Business As Usual

DVD, DS9 S5 (Business As Usual)

Many's the time Quark's had to extricate himself from difficult circumstances - doing business with the kind of shady people he does, that should be no surprise. And he's always found an out, whatever the situation. Few are the times when he's found himself in a moral quandary, the only one that immediately springs to mind is when he helped the Cardassian dissident Natima Lang (back in Season 2's 'Profit and Loss'), for love, not profit. This time he doesn't even have romantic excuses for his conscience, but as Quark has said before, he's a people person, and that's why all he has is a bar while Cousin Gaila ("the one with the moon?"), owns his own moon. We already knew Gaila was into sticky business, there are few Ferengi who aren't (the riskier the road, the greater the profit), but here we find out just how he's made his way in the galaxy, and it isn't pretty. For one thing he works for a maniac who will not hesitate to terminate any business associate that fails him, and for another, he's selling weapons that can destroy millions, to insane regents that want to take out their bitterness on a planet full of people.

You get mixed signals when it comes to Gaila (not to be confused with the Orion redhead in 'Star Trek XI', though you couldn't confuse them if they were ever in the same room!), in that he at first seems to be pretty much in control; he's rich, he's got it made. But then you see the way he stupidly wanders about, his mouth hanging open, and you realise he's actually not that intelligent after all - this emphasises how easy it is to make money through evil means, as long as you don't get caught, because even someone of his idiocy has done well financially. Ultimately you see the real shrewdness of Gaila: he does have some intelligence after all, but then when you live on a knife edge, self-preservation is going to be a strong tool for sharpening your intellect, and most Ferengi have a basic cunning when it comes to their own safety and interests. You see, Gaila wants out, and his whole reason for getting Quark involved is to groom him as the replacement, so that Hagath won't kill him for desertion. Had Quark gone through with it all and abandoned his old life and friends on DS9, I suspect Hagath would have had Gaila killed anyway, just for wanting out of the business - he'd be a loose end, something you get the feeling Hagath doesn't tolerate.

No, Gaila was bright enough to know that it was time to quit whilst he was still alive and in the money, so he strives to show up Quark's good qualities in Hagath's eyes. He'd already tried to kill his cousin by gifting him a defective ship back in 'Little Green Men,' and now he was basically killing him again by putting him under Hagath's dangerous nose. Hagath himself (I want to pronounce it 'Hay-gath' rather than 'Hag-ath', for some reason), is an unpredictable man who appreciates the good things in life, even has a sense of humour, but can flit between moods in a second. You almost expect him to clap his hands together to summon refreshments or female company, like some old-fashioned baddie from 'TOS,' and he has as much in common with an ancient pirate like Bluebeard (I think it was Bluebeard), who would fire loaded pistols under the table when he had people round, just for a joke (and to scare the living wits out of them). That's the kind of joke Hagath might play, enjoying the fear in others' eyes - when Quark prepares a feast of delicacies for the visiting Regent, he at first shouts out in anger about it, before relenting and saying it's wonderful. Not the kind of man you'd want holding the trigger of a gun, or even the detonation of a planet-killing virus.

Quark's friends on the station understandably react badly to his new status as an associate of such evil people, but Hagath shows he has wisdom as well as a pride in providing equipment for mass murder, when the Bajorans refuse to interfere in his activities because he was a friend to them during the Occupation, providing weapons, a course of action that now reaps rewards for him. He also shows good business sense by taking over Quark's finances and not allowing him to keep any of his earnings until his creditors have been paid off, because he doesn't want distractions or problems for his employees. His strict code of punishment is what keeps those who work for him in line, but he wasn't wise enough to see who Quark really was. Quark's always striven to be the best Ferengi he can be, but with a brother who started a union, a nephew in Starfleet and a Mother who earns [splutter] profit (!), and [even more splutter] wears clothes (!) - well, he was in a family of misfits in the eyes of his people. Even he has admitted to acts of relative kindness, selling supplies at cost to needy Bajorans during the Occupation years. He tried to be big and bad, and his scheming is never going to stop, but he prides himself on being a sociable type that fits into most situations, and that people are happy to come to his bar, talk and spill their secrets. But taking on arms trading, even though he was never handling a real gun, was a step too far.

He might not have been driven to such measures if not for the FCA (Ferengi Commerce Authority), revoking his licence to do business back in Season 4, stripping him of his assets and blacklisting him to all Ferengi forevermore. (Did that black oval slapped on a pillar stay there ever since then, because I can't remember seeing it that often, yet it's back this time as if as a reminder - maybe Quark gets it out when he's feeling too happy to remind himself to be more depressed!). Because of this he's heavily in debt, which is what allows his conscience to agree to the terms. It fits in with his business style - he likes to talk to the customers and show off wares, which is why Hagath and Gaila want him. But, as demonstrated during a visiting alien's viewing period in a Holosuite, these kinds of customers don't want patter and small talk, just in and out, a quick sale. That's another thing Quark was put off by in the arms trade before, the fact that they aren't interested in interaction, it's just a cold stating of the facts.

What Quark forgot is that his friends rallied round to get the bar going again and so they feel some sense of ownership to it. For him to as much as turn his back on an honest living (or as honest as a Ferengi is likely to be), for the disreputable business of the weapons trade, is going too far. The story of people turning their back on Quark is represented by Dax who has been a friend of his stretching back to the first season when she showed how different she was to her outward appearance by associating with the Ferengi and enjoying their company, much to the disgust of people, like Kira. Tongo was the game that sealed the deal in terms of their friendship, so it was fitting that Tongo should start and end the episode. Having Dax angry at Quark brings home the severity of station feeling - if she reacts like that, imagine what the others are thinking! Sisko and Kira are the only other two to really show how despicable they think Quark is, and it takes it back to those early seasons again with Sisko making it very clear how very disappointed and angry with Quark he is, and even though he can't do anything to him right now, if the Ferengi steps into even the slightest infraction of the law, he'll come down hard. Very hard.

Major Kira is almost delighted to be back in an adversarial mode with him (perhaps she's feeling more anger in her system since Dukat switched sides?), so she makes it equally clear that Quark will suffer if she has her way. At the time I felt that more of the crew needed to show their opposition to Quark, but thinking about it now, using Dax as the sounding board was all that was needed. It's fun to see that even during a boycott of Quark's, Morn is still happy to go and fall asleep in his drink there! A third thing that gives this episode its feel of an early season story, along with Dax playing Tongo, and Sisko and Kira having serious words, is Quark concerned that Odo could be any object around him, listening in to his private and unscrupulous business conversations. This wouldn't have been a problem until a few episodes ago when Odo returned to his true nature of a shapeshifter, and I like that they deal with that, even in such a small way. Odo deserved to be in it more, but as is usually the case, any time a character has to undergo a serious problematic situation where they feel alone, you can't have their best friends or most closely associated characters around to help them out of it.

Besides, Quark managed to come up with his own, dangerous solution to his own version of the Kobayashi Maru, thinking outside the box, or out of his comfort zone at any rate. It was very risky, but it dealt with the situation. Just like in the two stories in which Quark deals with Klingons ('The House of Quark' and 'Looking For Par'Mach in All The Wrong Places'), he comes out of a life-threatening situation unscathed, using his natural guile and the kind of bravery not usually associated with his people. He think he's going to die, but he can't live with 28 million deaths on his conscience, and he does have a conscience, no matter what he says - scratch deeply enough, push through his personal limits and you find a fine man inside, even if he hates that side of himself because it doesn't equal profit. Living among humans and other Federation species has changed him on a deep level. He may yammer on about profit and claim that's all he cares about, but he knows there's more to him than that, and so does Dax. You wouldn't have thought it from the reception she gives him when he comes to her quarters, however!

It's been a long while since we've seen her pad with its bookshelves at one end, the most memorable scene coming in Season 1 (another link to that period), when Sisko tries to talk her into confessing what really happened to save her life in 'Dax' - then it was a device to emphasise the distance and blockage between them, and serves the same purpose this time. I didn't remember there being a door at that end before, but maybe Dax had some modifications done? Creating a mood from a set is the Director's department and in this episode we have a particularly fine English example: Siddig El Fadil, or as he had become known by his acting moniker, Alexander Siddig, on his first ever directing gig for the series, joining the likes of Avery Brooks, Rene Auberjonois and Michael Dorn, in taking their place behind the camera as well as in front of it. He did a good job, but having a Ferengi episode was always seen as an easier proposition (unless we're talking early 'TNG'!), so that probably helped. He doesn't overwhelm us with his personal style or fancy moves (though the decision to keep the camera on Quark instead of showing the firefight in the cargo bay, and seeing security rush past, was a different way to tell that part of the story, and worked, because it leaves it to the imagination to fill in the gaps, and this is all Quark's story after all), he just lets the story play out, keeping it smooth and well-oiled, just like Jonathan Frakes used to do, so I'm surprised he didn't do many more.

For the most part, the direction is anonymous, except for the stylistic choice of having the camera upside down to show Quark's point of view when he's lying on a couch and Odo stalks into the room. Not an episode where you can pick out shot after shot that worked so well, but one where you don't think about the production side at all, and enjoy the story, which is as valid a way to go as fancier directing is. Only one scene did I think could have been altered to have more impact, and that was the nightmare sequence where Quark walks into the bar to find Sisko and the others the worse for wear, claiming that he killed them. They could have had more graphic injuries than the spot of blood or small cuts that they did sport, not for a gratuitous scare, or even looking much worse, but to get the message across a bit stronger, a bit more shockingly than it was - I always remember Kes entering as a nuclear holocaust victim in the 'Voyager' episode 'Jetrel,' all burnt and smoking, and while they didn't need to go that far, a little more visual damage would have made more impact. Quark crouching down and hugging his ears reminded me of (once again), a Season 1 episode called 'Move Along Home' where he thinks he's risking the lives of Sisko and others, and we haven't seen so much of the physically affected Quark in recent seasons, which shows how much of a trial this is for him.

The funny thing about this episode is that while it is a Quark episode and a Ferengi episode, it isn't a comedy from his standpoint. The humorous side to the story comes with the B-plot of O'Brien struggling to keep holding baby Kirayoshi (the first we've seen of him since he was born in 'The Begotten'), and the various tactics he uses to try and make the boy sleep so he can do some work. The idea of the station's Operations Centre having everyone tiptoe around to keep 'Yoshi from waking up is funny on its own, but add to that the natural reaction of the staff to crowd over for a look, and Sisko's whispered reaction that O'Brien will have to find another solution, makes it even better. Sisko's very good in the screen time he has, coming across as a dedicated manager - someone that cares about his people, but also has to keep the station running correctly, which is why he almost loses his temper with Quark and isn't too accommodating to O'Brien's idea of leaving his baby in the pit in Ops. His son, Jake is also pleasingly included, the first babysitter to fail the cry test. A couple of interesting notes came out of Jake's scene in the O'Brien quarters: one, that he mentions looking after 'Pran's' hatchlings (most likely a reference to Vilix'pran, the famous non-humanoid alien we never see), and that he refers to Keiko as 'Professor' O'Brien.

I don't think we'd ever heard her spoken of like that before, and added to the fact that it is she who's gone off to Bajor to help with a blight of some sort, it makes you wonder if she's become more important, or passed some qualifications recently. It could just be that Jake is referring to her in a more formal manner because she used to be his teacher (again, another early season link!), but it stood out as an odd thing to call her. It's sad that Keiko and Molly couldn't be around, but as with the Quark story, Miles wouldn't have a problem if his wife was there to help. What works very well is his solution to the problem, with the assistance of Mr. Worf; never the most likely-looking man to be good with babies, but perhaps his huge, bear-like arms, and thumping heart, like the beat of a drum, were ideal components in sending Kirayoshi off to the land of nod? Even so, there's a little reference to his fatherhood when he says he never got to see this period in his own son's life - I wouldn't say he sounded wistful, but just as Quark doesn't like to show conscience on account of considering it weakness, Worf doesn't show his softer side very often and it was a perfect link back to that time on the Enterprise in 'TNG.'

In keeping with Quark's ex-communication from Ferengi life (telling that Gaila has no compunction about dealing with him, as if he's above Ferengi law with so much money from illegal arms-trading), he shouldn't have any Ferengi working for him - this has actually been followed quite closely this season, and I've commented several times on the alien bar staff that keep cropping up in the background. This time we get them appearing in a line up like a bunch of criminals when they hold the special dishes for Hagath's inspection. This gives us a good, clear look at who and what they are: there's the Bolian, front and centre, who often serves as bartender; then we have the Yridian who serves at Quark's; and we also have two, (what I believe to be), Dopterians - I only say believe, because there's another race that looks very similar. It was a pleasure to have them out there so distinctly after being noticeable in the background for some time, and further serves to remind us of Quark's status as a Ferengi employer - i.e.: nil. A couple of things I wasn't quite sure about were when Hagath and Gaila congratulate Quark after his first big sale in the Holosuite - they're standing behind and then come forward with champagne glasses, but no bottle, so they must have been standing there for a while with these drinks, waiting to celebrate. Just struck me as odd.

Another oddity was when Hagath gives Quark a present, calling them Andurian beads, and then Quark calls them Andarian beads, leaving me wondering if they both mispronounced 'Andorian' or they were other races entirely! Look out for a strange backhanded hand gesture between Ferengi - we've seen the gesture of supplication that serves as greeting or farewell, but this was a new one on me when Quark and Gaila do it. There was also another sneaky Breen reference, when one of the holographic weapons Quark has to show and tell, is called a Breen something-or-other. Whether it was supposed to be a weapon of the Breen or one named for the Breen was not made clear - I guess you had to go in as a customer and hear Quark's patter to get information like that!

The episode was quite a clever one in terms of the story with those holographic weapons and the ethics of arms-trading, even if the weapons aren't real at the showroom. Was Quark as responsible for the deaths of those killed by the weapons he sold via holographic viewings, or was it just meaningless to display a fake weapon in place of a real one? For that matter, can holo-weapons really be considered exempt from the stringent regulations of Federation or Bajoran law, because technically they are real: something in a Holosuite is created in the image, but it is nonetheless created into a three-dimensional object. I suppose the catch is that it couldn't leave the Holosuite, but what if it could? Could it be modified to fire? These are futuristic extrapolations of laws relating to gun ethics, and gun laws are very much in the public consciousness these days. It shows that you never know what moral messages will come up in an episode that are as relevant today as any other time.

If Gene Roddenberry's vision had been followed correctly, some would say, war would be a thing of the past. There is all this talk about races here or there wanting to wipe each other out, but it's not new to 'DS9' - war was something that existed even in 'TOS' and 'TNG,' and it shows how bloodthirsty the galaxy outside of the Federation is, so whatever wars happened, even if Starfleet got dragged into it, fits within what Roddenberry proposed and believed, I think, because it was more about humanity's response, saying that they had stopped the fighting on Earth. But there would always be someone somewhere spoiling for a fight, and as Quark found out, making a lifestyle choice of your own can affect those around you, bouncing back at you just as much. So make the right choices in life. Please. Just as the last episode's title, 'A Simple Investigation,' was anything but, this one continues the trend. It was business, but not as we know it for Quark. At least he saw sense in the end, extricating himself expertly. I would have been a bit more worried about Hagath and Gaila still being out there somewhere, but he didn't need to worry too much - Gaila was even better value when he returned!

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