Inhabitant of Meridian, a planet in the Gamma Quadrant that phases between corporeal and noncorporeal states every 60 years. Deral studied these shifts, and in 2371 while in a corporeal state, he worked with the crew of the U.S.S. Defiant to try to stabilize the planet so his society could flourish. He fell in love with Jadzia Dax and considered leaving Meridian to join her in the Alpha Quadrant, but his society couldn't to afford to lose a member, so Jadzia offered to join him in the noncorporeal state. However, her presence interfered with the dimensional shift, so the two were separated. Deral is expected to reappear in corporeal form in 2431, and Dax promised she'd be there for him.