[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kira_surprise_meridian.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The one thing everyone remembers from this episode]]

Kira and Odo are hanging out at the replimat when Tiron, an overbearing associate of Quark's, approaches Kira and tries to resume his wooing of her from last night. Kira couldn't be less interested and spurns him by enlisting Odo for a BoyfriendBluff. Odo, obviously nursing a crush of his own, goes along with it, infuriating Tiron.

Meanwhile, the rest of the ship's senior officers are exploring the Gamma Quadrant in the ''Defiant''. They stumble across a planet that suddenly materializes in front of them. The planet's tiny community of inhabitants hails the ship and invites the crew down for dinner. Sisko accepts. On the planet, the crew find a small, pastoral community of friendly folks who explain that their planet, Meridian, periodically phases out of physical space, allowing them to exist as pure consciousness. During that time, they don't age.

Back on the station, Tiron is trying to work out his frustrations in the holosuite to no effect. Only Kira can slake his thirst, so he demands that Quark provide him with a holographic version of her to have his way with. The greedy Ferengi agrees to create such a program, but Tiron won't pay until he delivers.

Back on Meridian, Dax falls in with a handsome man named Deral who obviously has eyes for her. He explains that Meridians are descended from a expedition that became stranded. Their numbers have dwindled because their time in physical space has grown shorter and shorter due to increasing instability on the planet. In fact, if they don't find a solution, they will be unable to phase back into physical space after their next trip and cease to exist. The crew set to work trying to figure out a way to stabilize the planet and save the community.

On the station, Quark tries a number of ruses to get a holographic image of Kira. First he tries to trick her into the holosuites by gifting her one free hour for being his "one-millionth customer," but she decides to regift the time to a friend. Then he tries scanning her on the promenade, but he's easily spotted. Finally he obtains her personnel file, which he tells Tiron will be enough to create his program. Tiron threatens to ruin Quark's reputation if the program isn't everything he hopes for.

On Meridian, the crew throw themselves into their attempt to save the community. In the process, Deral makes serious moves on Dax. He has other suitors on the planet, but he's amazed that the perfect woman has "fallen out of the sky." Dax is equally charmed. Deral shows her around the planet and presents the spot where he wants to build a house for him and Dax. Wow, this is moving really fast! Deral admits as much, but Dax is into it. Deral can't bear to leave his dwindling community, so Dax volunteers to join him when they transition back to pure consciousness.

Odo and Kira figure out that Quark has hacked into Kira's files. Odo plans on arresting him, but Kira has a better idea. Quark obliviously tells Tiron that his program is complete. The horny alien steps inside the holosuite to see a figure undulating on a bed behind a screen. He lifts the veil away to reveal Kira's sexy body... with Quark's head! The disgusted Tiron runs away and screams at the real Quark, promising to destroy his reputation. Kira and Odo have a good laugh at the confused Ferengi's expense.

The crew has figured out a solution to Meridian's problem and put it into action. Deral is stoked that his community is saved, and he'll get to live his perfect life with the girl of his dreams. Dax tells everyone that she's going to be leaving them, which bums Sisko out, but he wishes her well. Dax and the rest of the Meridians all gather in preparation for the changeover, but something goes wrong. All the Meridians fade away, but Dax is stuck. The crew realize that Dax's presence is screwing up the planet's stabilization. They transport her out of there, allowing the planet to safely pass back out of physical space. Dax is left unharmed but knowing that she won't see Deral for another 60 years.

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!!This episode provides examples of
* AbhorrentAdmirer: Kira does everything she can to duck Tiron's advances.
* BoyfriendBluff: Kira and Odo pretend to be romantically involved when dealing with Tiron early in the episode.
* ButterFace: When Kira and Odo find out about Quark's attempts to create a [[KissMeImVirtual holobrothel facsimile]] of Major Kira, they hack the program so that the client who requested it is greeted by [[DigitalHeadSwap Kira's body topped off with Quark's head]].
* DimensionalTraveler: An [[VanishingVillage entire planet]] of them.
* JustEatGilligan: Sisko never makes an offer to transport the entire colony to another world (hopefully in the Alpha Quadrant, away from The Dominion) and allow their descendants to return to the planet when it reappears in 60 years. It would be understandable if they chose to stay, but Sisko doesn't even make the offer.
* NoodleIncident: Odo mentions that he attempted to eat after he first learned how to assume a humanoid form, but notes that the experience proved unsatisfying given his lack of a digestive system, also mentioning that the attempt was "messy" for reasons he chooses not to elaborate on.
* StalkerWithACrush: Tiron. A damn creepy one to boot.
* StayWithTheAliens: Jadzia attempts this. However, she is unsuccessful.
* TemporaryLoveInterest: Deral for Dax. She is so infatuated with him that she is willing to join him in AnotherDimension for the next 60 years.
* UmpteenthCustomer: Quark's first attempt to acquire Kira's image is to declare her his "One Millionth Customer," with free dabo spins, champagne, and an hour of holosuite time where she could be scanned. However, she transfers the time to an ensign with an upcoming birthday.
* UnusualEuphemism: Dax promises Deral that when they're done researching some telemetry data they can go back to his room and "count each other's spots".
* VanishingVillage: Meridian is a planet-wide example of this, only appearing in normal space once every sixty years, and the time before it shifts back has been getting shorter each time.
* VoodooShark: Early on, the Meridians say they're descended from an expedition that crashed on the planet. This causes way more problems than it solves and makes Dax's "incompatibility" with the planet at the end nonsensical.
* WholePlotReference: Star Trek's attempt to do ''Theatre/{{Brigadoon}}''.
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