emphasize his bling, he’s got two rather large rings on his hand. The glass looks like it might have come from a Pier One, but I admire it for being unique.

Quark suggests a program involving a picnic with the pleasure goddess of Rixx, for which he will provide real food…for a small fee, of course. Tiron doesn’t like picnics and hates Quark’s food. Quark says to forget the food – the picnic is like none other.

Tiron says what he wants is not in Quark’s catalog. Quark offers to order whatever he wants – if it exists, he’ll get it. Tiron says it doesn’t exist yet. Quark says custom programs are expensive. Tiron pulls out a bar of latinum. Quark laughs. He takes out more.

Quark admits this is sufficient money and asks what he wants. Tiron says Kira. Quark asks what he’s going to do with Kira in a holosuite. Tiron just stares at him, and Quark admits he doesn’t want to know.

Tiron asks if he can do it. It won’t be easy – he’d have to get her into the holosuite to record her image, and she hates holosuites. Tiron doesn’t care, just wants to know if they have a deal. Quark says consider it done. They shake hands. Tiron says payment on delivery. He also says he wants to believe it’s really her when he walks into the holosuite and sees Kira.


 

Back on Meridian, Dax and Deral are walking around and he is telling her about a nearby pond.

She says that their scans show there are only about 30 people on the planet. He says they are the descendants of an expedition that was stranded there millennia ago, and there weren’t many to begin with.

The population hasn’t increased? He says it did for a time, but over the last few centuries, their numbers have dwindled. They only reproduce when corporeal, and their time in the corporeal world has gotten shorter. He says there’s only 12 more days until they shift to the other dimension and stay for 60 years.

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He does this sexy pose when they pause by a wall for no real reason.

Eventually, they’ll only be in the solid world for a matter of minutes, and then Meridian will be too unstable to shift back. Dax asks what will happen then – the planet and its inhabitants will cease to exist in either dimension.


 

Sisko and Seltin are walking through the main hanging out area with the table. There’s a bunch of kids there who I guess are really like 200 years old or so.

Seltin thanks Sisko for his offer of help and Sisko says that they’ll do everything they can to find a way to stabilize the dimensional shifts.

A kid tosses Sisko a ball, which he catches, then fakes a few times before tossing back to the kid. Another kid comes over and asks if he wants to play with them, and Sisko says later, and gives the kid a hug. They run off.

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The kid on the right seems to have a bowl haircut, and his clothes, consisting of a tie-dyed long-sleeved shirt and brown pants, seem to be too big for him.

The kid on the left has the more traditional Trek look of layers, with a red vest over a purple shirt, and pants that might be purple or might be black.

In the back is a guy who reminds me of a Buddhist monk, but with long sleeves.

Sisko and Seltin meet up with Deral and Dax. How’s that for alliteration!

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Deral’s shirt is more wild than it originally appeared, with these curvy lines twisting all around his sleeves. I can’t quite reconcile this with the striped shirt front, but it’s definitely the same shirt. Also, Seltin’s vest thing looks kind of velvety.

Dax says that she and Deral are going up to the Defiant to study the gravity of the sun or something. Sisko wants to come. Seltin says good luck.


Back on DS9, Quark is in his bar looking suspicious and Kira comes by. She says that she got a message that Morn wanted to see her.

Quark says she just missed him. Then, another Ferengi shows him something on a device, and Quark acts surprised, then asks Kira to come with him. They go to the middle of the dabo floor and he calls for everyone’s attention.

He says he has wonderful news, and Kira is his one-millionth customer. Everyone applauds. Kira is impatient and suggests he make another random person his one-millionth customer. Quark protests that this would be dishonest. He then proceeds to tell her about the prizes she’s won.

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I presume this is happening on a different day, as Quark is wearing a different jacket. Now that Tiron isn’t around, he’s free to be flashier. I much prefer this jacket to the other one, and the vest is a nice touch.

Kira is surprised she won something and says she’s never won anything. She’s skeptical of his generosity.

The prizes include a bottle of champagne from 2368, “a very good year,” five free spins at the dabo wheel, and a free hour in the holosuites. Kira is thrilled by the holosuite as it would be a perfect gift for another Ensign, whose birthday is today. But what about you? Quark asks. Kira declines, but thanks him for the champagne, and leaves.


Back on the Defiant, Dax, Deral, and Sisko are studying the sensor logs. They see that Meridian’s sun was giving off gamma bursts right before Meridian appeared. Deral says his people have no record of that phenomenon.

Sisko says this isn’t surprising, since Meridian was non-coporeal at the time. Dax says the gamma activity would indicate an anomaly in the sun’s fusion cycle. Sisko wants O’Brien to send a probe into the sun’s core. O’Brien has to modify the shield configuration, but agrees.

Dax is still wondering about how gamma bursts would cause a dimensional shift, and is typing away at her work station. Deral takes the opportunity to flirt, asking if she always bites her lower lip when concentrating. For some reason, she is charmed by this, and grins at him, saying she guess she does.

O’Brien has configured the probe, so Sisko tells him to launch it. The probe heads toward the sun in the distance.

Dax tells Deral it’ll be a while until the probe sends back information. He assumes she has things to do. She tugs at her collar and says “not really.” Neither does he.

In the background, both Sisko and O’Brien are watching.


 

On the planet, Deral and Dax go for a walk in the woods.

Deral says he’s a bit disappointed as Dax hasn’t said much since they left the settlement. She says that Seltin wasn’t too happy to see them leave together. He says he’d probably prefer he was walking with someone else. He says that since his wife died, everyone was waiting for him to find another companion.

Why hasn’t he? Dax asks. He says he was waiting for the right woman to fall out of the sky. That doesn’t happen often, Dax says. He says it only had to happen once. They stop by a waterfall and he says not to worry about Seltin as it’s just a harmless little walk. She agrees.

He then says with a brief stop to climb a tree.

They walk a bit to a large tree. He asks if in 8 lifetimes, Dax never climbed a tree? She says that’s how she knows she’s afraid of heights. He says he won’t let her fall.

I’m not sure how he’s planning to stop a fall, since he starts climbing up first, but she follows him and they sit on a branch in the middle of a fork in the tree and look out at some green grass that looks so perfectly manicured it might have been filmed on a golf course.

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most awkward tree climbing EVER

They remark on the view and how it’s beautiful and sad it’ll be gone in two weeks and they need to try to find a way to prevent it. They look awkwardly at each other. He moves in for a kiss. She almost falls and says they should climb down, so they do.

On the ground, she descends into his arms. They look at each other awkwardly again and start walking.

Dax gushes over how pretty the pond is, which has some leaves and flowers that look like water lilies. Deral goes over to the water and picks some berries which she says are delicious and he says he knew she’d like that. She says he knows her well for someone who just met her and he says he’s glad she noticed. She grins.

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He sits down at a random patch of grass and she sits next to him, saying she can’t remember the last time she did this. What comes next? They look at each other again and this time they actually kiss. She says she’s starting to remember. They kiss more passionately and fall back into the grass.


In the settlement, Deral and Dax are both looking at pads and talking about the situation. The calculations are run, and nothing’s changed. There’s nothing to indicate the gamma bursts are causing the fluctuations. She says something else has to be triggering the shifts, and they’ll find it. They’re about to kiss again when Sisko calls Dax.

He says they’ve sent the probe another 1,000 kilometers into the sun and gotten some more telemetry. O’Brien says he’ll send it to her. Sisko also says that if the fresh air and sunshine are getting to her, she’s welcome back on the Defiant.

She says they’re managing just fine. Deral is kissing her neck. Sisko says he’s sure they are, and O’Brien stifles a laugh. Ending the call, they both grin at each other.

Deral just wants to make out but Dax persuades him to work for a few more hours.


A while later, they’ve discovered an imbalance of some sort and Dax thinks she knows what’s caused the shift – some weird imbalanced reaction in the sun. if they can stabilize the reaction, they can stabilize Meridian. Deral hugs her, overjoyed.

Dax has to get back to the ship and runs off, promising to return for nighttime activities (counting each other’s spots).


Back on DS9, Quark is trying to surreptitiously record Kira as she meets with Odo about security protocols, but Odo keeps getting in the way. Odo asks Kira why Quark is trying to take a holo picture of her. He also notes that when he stands in front of Kira Quark seems to get upset.

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this is what it looks like through a holo-imager when you’re trying to scan someone who is pissed at you, FYI.

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Quark is wearing a jacket we don’t see very often, a multi-colored striped affair with some wavy lines in it that give off an animal print vibe, and wide black lapels and cuff that kind of add to the same vibe.

They both head toward Quark, who is surprised by them, and demand to know what he’s doing with the holo-imager. He says he’s recording the promenade to send home to his mother, to which Odo barks out a HAH.

Kira correctly concludes Quark is taking a holoscan of her and she wants to know why. Again he says that she was just in the frame accidentally, and again Odo says “HAH.” When asked if he can stop doing that, Odo says, “not until you start telling the truth.”

Quark says he was trying to get an image of her for a holosuite program he’s designing, and it’s a simulation of the station’s Operations Center as people want to imagine themselves working in Ops during a Cardassian attack or fending off a fleet of Jem’Hadar. Odo is still skeptical and wonders if they’ll be doing these things while naked?

Kira says if people want to work with her they can apply to the Bajoran Military Academy and then she’ll know everyone is wearing their uniform. Then she says if she catches him pointing a holo-imager at her again, he’ll end up eating it. Then she tosses it over her shoulder.


Back on Meridian, Deral and Dax are hanging by the pond, making out some more.

She says the plan is going to work, and they’ll be able to equalize the time between dimensional shifts. He is happy and says he’s going to build a house right there, just big enough for the two of them. He says he knows she has a life on DS9 but now she’ll have a place here as well.

Dax somberly says that she won’t be able to visit for a while – it’s going to take a long time to stabilize the sun’s cascade reaction. How long? he asks. The planet will shift in five days.

She turns away from him so you know it’s bad news. She says they’ll see each other again. He says that he wants her now. She says there’s nothing they can do. They hug.

Deral says he can leave Meridian and go back to the Alpha Quadrant with Dax if she’ll have him. She accepts this plan and hugs him again.


Back in the settlement, Seltin finds Deral and Dax and thanks Dax for what she’s done and the good news. She says happily that the next time the planet returns, they’ll have 30 years to get to know each other.

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We get this nice view of some of the other Meridians. There’s a guy in a long tie-dyed dress with a gray shirt underneath, talking with a woman wearing a shorter outfit that might be brown with black leggings, and the back of a tall man wearing what reminds me of purple pajamas. Off to the right, a man with red pants and a blue shirt talks to a woman in shades of brown and orange. All of them seem to be wearing simple shoes like ballet flats.

And Seltin’s dress has got these stripes going across it that reminds me of the wallpaper in my pediatrician’s office, and she’s also wearing gray leggings.

Deral says he wants to talk to Seltin about something. She says she’s called a meeting as now they need to start planning the future and Deral needs to make some decisions as well. He says that’s what he wants to talk to her about.

Seltin says that he needs to talk to Keshara as she’s not going to wait for ever. He says he’s going to talk to her also. Seltin is thrilled about the idea of having families again and then heads off to the meeting inside one of the buildings. Deral goes with her, saying he’ll meet Jadzia back at the ship.


On the Defiant, Bashir says he feels bad for Quark, as he thought that he and Dax were made for each other and now she won’t be able to win at tongo anymore. Dax protests, saying that Quark doesn’t let her win, but the door chimes and Deral comes in.

He says it’s done and he’s told everyone he’s leaving. Dax asks what he said. They asked him not to go. Seltin thinks the settlement can’t afford to lose anyone, but he said he’s made up his mind.

Then Deral asks what she and Bashir were talking about, renewing the debate about her skills at tongo.

Deral says he has to go take care of some things before he leaves Meridian, even though he just got there. She asks if he needs help. No, he just has to say good-bye to some people. He says he’ll be back, kisses her, nods to Bashir, and leaves.


Back at Quark’s, Tiron and Quark meet up in a dark part of the bar. Tiron demands his program. Quark shows him a data stick thing and says it’s a high-level decryption protocol that he’s going to use to get the information he needs to finish. Tiron is demanding and says he’s leaving in two days. Quark says it’ll be worth the wait.

Tiron leaves, and Quark gets to work on his secret computer thing behind the bar.


Odo has asked Kira to come to his office to tell her that someone has been illegally accessing her personnel file and downloaded her voice print, retinal scan, and psychiatric profile. He’s traced it back to its source. She guesses it was Quark and she’s right.

Kira looks over the information and says that he’d have no problem generating a holo-image of her. Odo asks if he should arrest him or does Kira want to do it herself?

She has a better idea and wants to prepare a surprise for Quark.


On Meridian, Dax and Deral are lounging in this open space as Dax explains the rules of tongo to Deral, but he doesn’t seem to be paying attention. He apologizes, saying he has a lot on his mind.

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In the dim light, his shirt is not really clear, but his vest seems to be almost glowing.

She concludes he doesn’t want to leave Meridian. He says that he promised he would, so he will. She knows what he said, but what does he want?

He sighs and says to be with her. But he’s worried about his people. There are so few of them, and they need him now that the planet has a future. She says he has to say.

Deral says he doesn’t want to lose her. She suggests that she stay on the planet. He says it’s not possible – her molecular structure wouldn’t survive the dimensional shift. She suggests some technological work around with transporter buffers.

How does she know that’s possible? Because she discussed it with Bashir after Deral left.

Deral is flabbergasted and asks if she is sure she’s willing. She says it’s the only way they can be together and she doesn’t want to lose him either. They kiss.


On the Defiant, Sisko goes to talk to Dax about her request for a 60 year leave of absence from Starfleet. They both laugh about the time period.

He promises to deliver the request if she’s sure it’s what she wants. She says she wants him to say that he’s happy for her. Sisko says he wants to know that she’s thought this thing through. If Curzon said he wanted to go off with a woman he just met he would also have tried to talk him out of it.

Dax says that would have been the right response as Curzon found a new woman every other week, but she’s not Curzon. Sisko agrees and says he’s never seen Jadzia do anything without thinking it through first, so he’s happy for her, but he’s going to miss her.

She says that he’s been her friend for two lifetimes and she can’t imagine what it’ll be like without him, and leaving DS9 is hard but she has to go. She’s tearing up and says that after 8 lifetimes as a humanoid, pure consciousness sounds pretty cool.

Sisko notes that when he sees her next he’ll probably be a great-grandfather. She says then she can call him “old man.” He looks forward to it. They hug, her still sniffling, and then he leaves.


On DS9, Tiron won’t pay Quark for his holo program until he sees it. He says that if the program is that good he might purchase it for use at home. Quark is impressed Tiron has his own holosuite and says it’s good to have money.

In the holosuite, Tiron walks through a bunch of sheer pink curtains and sees a female on a bed through the curtains. He parts the fabric and his eyes follow from her legs upward. She’s wearing a sheer pink nightgown type dress. She lifts her head to look at him and….

… it’s Quark’s face. He says he’s been waiting for Tiron.

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sorry if this gave you nightmares

Tiron stares for a moment and then runs out of the holosuite. He runs down the stairs and to the bar and says he will ruin Quark for this. Quark is astonished. Tiron just says he will ruin him.

At that moment, Kira and Odo are entering the bar. They step aside as Tiron barges through them to leave the bar, not even pausing to ogle Kira. Kira asks Quark if that was another satisfied customer.

Quark just turns aside.


On the Defiant, Bashir is scanning Dax and asking how she’s felt. Pretty good after spending six hours having her molecules scrambled in the transporter. She kisses Bashir on the cheek.

He stammers through an “I don’t know what to say” and she says that’s a first.

O’Brien says the dimensional shift should occur within the next 47 minutes. Dax shakes his hand and asks if he’ll be done overhauling the station by the next time she sees him and he says he doubts it.

Sisko takes her hand briefly but there’s nothing left to say. Dax then says to tell Quark she’ll be back to collect the three strips of gold latinum he owes her and steps on to the transporter pad. With 60 years’ interest, she adds.

The transporter energizes, and she’s gone.


Dax reforms on Meridian and Deral meets her, saying that she missed Last Meal, but he saved her some berries. Seltin comes up and says she wanted Dax to know they are happy she decided to join them. They’re gathering, ready for the shift.

They hug and exchange a few words before their planned separation.


Meanwhile in orbit, Bashir, O’Brien, and Sisko watch the planet on the viewscreen as it prepares to vanish.


On the surface, there’s a bunch of shaking and the people all briefly turn transparent and then solid again. Deral says something is wrong.


On the Defiant, Bashir and O’Brien note intense seismic activity, and say that the planet had better shift soon or it will tear itself apart.


 

Deral and the others are phasing in and out, but Jadzia is not.

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The people vanish. The settlement looks funny.


 

On the Defiant, they note some sort of singularity that’s functioning like an anchor and interfering with the shift. They realize it’s Dax, and she’s destabilizing it.

Sisko tries calling Dax, but Dax is apparently having trouble breathing or something and doesn’t answer.

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or maybe a heart attack, I don’t know

They decide to beam her out. A few moments later, she’s gone and the planet vanishes.


The door to Dax’s quarters chimes and it’s Sisko. He tells her that Meridian shifted normally once they got her off. She says thanks for letting her know.

He says he’s sorry, but she doesn’t want to talk about it, she just needs some time. He understands, and leaves without saying anything further. Dax slides down to the floor sadly and adds, to herself, “just 60 years or so.”


Stray Thoughts

* Ugh, Star Trek romance is just awkward. This wasn’t a bad storyline, exactly, but the emotional impact of Dax and this guy with his weird pick-up lines that somehow manage to win her over? I was giving him (and the writers major credit) for volunteering to go with Dax rather than pressuring her to stay with him, but then he mopes around and it’s up to her to do the emotional labor and see that he’s not happy and volunteer to stay rather than him communicating his mixed feelings about it. And anyway, I was 99.9% sure that Dax wasn’t going to leave so at that point it was just a matter of waiting for the story.

* And the Quark – Kira story wasn’t any better. It was nice that Quark gets his comeuppance, but Tiron, who actually is the real creep in this episode, faces no consequences other than the trauma of having to see Quark’s head on a woman’s body. (Which is, honestly, fairly traumatic.)

* Also, it felt to me like the sciency explanation of what Meridian kept disappearing and reappearing wasn’t well fleshed out, but it also might have been that I zoned out during the explanations. I usually can kind of follow the technobabble in a Trek episode to the point where I get what’s going on, but I’m still clueless how a star’s fusion thing could make a planet disappear for 60 years. But, whatever.