‘PROPHET MOTIVE’ (DS9)
Please feel free to comment on my review.
This is the first ‘DS9’ episode to be directed by Odo himself! That’s right! René Auberjonois becomes a director here. And he directs a Ferengi comedy episode. I did enjoy ‘Prophet Motive’ when I saw it.
In the episode, when Quark does business with an alien woman – Juliana Donald as Emi – he’s interrupted when Max Grodénchik as Rom comes in to tell his brother that Grand Nagus Zek’s come.
That’s right! Wallace Shawn as Zek is back in this ‘DS9’ episode along with his servant Tiny Ron as Maihar’du. Zek has Quark’s quarters. Quark has to move in with his brother Rom for the time being.
It was amusing Quark found Rom very untidy when having to stay with him in his quarters on DS9. Usually Nog’s the one who cleans up after Rom in his quarter. Quark is determined to deal with Zek.
I’m surprised Quark and Rom didn’t know why Zek was on DS9 the moment he came. How long has Zek been using Quark’s quarters before being asked what’s going on. Has it all been like a few days?
Anyway, when Quark and Rom see Zek in his quarters, he comes across as benevolent and friendly. Zek soon shows Quark and Rom his recent project. He has rewritten the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition.
Quark and Rom are quite excited about this new version of the Rules of Acquisition. But as soon as they start reading it, the first rule happens to be…“If they want their money back, give it to them.” 😐
Pretty disturbed, Quark and Rom find that all the rules in the Rules of Acquisition book have been rewritten. They encourage all Ferengi to renounce selfishness and greed. To become kind and giving!
Quark and Rom try to figure out what’s going on and why Zek wants to live a life of unselfishness. As they do that, Zek starts to run a charitable foundation. He wants to make Quark and Rom a part of it.
Rom seems willing but Quark is appalled. Profiteering is at the heart of every Ferengi. Quark is afraid of Zek being deposed from a great height along with himself and his brother. They have to stop this.
Having Zek checked in the infirmary, Dr. Bashir can find nothing wrong with him. Quark gets frustrated, insisting that there is something wrong with Zek. Bashir threatens to do tests on Quark. 😀
Eventually, Quark and Rom try to break into Zek’s ship before Maihar’du catches them out. He lets them into the ship and they see that Zek has an Orb of the Prophets, which he plans to give to Bajor.
Quark deduces what’s going on with the Orb and even accidentally looks inside it, having a vision of himself with Zek regarding the New Rules of Acquisition as a gift. Pretty soon, he decides what to do.
Deducing Zek visited the wormhole and got changed by the Prophets of Bajor; Quark takes Zek with him on Zek’s ship to travel to the wormhole again. There, Quark makes contact with the Prophets. 😀
It was intriguing to see Quark communicating with the Prophets, like with Sisko in ‘Emissary’. The Prophets explain to Quark that they found Zek’s obsession with profit to be strange and adversarial.
Thus the Prophets ‘de-evolved’ Zek! As they threaten to do the same to Quark, he warns them that if they change him, they’ll cause more curious Ferengi to come searching for answers in the wormhole.
Quark offers the Prophets to keep their privacy by restoring Zek to normal and setting both Ferengi free. Finding Quark and Ferengi in general annoying, the Prophets agree to release Quark and Zek. 🙂
Once his contact with the Prophets is over, Quark is overjoyed to find Zek back to normal. Zek demands that the New Rules of Acquisition to be destroyed and that his charitable foundation ends.
There is another subplot that goes on in the episode where Bashir gets nominated for a medical award. Bashir makes the impression that he doesn’t want the award considering he’s so young for it.
Eventually, when the finalists are given and the award is given to another person, Bashir feigns nonchalance whilst being upset inside. I did think that Bashir might end up getting the award in this.
‘Prophet Motive’ is a fun Ferengi episode in the ‘DS9’ series. I enjoyed Quark and Rom trying to save Zek and get his greed back, even though they could have been an improved race with Zek altered. 😀
‘Prophet Motive’ (DS9) rating – 8/10
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