Jim’s Take on Episode 18: “Profit and Loss”
When most people think of the greatest “romancer” in Star Trek, the first name that comes to mind is surely Captain James T. Kirk. Even people who don’t watch Star Trek know of Captain Kirk’s reputation as a lover of alien ladies who need some help understanding “this ‘love’ you speak of.” And it’s certainly true that Kirk was a handsome fella, and, by all accounts, an accomplished lover, but, unexpectedly, everyone’s favorite Ferengi, DS9’s Quark, may be the greatest ladies man in the Trek universe. Quark loves the ladies…and the ladies love Quark!
Sure, by contemporary human standards, he is a bit of a regressive and misogynistic “troll,” as Major Kira would be quick to point out. But, coming from a society that doesn’t let women earn profit, speak up, or even wear clothes (!), he’s actually quite progressive. Though it seems Quark is shot down quite a bit, that’s only because we see his attention focused on Dax and Kira with whom, clearly, he has no chance at all. However, he is able to smooth-talk every female freighter captain, smuggler, or visiting dignitary who finds herself in his orbit. He has left a string of broken hearts behind him, since profit is always his first love. Pointy teeth, nicely tailored suits, and those very sexy lobes clearly make Quark irresistible. Step aside, Jim Kirk!
When Professor Natima Lang arrives on the station, all bets are off as Quark is confronted with his greatest lost love. Though she is one of many broken hearts Quark has left in his wake, she is clearly someone Quark actually cared for deeply. He is tenacious in trying to win her back, veering wildly from romantic sweet talk to threats of blackmail to get her to stay. Though she is clearly still furious for his perceived betrayal, he starts to wear her down and convince her that his love is truly genuine. Unfortunately, things get much more complicated when Garak spots her and her students, and she immediately makes it clear that she needs to flee the station as soon as possible.
He can successfully deliver a line as romantic as “Can dreams hold you close at night?” For these reasons, and so many more, Quark has earned the title of Star Trek’s Greatest Ladies Man!
Her students are actually leaders in a political movement seeking to free Cardassia from military rule. Obviously, Cardassian High Command is not keen on this revolution, so they want all of them captured and “removed” as soon as possible. There are some revelations about Garak’s mysterious background when we learn that he was once very highly placed in Cardassian society and that he would dearly love to go home. One of the fascinating things about Garak’s character is that we simply don’t know what he might do in any given situation. Will he kill Quark and Natima to be forgiven of his sins? It certainly seems possible that he would! If the idiotic Gul Toran hadn’t interfered and basically made it clear that Garak wouldn’t get what he wanted regardless, he may well have gone through with executing them all. Thanks to Andrew Robinson’s wonderful performance, Garak is a beloved character who always gets the best lines, but his actions and motives are unpredictable and he is rightly regarded with a great deal of suspicion. Watching Quark verbally spar with Garak is so much fun that these two characters need to be teamed up, or pitted against each other, more often.
With a lesser actor playing the part, Quark could easily have become simple comic relief, but Armin Shimerman gives him so many layers and levels. He’s a con man with a heart, he can be ruthless when needed, but he legitimately has compassion for others and is willing to sacrifice his profit, and his life, when someone he cares for is in danger. Not only does he risk his life for Natima, he is even willing to give up everything to go with her, if only she’d have him. AND he can successfully deliver a line as romantic as “Can dreams hold you close at night?” For these reasons, and so many more, Quark has earned the title of Star Trek’s Greatest Ladies Man!
Ponderings from the Promenade: A Journey through Star Trek Deep Space Nine 