DS9: “Sons of Mogh” and “Bar Association”

Date: July 19, 2020

Season 4, Episodes 14 and 15

Musical Accompaniment: Finishing Blues Spoken Here (I started it yesterday) and then I moved on to other things on my iTunes.

Interstellar News: The backyard and front yard look SO MUCH NICER. Just ignore the side yard and everything will be okay. Also, I completed four loads of laundry today.

Favorite Quote from “Sons of Mogh”:

Kira: They’re getting close to violating Bajoran space but they’re never crossing the line.

O’Brien: I’ve never known Klingons to be this fastidious when it comes to respecting borders.

Kira: Especially when they’re cloaked. Something’s wrong here.

O’Brien making use of his vocabulary and Kira agreeing with him.

So what had happened in “Sons of Mogh” was…: Kurn shows up, super drunk, and demands Worf perform Mauk-to’Vor because Kurn has lost everything because of Worf’s actions. Dax figures out what’s happening just as Worf plunges the dagger so she beams Kurn to the Infirmary and Odo brings Worf to Sisko. Sisko tears Worf a new one, he’ll only go so far to appease cultural differences, and Worf helps Kurn become a Bajoran security officer.

Kurn, son of Mogh

Kira and O’Brien are returning on a runabout when there’s an explosion, but Klingons dismiss her and they return to DS9 with suspicions but no proof. They take the Defiant and realize the Klingons are setting up cloaked mines in unclaimed space on the way to DS9, they can’t be detected and can be armed at any time. Kurn and Worf steal information from a Klingon ship that’s undergoing repairs so they can steal the codes and detonate the minefield. Kurn gets shot because he has no will and he’s also a true Klingon so Worf decides to use the Federation version of WITSEC by having Bashir wipe Kurn’s memory, alter his genetic code, and give him a new life as Rodek, son of Noggra.

“I have no family.”: So the thing I don’t get is who actually is a part of the “House of Mogh”? Worf and Kurn aren’t married and never talk about cousins or other extended family. Putting that aside this episode confuses me. When Worf accepted his discommendation it was for the Empire and against his personal honor, but then when Gowron wants him to join the Empire Worf cites he cannot because of Starfleet and his personal honor. WHICH ONE IS IT WORF? At this this time there’s a real world consequence for an action and it was one Worf probably didn’t really think through. I am glad, however, that this happened for Worf because he finally realizes he’s been around humans for too long and he could never really go back “home”, too much has happened. It’s also nice that O’Brien and Kira’s side mission also has Klingons so Kurn and Worf can work together. 7 quails a-flying for Work and Kurn.

Favorite Quote from “Bar Association”:

O’Brien: You’re going to live on the Defiant?

Worf: I have already discussed it with Captain Sisko.

O’Brien: And he said yes?

Worf: As long as it doesn’t interfere with my duties.

O’Brien: But you’ll be living out there all by yourself.

Worf: I know.

Worf says that last line so blissfully, or as blissful as a Klingon can get.

So what had happened in “Bar Association” was…: Rom passes out because of a nasty ear infection and Quark’s is empty because of a Bajoran abstention holiday, so he decides to make pay cuts. This becomes the straw that broke the camel’s back for Rom who forms a (shhhh dirty word ahead) union with the other workers. The FCA (read: Brunt) intervenes, beats up Quark, and Quark eventually gives in as long as Rom promises to drop the union. Rom agrees but also quits as a waiter to join the station’s repair crew as a technician. Elsewhere on the station, Worf is having trouble adjusting and decides to move his quarters to the Defiant.

“Now get me my snail juice, brother.: Let me start with the Worf plot because it’s actually quite awesome. Worf says, at least twice, “it was never like this on the Enterprise” and Odo actually calls his bullshit and begins to read the litany of security breaches that occurred during Worf’s tenure as Security Chief. I wonder how long Odo had that waiting for Worf, it was beautiful. O’Brien, as the enlisted man, offers a different side because as a transporter chief not too much went wrong as he was bored, he’s finally seeing the upside of the station. Dax and Worf’s relationship is adorable and I’m glad that Dax can make Worf stumble over his words, though it shows Worf has a type… women who are of two worlds (K’Ehleyr, Ba’el, Troi, and Dax). It makes sense as he is a child of two worlds, even if he is genetically a full Klingon.

Rom with the rest of the guild behind him
“We’re the Guild of Restaurant and Casino Employees and we’re here to present our demands.”

Quark’s story shows just how much of a true Ferengi Quark is, all he’s worried about is profit. There are times where he shows he cares for Rom in his own way, but it’s certainly not the way us hu-mans would agree to. This is a great episode that highlights Rom’s aptitude for all things non-Ferengi as he’s a wonderful engineer type person as well as a good union leader. The bits about a union were great, from Bashir’s advice to O’Brien’s ancestor, to Brunt trying to use every trick in the book to get Rom to back down. What I don’t understand is why the non-Ferengi’s were even bothered by the FCA and why Brunt wasn’t horrified that Leeta was wearing clothes. This is also yet another episode where Sisko gets to yell and dress down someone, though the way he dispenses with Quark is awesome. Five years of back rent, repair bills, and power use… ouch, I’m surprised Quark didn’t faint. 8 holographic waiters for Quark, of Quark, and by Quark.

TA Out!

DS9: “Crossfire” and “Return to Grace”

Date: July 18, 2020

Season 4, Episodes 12 and 13

Musical Accompaniment: Listening to the albums TKB and Blues Spoken Here by The Don’t Quit Your Day Job Players. I always find bands 20 years after they’ve last played, sigh.

Interstellar News: Today I made a pineapple upside down cake, listened to people geeble about Klingons, watched my backyard become a much more hospitable place, and got to play with two wee tiny kittens. Also, this is my 200th post!

Favorite Quote from “Crossfire”:

Odo: I’ll tell you what else to do. Make sure everyone knows they can’t just drop by your quarters to say hello. If someone does, whatever happens, don’t make them feel welcome.

Worf: Of course not. That would only invite subsequent visits.

Odo: Precisely.

Worf and Odo realizing they have a lot more in common than they thought.

So what had happened in “Crossfire” was…: Odo thinks all is well in the world until First Minister Shakaar comes aboard DS9. Not only is someone trying to assassinate the minister but Shakaar is clearly also in love with Kira. Shakaar, unlike Odo, makes a move and Kira geebles about her new love. Odo hulks out, Quark (of all people) helps him through, and Odo decides to forget about his feelings for Kira. As a thank you to Quark, Odo installs soundproof flooring in his quarters.

“I’ll try to keep my problems more quiet next time.”: Man oh man do I feel this episode. I absolutely know what it’s like to see someone I am very much in love have a certain type of feelings for someone else instead those particular feelings aimed at me. You can’t help but feel for Odo while, at the same time, also yell at him for not having the courage to tell her about it. Odo loves his order but he also loves the moments he gets with Kira and he realizes that he has to choose because it’s affecting his job. The scenes between Quark and Odo are fantastic every damn time and they work so well together regardless of if they’re snarking at each other or having a tender moment (for them).

Odo sitting in the mess that is now his quarters and Quark standing in his pajamas
“For a minute there I thought you were talking to me as a friend.” …. “Nah!”

There are a couple of things that don’t sit with me well here. Kira doesn’t thank Odo for her coffee at their first meeting and later when she comments that the belt suited him and he makes it appear, she barely registers a compliment and then leaves. The thing is, though, that we know Odo is in love with her and Kira has no fucking clue… so it seems harsh to us and I’m still devastated for Odo. I wish he hadn’t chickened out but instead explained he had feelings for her and, if she decided to stay with Shakaar, just continue to be her friend because he wanted her happiness more than anything. Instead this episode reinforces the belief that men and women can’t be just friends, that all of the things Odo does for Kira is because he’s hoping that she’ll love him back and – when she doesn’t – he decides his pain is more important to him. I still stand by my first statement that it is agonizing to not have those feeling returned, and it’s not easy, but you can still choose friendship. In Odo’s case, though, he realized that Kira’s burgeoning relationship caused a critical distraction and that he’s replaceable because he runs a tight ship. This was a wonderful and heartbreaking episode that highlighted just how awesome Rene Auberjonois was as an actor and how amazing Odo’s character is. 8.5 hours of oozing around for Odo.

Favorite Quote from “Return to Grace”:

Dukat: Major, why are you so reluctant to face the obvious? We make an excellent team.

Kika: We are not a team, Dukat, and we have nothing in common. The only reason I’m helping you is because those Klingons killed fifteen Bajoran diplomats.

Dukat spending 80% of the episode hitting on Kira and she is having none of it.

So what had happened in “Return to Grace” was…: Kira is heading to a Cardassian outpost for a conference and is being escorted by Dukat, who is now a lowly freighter captain because of the events of “Indiscretion“, though he’s still smug as ever. Unfortunately Klingons attack Korma before they can get to it and Dukat wants revenge. Kira helps him make alterations to the ship and they set a trap for the Klingons which allow them to swap ships. Dukat blows up his old ship with the Klingons on board, but the new Cardassian government wants a diplomatic solution – though they do offer him his old post back. Dukat wants Kira to join him in the Cardassian Resistance, but Kira isn’t interested. She does, however, take Ziyal back to DS9 to live.

Kira and Ziyal discussing weapons
Kira is the biggest bad ass on that ship.

“What is the point of being a Military Advisor to a government that won’t fight?”: Dukat lays it on thick this episode, showing his preference for Bajoran women despite being married and also having his child on board. The beginning of the episode makes such a big deal about the conference that never happens and then everyone forgets about it. Yeah Kira makes mention to it once but why didn’t they alert their governments, tell them they were okay, or at least what happened? I’m really glad Kira is consistently resisting Dukat’s advances, but I noticed something different this time. Yes he’s passionate and creepy and comes on strong, but he’s ultimately the most passionate about Cardassia and what he thinks is best for his planet. He’s not wrong, though, what’s the point of being a military advisor if the government doesn’t want to use the military? I think we see that Cardassia is over-correcting, though, where they are actively trying to not use their military instead of finding a balance. The things I liked most about this episode where the scenes between Kira and Ziyal, because Kira is an excellent big sister type, and then all the times Kira improvised because she lived that life for so long. Dukat is such an interesting character but I don’t want to like him because he’s still mostly out for himself and has done many questionable things. 6 boxes of cargo out the airlock for this episode.

TA Out!

DS9: “Homefront” and “Paradise Lost”

Date: July 14, 2020

Season 4, Episodes 10 and 11

Musical Accompaniment: Flute covers are apparently a thing.

Interstellar News: This was a two-part episode that, again, did not say “Part 1” and “Part 2”. That’s really annoying, by the way.

Favorite Quotes:

Dax: It seems to be opening and closing completely at random. No unusual readings, no ships coming through. For all we know, the Bajorans are right. Maybe it is a message from the Prophets.

Sisko: If it is, they didn’t tell me.

Dax: Maybe the Prophets don’t recognize you with the new beard.

Dax being sassy and I love it.

Sage Sisko: “We’re not looking to destroy paradise, Mister President. We’re looking to save it.”

Kira: I suppose your gods aren’t as cryptic as ours.

Worf: Our gods are dead. Ancient Klingon warriors slew them a millennia ago. They were more trouble than they were worth.

Every time I think I can’t love Klingons more, Worf opens his mouth.
The Beastie Boys in their SABOTAGE music video
“Listen all y’all, it’s a sabotage…” Yet another chance for me to use this picture, and so soon.

Sisko: That is the bottom line, isn’t it? What am I going to do? These aren’t evil people, Odo. These are people I’ve worked with. They’re my friends, people I respect. How can I turn against them?

Odo: It seems to me, if they have committed treason against the Federation, the Federation that you swore to protect, you won’t be turning against them. They will have turned against you.

Odo being super wise and helping Sisko during his time of distress.

“Homefront” – “Fear is a powerful and dangerous thing.”: The wormhole is acting funny, Odo is upset that Dax moved his furniture while he was regenerating, and a conference between the Federation and the Romulans was sabotaged and a changeling was spotted on video at the scene. Sisko and Odo head to Earth where Sisko is made acting Head of Security. We meet Sisko’s dad in New Orleans and Nog shows up because there are fresh tube grubs, yum, and he wants some help and advice from Sisko. The Federation President doesn’t want to increase security (much like 45 who is pretending Covid isn’t a thing, but I digress) but Odo materializes in front of him and he agrees to some items. Odo discovers Admiral Leyton is a changeling, hypothesizes the wormhole randomness was a cloaked Dominion attack, and a planet-wide blackout happens so the real Leyton uses that as fuel to ask for a State of Emergency, just like when the Borg threat happened.

O'Brien and Bashir straight out of the holosuite as WWII pilots
“A Scotch, neat, and a pint of your finest bitter for my mate.”

“Paradise Lost” – “Don’t make anyone else pay for your mistakes.”: Sisko has more questions than answers as things aren’t adding up. When Odo finds a transporter log that connects some Starfleet cadets everything starts to fall in place as Leyton engineered the fake Dominion threat so as to be the one in charge of the defense of Earth. Leyton shows up to dinner and orders Sisko back to DS9 since he won’t get on board just as a shapeshifter who appears as O’Brien shows up and tells him there are four other changelings on Earth. Sisko is framed for being a shapeshifter but Odo breaks him out of jail and the Defiant is on the way with Lieutenant Arriaga who can attest to Leyton ordering him to make the wormhole appear unstable. Benteen is told the Defiant has all changelings on board but won’t actually destroy the ship, so Leyton has no more supporters and he resigns in a huff.

Leyton and Benteen
You were a bird, but can you be a plane?

My Thoughts and Impressions: One thing I don’t understand is why people keep asking other people where someone else is. Odo asks Quark where Dax is, but Odo could have just as easily asked the damn computer where Dax was… come on! Another thing I didn’t quite understand is how easily everyone from Starfleet got used to currency. On TOS and TNG they were always surprised when things cost stuff, but no one here seems to be hard up for money or confused by having to pay Quark for food and drink. It’s something obviously handled off camera but it was such a big deal in the first two series that I’m sad they didn’t address it in some way. A big thing that struck me about Part 1 is the shock of Sisko realizing he was seeing changelings everywhere, because that’s how Covid 19 is panning out here in America. Every time someone isn’t wearing a mask or practicing social distancing I wonder if I’ve been exposed, and it’s terrible on my anxiety level.

Odo using a Vulcan neck pinch
Judo chop!

“Homefront” was so much better than “Paradise Lost” which is weird because a lot of Part 1’s are usually just the set up and it’s kind of meh and then the Part 2’s (where all the action happens) are pretty fantastic, but here I find that I wasn’t as satisfied with the conclusion. Maybe because I know just how ugly humans can be and know that Starfleet Admirals in particular are just the biggest bunch of douchebags, or maybe it’s because the climax just wasn’t as spectacular as the set up was. Sisko is amazing, as always, when he’s actually ordering Nog and the other cadet… he does very good “bad cop” and commanding officer voice in order to get what he wants, though it’s also because he was talking to the children rather than his colleagues. Worf shows he has the chops for commandings a starship and he’s not afraid to fight but also doesn’t use that as a first option either. O’Brien as the changeling is fantastic because it really shows the depth of Colm Meany’s acting ability, but Bashir and Kira don’t have much to do in these two parts. Odo, as always, is the outcast but he doesn’t let that stop him from doing his job. As I’m rating both parts as one big giant episode, this gets 7 slices of BBQ chicken pizza and a side of garlic knots for good measure.

TA Out!

DS9: “The Sword of Kahless” and “Our Man Bashir”

Date: July 16, 2020

Season 4, Episodes 8 and 9

Musical Accompaniment: A new set of cello covers I found

Interstellar News: I went to the eye doctor today and my eyes are just as shitty as they always have been, sigh. Good news is I’m getting TWO new pairs of glasses, hooray!

Favorite Quote from “The Sword of Kahless”:

Worf: The Sword of Kahless.

Dax: You told me not to tell anybody.

Kor: He guessed.

Worf being a good guess, Dax being outraged, and Kor technically keeping his secret.

So what had happened in “The Sword of Kahless” was…: Kor is back and regaling the customers at Quark’s with a tall tale. Afterward Dax introduces Worf to Kor and Kor lets spill their secret mission: to find the bat’leth that once belonged to Kahless. Several drinks later Kor is attacked outside of his room by a Lethean, but he only wakes up with a hangover. Worf, Dax, and Kor head into the GQ where Dax makes short work of a forcefield, and then another where they find the bat’leth.

The one ring
One ring to rule them all…

They exit only to find that Toral sent the Lethean to find what Kor knew and their plan is to escape with the weapon. The trio kick some ass and escape but Worf is wounded and there’s a jammer so they can’t get back to the ship. They wander around the caves and it’s clear that Worf and Kor have different ideas about the Klingon future and they begin to distrust each other so Dax has to be the mediator and uses the bat’leth as a pillow. The others attack again, are beaten again, but then Kor and Worf start fighting so she shoots them both. Back on the runabout they decide to space the bat’leth and hope someone else will find it when the time is right.

“Lots of people die and nobody makes any profit.”: I may be biased because I love Klingons so much, but this was a fantastic story about the power of mythical objects and how everyone would run the zoo differently. This was the Klingon version of Indiana Jones except there were no Nazis to punch, only the House of Duras. I also got strong Lord of the Ring vibes as Dax wasn’t affected by the bat’leth like the other two were. I would also argue that there’s a bit of Harry Potter as the bat’leth seemed to act like the horcrux locket whenever one of them held it.

Salazar Slytherin's locket
Hiss hiss, motherfucker.

I’m reminded of the quote “absolute power corrupts absolutely” and we see it here threefold. Toral sees it as a way to bring his house back to its former glory and then some. Kor sees it as a way to live forever in the memory of the Klingon people and also as a way to make sense of being the last of his warrior friends to still be alive since he didn’t have the good fortune to die in battle as they did. Worf, at first, is selfless and believes it his duty to return it to the Emperor. Later he is corrupted by the power and believes it is his destiny to rule the Klingons. Thankfully Dax shoots them both and that seemed to knock some sense into them. While it’s not the best Klingon episode, not the best DS9 or Trek episode, it’s still damn good and it gets 8 ancient bat’leths from me.

Favorite Quotes from “Our Man Bashir”:

Kick-Ass Kira: “Who is Dax?”

Eddington: Where’s the core memory interface?

Rom: Oh it’s right behind the spatula.

Eddington: The spatula?

Rom: It’s made of a copper-ytterbium composite, the perfect plasma conductor.

I’ll have to remember that the next time I’m cooking and need a plasma conductor.

So what had happened in “Our Man Bashir” was…: Bashir is wearing a tux and it’s clear he’s in the holosuite living out his James Bond fantasy when Garak, also in a tux, interrupts and decides to stay for a while. The Orinoco is sabotaged but the beam out doesn’t work quite right so Eddington and Odo purge all memory on the station in order to transfer the neural patterns trapped in the transporter. The neural patterns were moved successfully but the physical body patterns went to the holosuite and each character now resembles a member of the senior staff.

Garak, Bashir, and Kira in the Our Man Bashir program
“Kiss the girl, get the key. They never taught me that in the Obsidian Order.”

Kira is a Russsian spy who’s in love with Bashir. Dax is Professor Honey Bare, a seismologist who’s been captured by Dr. Noah. O’Brien is Falcon, the henchman and the muscle. Worf is Duchamps, an associate of Dr. Noah… who winds up being played by Sisko. Bashir gambles with Duchamps who roofies them and takes them to Dr. Noah where Dr. Noah shares his evil plan which is turning Earth into Waterworld with Mount Everest as his personal island. Garak and Bashir are trapped but Dax’s character helps them out and this allows Bashir to stall long enough for Rom and Eddington to get the patterns back together and through the transporter.

“Actually, my character is far more disreputable. I’m a spy.”: This was DS9’s take on James Bond right down to the misogyny and music and it was absolutely delightful. Where Austin Powers was pure comedy this episode was comedy with a science-fiction twist and it really worked. There were a couple of things that stopped this episode from being great, but it’s most because it was too close to Bond. Falcon’s hired thugs totally forget they’re holding guns and go into hand-to-hand combat with Bashir and Garak and it’s totally ridiculous. Dax’s character is in the room where the lava is about to flow just minutes before FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON. She could be killed if she doesn’t get out of there and there’s also no reason for her to give Bashir the key.

Monty Python "it's just a flesh wound"
Bashir literally utters this phrase and it’s fantastic.

One excellent part is that Garak never stops being himself and he is constantly telling Bashir, the unflappable optimist, that they’ve got to get the hell our of dodge. Garak and Gul Dukat are very much alike, the ultimate survivors. It was also a nice touch that Bashir’s speech at the end was very much what Garak said to him minutes earlier and it proves to be so captivating that the bad guys forget to shoot. I also enjoyed Bashir shooting Garak and Garak once again claiming that “there’s hope yet” for Bashir. ROm and Eddington were super star engineers and it was wonderful to hear O’Brien’s first words be the ones Eddington feared, because no one likes when you out-McGuvyer them on their own starship. 9 martinis, shaken and not stirred, thank you very much.

TA Out!

DS9: “Starship Down” and “Little Green Men”

Date: July 15, 2020

Season 4, Episodes 6 and 7

Musical Accompaniment: Random iTunes.

Interstellar News: I don’t even know what day it is anymore.

Favorite Quote from “Starship Down”:

Sisko: How long?

O’Brien: Twenty minutes.

Sisko: You’ve got ten.

O’Brien being realistic and Sisko expecting miracles, that the Chief delivers anyway.

So what had happened in “Starship Down” was…: Hanok from the Karemma meets with Sisko and Quark to discuss some recent issues with their trade, mostly because Quark was scheming. Two Jem’Hadar ships come to fire on the Karemma ship and all four ships enter the atmosphere of the nearest planet, a gas giant. The Defiant is shot at and begins to lose altitude, everyone is separated, and communications go down – very much like “Disaster“.

from BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS "danger, un-exploded bomb"
If you don’t know what movie this is from, you are missing out.

Dax and Bashir are stuck in a turbolift and have to snuggle to keep warm, they’ll run out of air in just a few hours. Quark and Hanok talk business and then have to diffuse an unexploded bomb. Sisko is hurt so Kira tries to keep him awake by telling him stories and Worf heads down to Engineering. Worf, O’Brien, and a trio of engineers go about trying to fix up the ship and O’Brien gives Worf some advice on how to treat the engineers. They destroy both Jem’Hadar ships, rescue the Karemma, and everyone travels back to DS9 where Hanok finds out he’s good at gambling. Sisko and Kira attend a holosuite baseball game, complete with hot dogs.

“Maybe I should offer them a refund.”: Although I like DS9 more than TNG, I’m sad this episode wasn’t stronger. It had some amazing pieces but some low ones too. I’ll start with the bad. Aside from Bashir saving Dax the rest of the pairing was just awful and felt like filler. Before Sisko is injured he says something like “they might be closer than you think” and I have no idea why he said that or what purpose it served, it was just weird and ominous. At one point the engineers are given only 10 minutes to complete a task and one of them takes his sweet time loading up his tools and shooting the breeze with O’Brien. DID YOU NOT FEEL THE SHIP GET HIT YOU BUFFOON?!?! These are all relatively minor things but I felt they just brought the episode down a bit.

Kira putting on a baseball hat
“Hot dogs?” “He’ll know.”

Now for the good. Quark and Hanok were fantastic because Quark never does give up and he can be quite endearing when he’s not trying to swindle you. Sisko is magnificent as he just lays there but Kira does her best to talk about work until she realizes she doesn’t want to talk about work anymore and she wants to be a friend despite his position in her religion. Worf, O’Brien, and the engineers (if I were ever in a band…) show Worf at his Worfiest and O’Brien trying to help him out because they know each other so well, and Worf actually listens! The two ending pieces are the best because Quark realizes he created a monster and Kira get the biggest grin on her face because baseball means she’s “in”. I also want to add a comment my husband made that caused me to laugh for several minutes, “The best thing about a vegan future is that you never have to worry about what’s in your hot dog.” I submit this episode for a 7 of clubs, paired with a 2 of clubs.

Favorite Quotes from “Little Green Men”:

Rom: Won’t you get in trouble for this?

Quark: Why should they? We forced them to help us by using our er…

Garland: Your insidious mind control powers.

Quark: That’s not bad.

Nog: For a primitive female, she’s pretty smart.

Nurse Garland for the win.

Sassy Sisko: “Only thing that worries me, no one warned Earth that they’re coming.”

So what had happened in “Little Green Men” was…: Nog is selling his boyhood treasures as he’s heading off to Starfleet Academy, Worf buys the tooth sharpener. Quark’s cousin finally comes through with a ship and he decides to take Rom and Nog to Earth, but mostly because he wants to smuggle things. Bashir and O’Brien give Nog an interactive guidebook that has an entry for Gabriel Bell, and Nog says goodbye to Jake. Just as they get near Earth they figure out the warp drive was sabotaged and Rom goes on a technobabble rant. They all wake up in a locked room and realize they’ve gone back in time to 1947.

Gabriel Bell entry with Sisko's picture
“But doesn’t this Gabriel Bell hu-man look just like Captain Sisko?”

The universal translators are on the fritz so we get to hear the native Ferengi tongue until Rom fixes them. Quark sets himself up as the CFO of the Ferengi Alliance as this is the ultimate profit grab, but Odo stowed away and no one wants to upset the timeline. The U.S. military doesn’t believe Quark’s there for a trade deal so they begin an interrogation where Rom folds like a cheap card table, Quark actually tells the truth, and Nog saves the day by telling a tall tale and hitting the guard. The professor and nurse help the trio escape with Odo and we do the reverse time warp.

“I’ve always been smart, brother. I’ve just lacked self-confidence.”: I still want to know how universal translators work, because they keep doing different stuff and it’s so confusing. Is Quark always speaking his native language and the device translates it to whatever the other person speaks? I want to know! This whole episode was delightful from Worf buying the tooth grinder to Rom being an engineering genius to Odo proving that he really does always investigate Quark, it was a nonstop awesome episode.

Three people do the time warm from RHPS
“It’s just a jump to the left…”

Jake and Nog get an adorable goodbye and the others also make a good show of participating in the sale and showing their support. There were two low spots, though. When Nog asks the nurse for an ear massage, which is the equivalent of a Fernegi hand-job, and then Rom pipes up too… sigh. The other is the misogyny of the time with the men talking down to the nurse and, to be honest, looking down on the professor because he wasn’t in the military. Otherwise this was fantastic because Quark did what he always does and tries to take advantage of the situation but Odo busts him and Rom and Nog try their best to stay out of the way. I will admit there was a lot of technobabble but it was fun to see that the Ferengi were the reason behind Area 51 after all. This episode gets an 8 digit security code for the door to the hangar. I promise, it totally works.

TA Out!