Save me a few hundreded dollars, what would Chuck say about Prophet Motive?

[bluejeans]

I'm sure he'd mention that it was a suggested plotline for Taxi, for the hardass to have a complete 180 to being a good person.

[clearspira]

For me this is probably one of the lamer Ferengi episodes of DS9 and I suspect that Chuck would agree. It doesn't really stand out in any way. This is no more than a 5/10 if that.

That said, it does cast the Prophets in a slightly more malevolent or negligent light than we usually see from them. Normally they interact with mortals via a guiding hand using words or visions. And even when they possessed Kira they asked her permission. But what they did to Zek here is straight up brainwashing that could have caused significant damage to the Ferengi economy. This is also the era in which Brunt was still very powerful. He would have made a move on this new Zek the moment that those new Rules of Acquisition hit the shops.

Kind of scary that the Prophets have that kind of power actually in the context of the wider narrative of the story.

[Durandal_1707]

At least the writers seemed to sense on some level that this was somewhat malevolent behavior, unlike that stuff with Sisko's mom in the last season.

[McAvoy]

The Prophets work in mysterious ways.

Anyway the implications of this episode means that almost anyone could stop in the wormhole and actually talk to the Prophets. I mean why would they even care about the Ferengi's leader anyway? Or Quark's own interference?

Most likely, Zek would have sat there until he got bored and just left because the Prophets wouldn't be interested. This episode always felt like the Prophets decided that day (I know non linear) to fuck with the Ferengi.

[hammerofglass]

Speculation: They let Zek in at the beginning of the episode following Quark's advice at the end of the episode that it will get the Ferengi to leave them the hell alone.

[clearspira]

Speculation: They let Zek in at the beginning of the episode following Quark's advice at the end of the episode that it will get the Ferengi to leave them the hell alone.

I really like that idea.

It kind of reminds me of that episode with the false Emissary that the Prophets decided to send 1,000 years into the future. It seems like an f up, but the end result is affirming Sisko's role amongst the Bajoran people and they would have known that.

[McAvoy]

Speculation: They let Zek in at the beginning of the episode following Quark's advice at the end of the episode that it will get the Ferengi to leave them the hell alone.

I really like that idea.

It kind of reminds me of that episode with the false Emissary that the Prophets decided to send 1,000 years into the future. It seems like an f up, but the end result is affirming Sisko's role amongst the Bajoran people and they would have known that.

That was a test for Sisko. Or at least that was what I got out of it. Makes more sense the further the series went with Sisko and the Prophets.

But if you were watching these episodes as aired when they aired, it almost made you feel like the Prophets were messing with people without knowing they were doing it.