A Look at House of Quark (Deep Space Nine)

Opinionated DS9 Episode Guide watches Quark parlay a lie into becoming head of a Klingon House, it's like a goofy episode of House of Cards.

[@Amitlu]

"son of whatever" The best burn anyone could give a Klingon.

[@accidentalmadness1708]

Even his grand father got scorched.

[@BobMcBobJr]

Not even "whoever."

[@BobSentell]

Why a good writer is important. "Quark takes over a Klingon house" sounds like a lazy idea but the writing took it to an amazing level.

[@hariman7727]

Agreed, right down to Quark weaponizing his helplessness.

[@akkristor]

The clanging sound when Quark threw the bat'leth wasn't the sword hitting the ground, it was Quark's brass balls.

[@TheCuriosity8]

Latinum Balls, just as heavy but twice as shiny!

[@KianaWolf]

@@TheCuriosity8 Great, now I'm imagining a ferengi version of Goldmember...

[@Doolinater]

Not brass, those balls are gold-pressed latinum.

[@justin8894]

Tritanium!

[@myriadmediamusings]

This one is perhaps my favorite Quark episode.

[@DeconvertedMan]

I like the sequel even more!

[@Nasafalkas1]

Exactly!

[@oscarbrown9041]

Ditto....mine too.

[@hariman7727]

It's a great episode, and tons of fun. :)

[@christopherhudspeth6823]

I like the one where it shows how ridiculous it is to pretend to be woman when you're male.

[@KairuHakubi]

the trouble with Quark paying a taxidermist is he can't get to the 'idermist' part without being sick.

[@SageofStars]

This was one of the best indications of what a good writer and actor pair could do with the aliens in Trek. Again, the main plot here is between a Ferengi and a Klingon, each with their own cultural norms, neither of which fully conforms to a human one, though there are shades of some of ours in both. It really goes to flesh out the two interacting without that human element that the Federation brings in, and shows that neither culture, or even the people in them, are as inflexible as we see elsewhere. There are shades of things within each of these people, and it's done well. This is some of the stuff other series could have used, but can't do much of due to their settings being starships. There, the Ensemble was set, and their interactions with the greater galaxy have to go through the main cast and regulars on the show just because of the structure of command. Here? Quark isn't in ANY of the command structures, and thus, can have his own life outside of them. The fact that the woman they got playing the Klingon comes off as dominate in every scene they share UNTIL he has something to contribute to, at which point he takes control, is also kind of a neat dynamic you don't see with a lot of guests, who either come off strong throughout, dominating their scenes, or weak throughout, being dominated. And not in the fun way either...or the Cardassian way, so they should count their blessings I suppose.

[@hariman7727]

And even when Grilka allows Quark to take the lead, it's BECAUSE he is in his element and can do better than her. It shows Grilka has a strong will, but enough humility to not make mistakes others would in the same situation.

[@KingOfMadCows]

I think it was a missed opportunity that they didn't do more with Keiko and Bajor. Yes, they did have her get possessed by a Pah Wraith, but they could have had her use her scientific expertise to help repair Bajor's ecosystem. She could have been on that project to restore the land for agriculture.

[@boobah5643]

I dunno. I increasingly find myself annoyed by the tendency of everyone in the show's cast being the absolutely tippy top bestest at what they do.

[@scottwoodward7103]

A little scene I liked- Rom as the pair are about to run away and abandon Grilka to her fate does a little reverse psychology by declaring they only care about profit and don't give a damn about what happens to some Klingon widow, then gives his brother a sidelong glance. It hints at him being more complex than he has been, nudging his brother into doing the right thing.

[@Avenger85438]

Klingons accounting for accidental deaths and allowing families to be compensated in their event, was a great addition to their culture. The scene of Gowron's aide handling the finances datapad like a caveman, not so much.

[@johnpotts8308]

I love the Klingon divorce proceedings. They really cut through all the crap of undoing a marriage and reduce it to its bare essentials.

[@RequiemPoete]

Well remember both wanted one.

[@hariman7727]

It's hilariously perfect for the Klingons, with Grilka's actress and Armin Shimmerman selling the part perfectly.

[@Manta665]

Same with the Romulan Officer in "The Search" I really wish Grilka would have appeared more often. Mary Kay Adams and Armin Shimerman had absolutely amazing chemistry and the pairing of their characters was magnificent!

[@jaywaii3187]

My headcanon at 11:00 is that Gowron, a natural political schemer, perfectly followed and understood Quark's explanation, and was more upset about D'gor's financial schemes 🤣

[@MrEvers]

A barman from the other side of the quadrant stands before the rulers of an empire and confuses them with spreadsheets. That scene will never not be funny.

[@hariman7727]

I like the theory that, of all the Klingons, Gowron DID understand, but knew that no one would be satisfied with Quark's explanation even if they did understand it.

[@BobSentell]

I work with spreadsheets for a living. Even I would have to have some time to consume them if they are just thrown my way. As Chuck said, this is Gowron's 1:30. Bottom line it if you want a quick decision.

[@physeter_de595]

@@BobSentell What does "his 1:30" actually mean? I'm German and not familiar with this metaphor.

[@samoli11]

Means some inane business that gets squeezed in the middle of a packed work schedule, therefore it has to either be done quickly or done away with should it drag out too long.

[@hariman7727]

@@physeter_de595 "his 1:30" means it's his appointment at 1:30 pm on a busy work day. The additional context is that a 1:30 meeting is usually something random and not overly important in the course of the business day, which is why there is the added comments to "bottom line" the issue instead of going into the details.

[@TheCuriosity8]

I love the little touch of Gowron kneeling down to get eye to eye with Quark. The followup episode also had great interactions with Quark and Grilka reuniting

[@SirMarshalHaig]

Klingons value honor. Klingons in politics value not being too obvious in their dishonor.

[@horatioswrld]

Also liked the subtle removal of the last main “child” from station. War is coming DS9 isn’t safe, woman and children flee to mountains

[@mikethoroughgood16]

He is one of the best reviewers I've ever listened too

[@kyuven]

Bravery isn't a klingon warrior running into battle against a squad of jem hadar. Bravery is a ferengi putting himself at the mercy of a klingon.

[@rwg6357]

Quark's lucky his old man had a rather badass name that sticks out among the Ferengi's naming scheme One thing i like in retrospect is if you actaully pay attention... Gowron never takes his eyes off D'gor once Quark drops too his knees. It kinda backs up the idea that Quark has already proved his honor by showing up to the duel and Gowron is judging D'gor's response.

[@tbeller80]

Probably my favorite Gowron episode. He and the high council are portrayed as morons trying to follow Quark's spreadsheets, but he quickly gets the point. There's circumstantial evidence that a Klingon committed financial crimes against another Klingon. He's absolutely disgusted at the very idea. And also suspects in the back of his mind it might be true because he knows the guy. He comes across a lot more intelligent and reasonable than some of his other appearances.

[@rwg6357]

I like to think gowron was actually following quark’s explanation and his reaction is less I don’t understand and more this is fucking ridiculous

[@hariman7727]

@@rwg6357 Gowron: "Son of a targ, D'gor IS a crook... butI can't just accept this explanation from a FERENGI. I'll throw it into a fight, and hopefully this little shit comes up with a good plan."

[@fourcatsandagarden]

@@tbeller80 I also appreciated that he was willing to try looking at the sheets regardless of his understanding of them. He was seeking to learn more.

[@tbeller80]

@@fourcatsandagarden what sells it for me is the way he pauses before shouting MONEY like its a cursed word that he can barely bring himself to say.

[@mikegates8993]

You know, a part of me wishes Quark and the Klingon woman had stayed married. It would've been pretty funny.

[@BobSentell]

At least some more revisits. Would have been funny if Quark was at the final meeting with Gowron as a "leader" of his house.

[@RequiemPoete]

Quark should have started a plum orchard on Grilka's lands.

[@MaxDoll]

Would have made a great sitcom. 😄

[@CaptainJZH]

Especially if he stayed on DS9 and let her run the house on her own, with his being the "head" of the house just being a formality But every now and then she has to get his official approval for something, which is usually accompanied with "sign it or i will stab you in the throat" And of course Klingons in the bar can't disrespect him or else they face the wrath of Grilka

[@clwho4652]

I doubt Klingons don't have accountants. We saw a Klingon scientist in TNG, we've seen Klingon lawyers. Given the size of the Klingon Empire there has to be someone dealing with the money.

[@aoxby8037]

When it comes to klingons, I get the feeling of jobs like scientist and accountant are for retired warriors.

[@Philistine47]

Given that Klingons care enough about wealth and property to make the villain's plot _possible at all,_ the idea that "the ruler of the Klingon nation-state can't find an accountant" is just more stupid Planet of Hats stuff - where the Klingons got the very stupidest hat.

[@hariman7727]

The issue is not that Klingons don't understand that finances can be used to hide dishonor, but that Quark is explaining it like a *Ferengi*, not like a Klingon would.

[@clwho4652]

@@aoxby8037 That makes sense. To be a rival of the federation a much larger percentage of their population must be in their military (given how much bigger the Federation is and how diverse Star Fleet is). That would mean most if not all of the younger Klingons serve in their military before retiring and moving onto law, science, accounting, etc. This makes me imagine a scene where a Klingon accountant walks in with an angry expression, throws a padd on the floor in front of the guilty party, points and yells "you are without honor!"

[@Philistine47]

@@hariman7727 It takes Quark a couple of hours of looking through the books to identify an extensive pattern of fraud large enough to bring down a noble House. I don't care how smart Quark is, that's just not possible if the fraudster has done _anything at all_ to cover their tracks due to the sheer volume of records that have to be cross-checked to prove a case. So it had to be a pretty basic, obvious pattern of wrongdoing. And yet, nobody in the widow's House - nor anybody whose services were available to be hired by the widow's House - was able to find it. And yet, nobody in the Chancellor's court - nor anybody whose services were available to be hired by _the ruler of a highly centralized autocratic nation-state!_ - was able to independently look at the books and verify Quark's claims. (Which would be the proper procedure in any case, but also would render Quark's supposedly "Ferengi-style explanation" moot.) Not one single Klingon was able to duplicate Quark's work. _Not one!_ And thus Gowron's "justice system" went straight to Mortal Kombat. The episode only supports one conclusion: Klingons _really are_ that dumb. Which wasn't really a surprise in itself (they're an ""Honorable Warrior Race," not a "Smart Warrior Race"), but it was a little surprising that the writers would just expose themselves that blatantly.

[@admanios]

I like how eager Miles was to foist Molly onto Keiko. Great job being an involved parent, O'Brien.

[@fredrikcarlstedt393]

Morality of this episode : Beware of drunken Klingons with no kredits .

[@fugitiveunknown7806]

If that's not a rule of acquisition, it should be.

[@fredrikcarlstedt393]

@@fugitiveunknown7806 Agreed .

[@bradwolf07]

I love Chuck's explanation for why Gowron handled this matter as he does. I agree, but I couldn't express it. This is one of the episodes that had Quark win me over. He's not the most honorable, but he's courageous in his pan way. Respect to Quark.

[@VictorKane115]

I really wish we'd gotten more episodes with Grilka. It would have been interesting to see the character arc where Quark and her remain in a more long-lasting relationship.

[@Zeithri]

" _I have come to answer the challenge of D'Gor, son of..... Whatever..._ " " *GASPS!* " D'Gor's face expression just strikes me as 'cute' xD The way he gasps and turns to Gowron like " _Gowron! Quark's mean to me!_ " slays me everytime.

[@tbeller80]

And Gowron has to put his hand up to say "easy, down boy!"

[@LocksAndChains]

To be fair, to blatantly disrespect a Klingon warrior’s heritage like that is a VERY bold move. D’Gor was likely mortified and confused. Though it also speaks volumes of his character as to how he reacted like an offended schoolgirl instead of the expected bombastic rage.

[@kyuven]

@@LocksAndChains It was probably calculated to make sure D'Gor's headspace was juuuuuust right for the plan to actually work. Quark could claim ignorance of knowing D'Gor's father's name since he's an alien, but since this is QUARK we're talking about, we the audience very much know he's doing it on purpose.

[@physeter_de595]

@@LocksAndChains Maybe that was on purpose by Quark, to enrage D'Gor so much, that he would go blindly for the kill. It was basically his only hope to come out alive.

[@BobMcBobJr]

@@physeter_de595 I had the same thought. I wonder what would have happened if D'Gor was saw through Quark's plan. Something like this. Q: Let's cut to the chase ... execution (same speech) Drops weapon D: Pick up your weapon Q: No. I can't use it. The result will be the same. Just do it. D: I will not fight you unarmed. Withdraw your challenge or pick up your weapon. (Both stand there staring and not budging) The question would then be how the other Klingons respond. Would they actually go get a Klingon accountant?

[@bthsr7113]

There HAVE to Klingon accountants, but I do agree that tapping one for a squabble between small houses on the accusations of a Ferengi with a dodgy history is definitely a long shot. While they need to have them for a functioning interstellar empire, it's probably only just enough of those brave enough to take the ridicule and those who have exhausted most career paths to keep the empire running. So any Klingon accountants are probably overworked and busy with more important matters. In particular, going over fleet yards' books after the losses to the Dominion.

[@steelgriffin7716]

As an aside from the Quark stuff... man i love the O'briens. The healthiest marriage in all of Trek.

[@myriadmediamusings]

With the cutest little Trek kid of all time

[@tbeller80]

Definitely a realistic one. Military spouse gets dragged halfway across the world to sit and stare out the window and doesn't like it.

[@samwill7259]

Looking a murderous Klingon in the eye and telling him to do his worst IS bravery, whether Quark realizes it or not.

[@fourcatsandagarden]

"son of...whatever" still makes me laugh. I cannot help it.

[@ObsessiveCostumingDude]

Great thoughts about Quark and the Klingon honor system! And entertaining review as always, thank you for all you do. :)

[@jamesabernethy7896]

This was such a fun episode. Even though Quark gets a fair amount of screen time on the station, this was an enjoyable adventure.

[@roystonsbailey]

one of my fav DS9 episodes. Quark is my fav character on DS9

[@arlibrarian]

I like the bit at the end, as I think it would be easy to see it as Quark merely gaming the system (which he was to an extent) with a loophole, as if anyone (or at least anyone sufficiently weak) could throw down their weapon and win by default. There is at least a degree of logic in the battle as a test of character.

[@lexington476]

This is actually good episode.

[@timesthree5757]

Klingon honor code makes sence to this Army vet.

[@MrGranten]

I can't agree that the klingon honor code is reasonable here, because as we see their honor code is completely incapable of handling this issue. When evidence is presented they simply are not able to determine who is the guilty party. The only reason it results in the villain being defeated is because he let his act of being honorable slip at a critical moment. Now this might be Gowron's 1:30, but it does have political significance. If not for that, economic sabotage would have gotten the villai everything, and the klingon leadership would have been completely unable to detect it. So klingon criminal justice is horribly flawed.

[@hariman7727]

A competent warrior could probably take D'Gor in a fight easily, or D'Gor would get desperate and pull some bullshit that would expose him in a fair fight. Also... Quark was explaining it like it was for a Ferengi court. A Klingon would boil it down so that Gowron would get it much easier.

[@Philistine47]

Quark wins by exploiting a loophole in the Klingon code of honor, which is a totally in keeping with the Ferengi "Hat" of being liars, cheats, and thieves. Rather than fleshing out either Ferengi or Klingon societies in a way that expands our understanding of how they function, this episode really just shows that the Ferengi "Hat" trumps the Klingon "Hat." But at least it's fun to watch, which is more than I can say for a lot of other Ferengi- (or Klingon!)-centric episodes.

[@hariman7727]

@@Philistine47 I think it shows that there's enough give and take in the Klingon honor system that someone who's weak but correct DOES have a way to prove their case, and that this sort of thing probably happens every so often.

[@MrGranten]

@@hariman7727Could a competent warrior do it so easily? And would D'Gor in a fairer fight? And what's stopping literally any other klingon from doing this and just being a bit more careful? Also... could it be boiled down so that Gowron could understand the accusations and, just as importantly, that the accusations were clearly shown to be correct? Because at no point do we see evidence of accounting competence in this leadership. Klingon society can't handle this. Not as it is.

[@MrGranten]

@@Philistine47A fun episode certainly, but one that tells me the best way to subvert klingons is aim them at a target and get them into a lot of debt. So it's not exactly a triumph for them.

[@GamerGaint]

Another great video to feast upon 🤟🏻

[@marshallhuffer4713]

Fun Fact: Stephen Hawking visited the DS9 set during the filming of this episode. Armin Shimerman recalled: "I remember I turned, and the smoke seemed to part, and there was Dr. Stephen Hawking, visiting the set with Rick Berman." Shimerman considers meeting Hawking as a high point of his life and has a photo of himself with Hawking and Carlos Carrasco who played D'Ghor.

[@ghostlyjudge]

never forget he did end up clapping them cheeks in the end

[@randomusernameCallin]

DS9 did some much to the Klingon honor. TNG have theme their back bone but DS9 made it work.

[@Thraim.]

Molly proves that child characters don't have to be bad.

[@DeconvertedMan]

love this episode :D

[@JerryListener]

You killed my brother - so I challenge you to a duel across time and space.

[@Illstatefishing]

DS9 👀

[@MoonjumperReviews]

I love this episode, but I always have been annoyed by the TNG-era tendency to portray Klingons so Johnny One-Note. Everyone’s a warrior. There is no other personality or profession. That tends to be the attitude. Case in point, here’s a 24th century society which still uses money, ergo there would surely be SOMEONE on the planet who knows how money works. (Well, clearly the bad guy knows, but he’s the only one?). Obviously Gawron would have SOMEONE in his employ (i.e. a government treasury official) who this would make sense to. Nonetheless, it’s a funny scene and a thoroughly enjoyable episode.

[@Nasafalkas1]

Do you think Kozak went to Grethor? Drunkenly falling on your own blade while wrestling with a Ferengi because you couldn’t pay your bar tab seems like a pretty dishonourable way to go out.

[@kommodore6691]

The rules are pretty loose, could probably justify it. Ferengi are a lesser race to be conquered, a debt to them means nothing, he was honorable for trying to kill Quark for insulting him. I am sure Klingon ships have been destroyed in accidents before, as long as the crew weren't cowards and served their duty to the empire their deaths are still honorable. Kozak went down fighting defending his reputation what is more honorable than that? It doesn't matter if you fail and die, or are even dumb and incompetent, as long as you tried to do the honorable thing. Also I haven't seen the episode in years, does he actually refuse to pay or attack Quark for implying he wouldn't? If Quark implied he wouldn't be able to pay etc. that is would be totally justifiable.

[@Nasafalkas1]

Makes sense@@kommodore6691

[@Mike-42069]

Kling!!!!!

[@pearsegallagher9832]

algorithm comment

[@justin8894]

Love the opening.

[@boobah5643]

The Klingon High Council doesn't have any accountants on staff? Really? Nor any of these high lords? Feel free to argue that their accountants are already fully tasked, but don't have any? Nah.

[@boobah5643]

I've been going through _The Post Atomic Horror Podcast,_ so it took me aback when Keiko appeared and there wasn't any vitriol directed at her. I've only just gotten to the _NextGen_ movies, so maybe their opinion will be a little different when they go through _DS9,_ but those guys do not like her at all.