DS9: Rules of Acquisition

         It hasn't stopped blowing me away how well DS9 does at setting up future plots in seemingly unrelated episodes. This episode sets up both the eventual rise in stature of Ferengi women and introduces with Dominion without breaking a sweat. The episode itself is good enough that it would have been a noteworthy one even without such things, but having both introduced here makes it a landmark. Things will never be the same. Seeing how differently Dax and Kira react to the Ferengi attitudes towards women would have been worth it alone, but add on the first story of a Ferengi woman and you have yourself a really good episode.
         The episode opens with a Ferengi game of tongo where we see Dax dominating the game while the new waiter Pel makes a fine impression on Quark. The game is interupted by a call from the Grand Nagus who wants Quark to be his representative on a lucrative deal in the gamma quadrant. Zek meets with Sisko to plan the meeting of a new species on the station and Sisko manages to negotiate a whole lot of fertilizer for Bajor as part of the deal. Meanwhile Pel is becoming more and more trusted by Quark who realizes he needs someone so savvy and offers "him" a 20% cut of the profits in exchange for being his assistant. 
         The new race, the Dosi, arrive at the station but they too know how to drive a hard bargain. Quark is supposed to be negotiating for a huge quantity of wine from them but it seems his demand is too high. The Dosi leave the station and we see Pel alone removing her ears, Pel is actually a woman! Quark isn't willing to let such a profit slip away so he talks the Nagus into letting Quark borrow the Nagus' ship to fly into the gamma quadrant to renegotiate. The Nagus agrees to Quark and Pel set out. Things don't go any better in round two and the Dosi in charge of negotiating again says no one has the quantity of wine Quark is trying to get.
         That evening Quark and Pel are getting ready for bed when Pel realizes they will be sleeping in the same bed. She is in love with Quark and manages to sneak in a kiss before a Dosi comes in and tells them they are talking to the wrong person, they should be negotiating with the Dominion. After getting a contact they return to the station and Quark negotiates a cut of all gamma quadrant profits in exchange for getting the Nagus set up with the Dominion. It is then that Rom tells Quark Pel's secret and Quark passes out on the spot. When he awakens he confronts Pel who admits her love for him, but what Pel has done violates both Ferengi customs and laws. In the end Pel confronts the Nagus and removes her fake ears. The Nagus is about to seize all of Quarks assets when it is pointed out he too allowed himself to be represented by a woman so he agrees to keep it a secret in exchange for Quark's cut of gamma quadrant profits. 

         Review: A solid Ferengi-centric episode with some serious implications for the future of DS9.

7 out of 10