Summary
One episode ofStar Trek: Deep Space Ninewas so poorly received among the production team that Ira Steven Behr called himself a “moron” for even considering the story idea.DS9season 3, episode 8,“Meridian” was pitched as “Star Trek does Brigadoon"in reference to the Gene Kelly movie musical. InBrigadoon, Tommy Albright (Kelly) stumbles into a Scottish village that only appears once every 200 years, where he falls in love with Fiona Campbell (Cyd Charisse).Directed by Jonathan Frakes,DS9’s “Meridian”, the USS Defiant discovers a planet that only appears every 60 years.
InStar Trek: DS9’s version ofBrigadoon, Lt. Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) is theDeep Space Ninecharacterwho plays the Gene Kelly role. In “Meridian”, Dax falls in love with Deral (Brett Cullen), but is unable to stay with him when the planet phases out of her home dimension. There’s some strong material for Terry Farrell and Avery Brooks to play, but ultimatelytheDS9team were disappointed with how “Meridian” turned out. In theStar Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, Ira Steven Behr took the blame for the episode’s failings, explaining:
“I love Brigadoon so I’m idiot enough to say, ‘Let’s do an episode based on Brigadoon’, I am a moron”
1 Star Trek: DS9 Episode Was So Complex That Every Writer Worked On It
It takes a village to bring Star Trek to life, but one particularly difficult episode of Deep Space Nine season 3 was truly a team effort.
Why Star Trek: DS9’s Meridian Caused Ira Steven Behr To Say “I Am A Moron”
Brigadoonwas a Hollywood studio picture with a budget of $3.019 million, which was a lot of money back in 1954. For perspective, when adjusted for inflation (viaFederal Reserve Bank Minneapolis),Brigadoon’s budget would be over $34 million in 2024. Quite simply,Star Trek: Deep Space Ninedid not have anywhere near this level of budget per episode, meaning that “Meridian” could never hope to replicateBrigadoon. As Ira Steven Behr noted inCaptain’s Log Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Voyages:
“…to make that show really work, we would have needed another $200,000 for opticals.”
Visual effects' supervisor Glenn Neufeld echoes Ira Steven Behr’s assessment, recounting the “horrendous” session they endured trying to make the inhabitants of Meridian phase out of existence in theStar Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion. The book recounts how difficult “Meridian” was in terms of writing and visual production. Ronald D Moore doesn’t think"anyonelikes [Meridian]”, while Hilary Bader reveals it’s the least favorite of theStar Trekepisodesshe worked on. 30 years after it aired, is “Meridian” really as bad as the production team thinks it is, and is Ira Steven Behr’s “moron” insult justified?
To realize the planet of “Meridian”, the production team hired a 270-degree backdrop from another movie musical,Mary Poppins.
Is Star Trek: DS9’s Brigadoon Episode Really All That Bad?
Star Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 3, episode 8,“Meridian” is nowhere near as bad as its reputation suggests. While the episode definitely has its technical shortcomings, there is some strong character material for the regulars. Firstly, “Meridian” features an enjoyable comedy subplot involving the sleazy alien Tiron,played by Jeffrey Combsin his first-everStar Trekappearance. The increasingly elaborate attempts by Quark (Armin Shimerman) to acquire a holo-image of Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) lift the slower material taking place on Meridian itself.
Jeffrey Combs' role in “Meridian” meant that he spent a lot of time with Rene Auberjonois, who would later cast the actor as Liquidator Brunt in “Family Business”.
However, even though the main plot for Jadzia Dax in “Meridian” is quite flat and unengaging, there’s still some terrific material for Terry Farrell to perform. The scene in which Jadzia and Sisko discuss her decision to stay behind with Deral is genuinely moving. By this point inStar Trek: Deep Space Nine, Terry Farrell and Avery Brooks have incredible chemistry together, and that helps to lift one of season 3’s weaker episodes. It just goes to show that Ira Steven Behr’s assessment of himself as a “moron” is too harsh, as even the weakest episodes ofStar Trekhave at least one aspect - like performances - to recommend it.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Cast
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.
