Day 114: DS9, Business as Usual

Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine

Episode Particulars: S5EP18, “Business as Usual”

 Summary: Quark has made some unwise investments, and now he’s found himself broke and in debt. Just when it seems that all hope is lost, his cousin Gaila (Josh Pais) comes to the station with a proposition; help Gaila and his boss Hagath (Steven Berkoff) sell weapons. Weapons smuggling is illegal in the Federation, but if they only demonstrate holographic versions of the weapons and do the actual transactions outside of Federation space, Quark should be in the clear, and will make a lot of money besides. Quark agrees, but as time goes on, both the disapproval of the Starfleet officers and the growing realization that the weapons he sells are killing people start to wear him down. Unfortunately for him, now that he’s in the smuggling business, it’s going to be very hard to get out.

Standalone Thoughts: This may be one of the few “serious” Ferengi episodes DS9 had…and frankly, it doesn’t do much for me. It may be showing a darker side of both Quark and the 24^th century as a whole, but the execution leaves a little something to be desired. Despite being told over and over again that Quark’s in a dangerous business, it never really feels all that dangerous; in particular, the climax feels tinged with humor, which means it comes as a slight shock when Sisko informs Quark of the aftermath. Hagath’s character does occasionally allow for some menace to creep in, but Berkoff can’t quite sustain that, so there are quite a few moments when he turns into a ham. And while Shimerman is still fairly good, Quark’s growing conscience doesn’t feel like a natural progression—it’s more like it comes out in fits and starts. The whole thing feels somewhat unpleasant to me, and though I suspect that was the intent, it doesn’t make for the most entertaining viewing.

There’s also a subplot involving O’Brien having to carry his son Kirayoshi around because Kirayoshi cries whenever he’s set down, and my feelings on that are mixed too. On the one hand, it stretches credibility that O’Brien would be allowed to carry the baby everywhere, including his work hours and bringing it into a bar, plus the resolution is a bit anticlimactic. On the other, it’s amusing enough to keep the episode from getting too grim, so I’m glad it’s there in that respect, though I suspect that in another episode, I’d have felt it was taking time away from the main story. So I guess if the writers wanted to play with the idea, this was the best episode to put it in. After all, it makes the idea look comparatively good.

How it Relates to the Whole: I don’t think this episode ultimately contributes to future events. The main conflict appears to be resolved, and it’s unlikely that we’ll see any of the guest characters again. So in a way, it fits right in with the other Ferengi episodes. That’s something, at least.

Other: *As Quark’s going over the massive amounts of debt he’s accrued, he mentions that one of his investments was in quadrotriticale. Looks like one of the writers still hadn’t quite gotten the “Trouble With Tribbles” crossover out of his system.

*We get more callbacks to previous episodes today, both to the fact that Gaila gave Quark a defective ship in “Little Green Men” and, more importantly, that Quark is still persona non grata among the Ferengi for his actions in “Body Parts”, something which has mostly been ignored except for the black labels on the wall of the bar. Even if the rest of the episode wasn’t all that great, I’ll give it credit for continuity, at least.

*O’Brien’s subplot starts with Jake coming in to see O’Brien, only to be shushed because Kirayoshi just fell asleep. My question is, what was Jake coming to see O’Brien about? I don’t think he’s working in engineering anymore, but he’s never hung out with O’Brien in any other context, so the reasoning behind this scene baffles me. Normally, I’d chalk it up to giving Jake something to do, but unlike the other actors, Cirroc Lofton doesn’t appear in every episode. It’s a mystery to me, and one I doubt the DS9 Companion is going to solve.

*I hadn’t realized this until I typed up the name for this review, but I wonder if the O’Brien’s named their son “Kirayoshi” as a thank you to Kira for carrying him to term. It certainly fits the Bajoran naming pattern. If that’s the case, then that’s a very sweet gesture, and I approve.

*Maybe it was just the format I watched it in, but a lot of the lights in this episode seem a little too bright and harsh. I suppose it could have been intentional, symbolizing something about Quark’s state of mind, but all it really does is distract you.

Best Line/Exchange: I didn’t have much to go on today, so I gravitated to the moment that most stood out, which was;

Sisko (spinning Quark around in a chair so they’re face to face): You’d better hope there isn’t a next time, Mister. I have cut you a lot of slack in the past. I even looked away once or twice when I could have come down hard on you, but those days are over. Now, we may not be able to get you for selling weapons, but you so much as litter on the Promenade, and I will nail you to the wall.

It might not have quite the same impact in text, but when you watch it play out, it’s perfectly delivered by Avery Brooks, to the point where you wonder if he meant the nailing to the wall thing literally. It’s also, though probably unintentionally, a callback to my first ever Best Exchange, showing that Sisko could have convinced Quark to stay a lot more forcefully, but chose not to in an attempt to show that things were going to be different on DS9. It’s a tenuous connection, but it’s all I’ve got today, so I’m sticking with it.