Star Trek Retro Review: "Meridian" (DS9) | Worst Episodes Ever

[@justinaclayburn2248]

This was the episode of Star Trek where I turned to my dad and said “people fall in love awful fast on Star Trek” and he replied “people fall in love awful fast on The Bachelor”.

[@chrisblake4198]

I don't buy Meridian because apart from the scene with Sisko, Dax doesn't act like Dax in one key way. Not once does she seem concerned about the symbiont. Nearly every Dax episode at least mentions their relationship or its safety. Yet it never comes up here. Additionally, there's no way Bashir could even guess what would happen to their joint consciousness on the other side, even if his transporter hijinks worked. It's the fulcrum for every other swing in Dax's character development, but never comes up in this episode. That's what took me out of the story.

[@johnboren8928]

Good point. My dislike of the story is more basic- if you've got a symbiot who's centuries old, you'd recognize that the odds of this fling working out are low. And if it doesn't work out, you're stuck on this planet with its handful of people for 60 years. You can work your way through the whole population in a few years, and then . . .

[@TheHopperUK]

Honestly it would almost work better as an episode if the person who wanted to stay on the planet was just a one-episode guest character.

[@OhhCrapGuy]

@@johnboren8928Honestly, I think being centuries old kind of adds to the reason that Dax (the symbiont) would be willing to risk their own life, with the consent of Jadzia as a part of Dax. Why? The entire point of the Trill being so selective with hosts, the point of banning reassociation, was that the Trill were absolutely fascinated with new experiences. A non-corporeal existence for 60 years, something that neither Trill species had ever experienced, is certainly believable as a reason to risk one's own existence, given that desire to experience things that had never been experienced by their kind before. Kind of a "Sure, I might die, but imagine the knowledge I'll be able to bring back if I don't" sort of mindset. Sure, risking possible death for a fling? That's exceedingly out of character for Dax. But risking possible death for an experience that they, and no other trill for that matter, could NEVER have outside of this opportunity? And Jadzia wanted to be a Trill host, that's not without some risks (iirc), so she'd be onboard for it. So Jadzia Dax? Yeah, I buy that. I just wish the writers had gone with that as her reasoning, instead of the couple hours old romance. That was just absurd.

[@PaulHFleming]

You read my thoughts exactly regarding Dax Symbiot. It's clearly established that Symbiot has priority over host. Dax would NEVER endanger it even for sake of Love.

[@DerMannDerSeineMutterwar]

It says a lot about DS9 that it's worst Episode would be just a mediocre one in most other Star Trek Shows.

[@GrandNagusEli]

Might be because this isn't the worst episode. That would be Time's Orphan

[@MalzraAirwynn]

@@GrandNagusEli Fascinatino is my worst for DS9.

[@Waffletigercat]

IDK man, I’d say this episode is pretty bad.

[@Nerd704]

@@GrandNagusEli My vote goes to "Move Along Home"

[@TiffanyStarrxxx]

His Way is my pick. Vick is an awful character

[@hadorstapa]

I totally believe that Teran knows senior people in the Ferengi Chamber of Commerce and the Dominion, but I bet he's never seen in the same room with either of them.

[@BlownMacTruck]

I challenge anyone to identify a Star Trek character that radiates more dad energy than Colm Meaney playing Miles. He looks like your friend’s dad. He’s shaped like a dad. He talks like a dad. You just want to give him a hug like the confused teddy bear that he is.

[@bradylewis1037]

And in that one horror movie he insists that everyone calls him daddy.

[@lisaboban]

Of all the DS9 characters, he's the most consistent and the most likeable. But the Keiko character is super-annoying.

[@thing_under_the_stairs]

He's an amazing grumpy Irish dad in The Commitments, too!

[@andrewklang809]

​​@@thing_under_the_stairsWell worth seeing The Snapper too. Real blue-collar dad energy. Easily angered, but eventually open-minded and fiercely protective.

[@Tolly7249]

Colm Meany even manages to Dad Energy when playing a top grade villain in Stargate Atlantis.

[@alexhirsch5738]

Its actually hillarious that this one episode in particular is referenced TWICE in Lower Decks season 2. Once when Mariner teases Quark about having a copy of the Quark/Kira holo-program, and once in the finale when they visit "one of those planets that phases into our dimension for a few hours every couple of years"

[@jimballard1186]

What makes this episode so regrettable is Terry Farrel absolutely CAN do believable, tempestuous, love at first sight: we see her do it in the one where she meets the woman whose stomach holds the worm that her stomach-worm used to be married to. And despite how I phrased that, I still believe the relationship she and the other actor portray!

[@kaitlyn__L]

Godddd I know, that episode really sells the chemistry.

[@10000spidersinatrenchcoat]

This episode stood out for me mostly because I loved Kira’s voice when she said “but I’ve never won anything before!”, Nana Visitor really gave so many good little moments that fleshed out that character

[@ultra6671]

Considering how she spent almost her entire life fighting the Cardassians, that's pretty sad.

[@gingerestkitten]

The theme of both storylines in this episode is definitely “how far will someone go to get sum fuk”

[@ryshow9118]

And the answer is apparently a resounding... YES!😅

[@alanpennie8013]

A very Gene sort of episode.

[@AndrewD8Red]

​@@alanpennie8013 Agreed. Gene was, ironically, one of the worst things to happen to Star Trek.

[@JessieGender1]

Maridiots is my offer

[@alanpennie8013]

Marizzzzz. It's those boring Trek hippies we've seen a million times.

[@Rigel7WasAlreadyUsed]

So in the end, they all moved along home.

[@danielyeshe]

I think this should have been a Bashir episode. It is far more believable that he would fall in love so fast.

[@alanpennie8013]

Good point. Dr Bashir is kind of dumb so the story would make more sense if it was about him.

[@danielyeshe]

@@alanpennie8013 He also (although not yet established) doesn't have a good relationship with his family. I don't think Dax would just abandon her sister.

[@ospero7681]

They had already pretty much done that one season previously with "Melora". (They would kind of do it again in S7 with "Chrysalis", but at least Sarina was a previously established character, if only in one episode.)

[@jimballard1186]

Star Trek of that era was pretty convinced women are sex objects, so all their stories had to be about them entering relationships or having intimate violence metaphorically done to them or maybe a spontaneous pregnancy.

[@renatocorvaro6924]

Wait, about that weirdo. Isn't everyone played by Jeffrey Combs?

[@alexneff]

Yes

[@AndrewD8Red]

Jeffrey Combs himself is actually played by Vaughan Armstrong.

[@carlosyoung1629]

I know I'm played by him

[@jonsvendsen4015]

DS9 truly outshines most other Trek series with how the crew talks to each other. They're like people, talking to other people about stuff other than the plot of the week and/or technobabble. Personal stuff that people need to talk to other people about!

[@shinyagumon7015]

The most surprising turn for me with this episode was the fact that this is also the "Quark makes deepfake porn about Major Kira" episode, although I also thought the Meridians turned into slugs at the end, which I think is actually an episode from Voyager, which in my opinion showcases the biggest problem Meridian has: it's forgettable and boring. Like you said, the people living there are very flat and not really that interesting. You would think that people who spend the majority of their time as incorporeal beings would have a much more unique outlook on life, but no, they just kind of seem nice. There was something there to make us care about them, though the idea that being shifted around is like a prison to them and that they cherish the time they can experience having a body, but instead we focus on a fairly forgettable romance. The Dax and Sisko goodbye scene is great, but it cannot save the episode from being dull for me.

[@MrJohndoakes]

The A plot of this is just "Brigadoon" (1954) in outer space.

[@Rocketboy1313]

My problem is that this is a TNG or Voyager type story. A story of weird planet of the week with a one off romance is what auto populates when you tell an AI to outline a Star Trek episode. DS9's strengths are in its ongoing story of religion and clashing empires. This show has none of that. This is a Troi or Harry Kim episode.

[@IvanDobski]

Yeah, that happened a few times in early DS9. The Storyteller ep is another obvious example. This cloud creature comes every year and the locals must fight it off. How did that work during the occupation??

[@julietteangeli]

Quark's come-hither look in the Kira hologram will never stop being amazing and hilarious.

[@jimballard1186]

If I ever meet Armin Shimerman, the first thing I will do--once I'm done gushing and humiliating us both--is ask him how he learned to emote so effectively with all that stuff on his face.

[@loorthedarkelf8353]

Miridian reminds me of Classic Trek. A member of the crew falling in love the moment they hit planet side and then Something Terrible kills the guest star they were head over heels for- occasionally their entire spieces. I think that's happened to Kirk at least six times.

[@JohnMinehan-lx9ts]

Meridian AKA "Brigadoon II."

[@Spook327]

"Brigadoon IN SPAAAAACE"

[@DawnDavidson]

My thoughts exactly! 😂

[@biffyqueen]

@@Spook327 Yes! This is exactly what I said when I watched it the first time.

[@ultra6671]

I love how nobody ever thinks to just take the Meridian colony away from their planet and relocate them somewhere else.

[@Seal0626]

I'm sure I remember reading somewhere that this one was an unused TNG script, which would mean that it was probably written for Troi. At least she's got some telepathic woo going on that could be used to handwave why she fell so in love so quickly that she was willing to leave her entire life, but it's still pretty much making her a damsel in distress which they just _loved_ to do.

[@MarkWiseTechno]

I agree that Meridian isn't as terrible as its reputation suggests, but it's still worthy of being considered among the worst episodes of DS9 sheerly based on how fucking good most episides of DS9 are. It's like when an honors student in school randomly gets a C+ on a test. It's only a middling grade and not at all a failure but still the one of worst grades they've ever gotten. Meridian is like that for DS9. It's a C-level episode in a show that averaged a B+/A- and rarely dipped below a B.

[@deathangel7335]

One of the moments that stood out for me with this episode was a bit of non-verbal acting that Sidig did in a particular scene. Bashir is talking to Jadzia, telling her some meditech about how she's all fixed up and ready to shift to the immaterial dimension, and then the boyfriend walks in. Jadzia and her boyfriend stand right there in front of him and talk about how wonderful it's going to be... You can see it as Julian tries to act like he's OK with all of this while a part of his soul visibly dies.

[@lightsabermetrics]

I was always quite impressed that 90s Trek episodes that took place outdoors in a park-type setting still made those outdoors settings look like stage plays.

[@alissapyrich1891]

That's a creepily good Jeffrey Combs voice.

[@rika8484]

I just gotta say, I knew you were going to say "Threshold", I got nervous and my tummy hurt and I closed my eyes, but you still said "Threshold". I'm so mad, SO MAD, that everyone hates this episode that gave me such good chills that I felt nauseous and cried the first time I watched it. And then I opened Memory Alpha and learned that EVERYONE hates it. It's an effective piece of modern cosmic/existential horror that 2000s Trek rarely nailed so hard. Please, be gentle.

[@elim_inator]

When I rewatched DS9 for the first time, I dismissed it right away as a bad episode, but that scene you mentioned with Sisko and Jadzia made me realize once more why this is my favorite Star Trek show. Even in an episode as poorly written as this one, the regulars are great.

[@KioAMVs]

Just rewatched Meridian yesterday. And the ONLY grounds I can find for Dax acting the way she does--and emphasis on Dax more than Jadzia here, is that one of the primary roles of the host is to act as a vehicle for the symbiont to gain new and unique experiences. We get hit with it over the head repeatedly. And Jadzia herself, even before Dax, has multiple science degrees, which means for both Jadzia and Dax (and thus for Jadzia Dax as a unit), the opportunity to live as pure energy is something no other host could provide for their symbiont, and I think Jadzia is genuinely enthralled by the idea as a scientist and explorer. Perhaps Jadzia's youth is causing her to misassociate her excitement for interest in what's-his-name. But that's the only way it hangs together to me even a little bit. The Sisko/Dax scenes are the only saving grace, and I felt the same thing as you did the first time I saw it.

[@erbylopez6003]

How is season one’s “Move Along Home” not the worst DS9 episode ever? Man, I hate that one.

[@ZuluRomeo]

For me, Profit and Lace comes closest to being the Code of Honor of DS9.

[@guaposneeze]

Dax is the one character that will probably still exist whenever the planet comes back. From her perspective, he's saying, "I gotta grab something from my car, I'll be right back." So the whole ticking clock premise works better with literally almost any other character in the history of the franchise.

[@biggysmith]

c'mon bro, no way this is worse than Move Along Home... "Allamaraine, count to four, Allamaraine, then three more, Allamaraine, if you can see, Allamaraine, you'll come with me..."

[@st.anselmsfire3547]

You know, I still think Code of Honor is worse than both Threshold and Spock's Brain, because at least the latter two have that pulp sci-fi cheesiness that harkens back to Star Trek's roots. They're in this MST3K category of Trek - so bad, they actually come around to being good. Code of Honor just doesn't have that. As for Meridian, I think it's biggest sin is that it's boring.

[@alanpennie8013]

Absolutely. Most of Voyager is so meh that demented episodes like Threshold are actually highpoints. They have a lunatic energy which wins me over.

[@TheKartana]

I've seen DS9 like 3 times from beginning to end and the only part of this episode I remember is the Kira hologram

[@HeadsFullOfEyeballs]

Same, I didn't remember the A plot of this episode at all.

[@alanpennie8013]

​@@HeadsFullOfEyeballs I think we're tagging ourselves as not big fans of Dax. Which is true in my case. Not that I dislike the character but she's not a favourite.

[@jimballard1186]

I remember it because I remember thinking it seemed like they gave Terry Farrel absolutely no direction for the planet disappearing scene; like, "Look, act like you're choking or something, I dunno, we're on a schedule here, figure it out!"

[@m.h.6470]

Next episode is "Threshold"? Oh boy. I do like quite a few Voyager episodes, but that one... I actively try to suppress any memory of that episode ever happening. It is just SOOO bad.

[@feliciasmith3195]

Thank you🎉this literally made me almost spit out my cereal this morning.My week has been a lot 😅 but this made me laugh out loud and nearly cried and choke! The sarcasm,and dry wit and cutting remarks were just too much!! I remember this episode and the face she makes when planet disappears it was too much!!

[@MaxMercuryAnonymous]

I don't know why Steve saying "Graham Crackers" in that voice made me audibly chuckle at work, but nice one, Steve.

[@themediumcheese]

I think the ending is kinda tragic even if it's a whatever episode, the last shot of Jadzia looking dejected is pretty rough

[@ZuluRomeo]

The sequence at 4:24 is just perfectly edited and performed. Great work Steve. 😜

[@spikeoramathon]

"I'm so tired of that formula." The first of many lines making me nearly spit coffee all over my keyboard. You, sir, are a comedic genius. After explaining to my husband what a Brigadoon was, I had to look up whether or not it existed in other folklore than Scottish, and, yes, there's examples from around the world of this trope. Huh. Yeah, the guy Dax falls for isn't all that. But it's almost like being in love.

[@altyrrell3088]

I was about to mention Brigadoon.

[@casey6556]

They actually refer to a similar planet on Lower Decks as a “Brigadoon-type planet” which is the ultimate lampshade

[@GSBarlev]

Hey Steve, I'm really sorry for the hostility-it's been super tense at the office, but that's no excuse for taking it out on you. I hope we can still be friends (or, at least, content creator and parasocial leech).

[@GeoffTrowbridge]

I’m surprised you didn’t mention that the whole “world disappears for 60 years” trope is borrowed (or stolen) directly from the musical “Brigadoon”. And as much as I dislike that musical, it’s an infinitely better story than whatever the hell this was.

[@kaitiesaxe5753]

I love this episode 😂 even though the romance is complete nonsense, I love the characterization of Dax (reinforced many times) that as intelligent and dedicated to her job as she is, she would always throw away everything for love. I sort of buy also that dipping out for 60 years wouldn't be nearly as big a deal for a 300 year old lady with theoretically infinite lifetimes.

[@javiervalverde628]

Great job with the voices. I laughed the whole way through. Thanks Stave!

[@AndrewD8Red]

An ex of mine counts this as the worst episode of Star Trek ever made. I did try to remind her that Voyager episodes with the Borg existed, but she still stuck to her guns. In her defence, it is absolutely dreadful, but it doesn't break into my bottom 20 Trek. Hell, I can think of a few worse episodes from DS9 alone.

[@lightsabermetrics]

Looking for Par'mach in All the Wrong Places is probably the single worst DS9 episode ever. However, I still hate Heart of Stone more than almost any episode in Trek history for its total character assassination of Odo. I'll never forgive the series for making Odo in love with Kira.

[@AndrewD8Red]

​@@lightsabermetrics I love Heart Of Stone! For my money, one of the worst things that DS9 ever made was The Darkness And The Light and The Sound Of Her Voice. Absolutely dreadful, awful episodes.

[@AndrewD8Red]

​@@lightsabermetrics Odo being in love with Kira is fantastic. Kira reciprocating later in the series was a massive disappointment, though.

[@lightsabermetrics]

@Andrew-pr9xv respectfully disagree. The Odo/Kira relationship was never built on any sexual tension between them from the first episode. They had mutual admiration and respect, but it was entirely platonic. It should have stayed that way.

[@AndrewD8Red]

​@@lightsabermetrics Equally respectfully disagree! Romantic love doesn't need to have sexual chemistry, but Kido or Odira or whatever definitely works best when their relationship was tragically unreciprocated.

[@WildSeven19]

Jeffrey Combs exudes great Cenobite energy in this episode. I liked this episode when I was 12 and an idiot; it was a total slog as an adult.

[@jamiecashes]

The stuff with Quark is classic good stuff with Jeff Combs

[@robertmiller9735]

Only saw this one once, and I only remembered the subplot. It is enjoyable for Quark to get punished for that egregiously unethical behavior.

[@ATADSP]

Bro "Let he who is without sin" and "Profit and Lace" are both far far worse. I barely remember this episode so it can't be that bad.

[@alanpennie8013]

As someone remarked above this is generic Trek episode #1. It's not good, it's not bad. It's just meh and forgettable.

[@eriks2962]

clap clap! Good job steve, you've outdone yourself. You perfectly captured the silliness of that story line in your episode summary. Like anyone would ever believe dax would leave like that!

[@bulbus7062]

Kudos for finding the perfect Kira reaction shot towards Teran

[@JDODify]

Steve you gotta do Melora from DS9. their heart was in the right place, but it lands wide of the mark!

[@canadianweez]

Duet did it for me. I really felt that poor cardassian's grief at what he witnessed.

[@psykkomancz]

The worst part for me is that Doran as absolutely zero charisma. I don't believe Dax would fall in love with someone like this for a second.

[@sailordaigurren8225]

I've always loved Kira and Odo pulling that stunt and swapping in Quark's head. Hilarious. 😂

[@dianavespid937]

I knew Dax was going to leave the show and I swear to god I thought this was the moment and I was already going to go nuts about it

[@jayodoom]

I am still, all these years later, absolutely and totally head-over-heels in love with Jadzia Dax

[@colleenmarin8907]

OMG - Absolutely this - Jadzia is just the best ever!

[@vlmellody51]

I've always been irritated by the near-total lack of chemistry between Doral and Dax.

[@holofish]

Excellent Jeffrey Combs impression!

[@niiickwalsh]

“Meridian” commits the worst crime a DS9 episode can do. It’s boring. Give me the command crew hopscotching for their lives any day over a bland and predictable story like this. And if you are going to create a character that will get the mighty JADZIA DAX to fall in love instantly and give up everything she knows, that character better be SO interesting, SO compelling, so worthy of that place in her life, that we never question it. Worf - with hundreds of episodes of development - qualifies. Julian Bashir almost comes to. This wallpaper paste of a person? Not so much.

[@MeganKoumori]

Of course climbing trees is fun. Even Spock climbs trees. You have to shoot him with a sneezing ecstasy flower first, but then he's a regular Tarzan of the Vulcans.

[@AndrewD8Red]

Hah! Didn't get around to watching this review finish before, but holy damn this one was particularly hilarious! Please accept my apologies for not watching it to completion before. I feel like I've let the side down.

[@joanwerthman4116]

I remember being a short ways into this and thinking, “Damn. They’re doing Brigadoon one of the world’s most boring musicals without the music that is its only redeeming feature.

[@JDizaster]

Pausing to comment: "I can pay. I assume you accept graham crackers?" is the best and most from-Steve's-brain DS9 joke I can possibly imagine.

[@rmeddy]

It's not Move Along Home bad or anything like that but it's just forgettable, I only remember this because The Orville did something really similar and I was "oh yeah that was like Meridian from DS9" It's biggest sin is the dumb "love interest for one episode" thing but we know they can't flesh it out or have main character leave so we know that isn't going anywhere

[@Mallory-Malkovich]

On a long enough timeline, every sci-fi show will do a _Brigadoon_ episode.

[@firefly4f4]

Not a good episode, but I consider it more boring than objectionable. 🤷 Loved the joke about Jeffrey Combs' characters.

[@firefly4f4]

WRT "Threshold", it's another one that I can't quite call the worst episode of the series even though it is absolutely atrocious. Nothing about it makes sense even by the "science" of Trek or even the logic of the episode itself. Sidenote that it did win an Emmy for makeup. I can't laugh at it as much as I can "Spock's Brain" because the "science" in it is so bad, but it's one I can enjoy on a, "How was this allowed to happen?" level. Plus the line, "multispectral subspace engine design" gives me a gloriously hilarious vision of some poor sap shoveling My Little Ponies into the warp core. (feel free to use that line, Steve; no credit required) My least favorite ENT episode as I've said elsewhere is "Nemesis" is my personal least favorite, although "Fury" is another contender. I give "Nemisis" the nod because it's both boring and inexplicably has the former rebel captain saying that, "violence is not the answer"; a plot point so contrary to the character that it hurts my brain. "Fury" is just, well, infuriating to anyone who actually liked Kes' character and thought she had already been given a pretty good send off, but I can kind of see what they were going for.

[@anthonybervin3487]

I watched this again...I don't think I've heard Steve say the word "jizz" this many times ever. Closest was the Saltburn review which is still a classic.

[@fredhuot9279]

WhT Meridian made me think is how living so many lifetimes has been for Dax. Yes each of the hosts were different and unique as much as 2 persons living within the same culture can be. I believed Dax impulse to go. Not because of her pretty boy but because bow much she must crave for a different life experience.

[@hellogoditsmesara3569]

the sex was just really good steve why can't you accept that

[@anthonybervin3487]

"Not the way YOU like it.. the other way" 😂❤*

[@Faction.Paradox]

Ah yes, the much needed Brigadoon episode

[@thishandleistacken]

Tree climbing is my favourite things to do... but be careful its pretty damn dangerous. 2 years ago I broke my foot in 3 places and my fact in 2 places + my nose and I bit the tip of my tongue nearly clean off and had to get it sown back on. It was super romantic

[@Hugh_I]

oh boy, that sounds like one of those moments in your life where you just feel the urge to shift into another dimension where you can hang out as a non-corporeal being for a while.

[@gothatfunk]

Ah, it's gonna be Threshold? I was unsure which way you would go. Contemporaneously to the release of that episode, I saw a doll of mutated Tom Paris. Apparently, whoever puts up the money for such a product to be made, liked the episode. I still remember my spontaneous laughter in the toy store.

[@emmajohnson-geis114]

Finding that bad entry in a piece of media/genre that makes you realize why you love it is always a special feeling

[@KariIzumi1]

Ooh, glad to be home sick to get this one early

[@kaitlyn__L]

Your lewd and lascivious jokes always get me, but today they were so over the top that I had to actually stop and catch my breath... (insert double entendre there, I guess). Well done, Steve.

[@nutherefurlong]

I like taking the Brigadoon thing and carrying the idea as far as it will go, but I don't remember them getting too deeply into what it was actually like. That their brains aren't mush I guess means it's OK. Sorta surprised "Move Along Home" doesn't at least get a hat tip. Was a weird setup... one of the first Dominion references but goofy. Didn't skimp on the set design, though

[@johnchedsey1306]

I think this episode illustrates the problems with TV shows back in the 90s and their 20+ episodes per season. Filler episodes happen far too often and this one definitely feels like one of those. I never thought it was bad, and the Jeffrey Combs character is a riot. But if it had never been made, it's not like we'd be losing much.

[@alanpennie8013]

Exactly. If they have 20 episodes to write the writers are gonna give us a few that are a bit ho hum even in the best show. It's inevitable.

[@dw7704]

My pick for worst DS9 episode is Move Along Home Fake peril, lazy writing, stuff that doesn’t make sense. It’s embarrassingly bad in my view. Meridian is more just forgettable for me Move Along Home is kind of DS9’s version of Plato’s Stepchildren to me. (Which would be in my bottom 5 TOS episodes, but at least it had some redeeming qualities, such as the kiss and Alexander- it’s a shame those didn’t get a better episode.) The only good thing about Move Along Home was it had a couple of funny references in Lower Decks.

[@richardryley3660]

"Meridian" seems to me like one of those Star Trek episodes where the entire point is to set up the ending. In this case, it is about Dax being an alien race that is effectively immortal. "How can we set up a situation where Dax will have to wait 60 years to continue a romance?" It rarely works and I wish Star Trek wouldn't do it so much. I wosh I could think of another example but right now my mind is blanking. Probably trying to protect myself. 😂

[@keithmichael112]

This episode is worse than Move Along Home, but not as bad as the one where Quark dresses up as a girl

[@nikau86]

Back in the day, I was actually a shipper in my local newsgroup community. (Yes, newsgroups) I had a vested interest in Jadzia being in a relationship with Julian. I was a J&Jer, not a J&Wer. This episode, regardless of what side you were on, was the one that you ALWAYS had a pass to skip.

[@getnohappy]

I watched DS9 over the pandemic. It dawned on me that while Jadzia Dax is a great character she is pretty underserved for Dax-led episodes: this one, the albino, three symbiote based ones (the affair/gay kiss, guy who steals Dax, and the serial killer). Not a lot for 5 seasons, and only two good ones (albino and serial killer). I don't think I've missed any?

[@KariIzumi1]

Interesting you point this out, cuz the other thing you mentioned is most of her episodes aren’t even about her specifically but about her previous hosts’ shenanigans. It left Jadzia herself a bit thin on characterization in a way that not even Ezri for the brief time she was on the show suffered from.

[@getnohappy]

​@@KariIzumi1 ay, Ezri got two pretty good episodes if I remember (the Vulcan sniper and the Orion Syndicate episodes)

[@GSBarlev]

​@@KariIzumi1Don't get me wrong-I love Ezri and _to this day_ haven't gotten over my crush on Nicole de Boer-but the amount of focus _DS9_ S07 gave to her character, even apart from her status as host, seemed like the EPs twisting the knife into Terry Farrell.

[@FrostyButter]

That establishing shot of Meridian looks a lot like a similar scene on Yavin 4. It sure is a small universe...

[@finnbaker3985]

I completely forgot about this episode. No memory of it at all.

[@lennierofthethirdfaneofchu7286]

I remembered the B-plot (mostly because of Jeffrey Combs). Forgot the A-plot.

[@TheMAZZTer]

I kept thinking it was the one where the Defiant time traveled to the past and crashed on takeoff. Kira was on the planet in that episode though which confused me for a bit since she's in the B plot here instead.

[@Gabriel-ci7db]

The episode only reappears every 60 years.

[@ospero7681]

Labeling this the worst episode of the series that brought us Fascination, The Muse, Move Along Home, Profit and Lace, Let He Who Is Without Sin... and Valiant (yes, I hate that one more than any other episode of DS9 - it's my least favourite episode of Star Trek ever made, in fact) is a little strange. Maybe if that person thinks "boring" is a worse sin than "actively annoying" or otherwise bad?

[@GSBarlev]

Ooh, I'll defend "Valiant" (if for no reason beyond CPO Dorian Collins' description of Earthrise on Luna), "Move Along Home" (Kira and Sisko's *sheer annoyance* combined with the double-subversion given the stakes involved), "The Muse" (really stepping up the Jake-as-a-writer arc) and "Profit and Lace" (💯 with Steve on his take from the last video). "Fascination" I don't remember very well, except that I, unlike Steve, really enjoy Lwaxana and especially Lwaxana x Odo.

[@ospero7681]

@@ExtremeMadnessX In order: Lwaxana Troi makes everyone on the station into emotionally supercharged teenagers; Jake Sisko gets drained by an energy alien posing as a muse; the most immersive board game ever with the worst minigames ever produced; Quark in drag; holiday on Risa; and finally, Nog and Jake getting in with a ship full of cadets stuck behind enemy lines.

[@gingerestkitten]

⁠​⁠​⁠in order… Lwaxana, Jake trades his life force to a sexy alien for a story idea, crew plays VR hopscotch for klon peags, Quark Is Trans For A Day, Worf and Dax foil a terrorist plot to end fun on Risa, 20 children pilot a starship in a war zone

[@chrisblake4198]

I liked the Gratitude Festival because it had very little to do with Lwaxana and let everyone else be silly. I liked the Risa trip because of Bashir and Leeta's breakup and her announcement of her interest in Rom. Both good 'show don't tell ' insights into Bajoran culture.

[@andrewklang809]

​@@chrisblake4198Fascination gets a pass simply for Bashir and Kira making out Hardcore!

[@bootlegpbj3767]

I think you’re absolutely correct about meridian’s lackluster plot. I don’t know if I’d call it the worst but certainly there is no drama. They hinge they drama on whether Dax can stay but instead they should hinge the drama on the people not wanting to leave, like let it be uncomfortable to shift, maybe they lose people in the process, I’m not sure exactly but the timeline just doesn’t feel that serious And my only real issue with the quark Kira story is that regardless of how funny the payoff is I can’t help but feel like Kira ostensibly still allowed a holographic recreation of her naked body to be made; just with a different face, I can’t help but feel like quark now knowing that was the issue could still sell that as porn with some modification

[@ermixonscraziesttheories]

Why do "Maridian" instead of "Move Along Home?" Wasn't that the one the actors hated? I mean, if you are going to do worst episodes ever, rather than picking one you think is just kinf of meh, why not at least go with the one the people behind the show hated?

[@spearofhope2]

I watched this video over my breakfast and, I dunno if it's just an extra punchy review, but I was giggling along the whole time 😂 an actual LOL, sir. Thanks~

[@anuket4854]

I first saw this episode as an eight year old... I think. That Dax/Dural relationship was so hokey it didn't fool me at eight years old.

[@dimone]

My pick for worst Star Trek: DS9 episode is the baseball episode from the final season. Yes, I understand it was meant to be light-hearted and a break from all the heavy goings-on in that season, but I hate it. It's as if not one person (writers, director, producers, actors) involved in that episode have ever heard of baseball.

[@Chiscringle]

It's a good thing Jadzia didn't stay on Meridian or else we'd have people asking where she is now that DISCO is in the 32nd Century, which would only be half a year's worth of Meridian time.

[@SnarkNSass]

I lean towards Neato, myself 😂😂😂

[@MrChupacabra555]

4:17 : Is that Jeffrey Coombs? 😅 Without googling, I don't know all the Trek characters he has played, but I swear I recognize those eyes and maybe how he 'holds' his mouth 😏 9:40 : Okay, with that "I know a guy in the Dominion", I'm not certain it is Jeffrey, even without googling 😂 Edit: and of course he says it was Jeffrey at the end there.

[@ajaiiz]

For a worst episode ever installment, I was expecting you to totally trash "Meridian". But you actually pointed out several redeeming qualities. So I'm a little puzzled by this choice. My choice would have been "Profit and Lace", hands down. "Move Along Home" is pretty bad--but at least that one is in the "it's so bad, it's good" territory.

[@shahzebhasan9995]

Steve's already done a video on "Profit and Lace" (Search "Deep Space Nine's most Problematic Episode".) I would have expected "Let he who is without sin" myself, a good opportunity to laugh at conservatives

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

Yeah, early on Dax says something like "Joined Trills tend to look at the whole romance thing as an inconvenience because we did it so many times and it keeps us from our higher pursuits." or something. And now all of the sudden she falls for this guy so hard that she's ready to leave everything behind for 60 years? Yeah, I'm not buying it either.

[@Kairamek]

I don't buy the romance angle at all, but I do believe Jadzia Dax would stay on Meridian. Specifically, Dax would stay. Think of it from a joined trill perspective. Jadzia is leaving her life behind for now, but she could restart it after returning in 60 years. And she'd carry the experience of existing as pure consciousness during that time. An experience the symbiont would pass on to future hosts. In a later episode we learn about the taboo around reassociation, and that taboo exists to keep pushing towards new experiences because that is the goal of the program. To grow the knowledge and experience of the symbiote. Six decades as pure consciousness would probably count.

[@jeffharris7668]

If you find yourself trapped in what seems like a hotel room with only a VHS copy of "Meridian" for entertainment, settle in. You are clearly in Purgatory. But if you find yourself trapped in what seems like a hotel room with only a VHS copy of "Threshold" for entertainment, despair. For you are certainly in Hell. I do look forward to seeing the review, though.

[@mjr256]

I think the B-story actually has aged well in the era of Deepfakes. I find myself referencing it in conversations about deepfake technology.