DS9: Magnificent Ferengi

         Missed a day yesterday and don't be surprised if a miss a few more over the coming month. I have a lot of camp outs for work until early June so I will probably miss a fair number of weekend days in the near future. However I am really pumped with the episode today, and yes, the fact that Seven Samurai is my favorite movie of all time may color this feeling a bit. I did really enjoy how different the Ferengi are from humans though in finding motivation to go on a rescue mission. Where the samurai in the original film are motivated by honor or compassion, the Ferengi are all about money (except for the Kyushu figure who is once again all about testing his skill against the best). 
         We begin with Quark regaling his customers about how he aquired a shipment of the rare syrup of squill with his shrewd negotiating skills. The customers are soon distracted by Dax, O'Brien and Julian returning from a secret mission behind enemy lines which upsets Quark that their heroics are more important to people than making a profit. He gets pulled away before he can finish complaining by a call from the Grand Nagus. It seems Ishka has been kidnapped by the Dominion and Zek has offered a 50 bars of latinum reward for her return. He starts by recruiting Rom, but when they go to Nog he is more reluctant until they offer him the position of strategic coordinator like Worf is on the station and he can't say no to that. Next they recruit a psychotic Ferengi who only wants a chance to kill Jem'Hadar. The final member they attempt to recruit is Quark's cousin Gaila who briefly worked with Quark selling weapons, but lost it all when Quark betrayed him. But the promise of a reward is too much for him.

         They get together in Quark's to come up with a plan when it is revealed that they don't have a ship to carry out any plan. Right on cue Brunt walks in to "offer" to join them. They all reject the new ex-liquidator, until he mentions that he has a ship. Nog starts training them, but the results are more humorous than threatening. It does lead to the revelation that they are doing it wrong. They are Ferengi, they negotiate, they don't fight. So Quark manages to negotiate with the Federation to get them to let him trade a captured vorta for Ishka. The exchange is to happen on Empok Nor and while heading their they learn from Keevan (the vorta prisoner) that after he is handed over he will be executed for not committing suicide.

         They arrive at the abandoned station and set up a base in the infirmary. Nog sets up an alarm to let them know when the Dominion is getting close and all there is left to do is wait. But soon the alarm is going off and not long after it goes off. The Promenade is covered in Jem'Hadar and Quark has to go negotiate the release. He takes Nog and Rom with him and they convince the vorta in charge that he needs to send his Jem'Hadar away on their ship and as soon as he does they will complete the trade. He agrees, but when they get back to their team a fight breaks out when Rom lets it slip that the reward is 50, not the 20 bars of latinum Quark was telling everyone and Keevan is killed. They manage to rig up a remote control for him a la Spock's Brain and it works just long enough to get Ishka back and then shoot the Jem'Hadar. They capture the other vorta and return for their rewards.

         Review: A humorous, but also well told story of adventure. It is really nice to see someone other than the bridge crew getting to be heroes, even if it is in a very Ferengi way. 

8 out of 10