Cheap Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 116: Business as Usual (Video) (Victor Lobl, David Carson, Gabrielle Beaumont, Robert Scheerer, Alexander Siddig, James L. Conway, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Jonathan West) Price

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Customer Reviews of Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 116: Business as Usual

Quark's cousin Gaila (Josh Pais) arrives at the station with a business proposition involving selling weapons. Not only can Quark pay off all of his debts, he will not even be breaking the law since all he is doing is providing "hospitality,' which consists of food, drinks, and holographic tryouts of the weapons. The problem is Hagath (Steven Berkoff), Gaila's partner, who makes a point of warning Quark never to cross him. Then the Regent of Palamar shows up to buy some weapons, which he needs to kill about 28 million people in a hurry. While Hagath figures out what in the inventory will do the trick, Quark comes to the conclusion that he wants no part of mass murder (apparently the other weapons the group was selling were only going to kill thousands, not millions).

The whole point here is how Quark is going to get himself out of this predicament. The question is not whether he can get out with his life, but whether he can still make a profit on a deal that he is trying to stop. The trick here is that Quark has everybody on DS9 mad at him because they all know he is involved in arms dealing but cannot touch him because, technically, he is not doing anything illegal. So it is up to Quark to save the day all by his lonesome. This is a comic relief effort and is decent enough by that standard, but I am still anxious to get back to that other universe where the war is sort of important.

Good guest star, better than average Ferengi episode
Business as Usual starts off like your usual Ferengi episode, lightweight and cartoonish. But once the great British actor Stephen Berkoff shows up as an Orion Syndicate biggie, looking to trade arms with Quark in order to wipe out millions of lives, things get heavier..and more interesting.

For once, Quark is faced with the question: how far would he go to make a profit? Could he really live with the idea that he aided in the destruction of an entire civllization? It makes for some interesting character study, especially in the reactions of the DS9 crew when they learn what Quark may be involved in.

If you're looking for the funniest Ferengi episodes, try The Mangificent Ferengi or Little Green Men. But this episode is a little special in that it tries to give Quark some nice dramatic moments...

Quark is actually in profit?
Quarks cousin, Gaila, is in the arms trade business, his single actions have netted him millions of bars of gold pressed latinum while killing just as many million innocent people. But Gaila has his own shuttle, and doesn't he have a moon or something? Any way, woooed by his cousins apparent wealth Quark wants in on this dirty business, so he is introduced to Hagath. An evil businessman who takes a liking to Quark, but there is a moral dilemma here... make millions and you kill millions!

The plot is slow and that familiar Ferengi humour just isn't in this one!