Meridian (planet)
Meridian was the first and only planet in the Gamma Quadrant's Trialus system.
The Trialus system's star periodically built to a cascade effect at the quantum level. This created a buildup of quantum energy, which caused the planet Meridian to periodically shift between two dimensions every sixty years. The inhabitants of the planet spent part of their time in a physical existence, and the other as incorporeal energy. They marked the passing of time with with food, with the "First Meal" and "Last Meal" celebrations. When in the other dimension, the planet's inhabitants existed as pure consciousness, and the planet and everything on it disappeared from normal space. This had been documented for thousand of years prior to the Federation's documentation in 2371.
Countless millennia ago, this planet had become the new home for an exploratory team that became stranded. They established a settlement, and by 2371, there were thirty inhabitants. However, as this planet did not properly exist in time and space, the population declined. By 2371, Meridian had been undergoing changes for several centuries, and its time in normal space grew shorter with each visit. During this time, Meridian existed in "normal" space for approximately 12 days, and Alpha Quadrant scientists predicted that within a few centuries, the planet's stay would have degraded to only a few minutes. When the time span would be that short, predictions were that the planet would be highly unstable, and cease to support itself in either dimension.
The USS Defiant was present when this planet appeared in normal space in 2371. With help from the Federation, the people of Meridian were able to stabilize their system's star, and expected their next appearance to last thirty years.
