Romance is not something Star Trek's traditionally been very heavy-handed with. Given Gene Roddenberry's edict in the early days of The Next Generation that storylines avoid as much interpersonal drama, that's not totally surprising. Star Trek's always worked to keep its central focus on science fiction, sometimes at the expense of some really good dramatic opportunities.

Deep Space Nine's stationary setting made the avoidance of romance that TNG had embraced a little more difficult. Deep Space Nine involved more long-term assignments and the capacity for a wide range of visitors, so it ultimately resulted in a more relationship-based show rather than one based on space exploration. Luckily, Deep Space Nine was able to embrace that and would eventually feature the first wedding between series regulars as well as the first captain's marriage featured on a television show.

Romantic relationships fed the drama on Deep Space Nine more than most Star Trek series, at least until the advent of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, so this list was pretty easy to populate. We've picked a handful of relationships that we thought really enriched Star Trek's third series and we've also picked a few that definitely haven't held up in the years since the show was on the air. Of course, there are still more that were duds even back when they first aired.

Let's take a look at Star Trek's most romantic series-- for better or worse.

Here are 15 Couples That Hurt Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (And 10 That Saved It).

SAVED: SISKO AND JENNIFER

While Jennifer Sisko ed away years before the events of DS9 occurred, her presence loomed over the course Ben and Jake Sisko’s development.

Ben and Jennifer’s tragic love story was an integral part of making Ben a unique addition to the Star Trek franchise.

He was a commander lacking the optimism of most main characters. It was incredibly rewarding watching Jake and Ben deal with their grief as a family and then finally finding a way to move on without her.

Having her reappear in memories and flashbacks only added to the pathos of her ing and made the tragedy that much more real.

HURT: VASH AND Q

Before Q attempted to convince Captain Janeway to have a child with him, he “romanced” another human woman. After the events of “Q-Pid”, Picard’s old flame Vash partnered up with Q to explore the galaxy and pilfer really cool artifacts from all over. Eventually Vash grew tired of this arrangement and tried to end things between the two of them during Q’s one and only appearance on DS9.

Q’s possessive nature was really uncomfortable and made him less of a misanthrope and more of an abusive boyfriend.

All this is ignoring the larger implausibility that an omnipotent being would be interested in a human woman in the first place.

SAVED: SISKO AND YATES

Sisko not being a lothario like Kirk or a shut-in like Picard worked to distinguish the character even more from his predecessors. His relationship with Kasidy Yates wasn’t one of flaming ion, but one of stability and mutual respect that we got to see build over time.

They even got through her being a smuggler and going through a jail sentence, only to get married and to have Sisko achieve a high plane of existence.

Their relationship also represented how families move on after the ing of a loved one and grow to welcome in more of the family when ready.

SAVED: ODO AND LWAXANA

If ever there was an offbeat ship, it was Lwaxana and Odo. While Troi’s addition to DS9 was a welcome one, her relationship with Odo elevated it to more than just a stunt-cameo.

Deanna Troi’s mother brought her flamboyant presence to DS9 in a handful of episodes, all of which saw her attempting to seduce the station’s security chief.

She eventually accepted that Odo was hopelessly in love with Kira Nerys, but the two did manage to form a strong friendship based on real affection. Their relationship was definitely a mismatched one, but very touching in its own way.

HURT: JULIAN AND SARINA

The character of Julian Bashir hasn’t aged spectacularly well. His constantly lovesick nature made him seem desperate, and his refusal to stop pursuing Jadzia after she repeatedly told him she wasn’t interested isn’t a good look either.

Julian's biggest and most constant issue is dating his own patients.

He did it on several different occasions, memorably with the genetically modified Sarina. Her gene therapy had resulted in an almost catatonic state, and it was Julian who eventually treated her resulting in the end of that state. Eventually (of course) he fell in love with her, showing zero respect for the fact that she had had virtually experience with interpersonal relationships.

SAVED: ROM AND LEETA

While the two never graduated much beyond ing characters good for comic relief, their romance was pretty sweet.

Rom’s crush on Leeta was earnest and sweet, mostly because he was too scared to ever let her know how he felt. When he finally did, he ran through the station screaming at the top of his lungs that he loved her.

While DS9 could certainly be accused of being a more cynical Star Trek show, Rom and Leeta exemplified the romantic, lighter side that served to balance out some of the darkness.

HURT: JULIAN AND EZRI

Julian and Ezri made more sense than a lot of his relationships. She wasn’t his patient at least, so a step in the right direction. But their romance felt unnecessary and tacked on to an already packed final season of the show.

It felt like the show trying to finally give Julian the shot with Jadzia that he’d yearned for interminably.

The two might have made sense on paper, but Worf and Ezri’s story was far more compelling, and, frankly, we were way more invested in Julian and Miles than we were anyone else’s romance on the show.

SAVED: KIRA AND ODO

DS9 did relationships between series regulars better than most Star Trek shows. That meant we actually got to see relationships play out for more than just the span of an alien-of-the-week storyline.

Kira and Odo’s romance was one of the more satisfying romantic arcs of the series. Odo had carried a torch for the constable for years before finally (accidentally) itting his feelings to her.

After that happened, the two didn’t immediately start dating. Instead, the show allowed them to get to know each other with new information on the table, so when they did embark on a relationship, it felt far more realistic, but still very romantic.

HURT: CURZON AND JADZIA

Curzon Dax hosted the Dax symbiont before Jadzia and actually rejected her initial application to the Trill Symbiosis Commission the first time she attempted to gain ittance.

In “Facets” he later confessed that he barred her way because he’d actually fallen in love with her.

He itted that his guilt almost forced him to quit the commission and was the eventual reason he did not object once more when she reapplied.

While this story might have seemed tragically romantic when the episode aired, Curzon shamelessly victimized Jadzia due to his own ittedly inappropriate feelings for her. We kind of wish the writers hadn’t gone this direction with his character.

SAVED: O’BRIEN AND KEIKO

Another benefit of DS9 showcasing more long-term relationships on the show was that we actually got to see what a Starfleet marriage looks like. TNG’s idealized Enterprise allowed for families onboard, but rarely did they address the difficulties present when one person’s job determines so many things in their relationship with someone else. Keiko had a hard time working on a station that didn’t allow for her to live her ions. When she got a position more suited to her needs on Bajor, we got to see how living apart affected the O’Brien marriage and family. It was an interesting dose of romantic reality.