Melora ( episode ) Doctor Bashir ends up falling in love with a new officer when he develops a way for her to function in a high gravity environment . Meanwhile , Quark receives a death threat from one of his former associates . Summary . Teaser . Doctor Bashir and Lieutenant Dax are in the infirmary , testing a wheelchair designed for Ensign Pazlar . Dax expresses amazement that the specifications are even in the replicator ' s database , saying she hasn ' t seen a wheelchair in over three hundred years . Bashir reveals that they weren ' t . It was , in fact , Pazlar herself who had sent him the design , due to the fact that her normal anti - grav unit won ' t work on Deep Space 9 , a situation that Bashir likens to the troubles they had with integrating Starfleet cargo lift s . Before they can discuss it further , Major Kira chimes in over the comm system , informing Bashir that the " Yellowstone " has just docked at airlock 14 . The doctor responds , telling her they ' re on their way , before taking the wheelchair and heading out with Dax . On the Promenade , Bashir tells Dax how Ensign Pazlar must have had a hard time even getting to the station , since she grew up on a planet with such a low surface gravity . Before Dax can reply , Chief O ' Brien interrupts them , explaining that he has done the best he can with installing ramp s but that the Cardassian design has made it difficult . Bashir explains he has also been making some modifications to her chair , but O ' Brien points out there are still a lot of places where she won ' t be able to get to . Dax suggests they can help her by using the transporter but , as Bashir explains , Melora Pazlar won ' t have it . She insists on getting about , herself , once her basic needs are met , a stipulation that Bashir greatly admires . He goes on to say that he has examined all of her medical files , in preparation , then checks with the chief that her quarters are all ready . " " I even have the bumps on the head to prove it , " " the chief jokes , commenting on the low - gravity system he has installed . In the airlock , Melora is experiencing some difficulty walking . Using a walking stick , she makes it to the entrance - way before Dax and Bashir appear round the corner . " " Ensign Melora Pazlar reporting for duty , " " she greets . Dax introduces herself and Bashir , though Melora already recognizes him from their subspace communication s . She notices her wheelchair , or " trolley car " as she calls it , and begins walking towards it . Dax offers her some assistance but Melora abruptly refuses it . Taking a seat in the chair , she notices that it is different from the one she has practiced on . Bashir clarifies , saying he wanted to give her as much mobility as possible , but offers to change it back if that would help . " " No , I ' ll adapt , " " she adamantly replies , before driving it down the hall . As they walk over one of the ramps O ' Brien installed earlier , Dax explains she will be accompanying Melora on her upcoming survey mission in the Gamma Quadrant at the request of Commander Sisko . Melora objects , taking it as a sign the Commander thinks she needs extra help to get the job done , but Dax points out the Commander wouldn ' t let " any " ensign take a runabout into the Gamma Quadrant the day after they arrive . As the group approaches Melora ' s quarters , she rather apathetically asks Bashir if he has made any modifications to her quarters , as well . He courteously replies that everything is as she requested it . With that , Melora says it was nice to meet them and heads over the ramp and into her room . Dax and Bashir exchange a confounded look before heading off , themselves . Act One . In Quark ' s , a Yridian man named Ashrock is admiring one of the Rings of Paltriss . He says there are only eighty of them and Quark just happens to have forty two in his possession , but wants one hundred and ninety nine bars of gold - pressed latinum for them . Quark proposes they " seal the deal " over a drink and so goes behind his bar to grab a bottle . As he approaches the doorway to his bar , a shady figure enters . Quark immediately recognizes him and is visibly unnerved by his presence . Fallit Kot is his name , and in a typical Quark way , he begins to flatter him with compliments though he isn ' t buying it . Leaning in closer , he tells Quark that he has business with him , that he has come to kill him . Meanwhile , in Sisko ' s office , Bashir and Dax are discussing Melora ' s situation with the commander when she arrives in Ops . She wheels her way over to Sisko , who welcomes her to the station . Seeing Bashir and Dax , she asks if she is late , if the meeting has already begun but Sisko says he was just being informed about her request to pilot the runabout alone , something she expresses a wish to have been involved in . The commander states he regularly has briefings from his senior staff regarding personal issues and this one is no different . As they enter Sisko ' s office , she apologizes for sounding overly sensitive and explains that she is used to being shut out of the " Melora problem " , though she believes there is no Melora problem until people create one . She further objects to Doctor Bashir being present , saying she doesn ' t want to be treated like someone who is ill , though Commander Sisko doesn ' t see anyone doing that . " " Try sitting in the chair , commander , " " she argues . " " No - one can understand until they sit in the chair . " " Calming down slightly , she illustrates the struggle she has been through since leaving her homeworld , that she has always spent her time in one chair or another since . She shows her cane to Sisko and explains it is made from the wood of a garlanic tree and that her family gave it to her when she left . She reveals how only a handful of Elaysians have ever left her planet , but she knew she wanted to be one of them , how she dreamed of exploring the stars when she was a child and that no chair or Cardassian station is going to stop her from attaining that dream . Sisko admires her but reiterates his concerns about sending her into the Gamma Quadrant alone . Melora says she can focus on the job better but Sisko denies her request ; Lieutenant Dax is going with her . They are due to leave tomorrow at 0730 . A little while later , Bashir visits Melora ' s quarters and asks her how she is finding the low gravity environment they have created for her . She describes the experience as " like slipping into a hot tub at the end of the day . " Bashir jokes that he is a shower man himself before examining a photo on the desk , showing her and another man . He asks if it ' s her husband or boyfriend but she doesn ' t answer him . Instead , she apologizes for her choice of words in the commander ' s office . She says she didn ' t mean to attack Bashir directly . He knows that she didn ' t mean any personal offense by it but nonetheless points out that she does a lot of " attacking " , an attribute that she demonstrates when scorning Bashir ' s offer of friendship by telling her to call him Julian instead of Doctor . He makes her realize how others perceive her , how she is always on the defensive , and then surprisingly , asks her out to dinner at the new Klingon restaurant on the Promenade . She accepts , much to his delight . Act Two . In his bar , Quark is hard at work trying to appease his latest " customer " with a delicious home - cooked meal , starting with Vak clover soup . Quark ' s " former associate " picks up the dish and pours the soup onto the floor , right in front of Quark . Still thinking he can change his mind , Quark offers up some Jumbo Vulcan mollusk s sauté ed in Rhombolian butter . Kot takes a bite as Quark explains the game of dabo and how his two " excellent tutors " ( dabo girls ) can show him how to play . In an attempt to change his mind , Quark makes it clear that he wants Kot ' s stay on the station to be as pleasurable as possible and , to that end , proposes a toast to " old friends " . " " To old debts , " " replies Kot . At the Klingon restaurant , Bashir orders some " racht " , a double order of " gladst " without the sauce and a side order of " zilm ' kach " . He hands a plate to Melora but she is immediately offended by it . Bashir , thinking her reaction is due to how the food looks , reassures her it tastes good , but that ' s not what she means . Speaking in fluent Klingon , she barks at the chef to provide " racht " where she can see the blood running through the veins . The Klingon laughs , noting , " " I like a customer who knows what she wants , " " and snatches the plate from Bashir , flinging it and the food behind him . After a few seconds spent behind his kiosk , he returns with some live " racht " , as ordered . " " There ' s nothing worse than half - dead " racht , " Melora jokes . As Bashir finishes off the last of the " racht " , he recounts a story to Melora . He tells her of how , when he was ten , he and his father were trapped on Invernia II during an ionic storm , and while they were waiting it out , he found a sick Invernian girl . When the storm passed , his father went to get help but it was too late and the girl died in front of his eyes . It was only later he found out that a simple herb , which grew all around them , could have saved her life . Melora asks if that was the reason he decided to study medicine , but Bashir jokes he first decided to study tennis though he later found out he was better at medicine . She laughs at him and there is a moment of silence as they gaze into each other ' s eyes . Melora suddenly breaks the silence and decides it ' s time to go . She has an early mission in the morning and wants to get some rest . The next day , Dax is walking down the corridor on her way to meet with Melora . She presses her door chime but there is no response . She enters her quarters but she isn ' t there either and isn ' t replying to her communication attempts . The computer tells Dax that Melora is on docking level 22 , section 14 . When she arrives , she finds Melora on the floor ; her supports have malfunctioned . She explains how she had come to the storage bay as she wanted to get an additional astrometrics array for her upcoming mission , but wasn ' t paying attention and fell . In the infirmary , Bashir is tending to Melora ' s minor injuries . He tells her they aren ' t serious , though she ' ll have to postpone her mission to the Gamma Quadrant until tomorrow . She is upset with herself , saying that , if she had just paid attention , she would have been fine . Bashir explains to her that , in space , no - one is completely independent ; they all depend on each other to some degree . When she is fit to leave , Bashir escorts Melora to her quarters . As they are walking down the corridor , he comments on some work Nathaniel Teros did thirty years ago , regarding low - gravity species . Melora recognizes his work , but discounts it as not having any practical success though Bashir thinks the principle was sound and , with modern advances , she may be able to walk in " normal " gravity in the future . As they arrive at her quarters , Melora asks him if he would like to come in . Initially hesitant , Bashir declines to allow her some time in low - gravity , but Melora invites him in anyway . Disengaging the gravity , she flies out of her chair , doing a backwards somersault in the air while Bashir looks on in amazement . She asks him to join her and the two float into the air together where he thanks her for allowing him to experience it with her . As they hang in mid - air , Melora tells Bashir that the man in the photo is her brother , before they lean in and kiss each other . Act Three . The arrives in the Gamma Quadrant with Dax and Melora onboard . As they lay in their course , Melora asks the computer if there are any Vulcan etudes on file then asks it to play something by Delvok . Dax confesses she doesn ' t see Delvok as a Vulcan , as there ' s too much emotion in his music , but Melora likes it . " " It ' s pretty , " " she says . Turning to Dax , she asks if there is room for romance in Starfleet . Dax believes she has fallen for Doctor Bashir ' s " charming bedside manner " . Melora laughs but , on a serious note , thinks their two species are completely different . Dax tells her , however , that she once knew a hydrogen - breathing Lothra who fell hopelessly in love with an Oxygene who were together for fifty - seven years , despite the fact they could only spend forty minutes a day in the same room as each other . Melora tells Dax of two Academy friends who got engaged , even though they were being assigned to different ships . They agree that " love across light years " is hard but , as Dax puts it , " " Look at the alternative . " " Back on the station , Quark has gone to see Odo about Kot , but he is surprised to hear the security chief is already aware of him . Odo explains how Kot has recently been released from a labor camp after the attempted hijacking of a shipment of Romulan ale , and Quark ' s name appears right next to his on the indictment . Quark maintains he had nothing to do with the hijacking itself and was only the " middle - man " , though Odo believes he sold out Kot to avoid himself going to the labor camp . Quark tells Odo of Kot ' s plan to kill him , to which Odo can only smile at the prospect . He begs Odo to do something about it . " " I ' ll do my job , Quark , " " he tells the Ferengi , who nods and leaves the security office . " " . . . Unfortunately , " " mutters Odo . In the infirmary , Bashir is working away when Melora enters . He explains to her that he has been going over Nathaniel Teros ' neuromuscular adaptation theory and that he believes he can make it work for her . Melora is extremely excited with the prospect , so much so that she begins to laugh in elation . If it works , she may be able to walk without her servo controls and without the chair . Act Four . A security deputy has brought Kot to the security office , where Odo is waiting for him . Kot asks if he has done something wrong . Odo replies that they both have something in common ; they don ' t like Quark . However , he isn ' t prepared to let Kot kill him . He insists that he is not planning to kill Quark and their history is just that – history . Odo says , " " You can tell a man ' s intentions by the way he walks , " " and , according to Odo , Kot walks like someone who ' s carrying a lot of weight on his shoulders . " " It must be the memory of those Romulan bricks I carried for eight years , " " he replies . Odo knows he is up to something but he has no reason to keep him and so allows Kot to leave , keeping a close eye on him as he does so . On the Promenade , Quark approaches Odo and asks what his opinion is of Kot . Odo admits he believes he is a man with nothing to lose and gives Quark a comm badge so he can stay in contact with him at all times . He jokingly tells Quark that , if Kot does kill him , he would like to purchase a piece of his body , as per Ferengi tradition . Back in the infirmary , Melora is laid down on a biobed while Bashir runs some tests on her . She describes a warm sensation down her back , the result of the neuromuscular therapy . The Doctor decides that she has had enough of the treatment for today . He asks her how she feels and if she can use any of her muscles in the " normal " gravity . At first , there is nothing , but as Bashir checks over his calculations , Melora begins to move her toes and then one of her legs . He ascertains her neural pathways are beginning to adapt and she may be able to begin walking within the hour . In Ops , Sisko asks O ' Brien for an update on an upgrade he ' s installing on the station . He reports he has been able to get it up to 70 % of a standard EPS but is then interrupted mid - sentence by the sight of Melora standing by herself on the turbolift . She approaches the commander with her first day ' s mission report . Sisko is noticeably happy for her but , as O ' Brien jokes about Bashir getting his name in the medical journals , Melora begins to look unsettled and stumbles into Bashir . The doctor adjusts her servo controls to compensate as it is just the first day ' s treatment wearing off . Helping her to the turbolift , the two of them head to the habitat ring . In her quarters , Bashir explains that , with each progressive treatment , her muscles will get stronger , but unfortunately she won ' t be able to use the room ' s low gravity field or she could risk confusing her body ' s motor cortex . She begins to thank Bashir for all he ' s done , but he stops her . She let him fly for the first time , so he is repaying that by allowing her to walk . After giving her a kiss , he leaves , saying he ' ll see her in the morning . Meanwhile , Quark has also gone to his own quarters . He enters with a drink in his hand and tells the computer to put on the lights , though nothing happens . At first , he thinks nothing of it , but soon realizes Kot may be in the room . Carefully placing his glass on a table , he makes his way back to the door . He tries to call Odo but Kot grabs him by the neck . Quark pleads for his life , offering Kot one hundred and ninety nine bars of latinum , the profit he would get from the sale of the rings . " " It ' s a start , " " Kot growls , releasing him . Act Five . Bashir and Melora are in the infirmary . Melora complains at how every one of her muscles ached the night before but Bashir says the effect will improve over time , and her next treatment should last for several hours . She seems happy but she misses experiencing low gravity and asks Bashir if she would be allowed to do it occasionally . Unfortunately , he is worried that if she did , she would experience a loss of fine motor control , meaning her ability to perform complex tasks would be affected . He reassures her that if she does change her mind , the effect is reversible for the next few days and all she has to do is say so . Later on , she and Dax are on the " Orinoco " , resuming their cartography mission in the Gamma Quadrant . As she heads for the forward controls , she stumbles slightly , indicating her treatment is starting to wear off again . As she takes her seat , she explains to Dax how she is in two minds about the treatment . On the one hand , it would give her more freedom than she ever dreamed , but on the other , she wouldn ' t be able to go back to her homeworld for anything more than a short visit . Dax compares her situation to " The Little Mermaid " , an old Earth fable by Hans Christian Andersen . Melora asks if she lived happily ever after but Dax remains silent . On the station , Quark and Kot are meeting with Ashrock in an airlock . After the necessary introductions , Ashrock hands his bag of latinum to Kot while Quark hands over the rings . However , once Kot has finished checking the payment is there , he pulls out a weapon and shoots Ashrock in the chest . He quickly forces Quark to grab both the latinum and the rings and makes an escape down the corridor . In the security office , Odo has been alerted to the weapons fire and orders a security team to that section , but when they arrive , they are fired on by Kot who heads down another corridor , where Dax and Melora are just disembarking from their runabout . He forces them back inside and orders them to depart the station . In Ops , Sisko , Kira and O ' Brien are tracking the runabout as it leaves the pad . The commander orders a tractor beam to be locked onto the ship as he opens a channel to Kot . He instructs him to return to the station immediately but there is no reply . The tractor beam is engaged and the runabout comes to a halt . Kot orders Dax to open a channel to the station and demands that Sisko release them or he will kill a hostage . Sisko offers to negotiate but Kot stops him , mid - sentence . He turns to Quark but then changes his mind and shoots Melora . A charge is sent tearing through her body as the servos overload . Bashir , who has just arrived in Ops , looks on helplessly as she falls to the deck . Kot orders him to release the tractor beam before closing the channel . Sisko then orders Kira to beam himself , O ' Brien and Bashir onto the " Rio Grande " and wait ten seconds before releasing the tractor beam . Back on the " Orinoco " , Kot commands Dax to take the runabout through the wormhole and into the Gamma Quadrant , with the " Rio Grande " in close pursuit . As Kot instructs Dax to go to warp , Melora quietly regains consciousness in the background . Kot asks if the phaser s are online but Dax refuses to fire on the " Rio Grande " and , if he kills her , he won ' t be able to fly the ship himself . As she confronts him , Dax notices Melora crawling towards the transporter pad and buys her enough time to deactivate the gravity on the runabout . Kot floats into the air while Melora pushes off and slams him into the bulkhead . On the " Rio Grande " , O ' Brien is monitoring what is happening , reporting that the ship has dropped to impulse . Sisko and Bashir immediately transport over to find the situation has been contained and Kot apprehended . Back on the station , Bashir and Melora are at the Klingon restaurant , talking . Bashir seems enthusiastic that her treatments will work but Melora has decided not to go ahead with them . Though she wants to be independent , she fears that if she continued with the treatments , she wouldn ' t be an Elaysian anymore . She thanks Bashir for getting her to realize she can depend on people . The Klingon chef then appears and begins to entertain everyone with a Klingon folk song . The couple sit and hold hands together as the chef weaves in and out of the tables . " " I want to remember all of this , " " Melora smiles . Memorable quotes . " " Just passing through , are you ? I bet you have business in the Gamma Quadrant . You always had a sharp eye for fresh territories . " " " " Oh , I ' m not going to the Gamma Quadrant . My business is right here , with you . " " " " With me ? " " " " That ' s right . I ' ve come to kill you , Quark " " " " My speech wasn ' t intended to attack you personally . " " " " I ' m sure you never set out to attack anyone personally , but you do seem to attack a lot . " " " " That ' s rather insensitive of you , doctor . " " " " Julian . I ' m no longer your doctor . " " " " I see ! You ' ve decided I need a friend . " " " " Ooh , was that an attack ? You see , you do it so well , with such charm that it ' s hard to tell . " " " " I really don ' t mean to . . . " " " " Sure you do . " " " " I beg your pardon ! ? " " " " Of course you mean to . All of these broad shots you fire , it ' s just your way of keeping the rest of the universe on the defensive . Has to be . You ' re too good at it . " " " " Well , it always seemed to work pretty well . Until now . " " " " Well , that ' s the nicest thing you ' ve said to me . Or anybody else . Are you hungry ? I came here thinking about asking you to dinner . " " " " Then afterwards , we ' ll go dancing , I suppose ? " " " " Oh , red alert . " " " " I ' m sorry if I seem overly sensitive . But I ' m used to being shut out of the ' Melora ' problem . The truth is there is no ' Melora ' problem . Until people create one . " " " " I don ' t need a medical opinion to tell me my own capabilities . . . " " " " I just want you all to know you can depend on me . . . " " " " Okay , you ' ve proven that . . . what do the rest of us have to do to convince you ? " " " " Of what ? " " " " That you can depend on us . " " " " Oh . It ' s you . " " " " Don ' t be so happy to see me ! " " " " Alright . I won ' t . " " " " Well ? " " " " I ' d say he ' s a man with nothing to lose . " " " " As opposed to me ? " " " " I have no reason to hold him for now and he knows it . I ' ll watch him the best I can , but I suggest you carry a comm badge with you at all times . Call me at the first sign of trouble . " " " " What if the first sign is the " last " sign ? " " " " You people sell pieces of yourself after you die , don ' t you ? " " " " Yes . " " " " I ' ll buy one . " " Links and references . References . 2220 ; 2340 ; acetylcholine ; airlock ; ; anti - grav unit ; architect ; astrometrics ; backside ; Bajoran wormhole ; ; bedside manner ; birthplace ; breathing apparatus ; cane ; Cardassian s ; cargo lift ; concussion ; dabo ; dabo girl ; deep space assignment ; Delvok ; diplomat ; Earth ; Elaysian s ; Elaysian homeworld ; Elaysians who left home ; ensign ; étude ; Federation ; Ferengi death ritual ; Gamma Quadrant ; garlanic tree ; " gladst " ; ; hot tub ; indictment ; Invernia II ; Invernian ; Invernian herb ; ionic storm ; jumbo Vulcan mollusk ; Klingon ; Klingon restaurant ; Klingon language ; latinum ; " " ; Lothra ; Lothra lover ; low - gravity species ; mattress ; medical journal ; middleman ; neurochemistry ; neuromuscular adaptation ; ; Oxygene ; Oxygene lover ; Paltriss ; Promenade ; Quark ' s ; " racht " ; ramp ; red alert ; replicator ; Rhombolian butter ; Rings of Paltriss ; ; Romulan ale ; Rules of Acquisition ; runabout ; shower ; Starfleet ; Starfleet Academy ; subspace communication ; tennis ; ; toast ; tractor beam ; transporter ; trolley car ; Vak clover soup ; Vulcan ; ; Yridian ; Yridian homeworld ; " zilm ' kach "