The Great Hall.
After Quark lies about killing a Klingon in his bar, the dead man's widow kidnaps Quark to the Klingon homeworld to marry him.
Summary
A lone drunken Klingon in Quark's gets into a dispute with Quark over his bar tab. The enraged Klingon attacks Quark but stumbles and falls on his own dagger, dead. Quark claims to have killed the Klingon in combat, and earns notoriety on the station for his deed, but Odo reveals that the Klingon was Kozak, leader of a powerful Klingon house, and warns Quark that the family may come seeking vengeance. Quark is confronted in a corridor by D'Ghor, who claims to be Kozak's brother. D'Ghor asks how Kozak died, and threatens that, if Kozak did not die honorably, D'Ghor would kill Quark. Quark perpetuates the lie that he killed Kozak honorably in battle.
Kozak's widow Grilka arrives on the station and, when she discovers Quark's lie, abducts him and brings him back to her family's home on Qo'noS. She marries Quark and brings him to the Klingon High Council, claiming the House of Kozak should now become the House of Quark; Chancellor Gowron agrees and forms the House of Quark while continuing the investigation into D'Ghor's claims to the House. Grilka tells Quark that D'Ghor has been undermining her family's position for years; Quark reviews the financial records and discovers that D'Ghor has been manipulating the House of Kozak for over five years by financial means.
Quark presents his findings to the Klingon High Council and D'Ghor is accused of using financial means to bring down a great House, but D'Ghor claims Quark is lying, presents the abducted Rom as a witness, and challenges Quark to a duel. After returning to Grilka's home, Quark and Rom escape. Grilka returns to the High Council; her house is about to be handed over to D'Ghor, when Quark shows up for the duel. Quark throws his bat'leth away and tells D'Ghor to proceed with the execution, but Gowron steps in. Gowron says that he believes Quark's assertions of financial manipulation when he sees that D'Ghor was ready to murder the unarmed Ferengi.
D'Ghor is discommendated on the spot and ejected from the Council chamber while Gowron commends Quark for being an atypically brave Ferengi; the House of Kozak is passed on to Grilka. Grilka thanks Quark, divorces him (by his own request), and then kisses him for real. Quark and Rom return to Deep Space 9, where Rom asks to hear Quark's story of heroism again.
Meanwhile, Keiko O'Brien is forced to shut down her school after most families have left the station in fear of Dominion attack. Miles O'Brien tries to cheer her up with a dinner and then with plans for an arboretum in a cargo bay, but is unsuccessful. He encourages Keiko to take part in a six-month botanical exhibition on Bajor, and she accepts.
Memorable Quotes
"Now I know we're doomed."
"Why, brother?"
"Rule of Acquisition 286: When Morn leaves, it's all over."
"There is no such rule!"
"There should be."
- - Quark and Rom
"What about Kozak's family? What if they come here for revenge?"
"If that happens, I'll stand up, look them straight in the eye, and offer them a bribe."
- - Rom and Quark
"The House of Kozak is gone... for the time being, it will be known as..."
"Quark."
"Quirk..."
"Quark!"
"The House of Quark."
- - Gowron and Quark
"I really am very grateful for all you've done, Quark. That is why I'm going to let you take your hand off my thigh instead of shattering every bone in your body."
- - Grilka
"The charge has been made! You are accused of using... money... to bring down a Great House!"
- - Gowron, to D'Ghor
"I am Quark, son of Keldar...and I have come to answer the challenge of D'Ghor, son of... whatever."
- - Quark
"A brave Ferengi...who would have thought it possible...?"
- - Gowron, in admiration, to Quark for his bravery in standing up to D'Ghor
"Do you mean D'Ghor has been scheming and plotting like a Fe–"
(proudly) "Like a Ferengi!"
- - Grilka and Quark
"So you lied to station security, to your customers, and to D'Ghor. You must be quite a liar."
"It's a gift."
- - Grilka and Quark
"D'Ghor, what are you doing? I did not want to believe the things he said yesterday, but if you can strike down this pitiful little man, then you have NO HONOR...and you have no place in this hall!"
- - Gowron, about to discommendate D'Ghor
"How can I ever thank you?"
"I would like a divorce, please--no offense."
(Grilka smiles) "None taken. I can give it to you right away."
(Grilka slaps Quark very hard and curses at him in Klingonese, spitting afterwards on the floor)
"You're a free man."
"(gasp) A little warning would've been nice--"
(Grilka cuts him off with a very passionate and thorough kiss)
"Qapla' Quark, son of Keldar."
"Qapla' to you, too...!"
- - Grilka and Quark, just after Gowron assigns control of the House of Kozak to her
"Qapla', Quark, son of Keldar."
"Qapla' to you too."
- - Grilka and Quark
Background Information
- Both Mary Kay Adams as Grilka and Joseph Ruskin as Tumek would return for the fifth season episode "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places".
- Ronald D. Moore was quite pleased with the finished episode. In an interview with Star Trek Monthly in 1996, he said "it was fun to go back to the Klingons and do them with a lighter tone and some comedy. But even though we were spoofing them, they were still pure Klingon. It was a fun way to point out some of the more bizarre aspects of the Empire and the way it's run. And the idea of Klingons being confused by Quark's ledgers and accounting practices was, in itself, a funny idea."
- The working title of this episode was Fight to the Death.
- Robert O'Reilly makes his first Deep Space Nine appearance as Chancellor Gowron in this episode.
- One of the reasons the writers wrote Keiko out of the show for 6 months was to give them room to explore the O'Brien/Bashir friendship. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion) Indeed, this is the first episode where we see the O'Brien and Bashir socialize together (technically, we saw them socialize in "The Search, Part II", but that was part of a programmed reality).
- Stephen Hawking visited the set during the filming of this episode.
- Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko) does not appear in this episode.
Video and DVD releases
- UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 3.2, 27 February 1995.
- As part of the DS9 Season 3 DVD collection.
Links and References
Guest Stars
- Rosalind Chao as Keiko O'Brien
- Mary Kay Adams as Grilka
- Carlos Carrasco as D'Ghor
- Max Grodénchik as Rom
- Robert O'Reilly as Gowron
- Joseph Ruskin as Tumek
Co-Star
Uncredited Co-Stars
- Mark Allen Shepherd as Morn
- Randy James as Lieutenant Jones
- Robin Morselli as a Bajoran officer
- Bill Blair as a Klingon High Council member
References
agrobiology; arboretum; Bajor; basil; battle drill; Blood wine; botanist; Brek'tal ritual; canapé; discommendation; Dominion; Ferengi Alliance; Ferengi Rules of Acquisition; fireworks; galcor; gambling; Great Hall; Great House; House of D'Ghor; House of Grilka; House of Kozak; House of Quark; insurance; Irish; Janitza Mountains; Keldar; Klingon Empire; Klingon High Council; Kobheerian freighter; Markalian; O'Brien, Molly; ODN conduit; Orok; Plomeek soup; Qo'noS; runabout; synthale; synthehol; Tygarian;
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