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Profit and Loss (DS9 episode)
Encyclopedia
"Profit and Loss" is the 38th episode
of the science fiction
television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
.
ship shows up near Deep Space Nine
, Sisko
has it brought in and he and O'Brien
greet the passengers. Natima Lang and her students, Rekelen and Hogue, claim their ship was damaged in a meteor storm and request repairs. They then visit the Promenade, where Quark
recognizes Natima and greets her excitedly. Natima slaps Quark and states that she told him she never wanted to speak to him again, but as she walks away, Quark tells Odo, "Today's the best day of my life."
Quark and Natima were once lovers and it is apparent as he follows her that she still has feelings for him. However, the second he quotes a Rule of Acquisition
, any such feelings seem to vanish. Garak
and Bashir
pass by and Garak acknowledges Natima politely, prompting her to panic. She tells Sisko that she and her students must leave quickly, but O'Brien has discovered that her ship was actually damaged by Cardassian phaser fire. Natima reveals they are political outcasts intent on reforming the oppressive Cardassian military government
.
While Natima talks to Sisko, Quark visits Garak's shop and asks for advice on Cardassian fashion. The tailor describes Natima's taste in fashion as "too radical" for his liking and warns that a poor choice in fashion can be detrimental to one's health. A Cardassian warship arrives shortly thereafter, ignoring communication attempts and targeting the station with its weapons. Garak visits Ops to explain that Central Command wants Hogue and Rekelen, whom he describes as terrorists. Sisko warns Garak that if the Cardassians try to take them by force, he will respond in kind.
Desperate to get Natima back, Quark offers Hogue and Rekelen a cloaking device
to help them escape, but as part of the agreement he requires that Natima stay with him. Natima tries to reason with Quark, explaining that she cannot stay, and threatens to shoot him with a phaser. Believing she is bluffing, Quark dares her to do so; she fires the phaser but looks as surprised as Quark. Natima tells him she barely touched the trigger and did not mean to fire, after which she declares her love for him. As the two of them happily reminisce about the past, Odo enters Natima's quarters and places her under arrest.
The Bajoran government has agreed to turn Natima, Hogue, and Rekelen over to the Cardassians in exchange for the release of several Bajoran prisoners. A former rival of Garak's, Gul Toran, visits Garak's shop and tells the tailor that Central Command has changed its mind; it wants the prisoners dead. In exchange for killing the prisoners, Garak will be allowed to return to Cardassia.
Meanwhile, Quark convinces Odo to help Natima and takes her and her students to their ship. Garak greets them at the airlock, where he laments that he must now kill Quark as well as Natima and her students. Quark attempts to reason with Garak, but before Garak can respond, Toran emerges from behind a cargo container. Toran reveals that he only used Garak to learn Hogue and Rekelen's whereabouts; Garak then shoots him, quipping "some people should never be promoted".
Before Natima leaves, Quark tries one final time to convince her to stay. She tells him she must return to Cardassia until her work is done. "So all I have to do to get you back is wait until Cardassia becomes a free and democratic
society?" he asks. Smiling, Natima tells him they will meet again some day and promises to make it worth the wait. Once she leaves, Quark asks why Garak shot Toran, to which Garak asks why Quark helped Natima. "I had no choice — I love her," Quark says. "And I love Cardassia, which is why I had to do what I did," Garak responds.
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
of the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
.
Overview
Quark is reunited with a former lover, only to discover that she is engaged in dangerous political intrigue.Plot
When a damaged CardassianCardassian
The Cardassians are an extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. First introduced in the 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Wounded", the species originating on the fictional Alpha Quadrant planet Cardassia Prime...
ship shows up near Deep Space Nine
Deep Space Nine (space station)
Deep Space Nine is a fictitious space station, and is the eponymous primary setting of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It serves as a base for the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran wormhole, and is a hub of trade and travel for the sector's denizens...
, Sisko
Benjamin Sisko
Benjamin Lafayette Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, is the main character of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Early life and career:...
has it brought in and he and O'Brien
Miles O'Brien (Star Trek)
Miles Edward O'Brien, played by Colm Meaney, is Chief of Operations in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Before DS9, he appeared as a recurring transporter chief in Star Trek: The Next Generation...
greet the passengers. Natima Lang and her students, Rekelen and Hogue, claim their ship was damaged in a meteor storm and request repairs. They then visit the Promenade, where Quark
Quark (Star Trek)
Quark is a fictional character in the American television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The character, which was played by Armin Shimerman, was depicted as a member of an extraterrestrial race known as the Ferengi, who are stereotypically ultra-capitalist and only motivated by...
recognizes Natima and greets her excitedly. Natima slaps Quark and states that she told him she never wanted to speak to him again, but as she walks away, Quark tells Odo, "Today's the best day of my life."
Quark and Natima were once lovers and it is apparent as he follows her that she still has feelings for him. However, the second he quotes a Rule of Acquisition
Rules of Acquisition
The Rules of Acquisition, in the fictional Star Trek universe, are a set of guidelines intended to ensure the profitability of businesses owned by the ultra-capitalist alien race known as Ferengi.-Background:...
, any such feelings seem to vanish. Garak
Elim Garak
Elim Garak is a fictional character from the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in which he is portrayed by Andrew J. Robinson. In the series, Garak is an exiled spy from the Cardassian empire and a former member of a prestigious Cardassian intelligence group called the Obsidian Order...
and Bashir
Julian Bashir
Lieutenant Julian Subatoi Bashir, M.D., played by Alexander Siddig, is a main character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Bashir is the chief medical officer of space station Deep Space Nine and the USS Defiant.-Overview:...
pass by and Garak acknowledges Natima politely, prompting her to panic. She tells Sisko that she and her students must leave quickly, but O'Brien has discovered that her ship was actually damaged by Cardassian phaser fire. Natima reveals they are political outcasts intent on reforming the oppressive Cardassian military government
Military junta
A junta or military junta is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term derives from the Spanish language junta meaning committee, specifically a board of directors...
.
While Natima talks to Sisko, Quark visits Garak's shop and asks for advice on Cardassian fashion. The tailor describes Natima's taste in fashion as "too radical" for his liking and warns that a poor choice in fashion can be detrimental to one's health. A Cardassian warship arrives shortly thereafter, ignoring communication attempts and targeting the station with its weapons. Garak visits Ops to explain that Central Command wants Hogue and Rekelen, whom he describes as terrorists. Sisko warns Garak that if the Cardassians try to take them by force, he will respond in kind.
Desperate to get Natima back, Quark offers Hogue and Rekelen a cloaking device
Cloaking device
Cloaking devices are advanced stealth technologies still in development that will cause objects, such as spaceships or individuals, to be partially or wholly invisible to parts of the electromagnetic spectrum...
to help them escape, but as part of the agreement he requires that Natima stay with him. Natima tries to reason with Quark, explaining that she cannot stay, and threatens to shoot him with a phaser. Believing she is bluffing, Quark dares her to do so; she fires the phaser but looks as surprised as Quark. Natima tells him she barely touched the trigger and did not mean to fire, after which she declares her love for him. As the two of them happily reminisce about the past, Odo enters Natima's quarters and places her under arrest.
The Bajoran government has agreed to turn Natima, Hogue, and Rekelen over to the Cardassians in exchange for the release of several Bajoran prisoners. A former rival of Garak's, Gul Toran, visits Garak's shop and tells the tailor that Central Command has changed its mind; it wants the prisoners dead. In exchange for killing the prisoners, Garak will be allowed to return to Cardassia.
Meanwhile, Quark convinces Odo to help Natima and takes her and her students to their ship. Garak greets them at the airlock, where he laments that he must now kill Quark as well as Natima and her students. Quark attempts to reason with Garak, but before Garak can respond, Toran emerges from behind a cargo container. Toran reveals that he only used Garak to learn Hogue and Rekelen's whereabouts; Garak then shoots him, quipping "some people should never be promoted".
Before Natima leaves, Quark tries one final time to convince her to stay. She tells him she must return to Cardassia until her work is done. "So all I have to do to get you back is wait until Cardassia becomes a free and democratic
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
society?" he asks. Smiling, Natima tells him they will meet again some day and promises to make it worth the wait. Once she leaves, Quark asks why Garak shot Toran, to which Garak asks why Quark helped Natima. "I had no choice — I love her," Quark says. "And I love Cardassia, which is why I had to do what I did," Garak responds.
Arc significance
- This is the first mention of the Cardassian Dissident Movement, of which Natima is a member.