Some quick notes on the last couple of episodes I’ve watched:
“Rules of Acquisition”- An interesting episode which delves deeper into Quark as a character and Ferengi culture as a whole.
I like that we’re beginning to see a better side of Quark, even as we see him being torn between doing the right thing and trying to be a “good Ferengi”. Quark appreciates Pel’s advice and is mildly perturbed by Pel's obvious interest in him but not so much that he cannot accept Pel’s advice until he finds out Pel’s actually female.
Even as Quark knows they could both be in enormous trouble, he wants to protect Pel from retribution and save his own hide at the same time, which he does thanks to some Ferengi conniving and a little blackmail. He’s not interested in bringing about social change and has the conviction that Pel has done wrong, but he also can’t allow himself to stand by and do nothing, or sell Pel out to the Nagus in some CYA tactic. He may an unapologetic traditonal Ferengi, but he cares about Pel, at least enough to let her go and make her own way.
Quark is becoming more complex as time moves along, and I appreciate that the show is starting to flesh out its supporting characters, a theme that nicely segues into the following episode.
One quick final point: this episode also gives us our first reference to the Dominion, so if nothing else, it has the important distinction of making the first baby steps into what will become one of the show’s most crucial elements down the road.
“Necessary Evil”- Any episode that delves into the Bajoran/Cardassian situation is going to get a little extra love from me. I like that we also begin to get some backstory for both Kira and Odo.
So much of the episode is its atmosphere. The director does a good job of contrasting life on the station under the Cardassians and under Bajoran/Federation control. With some redressing and darker lighting, life on Terok Nor feels oppressive and hard; the whole environment of the station feels heavier during the Occupation. Every space we see on the station feels smaller during the Occupation scenes.
The most important element of this episode is that the audience sees how the non-Starfleet portion of the cast first came together. Odo is drafted by Gul Dukat into investigating a murder, Kira is his first suspect, and Quark gives her an alibi. We learn that Odo has functioned as an unofficial arbiter among the Bajorans on the station, which Dukat manipulates to his advantage. When Dukat first introduces himself to Odo, he can’t look Dukat in the eye. He almost seems afraid of Dukat, but it could also be interpreted as shyness rather than fear. Odo doesn’t like the Cardassians or being thought of as working for them, but the role Dukat gives him as an investigator will reshape the course of his life from that time forward as he proves himself to be capable and honest in his assigned role. Ironically, the accusation of his working for the Cardassians (by Kira, no less) would lead to his discovery of the motive behind the murder and the involvement of genuine collaborators who sold out the Bajoran people to their oppressors for purely selfish gain.
A major theme of this episode is trust, and more specifically, how trust can be used and abused. In their first encounter, Odo learns that he cannot trust Quark, since Quark will do nearly anything if the price is right. Kira manages to convince Odo that she isn’t responsible for Vaatrick’s murder until the truth comes out years later, leaving her to ask how this has affected his trust in her. The episode ends without Odo giving her an answer. Vaatrick’s widow is blackmailing certain Bajoran people in exchange for her silence in knowing their roles as collaborators during the Occupation. The episode even starts with a conversation between Quark and Rom (while performing a secret job on someone else’s behalf) that betrays how Quark doesn’t entirely trust his brother, forcing Rom to perform underhanded deeds that would only serve to reinforce that distrust.
Overall, a good episode although we never learn what happens to the parties involved in Odo’s investigation when the truth regarding Kira’s involvement comes to life. She manages to escape serious consequence but it does create something of a plot hole moving forward.
