Character – You might think that Quark telling his customers a story about his economic prowess a waste of time but it is tied into the theme of this episode – about what makes a hero and how a hero can be judged. On Ferengi terms his procurement of syrup of Squill is a huge achievement and worthy of praise but compared to the feats of his Federation customers who have been out fighting the Dominion it all seems a little glib. So, lo and behold we have an episode where he gets to step into their shoes and prove that Ferengi are every bit as traditionally brave as anyone from the Federation by heading to an abandoned space station and rescuing his mother from Dominion forces. Is Quark your chisel jawed hero who brandishes a gun when challenged and steps into danger to protect the underdog? No, but he’s capable of moments of astonishing bravery on his own terms when the people he loves are in trouble. It’s often against his will which makes him even braver still. Think shooting the Jem H’adar in Sacrifice of Angels. Think shooting another in The Siege of AR-558 when Nog’s life is in danger.
Leck is a fine addition to the Ferengi brood; a psychotic assassin who loves nothing more than jumping into action and doesn’t give a fig for profit. He’s only really needed for this episode but it is shame that we don’t get to see him again. One because he is so damn funny and two because it’s refreshing to see this feral side to Ferengi nature exposed so clearly.
Performance – The chemistry between the Ferengi actors has never been more apparent. Love or loathe those episodes, the actors have developed a tangible rapport over the previous five seasons (helped no doubt by the weekend rehearsals at Armin Shimmerman’s) and they bounce off one another beautifully and all feel like they belong together. Especially the family unit of Quark, Rom, Nog and Leeta. I could happily quote every single line that Josh Pais spits out languidly as Gaila. That’s until Jeffrey Combs turns up as Brunt and turns every line he has into a gem. And that’s until Iggy Pop turns up as Yelgrun, bemused at what the hell he is doing, creates a character that is simultaneously threatening and utterly lost in the madness of this episode. This truly is one of the best casts of any Star Trek episode; a troupe of gorgeous theatrical actors let loose with grotesque characters in an absurd situation. Relish their enjoyment.
Production – Chip Chalmers only directed two DS9 episodes, both of them comic ones (this and Take Me Out to the Holosuite) and I wish he had had the opportunity to direct more because he brings a delightful lightness of touch to the show that it sometimes lacks. It’s not the paciest direction this show flaunts (that’s Allan Kroeker) or the most atmospheric (that’s Mike Vejar) but it’s certainly imaginatively staged (there are unusual camera angles throughout) and light as a feather, despite the location and presence of weapons and corpses. Direction is often dismissed these days as filming techniques have been perfected but each director has signature moves and Chalmers brings out the sunnier side of DS9 in a very enjoyable way. The best shot in the entire piece comes when we see all of the Ferengi characters from the point of view of the corpse they have just inadvertently murdered. You don’t get shots like that in your everyday show.
Best moment – I always forget that Quark and Rom end up bursting into Sisko’s office after traversing all the Jefferies tubes. It makes me howl with laughter every time. ‘May I help you gentlemen?’ ‘I was following you…’
Rom’s reaction to finding out that his mother is the secret power behind the throne of the Ferengi alliance is absolute scream. Max Grodenchik is worth his weight in gold.
Leck shooting Moogie during the simulation of her rescue. Only this show would dare to dive into humour this gruesome. ‘I saw we weren’t going to rescue her so I put her out of her misery!’
‘He must have slipped away while I was sleeping!’ cries Gaila when they discover that their prisoner has gone. What follows is a three-minute sequence of pure slapstick as this inept bunch of Ferengi dash to ship to stop him from escaping. Honestly, its great watching them all trying to upstage one another.
‘That’s no way to tell if he’s a Changeling!’ ‘You’re right! Give me that knife!’ Watch Quark die a slow death inside as his family squabble about which one of them might be a changeling duplicate. Changeling humour always make me chuckle (remember when Rom thought Nog might be a changeling when he came back from Starfleet Academy and bossed him about a lot?).
‘What have they done to him?’ I still find it astonishing to this day that the writers went to the lengths of aping Spock’s Brain and having a character die and then operated by remote control. It’s without a doubt the most twisted gag that Star Trek ever attempted…and of course it was spawned from the most twisted series that the franchise ever spawned.
Worst moment – Keevan was a riveting character in Rocks & Shoals, a deathly serious piece that saw him massacre an entire legion of Jem H’adar to secure his own escape. The trade-off for his reappearance is that he is treated in a very juvenile way here; a frightened bully who doesn’t want to return to his people, shot dead in embarrassing circumstances and then suffering the ultimate indignity (and one that in Trek terms has only been suffered by him and Spock) by being operated by remote control. Don’t get me wrong this is very funny material but it is deeply troubling when you are trying to portray the Dominion and its representatives as formidable figures.
A reason to watch this episode again – What we have here is an episode that brings together practically every Ferengi character that we have ever met and showcases them all at their best. It is the Ferengi episode for people who don’t like Ferengi episode adds in some action, truly sick jokes and more witty lines than you could shake a stick at. In terms of DS9 this is a 3-star episode because it is utterly inconsequential and uses the Dominion in a rather belittling way. In terms of entertainment this is a 5-star episode because it is one blissfully funny sequence after another bolstered by a stunning cast of actors. Thus…
**** out of *****
Clue for tomorrow's episode:
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