Day 95: DS9, Body Parts

Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine

Episode Particulars: S4EP24, “Body Parts”

 Summary: When Quark is diagnosed with a rare and fatal disease, Rom convinces him to pay off his debts by selling his remains, a Ferengi tradition. Somebody buys them for a huge sum, but when Quark finds out that there was a mistake and that he’s perfectly fine, said someone—Brunt—comes forward and demands that Quark provide him with his remains anyway, at the risk of serious consequences if he doesn’t. While Quark wrestles with that (including calling upon Garak for some of his…darker talents), O’Brien faces a challenge of his own. Thanks to an accident in the runabout, Keiko was injured, and in order to keep the baby safe, Dr. Bashir had to transfer it into another body; namely, Kira’s. Dealing with pregnancy just got a little more complicated.

Standalone Thoughts: While Ferengi-centric episodes are usually associated with comedy, there’s a lot of serious material couched in here. Quark has a lot of speeches about being a Ferengi and what that means to him, and it’s not hard to read it as a man struggling with his place in the world, or who he is. Sure, it’s balanced out by more comedic moments, but it’s still a bit of a surprise, and might strike a little too close to home for some people. As for me, it’s hit and miss; some of the moments are good, but others have a slight preachy vibe to them that puts me off somewhat. This is definitely a case where opinions are going to vary.

Now, the subplot involving Kira and the O’Brien baby is a little more intriguing, even if this episode is mostly about setup and not an actual exploration of the concept yet. It becomes doubly intriguing when you know what was going on behind the scenes (see the After the Fact Update below). In the meantime, though, all the actors are playing the parts well, and I look forward to seeing (or reseeing) how it all develops. Though given that tomorrow’s episode is the last episode of the season, I’m not sure if they’ll have time to get to it just yet.

How it Relates to the Whole: Obviously, putting the O’Brien baby inside Kira is going to create some complications, at least until the baby is born. It does, however, allow for some worldbuilding and character building (plus it’s a creative way of dealing with a real life situation), so it’s an interesting development. As for Quark’s plot, well, the episode suggested that there would be big long-term consequences, but as far as I know, nothing really changed. There might have been a reason for that, as we’ll find out later, but it’s never really spelled out, so it mostly feels like a threat that didn’t stick. Which is understandable in a way, but still feels like a wasted opportunity.

Other: *Every time I think I’m being too hard on Dax, something like this crops up. O’Brien is fretting about Keiko going off on a botany mission in the Gamma Quadrant, and complains that she wanted to go rappelling to gather a fungus sample. He says “It’s as if I have to remind her that she’s pregnant!” Dax, with increasing condescension, replies “Yeah, I guess the extra weight, the morning sickness, the mood swings, the medical examinations…they aren’t reminders enough.” That was not O’Brien’s point and you know it, Dax. In fact, while he may be acting a little overprotective, I think a lot of doctors would agree that a pregnant woman shouldn’t be rappelling down a cliff face. In short, Dax, you are not helping this situation, and I will continue to be on O’Brien’s side with this.

*This is the face Garak makes immediately after Quark asks to be assassinated;

That is the face of a man who’s just a little too enthusiastic about that prospect. Are you just happy to be putting your old skills to use, or has Quark really pissed you off? Oh, and I’m still pretty sure the Cardassian makeup was off in “For the Cause”, because Garak’s look didn’t jump out at me this time. I still have no idea what was going on with that.

Best Line/Exchange: I had some trouble figuring out what to go with. Finally, though, I settled on this one, though it does contain somewhat oblique SPOILERS;

(Quark is having a dream where he’s discussing the situation with the first Grand Nagus, Gint [who is also played by Max Grodénchik for reasons that are well explained in context])

Quark: I’ve based my entire life around these Rules [the Rules of Acquisition]. How can I just walk away from them?

Gint (shuffles over): Because I’m telling you to.

Quark: But you can’t do that. (sits down, resigned) You’re not Gint. It’s just a dream.

Gint: Exactly. And I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want to break the Rules. You just need someone’s permission, so I’m giving it to you.

Quark (nodding faintly): I suppose…if the first Nagus Gint came to me in a vision, and told me to break the Rules…(nods more strongly) that would be all right.

This actually feels really realistic to me. After all, I’ve heard that dreams are connected to the subconscious, and I’ve definitely had dreams that were inspired by things going on in my life. I’ve also heard that some people have found the answer to problems because of dreams, which would very much fit with what’s happening to Quark here. Furthermore, Gint’s reasoning also sounds right; sometimes, when we’re trying to make a decision, we talk it out with people in order to get them to basically sign off on it. It’s a serious topic handled with a light touch, and I can definitely get behind that.

After the Fact Update: Some of this I’d gathered beforehand, but the DS9 Companion helps make things a little clearer. Whenever pregnancy plots pop up in TV shows, it’s understandable that the audience would assume that it was because the actress was pregnant in real life. That wasn’t originally the case here; according to the DS9 Companion, Keiko’s pregnancy had been a writer’s creation, because they were interested in exploring O’Brien’s family life. And then Nana Visitor got pregnant with Alexander Siddig’s baby. After trying to figure out what to do from a story perspective (shoot Visitor from certain angles to hide her pregnancy, or have two pregnant women on the ship), Ira Steven Behr went home and discussed it with his wife, Laura, who was the one who suggested they put Keiko’s baby inside Kira. And thus, it was so, and one more reason why writers really should have non-writers around to bounce ideas off of.