DS9 - The House of Quark

[MerelyAFan]

https://sfdebris.com/videos/startrek/d449.php

I think this was the first really strong Quark episode of the series. Move Along Home was a noble effort by Shimmerman, but couldn't overcome the silliness of the alien game. The Nagus and Rules of Acquisition had their moments, yet felt were still constrained by the early clunky development of the Ferengi on DS9. Rivals was meh and Profit and Loss, while good at demonstrating a more interesting side of Quark, felt overshadowed by Garak's more interesting B Plot and a sense that the episode can't decide if the former's behavior towards his ex is to be condemned or romanticized.

House of Quark though really does give him a more nuanced element to his character and his back and forth with Grilka is just more fun than his stuff with Natima in Profit and Loss. The exploration of Klingon politics is enjoyable too, keeping true to the culture but still not quite limited to the Space Vikings stereotype they'd become at this point.

[clearspira]

I have often wondered how such 19th century sexism survived into the 24th century. Women are not allowed a seat on the council? They are not allowed to even run a House? These women are essentially Amazons! They should make the Suffragettes look like children in the havoc they would cause trying to get equal rights. Why have these warrior women not gone to war against the men? And unlike human women in the 19th century, Klingon women are allowed to serve as soldiers; they have guns and bombs and Bat'Leths and are crewing warships.

At least with the Ferengi women they are trapped naked indoors with zero access to influence and firearms. That is not true with Klingon women. Sorry but Duras sisters aside they really do not seem to be making all that much of an effort despite having plenty of opportunity.

[Mabus]

Remember that the Klingons were originally based on the Soviets/Communists, who despite being all about "equality" and all, in reality weren't doing what they always said.

[FaxModem1]

Out of universe? Its because the Klingon Civil War two parter needed a reason why the Duras sisters needed a patsy and weren't vying for the chair themselves, so as to show that they were nefarious schemers.

In universe? My best guess is that Azetbur, daughter of Gorkon, instituted reforms that were too appealing to a lot of the riffraff, making the Empire too egalitarian for those in power's liking, so they made more reactionary policies in Klingon High Council rules so that she would be barred from her political career from continuing while also appealing to the common Klingons' traditionalist mindset. Hence why the TNG Klingons don't seem as open minded as their ancestors.

As a concession, the Klingon women run the internal parts of the Houses. So all the subjects there have to contend to appealing to their matriarch. Again, appealing to Klingon traditionalists.

[Mecha82]

I do like how smartly Quark was able to solve problem with Klingons while also showing some courage as well. It's easy to forget that as far as Ferengi go Quark is really well written one with depth beyond just wanting to make profit. Of course it also helps that actor playing Quark did really good job in this episode.

[bronnt]

Well, the writing of Quark can be a bit uneven. Sometimes he's a bit too scummy based on what we learn about him, so his character development has fits and starts.

He's very likeable in this episode and there's a bookend to his character growth. The story begins with him telling a self-serving lie, but it's a that he believes is fairly harmless. By the end of the story, he's moved to self-sacrifice in a pursuit for the truth. His values don't fit into the Klingon honor system, but he still isn't willing to concede that he's completely without honor.

[ninjadeadbeard]

Love this episode. Ferengi plots were always the highlight for me.

[FlynnTaggart]

Quark is kinda interesting in that he's the most well known Ferengi but as he grows he's behind only Rom, Leck and Nog in being un-Ferengi in some ways as he grows as a character. The stereotypical Ferengi would certainly not have done what he did in this episode, willing to sacrifice himself for honor and the truth. They'd never believe Ferengi can be as tough as a Klingon. He's a Ferengi who still believe in profit but at the same time more then that.

Of course this is DS9 which tried to give nuance to various species. Humans that aren't perfect Roddenberry caricatures, Leck the Ferengi who didn't care about profit (following the Ferengi scientist from TNG), d-bag Vulcans, a Klingon chef playing an accordion, and even the bad guys like Weyoun shown trying to overcome their limits.

More on topic, has any other episode shown the Klingon's having any sort of currency or financial system? It was a central part of this episode I don't recall any other mention of the Klingons finances. Maybe something in The Undiscovered Country about Praxis kersploding wrecking the Klingon economy but even that I'm not sure.

[FaxModem1]

Quark is kinda interesting in that he's the most well known Ferengi but as he grows he's behind only Rom, Leck and Nog in being un-Ferengi in some ways as he grows as a character. The stereotypical Ferengi would certainly not have done what he did in this episode, willing to sacrifice himself for honor and the truth. They'd never believe Ferengi can be as tough as a Klingon. He's a Ferengi who still believe in profit but at the same time more then that.

Of course this is DS9 which tried to give nuance to various species. Humans that aren't perfect Roddenberry caricatures, Leck the Ferengi who didn't care about profit (following the Ferengi scientist from TNG), d-bag Vulcans, a Klingon chef playing an accordion, and even the bad guys like Weyoun shown trying to overcome their limits.

To an extent, but they also did some damage to the depiction of the Ferengi as well. Remember, DS9 is also the series that liked to pretend the Ferengi military never existed, and we never saw any Ferengi ship bigger than a shuttle. Even the Grand Nagus couldn't have a Ferengi Trade vessel to scurry him around to and from DS9. Rom and Quark railing about the fact that no Ferengi has ever fought, even though being a mercenary has been a profitable profession for humans for millenia, and would make sense for the more violent Ferengi in their civilization.

The actors do fine, and Rom and Nog show what happens if you fit outside the profitable businessman mold, but they also wanted to take it to such an extreme that it's hard to imagine a Ferengi ever fighting.

EDIT: Hell, look at Bok's dialogue with Picard in Bloodlines if you want to see a really good Ferengi villain, one who doesn't care about profit anymore, and is only interested in revenge, and how he carries the scene against Patrick Stewart, showing that he is what any man would be after the death of their child and thirsting for vengeance. Now, can you imagine such a character showing up on DS9 as anything but a joke?

[rickgriffin]

There was another point I considered that Chuck didn't point out--why did D'Ghor, who ostensibly ACTUALLY KNEW the ins and outs of the Klingon honor system, not even hesitate to try and strike down Quark, but every other klingon there knew exactly what was going on? Chuck says it was just cause he was blinded by greed--and that is likely a big part of it but I think there's something even deeper there:

Because to klingons, "ferengi" is practically a synonym for dishonorable. D'Ghor at that moment was not considering the looks of his actions, because his instinct was to automatically presume Quark was equivalent to a fully dishonorable enemy and the only needed action was to put him down like a dog. And it didn't matter what Quark said, what could a ferengi say that'd make himself, whose nature is dishonor, honorable?

But the council wasn't really concerned with some nebulous "nature". They're used to judging based on actions, as very likely they've seen plenty of klingons act both honorably and dishonorably. Quark doesn't have some powerful name pulling the strings to make the council look the other way, and neither does D'Ghor. So the only thing that really mattered to the council at that moment was the actions taken before them, whether or not they were performed by a ferengi.

This is one of my favorite DS9 episodes by the way. I absolutely love it when a comedy of errors works perfectly as a comedy BUT ALSO is actually true and insightful to the lore and character of the alien species presented. It's really a unique episode too, I don't think any other Klingon-Ferengi episode was quite so on point. (The B plot is the only detractor... I get so frustrated with O'Brien when he's in Tim The Toolman mode)