Star Trek: 20 Worst Episodes Ever

14. Meridian (DS9)

"Satisfaction is not guaranteed."

While in the Gamma Quadrant, the U.S.S. Defiant comes across the planet Meridian. It turns out this planet (and its inhabitants) are rather unique in that they spend their time going back and forth between two dimensions. In one, ours, they exist as matter, but in the other, they exist as pure energy.

As in much of the franchise, the techno-babble explaining this phenomena is best ignored. Unfortunately, the same could be said of the love story it is a backdrop for, which is entirely forgettable. Jadzia Dax falls for a Meridian named Deral. Sure, he's handsome enough, but the two hardly spend enough time together (and the love scenes they do have together are utterly generic and without passion) for a seasoned adult like Dax (who has centuries of experience, thanks to being a joined Trill) to commit to being pure energy for decades-- if not forever.

None of this matters, of course, since Terry Farrell is a series regular in the middle of a six season contract. Rather than come off as tragic, the episode's conclusion (in which techno-babble explains that Dax cannot join Meridian) comes off as a forgone conclusion. To be fair, the episode does have an amusing (if nonessential) B-story involving Quark's attempt to create an erotic hologram of Kira for a creepy client, but it's hardly enough to save this from being a disappointment.