Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig), approached his romantic relationships the same way he approached his career: with youthful optimism and the confidence that he could accomplish anything. While this generally worked out better for Julian's Starfleet career than his love life, Dr. Bashir still had a series of DS9 love interests. Over Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's seven years, Bashir found love (or something like it) with single-episode guest stars and recurring DS9 characters alike.
Like many other characters in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Dr. Bashir evolved as a character thanks to DS9's risky—but effective— storytelling strategy, which was more serialized than previous Star Trek shows. The ongoing adventures of Deep Space Nine's senior staff gave more insight into the personal lives of DS9 characters. Bashir was a hopeless flirt in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's earlier seasons, but his eagerness for romantic attention eventually faded as Julian became more grounded later on.
Lieutenant Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Seasons 1 & 2
In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's early seasons, Julian Bashir ardently pursued Lieutenant Jadzia Dax. While Dax made it known that she wasn't interested in a romantic relationship with Bashir, Jadzia also didn't discourage Julian's flirting, and instead let Bashir's crush run its course. After all, Dax was a joined Trill who had once been a young man (and an Old Man) with the same desire for attention from women, so Jadzia understood where Julian was coming from.
When a noncorporeal alien manifested as a version of Jadzia Dax who fulfilled Bashir's fantasies in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 1, episode 15, "If Wishes Were Horses", the real Dax was sympathetic, believing that healthy fantasies were natural, but ought to remain private for a reason.
As DS9 went on, Dax and Bashir continued to work together as professionals, and Dr. Bashir's romantic interest in Jadzia Dax transformed into a solid, sustainable friendship. Julian made a show of being disappointed when Jadzia became involved with Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn), but Bashir ultimately supported Dax's choice of partner, and even attended Dax and Worf's wedding.
Ensign Melora Pazlar (Daphne Ashbrook)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 2, Episode 6, "Melora"
In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 6, "Melora", Dr. Bashir fell in love with Ensign Melora Pazlar, an Elaysian from a planet with less gravity than other inhabited worlds in Star Trek. Melora used a wheelchair to get around in standard gravity, so Bashir researched neuromuscular treatments that would allow Pazlar to work without an assistive device.
Melora and Julian were a good match as like-minded scientists who were willing to push each other to improve. Bashir called out Ensign Pazlar's refusal to accept help, even in professional settings that had nothing to do with her disability. Similarly, Melora challenged Bashir's ableism in calling the treatment he'd developed a cure. The relationship wasn't sustainable, and Melora was reassigned.
Leeta (Chase Masterson)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 4
Dr. Julian Bashir's relationship with Bajoran Dabo girl Leeta took place primarily in the background of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's 4th season. Both Julian and Leeta were adventurous, fun-loving, and physically attractive, but a lack of common interests (besides each other) probably made Bashir and Leeta's relationship fairly superficial.
After breaking up with Bashir, Leeta goes on to date and eventually marry Rom (Max Grodenchik). In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 6, "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place", Leeta and Rom are still happily married and running the Ferengi Alliance.
The most time Julian and Leeta shared on screen was in the episode where they broke up, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5, episode 7, "Let He Who Is Without Sin". In it, Bashir and Leeta go to Risa to celebrate the end of their relationship with the Bajoran Rite of Separation. The two remained friends with each other after their amicable split.
Sarina Douglas (Faith C. Salie)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 7, Episode 5, "Chrysalis"
In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6, episode 9, "Statistical Probabilities", Bashir works with the nonverbal Sarina Douglas and other genetically enhanced humans to figure out how the Federation can win the war against the Dominion. Julian and Sarina's bond becomes romantic a year later, in DS9 season 7, episode 5, "Chrysalis", when Bashir uses a neurocortical probe that helps Sarina learn to speak. Sadly, the effect was temporary and Sarina reverted back to her previous state, leaving Bashir brokenhearted.
Sarina's characterization as an almost childlike savant made this relationship a particularly questionable choice for Bashir.
Julian Bashir's relationship with Sarina was a lot like Bashir's relationship with Ensign Melora Pazlar, five years earlier. In both cases, Julian was attracted to a woman that he believed he could help with his medical expertise. Melora refused the so-called treatment, but Sarina accepted it and seemed to fall for Bashir because he helped her. Neither case was ethically sound by modern standards, but Sarina's characterization as an almost childlike savant made this relationship a particularly questionable choice for Bashir.
Lieutenant Ezri Dax (Nicole de Boer)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 7, Episode 14, "The Dogs of War"
Starfleet counselor Ezri Tigan received the Dax symbiont after Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax's death at the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6. Julian Bashir was almost immediately attracted to Ezri Dax when Dax returned to Deep Space Nine, but Bashir avoided Ezri for months, because Bashir worried that his attraction to Ezri was just a misplaced second chance at scoring a relationship with Jadzia Dax.
In Star Trek beta canon, Ezri Dax integrates with Dax's former hosts, changes to Starfleet's Command track, and marries Julian Bashir. Whether this is the case in actual Star Trek canon remains to be seen, since Ezri isn't one of Star Trek 's returning legacy characters.
Rather than being a new version of Jadzia, Ezri Dax was a completely different person who turned out to be a much better match for Julian than Jadzia ever was. Ezri and Julian were on the same page, with similar dispositions and career trajectories, and Ezri actually returned Julian's feelings. Ezri Dax and Dr. Bashir became a couple in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's penultimate episode, "The Dogs of War".
Dr. Elim Garak (Andrew Robinson)
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5, Episode 9, "Fissure Quest"
The relationship between Cardassian spy-tailor Elim Garak and Dr. Julian Bashir was never made explicit in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but "Garashir" was nonetheless a fan-favorite pairing. Garak actor Andrew Robinson originally played Garak as being sexually interested in Bashir from their first meeting in DS9's first season. The witty repartee between Garak and Bashir throughout DS9 implied a potential mutual interest, but Star Trek producer Rick Berman vetoed any chance of Bashir and Garak actually getting together.
Finally, in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, episode 9, "Fissure Quest", Bashir and Garak became a canon Star Trek couple. The catch was that both characters were from alternate realities—and Bashir was a hologram—but making Lower Decks ' animated Garak and Bashir married multiversal variants was a brilliant way to canonize the relationship while honoring Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's romantic developments for Dr. Bashir.
