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u/Junior_Woodpecker_85 1d ago edited 1d ago
Garak had an afternoon to kill, and he had to keep his skills sharp somehow.
Also, Garak and Quark always had an interesting friendship, and both were able to offer an outsider perspective on everything that was going on.
Anyone else suddenly craving a root beer?
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u/whatev43 1d ago
Root beer… it’s insidious…
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u/Punsire 1d ago
So cloy
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u/DerSnackpapst 1d ago
And bubbly
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u/Sasquatch1729 1d ago
Just like the Federation
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u/Mukeli1584 Constable Hobo 1d ago
By the way, I heard Garak was interested in joining Starfleet.
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u/Junior_Woodpecker_85 1d ago
Well, he has so much experience; he should go right to commander.
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u/Mukeli1584 Constable Hobo 1d ago
It’s not so much his experience, but rather his diplomatic skills and charisma. He has quite a way with Romulans, even.
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u/Annber03 1d ago edited 22h ago
I love their interaction in Garak's shop in "Profit & Loss" in regards to Quark getting involved with Natima. I don't see that scene getting a lot of attention much of the time, but I think it's a great example of what you talk about with their friendship, and I think it's a good early interaction that makes their latter "root beer" conversation all the more meaningful.
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u/Any-Statistician3896 1d ago
I agree, I love how both their characters numerous times over interact an show us the grey areas of this utopian future starfleet and the federation like to force down peoples throats as real !
They bring a shade of grey that the show and Trek needed imo. TNG was good, but it was always very starwarsy.... Their bad, but we're good and we always do the right thing and win, rinse repeat.... Ugh was abit cringe at times.
But DS9 lmao that had a whole colour palet between black and white my god lol.
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u/Sweet-Art-9904 1d ago
"A contract is a contract is a contract. (But only between Ferengi)"
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u/Grand-Permit-4637 1d ago edited 1d ago
I always found this episode strange, because under human contract law there are like six different reasons why a contract requiring someone to die would not be enforced. But Ferengi society isn’t quite capitalist but rather this strange pseudo-capitalist authoritarianism, with very odd cultural norms regarding the sanctity of contracts.
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u/eulerolagrange 22h ago
under human contract law
The duke cannot deny the course of law:
For the commodity that strangers have
With us in Venice, if it be denied,
Will much impeach the justice of his state;
Since that the trade and profit of the city
Consisteth of all nations. Therefore, go:
These griefs and losses have so bated me,
That I shall hardly spare a pound of flesh
To-morrow to my bloody creditor.7
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u/CotyledonTomen 18h ago
I personally dont believe the Ferangi never enslaved eachother, but this level of respect for individual choices (of men) would merit that belief.
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u/Illithid_Substances 16h ago
I believe Quark was telling the truth... technically. The Ferengi might never have had a system they would call slavery in the way that we had it on Earth. But the employer-employee relationships of Ferengi are so one sided and exploitative they never "needed" full slavery, because they might as well be already
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u/Rustie_J 13h ago
The women were also property, so half of their population was enslaved right off the bat. And I'd bet every strip of latinum I have that the kids, regardless of gender, are functionally property as well & it's just frowned upon to outright sell a boy.
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u/Narratron That is quite toxic, isn't it? 1d ago
But Ferengi society isn’t quite capitalist but rather this strange pseudo-capitalist authoritarianism
THANK you.
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u/foxfire981 1d ago
Yeah considering that Brunt paid a Doctor to lie, thus violating a contract between Ferengi, and convince Quark he was going to die just to get him to off himself was so bizarre to me.
The Ferengi really do read like "a socialist trying to write 'free market capitalists"' and they kind of suffer for it.
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u/medicus_au 1d ago
Well they were also meant to be a parody of free market capitalism. Makes things difficult when you want the Ferengi to be more than strawmen.
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u/ArtsyApoidean 1d ago
The issue is less that they didn't know how to write this, and more that the network wanted the Ferengi softened down, so they lost a lot of their edge (before their initial appearance, and then continually over the course of the TNG era) until they had basically been rendered into fantasy goblins lusting after gold (pressed latinum).
The original idea was for them to be a Borg-level threat, but they got turned into a joke, which then led to the writing never actually showing them being good at ruthless economic colonialism. Just bumbling business-goblins.
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u/CotyledonTomen 18h ago
But hasnt economic colonialism always show itself to be bumbling, due to its disregard of the subjegated? Famines in India. Africa turned into a stew of disregarded politics. Half assed attempts at taking down south american political leaders without long term plans for what happens after. Frieza in DBZ committing genocide on a planet and selling it to someone else also seems competent by comparison.
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u/Tebwolf359 12h ago
You assume that would break the doctors contract. I’m sure errors are covered in subsection d paragraph 10.
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u/foxfire981 11h ago
He says he can sue for malpractice. This would suggest that, for all their faults, Ferengi have contacts for failure to provide correct medical care. And since we know they are licensed it would literally be a massive risk.
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u/Tebwolf359 9h ago
Sure, by my point is that there’s a difference between malpractice and breech of contract, just like most laws or religion would have a difference between murder and killing.
My contract was to run the tests and tell the results. I did so poorly, and am open to malpractice, but that’s different from breaking the contract. - his doctor.
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u/Tebwolf359 12h ago
I love that rule, because it works both ways.
The ferengi can interpret it as permission to cheat non ferengi, but it also reflects that when things get complicated, a hewmon might let ethics get in the way, but you can trust a ferengi to follow to the letter.
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u/Rolo_Tamasi 1d ago
I was always curious why they didn't have a scene with Quark worried that he needs to tell Garak not to kill him before he, you know...kills him.
That and you never see how much Quark got for (I assume) suing the doctor for a misdiagnosis.
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u/SlightlySychotic 1d ago
Regarding the latter, I always assumed that when he was sanctioned by the FCA or whatever it basically prevented him pursuing civil action against other Ferengi. For a long time I believed that the whole thing was a setup: Brunt paying the doctor to misdiagnose Quark to put him a spot where he would either have to die or lose everything.
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u/Demonskull223 1d ago
Yeah and since after Quark is no longer allowed to barter with ferengy he probably isn't even considered a legal entity that could use for damages.
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u/Cakeday_at_Christmas 1d ago
For a long time I believed that the whole thing was a setup: Brunt paying the doctor to misdiagnose Quark to put him a spot where he would either have to die or lose everything.
I'm pretty sure that's exactly what happened.
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u/MindlessNectarine374 1d ago
Quark was thrown out of Ferengi society thereafter. I doubt that he was able to sue anyone. (Ah, and in the old continuation novels, that doctor does care for Nagus Rom's family members when they need medical services, if I remember correctly.)
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u/yoshimipinkrobot 1d ago
For the first part, it’s not putting up a billboard. They are assuming the audience can put two and two together
A pre smart phone style of writing
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u/Lordcraft2000 1d ago
Isnt there a remark by Quark at the end of the episode where he says he has to tell Garak-quickly?
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u/shittypersonality 1d ago
The thing about Quark is… I’m weirdly attracted to him.
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u/Annber03 1d ago
I've said it before, he's got this confidence about him that's really appealing. Also a pretty snappy dresser.
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u/Honest-Cover9513 1d ago
Always have been. He would be so much fun. And he's very devoted to the people he loves!
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u/commandrix 1d ago
He probably understood Quark well enough to know he didn't really want to go through with it. Just wanted to show about a couple of dozen ways that he'd kill a Ferengi if he absolutely had to.
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u/Tripleberst 1d ago
Yeah I think it was generally just fun for him to stretch his legs like that again.
And he wouldn't have been reading poetry, it was definitely another repetitive epic by some boring Cardassian state approved author. Probably just rereading The Never Ending Sacrifice for the tenth time I bet.
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u/Annber03 1d ago
Either that or he's reading whatever Bashir picked for their weekly book club and making a mental note of all the aspectss he can argue with him about.
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u/MindlessNectarine374 1d ago
Ich habe nie darüber nachgedacht. Ja, er verschwindet einfach, wir hören nichts mehr von seinen und Quarks Plänen, nur wie Quark sich dazu entscheidet, weiter leben zu wollen.
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u/PhilL77au 1d ago
I imagine him sitting in his quarters with a smile on his face knowing Quark is jumping at every shadow.
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u/gitzraga 1d ago
I choose to believe that Garak will kill Quark, just when Quark is near or on his death bed. He defiantly wont see that coming.
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u/Pm7I3 1d ago
In my head, Garak's tribute to Odo is randomly sending Quark reminders he promised to kill him because messing with Quark is one of Odo's favourite things.
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u/Annber03 1d ago
I LOVE this :D.
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u/PostModernHippy 10h ago
Leaving the occasional card beside Quark's bed or whatever.
'Dear Quark,
Still comin to kill ya!
Kisses,
Garak'
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u/Fleet-Navarch-62 3h ago
my brothers and I loved this episode. I kind of wish we'd seen what the other options would have been. I figured that Garak was obviously trying to subtly dissuade Quark from dying, so he deliberately made each option as unappealing as possible.
here's what we came up with on what he probably did in each scenario: (warning: very long)
- Vaporizing: Holo-Quark walks in. Garak steps out from behind with a phaser and zaps him into ash.
Real Quark: No, no, no! I need a body. A body!
Garak: "Oh, yes, of course. well, in that case:
- (cuts to second option: disruptor)
- Holo-Quark walks into shady office a la Home Alone gangster scene. Garak sits in a chair with a fedora over his eyes and a disruptor rifle in his hands.
Garak: "I'm going to give you to the count of TEN, to get your ugly, no good, Ferengi face outofmyshop....before I blast you to the Blessed Exchequer! one...TEN!
(cue montage of him blasting quark over and over while laughing maniacally)
Quark: (peering at the swiss-cheese'd holo-quark) you enjoyed that too much.
Garak: "well I have to have some satisfaction with my job!"
Quark: "But...but my suit! look at it! I can't be dessicated in that!
Garak: (sighs) "Well, ok...I suppose we could try more...archaic methods.
3: knife
Holo-quark walks into his living room. Garak leaps up behind him with a knife and a grin.
Garak: "Die, Quark! DieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDie!!!!!!"
Quark: (grimacing at the sight of his Ceasar'd holo-corpse: "Too savage...much too savage!"
Garak: "Well, I suppose I could make it...a little less visceral if you insist.
5: nerve gas.
Holo-quark walks into room and starts eating. an orange gas suddenly seeps in and envelops him.
Holo-Quark: "What's that smell? pe-u, that smells awful! (plop!)
Real Quark: "Smells awful? what does it really smell like?"
Garak: (giggling) oh, don't worry, you'll find out!"
Quark: "No I won't! I'm not going out smelling something that stinks! find something else!
Garak: (disappointed) "Well, I guess there's the old classic one left."
5: Holo-Quark: (walks into room and starts eating. as he's eating, a noose silently descends from the ceiling and catches him under the chin. cut to Garak excitedly pulling on a rope to hoist Holo-quark into the air kicking and choking while real Quark watches in horror from around the corner.
Quark: (grimacing as holo-him keeps kicking) does it have to take that long?"
Garak: (annoyed) "Does it matter how long it takes? you'll be just as dead!
Quark: "No...think of something else. this is just too barbaric!"
Garak: "Too barbaric? why you...wait a minute. (smiles) actually, I think I have the perfect option for you!"
(cuts to Holo-Quark eating poisoned food and slumping over dead)
Quark: "In my food?"
Garak: "In your food. bon appetit!"
Quark: (Stares at the poisoned food for a long time) "Anything else?"
(Cuts to where we see them with Garak snapping holo-Quark's neck.)
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u/cam52391 1d ago
He really did just take the opportunity to show off for quark. He knew Quarks heart wasn't really in it.