Does Quark charge for regular, replicated drinks?
- Thread starter Wolfslice
- Start date
...Also, we haven't ever really seen a Starfleet character pay for his or her drinks, with cash or abstract credit, either at Quark's or at the Replimat. Starfleet may have set up either an expenses account that does not require user intervention, or some other kind of financial arrangement. And I strongly suspect that it's the latter, with wording to the effect of "Quark provides free meals and drinks to all Starfleet personnel, without consumption or time limit, and in return doesn't get thrown out of the airlock".
It is also possible that there is a government-level "interface" between the cash-based Ferengi consumer economy and the apparently moneyless Earth/Federation one. But some deals with Quark necessarily take place without government involvement or knowledge. And Quark's holodeck services often seem to be in that category, even when his clients are from Starfleet. I think Bashir actually pays something for being allowed to run Vic's in one of the episodes...
As for where the characters get latinum, Dax wins it on the Tongo tables often enough! Although she apparently doesn't collect her winnings.
Timo Saloniemi
It is also possible that there is a government-level "interface" between the cash-based Ferengi consumer economy and the apparently moneyless Earth/Federation one. But some deals with Quark necessarily take place without government involvement or knowledge. And Quark's holodeck services often seem to be in that category, even when his clients are from Starfleet. I think Bashir actually pays something for being allowed to run Vic's in one of the episodes...
As for where the characters get latinum, Dax wins it on the Tongo tables often enough! Although she apparently doesn't collect her winnings.
Timo Saloniemi
If I remember right (which I may not!) in the Worf-Dax wedding episode, O'Brian and Bashir are ordering a feast because the wedding ritual gets called off temporarily, when it resumes they say something like, "No food for those on the path to Kal Haia (sp?)" and Quark says, "No refunds for those on the path to Kal Haia" so they must have paid somehow.
There have been references to tabs, so one assumes that Starfleet picks up the checks.
Quark, I'm fairly certain, does charge for replicated food and beverages. I seem to him telling O'Brien that you pay for the ambiance when you eat at his bar.
Quark, I'm fairly certain, does charge for replicated food and beverages. I seem to him telling O'Brien that you pay for the ambiance when you eat at his bar.
Quark most definitely charges for everything, and Starfleet members most definitely pay the man directly. This is shown on numerous different occasions.
No, they aren't just working for self-improvement on DS9. Otherwise there would be no reason for Sisko to charge Quark for the cargo bay that Quark got destroyed. Rather, he could simply get Fed "volunteers" to do the labor and donate the resources to repair it at no cost. Didn't happen, cuz they all want their money. :thumbsup:
DS9 ignored TNG's "We have no money" spiel. Which is fitting, since post-DS9 Trek ignores the entirety of DS9.
No, they aren't just working for self-improvement on DS9. Otherwise there would be no reason for Sisko to charge Quark for the cargo bay that Quark got destroyed. Rather, he could simply get Fed "volunteers" to do the labor and donate the resources to repair it at no cost. Didn't happen, cuz they all want their money. :thumbsup:
DS9 ignored TNG's "We have no money" spiel. Which is fitting, since post-DS9 Trek ignores the entirety of DS9.
I seem to recall that starbase Deep sapce Nine was a Bajoran facility that was under Federation Administration, that might alter things when it comes to repair work, I'ms sure the Federation would repair the bay if it was damaged in battle or due to systems failure, but not because the actions of one of it's residents caused damaged to it.
You're right, it's from a scene possibly cut (or not filmed) from "For the Uniform".
QUARK: Lunchtime! Okay, who's doing the honors?
O'BRIEN: I'll take it.
QUARK: Just put your thumb print right there. (O'Brien checks the PADD) What? You don't trust me?
O'BRIEN: Starfleet Accounting has been all over me for these bills of yours. Apparently, two weeks ago I ordered six cases of champagne for the night shift.
QUARK: Can I help it that you care about your crew?
Presumably Quark gets charged for the power he uses on top of his rent. He has to make the money somehow. And since a large number of his patrons are Starfleet officers, it would be hard on him if he were expected to provide their needs for free. The Bajorans seem to have a cash economy anyway.
Wasn't there an episode where Quark complained about something and Sisko 'reminded' him (in forceful terms) that since the Federation had a cashless economy he wasn't paying rent, but that could easily not only be changed, but actually backdated to the moment the Federation took over adminstration of the station?
But there has to be some sort of 'cash' involved, no matter what. The Federation may not use money, but everybody else does, and nobody's going to accept Federation goodwill as payment for goods and (more importantly, in an economy with replicators) services. You could easily order a meal from your replicator, but having someone bring exactly the same meal to you in a restaurant is going to cost you somehow, and at least some of that money will go to the person who brought it. Otherwise why would anyone work there?
People might also pay a premium for non-replicated (and therefore expensively shipped) drinks, as it's apparently possible to tell the difference. Scotty, Admiral Jarok and Senator Vreenak all noticed that "it's a FAAAAAAAAAKE!", and the Klingons always seemed picky about having genuine bloodwine.
But there has to be some sort of 'cash' involved, no matter what. The Federation may not use money, but everybody else does, and nobody's going to accept Federation goodwill as payment for goods and (more importantly, in an economy with replicators) services. You could easily order a meal from your replicator, but having someone bring exactly the same meal to you in a restaurant is going to cost you somehow, and at least some of that money will go to the person who brought it. Otherwise why would anyone work there?
People might also pay a premium for non-replicated (and therefore expensively shipped) drinks, as it's apparently possible to tell the difference. Scotty, Admiral Jarok and Senator Vreenak all noticed that "it's a FAAAAAAAAAKE!", and the Klingons always seemed picky about having genuine bloodwine.
I can't imagine Quark NOT charging.
Quark LIVES to charge.
Quark LIVES to charge.
I belive that the jist of the converstaion was that the Federation wasn't charging Quark for use of resources and repair teams. Nothing was mentioned specifically about the Federation's ecomomic structure. Since Sisko pulled out a padd and rung up the bill I'm guessing that it isn't cashless at all.
To the question at hand. Being able to sell something that doesn't cost anything is a Ferengi's dream come true. (possibly Walmart's as well, but that has nothing to do with this topic) Besides, he had waiters to serve the drinks, so someone had to pay up.
In Valiant (Yes I know everyone hates that episode) Quark is mad because his replicators are down and he has to make everything by hand. He specifically says that with his replicators out of commission thats a massive percentage of his profits lost.
In it we see a Starfleet Officer holding a strip of latinum.
In it we see a Starfleet Officer holding a strip of latinum.
In "Bar Association" Sisko said the Federation "holds the lease" on his bar and they don't charge him for rent, repair or drain on the station's power supply. I'm not sure but does this mean the Federation is paying the Bajorans for the lease?
One thing for sure, Bajoran resources are limited; they need the income.
Also in "Business As Usual" Sisko handed Quark a bill for repairing a cargo bay after Quark set up an amicable meeting between two deadly enemies that didn't go so well. It was quite a large bill.
Robert
One thing for sure, Bajoran resources are limited; they need the income.
Also in "Business As Usual" Sisko handed Quark a bill for repairing a cargo bay after Quark set up an amicable meeting between two deadly enemies that didn't go so well. It was quite a large bill.
Robert
Another thing, in "In The Cards" Jake says as a Fed citizen he doesn't need money. I guess Quark gives him free drinks and food out of the goodness of his heart...
Or maybe his dad picks up his tab.
Sisko: Jake.
Jake: Yeah dad.
Sisko: What's this bill I get from Quark for renting the holosuite program "Vulcan Love Slave Episode IV: The Wrath Of T'pol"?
Jake: Uh...
Robert
Or maybe his dad picks up his tab.
Sisko: Jake.
Jake: Yeah dad.
Sisko: What's this bill I get from Quark for renting the holosuite program "Vulcan Love Slave Episode IV: The Wrath Of T'pol"?
Jake: Uh...
Robert
The answer is simple. DS9 follows precisely the rest of the ST series, in that Starfleet has no currency. Jake SPECIFICALLY says this in "In the Cards." The fact that there is no financial relationship between the Federation and the Ferengi is furthermore clear in that Sisko says that Quark gets his rent for free, and that Dax never collects her latinum winnings. Starfleet officers get replicated food for free -- either at Quark's, the Replimat, or anywhere else. Quark charges all non-Starfleet customers. I suspect that any Starfleet folks who WANT to use money are free to gamble for latinum, if they so choose, and spend it at Quark's (or anywhere else) on other things (real food, etc.). But they certainly don't have to. Starfleet has set up a society in which one can survive comfortably without ever using currency, and this is no different on DS9.
Similar threads
