DS9 Rom's Self-replicating Mines (Call to Arms)

[@FirstLast-cg2nk]

Rom is fully capable of holding two trains of thought at the same time. While the emotional half of his brain is worrying about the wedding, the logical half is saving the Alpha Quadrant.

[@mardus_ee]

It's a trait of all Ferengi, as they have four brain lobes instead of the two hemispheres that our human brains have.

[@CoralCopperHead]

@@mardus_ee I... did not know that. That's actually really cool, if I ever play a Ferengi in a tabletop I'll have to keep that in mind. Somehow. Probably by keeping two separate books of notes.

[@mardus_ee]

@@CoralCopperHead That trait is manifest in this episode, and the Season 6 episode "Change of Heart", in which the genetically-enhanced hyper-intelligent Bashir challenges a table of Ferengi - including Quark - in a game of Tongo. Near the end of the game, Quark manages to distract Bashir. Memory Alpha, a fandom wiki, has an article about Tongo.

[@squattingheads]

*quarter, not half

[@squattingheads]

Its understated how brilliant ferengi actually are. I think their brains are actually almost as capable and complex as vulcans.

[@gayrambo4529]

Rom went from anonymous Ferengi pit boss in the pilot, to Grand Nagus and getting oomax from hot Bajoran Leeta. Never has there been a bigger winner in the history of television.

[@JnEricsonx]

Vir Cotto on Babylon 5 says hi.

[@Howyaduing]

Gay Rambo folks in supernatural could learn something from these shows

[@tanall5959]

+Jon Ericson Vir and Rom must be drinking buddies.

[@AhsokaTanoTheWhite]

Damar, Cardassian lacky to puppet leader to rebel to martyred hero.

[@ArcaneAzmadi]

Joking aside, I think you're onto something: Rom and Vir would almost certainly get along _fantastically_ well.

[@cautiouslyhopeful]

Rom, like all men, worrying about premature detonation before his wedding.

[@jamieolberding7731]

He panics way too much.

[@ProjectDT88]

LOL, I got it!

[@Krystalmyth]

Lol, if you're mormon maybe.

[@BlackDiamond2718]

Premature detonation meaning fights leading to divorce.

[@Cyberbyte_010]

@@BlackDiamond2718 thats one way to look at it... lol

[@JonnyCheeseMan]

I love how Rom goes from “my problems are making more problems” to “let’s give them problems that make more problems”

[@szahmad2416]

Never thought of it that way, but now that you mention it, it does make sense!

[@CoralCopperHead]

Explosive Tribbles.

[@matthew8153]

@@CoralCopperHead You’re onto something as ST Picard just showed a super aggressive cannibal Tribble.

[@ZakhadWOW]

@@matthew8153 **carnivorous, we assume. No specific proof that it would actually be cannibalistic (eating it's own kind)

[@seanofthesun5362]

I actually did think of that at one point. Heck, I'd have written the scene with him saying something like "Whenever I mentally solve one problem, another replaces it, and... Wait. That's it! Mines that replace themselves!"

[@hagamapama]

That's Rom for you, absendmindedly saving the entire Alpha Quadrant while he's preoccupied with more important stuff.

[@Innomen]

+VHTesla It's the lobes :)

[@hagamapama]

It seemed to be a trait for Rom, that he was far more brilliant when he wasn't concentrating than he could manage to be when he was. That said, that seems to be a common trait among Ferengi -- an almost OCD-level drive to acquire what they have decided to desire. Usually they default to money, but not always. Once a Ferengi set his heart on something, be it wealth, or a female, or respect, or credibility in the scientific community, or vengeance, or more rights and respect for their gender, or a Starfleet career, the Ferengi would let nothing stop him, and would go to (seemingly) insane lengths to get what he wanted. This started out depicted as a character flaw, but to be honest, by the end of DS9, the Star Trek writers were creating intensely driven Ferengi characters that turned it into a positive trait, mostly but not exclusively centered around Ishka's family. Rom worked a little differently and stood out in a world of aggressively acquisitive Ferengi, until you understand that what Rom was focused on, what he was driven to acquire, was happiness for himself and those around him. For example, the only 2 times he ever directly threatened or stood up to Quark, involved the happiness of 2 people he cared deeply about -- Leeta during the strike, and Nog when Quart interfered with his entrance exam into Starfleet. To Rom's view, Quark was interfering with his plans to get what he wanted, and you started to see his aggressive Ferengi nature emerge. Once you see that, then you understand Rom perfectly, and in his own aberrant way, he was a very good Ferengi who always got what he set out to acquire. And it also explains this scene. He's trying to help with the problem, but his Ferengi nature is driving him to focus on Leeta and the wedding so he's torn between the two -- and still manages to squeeze out a nugget of genius even so. That's the reason Ishka pushed Zek to make Rom his successor, because Ishka understood that if Rom was Nagus, Rom would then be driven with the all the force and focus of the Ferengi acquisition-urge to work like mad for the happiness of all of Ferenginar.

[@Innomen]

@hagamapama That has got to be the best and most accurate analysis of Rom on the internet. Appointing him Nagas was total genius given the state of things you just illuminated. Well done sir.

[@maven21]

got to agree with Brandon on this...good Analysis of Rom.

[@SlideIX]

hagamapama I know I’m late to the party but that is a very interesting and thought provoking analysis on Rom and just goes to show the depth of character development on ds9 when even a minor character is so thoroughly fleshed out

[@Pfisiar22]

Rom's a genius at fixing things and engineering from a society that doesn't value those skills highly. Lacks self-confidence as a result. Introverted and nerdy, he is viewed as worthless by his own family. Yeah, he's a good character.

[@BenjaminWirtz]

+Pfisiar22 He's the Ferengi equivalent of an idiot savant.

[@hagamapama]

By "viewed as worthless by his own family" you pretty much mean "by Quark." Ishka had a pretty good idea how valuable Rom was, and Keldar was apparently cut from the same cloth.

[@DC-be7bu]

Pfisiar22 I always thought that if Quark had been smarter about using rom they could have been really successful. I think left to his own devices Rom could have created some amazing tech. Quark would then have the business sense to patent and sell it. But quark would rather have a lackey than a partner.

[@brothergrimace3859]

Quark's problem was - as he said in an episode - that he actually was 'a people person' and valued persons over wealth (or to be exact, doing anything to get it, as long as he followed the Rules of Acquisition). If he were a bit more avaricious and had less concern for anyone, he could have been rich enough to buy DS9 and give it away.

[@InfernosReaper]

Quark definitely wasted opportunities with Rom. Moreover, he's not the only one. A certain weapons dealer would have made bank with Rom's genius.

[@TiberiusWallace]

Rom is sooooo high functioning that the big technical stuff fleets through his brain without him even concentrating.

[@HariSeldon913]

More likely it's tangential thinking. He was going off about Nog's mother and probably had an unspoken thought along the lines of, "I wish I could have had Nog without her, but we can't self-reproduce...reproduce...self replication!"

[@SantomPh]

Ferengi have multiple lobes on their brain that make even telepathy difficult. It's heavily implied that Rom is self-trained and gifted at mechanical engineering, so he doesn't even "think" about it, being part of his regular thought stream

[@ScornedOne1080]

@@SantomPh Actually, lobe to Ferengi implies their "Ear Lobes," which in their "religion," means that that their ear, large enough to hear the makings of profit. So, if they don't have the lobes for it, it means they dont' have ears for it.

[@EditDeath]

@@ScornedOne1080 While Ferengi are talking about their ears in conversation, SantomPh is right about their brains and how this results in telepaths not being able to read them. Part of what them supposedly intimidating in their introduction was the fact that they made Deanna Troi's abilities useless.

[@TiberiusWallace]

@@hibbidyjibbidyy pretty sure he's not a neo nazi paedophile...

[@hogfry]

This was what Ds9 was best at. Every SINGLE character was deep, multifaceted, and believably real! Nog is a dork, but he's not stupid. He was basically one of the most capable engineers in the alpha quadrant but because of his character flaws he never saw it that way. Garack the regretful spy. A good man that couldn't come to terms with his own actions as an agent. Dukat the subtle villain who believed he was one of the good guys most of his life. Quark the greedy philosopher. Anything for a buck but incredibly insightful about how people work. Sisko the pragmatic hero willing to be a bad guy to get the job done. This show was a masterclass on how to make characters feel like people you could meet in real life. Not tropes in uniforms.

[@matvangogh]

rom, not nog

[@jenss.3613]

And who is Dax?

[@hogfry]

@@jenss.3613 the shows timelord. She, by the end is physically the youngest but mentally one of the oldest and wisest characters. The oldman in the little girl body.

[@BelmontClan]

hogfry indeed and Dax has the memories and knowledge of the past trills and is an engineering officer and technical support. She is many things all at once not to mention jedzia dax is hot.

[@idanvegana]

@OriginalTharios Perhaps. That's what makes him so interesting.

[@Applebottompenis]

"I don't have enough closet spaaaace!" Max Grodenchik's reading of this line was the best

[@10Tabris01]

They're either going to churn out new brilliant technologies or destroy the universe, probably both at the same time

[@scottamann2445]

My favorite Rom quote.

[@crackwitz]

Spaaaaace muahahaha

[@gamesmaster35v2]

Even the man's half baked ideas are genius! Imagine if they had his full attention.

[@DarthAzabrush]

Unfortunately Rom's full attention is physically impossible.

[@RazeMengsk]

You couldn't handle my undivided attention.

[@hyrinshratu]

There isn't enough Ritalin in the entire Alpha Quadrant to make Rom give something his full attention.

[@SpydeyDan]

Rom doesn't have enough confidence to voice his ideas when he's actually paying attention.

[@markus4595]

Imagine if he was an interior decorator. No more closet issues.

[@DraculaCronqvist]

I thought Rom never got enough credit for this. Without him, the Alpha Quadrant would have been conquered.

[@he-manworld6140]

I wonder if he got more credit for this once became the Grand Nagus. It seems like a victorious story that the people advising him would want to share with the Ferengi people.

[@sleazybtd]

I think he got all the credit. When the Dominion took over DS9 and Rom had stayed behind, didn't Weyoun say that he was the one who came up with the self-replicating mines? The Dominion could only have gotten that information if the Federation had already given Rom the credit and it was documented.

[@SardonicALLY]

Weyoun wanted to give him some serious credit.

[@3Rayfire]

He also needed credit for disabling DS9's weapons grid when the minefield came down, Saved the Defiant.

[@theevilascotcompany9255]

@@he-manworld6140 It would have been a disgraceful story to share with the Ferengi people. Our great leader saved the Alpha Quadrant from an invading force but didn't accept any payment or profit from it. That's the kind of scandal that could bring down his administration in just one term.

[@Chigou]

Rom and Barclay should have their own mythbuster-like show. "This week, we're going to see if we can break the transwarp barrier with just one nacelle."

[@jamietodd2560]

Next week: "Can you really escape from the holo-deck if the voice commands are disabled?"

[@danielhaire6677]

If those two tried it, I would seriously consider placing latinum on them succeeding.

[@twotailedavenger]

Rom, Barclay, and Geordi.

[@drmayeda1930]

Rom is more of a hardware guy but Barclay is a little better with the design aspect. Barclay can see rhe small details. He does have to work on his confidence.

[@thegoombrat8198]

Rom, Barclay and O'Brian in a top gear style show O'Brian: well now its time to see how fast the new Eisenhower class starship goes around the quadrant, and that of course means handing it over to our amphibianic racing pilot. Some say he was kicked out starfleet academy for exposing his coolant interlocks And others say he was the first man to reach warp 10 and lose his tongue. All we know is, he's called The Salamander!

[@mastermonarch]

Nog was right his dad had the talent to be a chief engineer he was a two headed man working on two problems at once all while taking in conversations around him.Rom got a lot of character development.

[@nosuchthingasshould4175]

And centuries later, the whole quadrant is desolated because just one mine had a glitch and kept on replicating and replicating and replicating....

[@maxjenner7812]

lol

[@SantomPh]

stop posting the Dominion actually deactivated the minefield.

[@hagamapama]

Replicancer. That has to be the term for such a thing.

[@vysearcadia522]

"Sir, the Replicancer is replicating mines at extreme speeds. In less than two weeks, this entire quadrant will be a minefield!" "My god, Lieutenant!" _walks to helm_ "Ensign, lay in a course for the wormhole! Maximum Warp! We'll have to outrun the Replications!"

[@vysearcadia522]

btw Replicancer sounds too much like Replicators of Stargate: SG1

[@snickothemule]

Nervous about logistics of marriage. Saves the quadrant. Needs to shit. Rom owns.

[@floppydisksareop]

He is working at waste extraction... he wasn't referring to going to the toilet, he just felt the need to announce his destination as both Kira and O'brien have

[@blusafe1]

@@floppydisksareop I like OP's interpretation

[@zarabada6125]

@@floppydisksareop that wasn't Kira...

[@floppydisksareop]

@@zarabada6125 yepp, that was Dax. That's what happens when you comment after midnight.... I mean ummm i was just testing you, to see ummm if you actually paid attention. It was just a test, you see. Congratulations, you have passed it. Keep up the good work!

[@drmayeda1930]

anyone trying to read Rom's mind would have fun. The way his thoughts jump around he's talking about his upcoming nuptuals and hits a big idea on keeping the dominion from coming through the wormhole and sees a flaw in his idea worrying about his quarters. It's almost like he has ADHD.

[@tiffanihuffman1101]

Dax: "I better go talk to Sisko." O'Brien: "I'm gonna go draw up some specs." Rom: "I'm gonna go take a dump."

[@RamrodAI]

Just reminds me of Rick and Morty when Rick is on the station is always saying "I'm gonna go take a shit."

[@mattryan7124]

Sadly he had to go clean up in waste extraction

[@Notkalas]

Why would you literally copy/paste my exact comment made over a year before yours? If you don't have anything worth saying, don't take words out of someone else's mouth.

[@spaceflight1019]

You'd be surprised at how many engineering project management meetings go like that...one has to tell the boss, one starts working on the project, and the guy with the brains has to let the coffee out.

[@kevinphoenix2007]

@@mattryan7124 You clearly missed the joke.

[@AnhTrieu90]

Self-replicating closets.

[@stanpatterson5033]

A closet that's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.

[@shyone968]

That would be a TARDIS

[@thesandwich5321]

Self-replicating TARDIS.

[@PumpkinHoard]

@@thesandwich5321 The End Times.

[@hagamapama]

you could probably do it. Store the patterns in a closet sized replicator and say "show me room 3," and see whatever was stored in room 3's pattern buffer.

[@LordBloodraven]

I know Rom was always a little odd, but I'm glad they kept him in character as he stressed his way to the solution.

[@SirCraigius]

I DONT HAVE ENOUGH CLOSET SPACE!!! D:

[@swiperfox3145]

Hmmm... Self-replicating closet space?

[@aromaticflower]

You win for comments.

[@wilFluffball]

meh. pocket dimensions. image storing thousands of pieces of clothing in something the size of a shoebox.

[@3Rayfire]

@@wilFluffball That's 28th century technology, we're not there yet.

[@paulmichaelfreedman8334]

@@wilFluffball I could use a pocket dimension in my basement. Need more space.

[@Cyclonus84]

Rom was always one of my favorite DS9 characters. He acted dumb most of the time but he was really smart when needed.

[@tarrker]

Most people who are logically smart or even just plain book smart often seem stupid in every day situations. I should know, that's me. People used to ask all the time if I was retarded.

[@bobolob]

tarrker I prefer "awkwardly challenged".

[@Sraye]

+tarrker And then you just casually reply them "Nah, just a PhD holder."

[@tarrker]

Xepthrichros LoL yeah, basically. I like to bide my time until some complicated subject comes up like science or medicine or, medical science, y'know. Then I just go at it :P

[@AzguardMike]

some people who are dumb can csay the right things to give others a brilliant idea. He was a muse to them. He came up with the idea of "hey a mine that replicates" from their Chief was able to come up with the perfect mine.

[@0doublezero0]

Rom reminds me of what a mentor of mine said about people with ADHD. He told me that most of the ADHD kids he encountered were brilliant. He thinks that part of the reason their attention strays away is because they solve problems so quickly they immediately focus on other things. After looking at this clip, you can see all the similarities. Rom is like the poster child for ADHD people.

[@CmdrSloanne]

If Rom would not have been chosen to be the new Ferengi Nagus. I bet Chief O'Brien might have recommended him to be the New Chief Ops. & Engineering Officer of D.S.9 & the Defiant.

[@dantruong2582]

Not he Defiant, as Rom is not a Starfleet officer.

[@drmayeda1930]

​@Fred Miller Rom wasn't in the Bajoran Milita. He did join Starfleet engineering and worked under O'brien that is why he was wearing a star fleet uniform.

[@Lupinthe3rd.]

@@drmayeda1930 dude he is wearing a bajoran uniform

[@glitterboy2098]

In the Novels Nog ended up taking that Position when O'brian left.

[@SantomPh]

@Fred Miller Jr Bajor was not admited into the Federation during the entire series, Sisko went out of his way to stop them from joining (to save them). Rom is not a Starfleet personnel nor is he a member of the Militia. To ease his work onboard the station he (like Odo) wears a Bajoran uniform.

[@cmbaz1140]

When you realize that one ferengi saved the entire alpha quadrant...rom

[@theevilascotcompany9255]

Also that blabbermouth Morn.

[@dittbub]

I love the attention to character details in this show. Rom works best under pressure.

[@Jojje94]

Rom's one of the best characters of the show, a big part of that is you really get to see him grow and blossom into an important piece of the puzzle. And it's an important lesson for the audience too. Just because someone might seem incompetent, that doesn't make them irredeemable. They may have other qualities, they're just not in a position to show them. If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.

[@gabrielstrong2186]

Rom never seemed incompetent to me, he seemed ineffectual which is not quite the same thing.

[@ObsidianDragon7030]

@@gabrielstrong2186 "He's a Mechanical Genius. He could have been chief engineer of a Star Ship if he had the opportunity, but he went into business like a good Ferengi." -Nog The problem with Rom was always the issue of him trying to fit a Square peg into a round hole. Character development got him to stop.

[@michaelgreenwood3413]

@@ObsidianDragon7030 And he's the main reason why, by the time of STO, that Nog is the captain of the USS Chimera (a ship he helped design) and Ferengi are a semi-common sight in Starfleet. Because he gave them the option to join instead of being pigeonholed into business.

[@SovereignStatesman]

So he's the Ferrengi version of Reg Barclay.

[@Connection-Lost]

Imagine how many times that's happened in actual history

[@captainobvious9233]

"Your Brother is an idiot... he couldn't fix a straw if it were bent."

[@BenjaminWirtz]

+Captain Obvious Yea that's the line I always think back on. Quark doesn't even dispute it. Perhaps Rom was had not shown himself because Quark had always put him down because of his lack of business skills, so his lack of confidence held him back until he applied himself.

[@hagamapama]

Quark knows the value of a good secret. If Odo wanted to underestimate his brother/employee, that was Rom's advantage to keep hold of. No need to disabuse the chief of security of that notion until Rom could use it to Quark's advantage.

[@MrGrownman455]

Imagining being so smart that even your random thoughts are genius ideas? You gotta love Rom

[@CarpeVeracity]

My theory - Rom is a genius engineer BECAUSE he worries about everything. His brain constantly goes over every little detail, of every little part of his life. Every schematic and circuit, every detail of his wedding, all at once. That makes him simultaneously anxious and gifted 👌

[@Supernova12034]

I know a lot of guys like this, brilliant, but lack self confidence, then go to shitty jobs that never appreciate them(Waste extraction for a Genius like rom)

[@BlokenArrow]

Waste extraction is what they called a wc or bathroom.

[@XtoverusRex]

It's so easy to forget that Rom was a genius engineer.

[@aciarduce]

"Rom couldn't fix a straw if it was bent!" One of my favorite misguided quotes from Odo to Quark about Rom, when Quark said his brother had fixed the replicators DS9: Babel. I have a feeling the straw thing still might have thrown him for a loop at first though.....

[@Rodshark75]

"The only answer is self-replicating bent straws"

[@KnightRaymund]

to be fair, Rom was a very different character in early season 1 but yeah, would certainly be easy to overlook what he can do

[@akmi1931]

He doesn’t have a mind for simple problems. He’s a genius but often can’t see more obvious solutions

[@jdb2002]

Though he used Quark's weapon to do it. Soon after, he was seen killed by a box.

[@calvingmail]

ROM saved the alpha quadrant

[@MrLantean]

ROM is considered a failure in Ferengi society for being bad in commerce field but he is truly a genius and a prodigy when it comes to technology. Even his son Nog acknowledges his talent in that field.

[@godofawesum223]

And yet despite he's failings in Ferengi Commerce, he is now the Grand Nagus.

[@MrLantean]

godofawesum223 By that time, Ferengi society is going through a reformation. Female Ferengis are given the same equality as with male Ferengis and even allowed to conduct business and earn profits. The reforms were done under the reign of Grand Nagus Zek under the influence of Rom and Quarks' unconventional and untraditional mother, Ishka. Rom is suited to become the Grand Nagus, being a untraditional Ferengi himself, to carry on the reformation of Ferengi society.

[@Jaxvidstar]

godofawesum223 Yeah their economy will go down the drain if something happens. Zek didn't choose a skilled balanced grand Nagus replacement.

[@hagamapama]

How much work does the Grand Nagus himself actually do for the economy? Seems to me his job is to simply be a figurehead, set the direction of overall Ferengi policy and for that hard work his reward is that he can skim a little off the top for himself. Because the policy needs to be progressive, and because probably no one on Ferenginar would possibly embezzle less than Rom will, I'd say Ishka chose well and Zek was right to listen to her..

[@WillRennar]

"Self-replication. It's the only answer!" Was he talking about the mines, or himself and his upcoming marriage issues?

[@5610winston]

Oh, he'll rise to the occasion.

[@SantomPh]

He can't replicate his quarters, material needs to go somewhere

[@theevilascotcompany9255]

@Cliven Longsight I hope that in the time of the Picard TV series, Rom and Leeta have had a whole mess of kids by then, each one a perfect combination of Ferengi intelligence and focus and Bajoran guile and resilience.

[@nick0875]

He also mentioned premature detonation so he may be concerned about his abilities to perform in the bedroom.

[@michaelgreenwood3413]

@@theevilascotcompany9255 They're still a power couple in 2410 in STO.

[@paulbottomley42]

I love how smart this shows Rom is. His mind can work two completely different tracks at once without any loss of concentration or focus. It makes him sound like a crazy person, but that's only because he's saying both trains of thought at the same time.

[@Taverens_Pull]

I really hope Rom patented these mines and spent the rest of his life collective royalties. Who am I kidding, he's Ferengi. Of course he patented it.

[@drmayeda1930]

unfortunately he was an employee of Starfleet the time so they could claim any patent if they still existed

[@k1productions87]

and don't forget, Rom doesn't have the lobes for business. He's not an entrepreneur, he's an Engineer

[@Desmaad]

@@drmayeda1930 No, he was a member of the Bajoran Militia.

[@tanyasoto1346]

He didn't have to, he became GRAND NAGUS.

[@spaceflight1019]

He made millions from Acme Corporation...

[@NickPiers]

"I don't have enough closet space!" Welcome to marriage, pally. Welcome to marriage.

[@JohnMichaelson]

Premature detonation...it's a problem many men suffer from, but it's nothing to be ashamed of. Call now for information about a novel new treatment, only $19.99.

[@alainarchambault2331]

That was my wife's problem.

[@Taospark]

I think you mean 10 strips of gold-pressed latinum.

[@duanscott2490]

Act now and we'll double your order! Just pay separate shipping.

[@keithdean9149]

I really enjoy how this scene shows how Rom's mind works. Very similar to the operating principles of a Plinko game.

[@Special_Tactics_Force_Unit]

It's hilarious that Rom thought of the mines when be started talking about his ex-wife

[@leyrua]

Holy crap this feels relatable. Rom talks like I do when I'm brainstorming: jumping between topics that overlap in the same conversation.

[@brandoncomer6492]

they could at-least pretend like the laws of physics exist

[@liamj2363]

Didn't like Rom at first but they really developed him, definitely one of my favorite ds9 characters.

[@DutchGuyMike]

I think he is actually my favorite character!

[@AngryB4ker]

Rom's delivery at the very end is the best line to ever be delivered in the history of DS9. From freaking out about his wedding to objective in less than one second, Rom is the coolest man on the station

[@virt1one]

"I've gotta go to waste extraction...." (Star Trek bathrooms)

[@andrewrobertson3894]

In hindsight, the writing is really quite excellent. Bizarrely, I recently found the same thing was the case with SG:Atlantis. Was never a huge fan of either show but am changing my mind. Better late than never, right?

[@MrDibara]

Better late then never! ;) 👍

[@ericcarve4476]

Agreed, DS9, SG1:Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica (newer) seemed to have a glow about them that I didn’t notice years ago.

[@andrewrobertson3894]

@@ericcarve4476 BS:G is really impressive.

[@3Rayfire]

Actually the waste management line may have more pertinence to the situation than one may realize. On these ships and stations everything recycles. Waste is reprocessed into a neutral organic liquid, which is used to provide matter for... the replicators.

[@SirAroace]

yep, while TNG era replicators could create matter from energy, reprocessing is much more energy efficient.

[@SovereignStatesman]

Actually I would think it's processed into bulk-matter, which is what the replicators use to synthesize things-- i.e. basic atoms. That's also how Tom Riker was cloned in the transporter, since it's programmed to place any missing parts from bulk matter.

[@SoranoGuardias]

@@SovereignStatesman Really, it's just the "confinement" beam copying matter when being brought online.

[@EngCenturion]

I swear Rom is one of the best characters in DS9

[@battlesheep2552]

Rom is like a human in most sci-fi in this scene: he’s underqualified compared to the “aliens” in this scene, yet for some reason he can come up with an idea that both hasn’t been thought up by anyone else and isn’t too asinine to be dismissed immediately, and it actually works for some reason.

[@CraftyZanTub]

That's because Rom can look sideways at a problem while his focus is on another problem.

[@CardboardSliver]

This is why I love Rom. He's a lovable goofball, who's got the lobes for anything.

[@RoderickEtheria]

except business.

[@michaelgreenwood3413]

@@RoderickEtheria He ended up as the Grand Nagus. He has the lobes for it. Just not the business than the Ferengi thought they should be doing (per STO, he managed to negotiate one of the most lucrative deals the Ferengi EVER had, which got him lauded as the greatest Grand Nagus in history).

[@matasa7463]

@@michaelgreenwood3413 Rom the Magnificent.

[@richardlahan7068]

Rom really could have been chief engineer on a starship.

[@5610winston]

Nog has the lobes and the brains to finish Star Fleet Academy at the head of his class. Rom will be talking about "My Son, the Chief Engineer for the entire sector..."

[@CCJJ160Channels]

If only he had considered that the station's deflector dish could be used as a giant graviton beam to disable them.

[@Shadowkey392]

pretty sure that would have destroyed the Wormhole.

[@CCJJ160Channels]

Shadowkey392 That's exactly what the Cardassians did to destroy the mines.

[@Howyaduing]

Shadowkey392 about half a season earlier the changelings made sure that the warm hole can't be collapsed by any means

[@drmayeda1930]

@@Howyaduing Sorry, I just found this but the changing have little to do with the wormhole. The wormhole aliens that are energy beings control the location of the wormhole and to an extent who can use it. Seiko persuaded them to relocate a jemhadar attack force from the wormhole to someplace else.

[@Howyaduing]

drmayeda1 I’m referring to when the Dominion first came through the worm hole Sisko was going to collapse it but the founder sabotage there planes so now the wormhole became stronger than ever

[@terrylong8894]

Rom was great character.

[@the220kid]

Rom is like the sleeper genius in the room that no one notices.

[@Alverant]

Sometimes when you're distracted you come up with the best ideas.

[@CharlesUrban]

Good multitasking, Rom!

[@alexistaylor969]

"I better go talk to Sisco" - Dax "I gonna go draw up some specs" - O'Brien "I am gonna go take a shit" - Rom

[@maggosh]

Rom is the Barclay of Deep Space 9.

[@sklaWlivE]

...oh sweet Prophets....a thinktank with Barclay, Rom, Data, and Deanna Troi on standby for the inevitable counseling required to make the whole thing not explode in everyone's face. Barclay comes up with a theory, Rom comes up with an application, and Data triple checks everything at lightspeeds and spits out the plan for how to make it work.

[@vsgfilmgroup]

@@sklaWlivE Ha! Why stop there! Get Seven of Nine in there and throw in the Augments. We'll be beings of pure energy within a month.

[@mxplixic]

Hey Rom, Self-Replicating Closets! :)

[@laxjoh]

He puts a whole new meaning to "I've got to go to waste extraction!"

[@lumalilies]

rom's actor is so wonderful

[@trier4952]

Dax: "I'm going to talk to The Captain" O'Brien: "I'm gonna draw up some specs." Rom: "I gotta take a shit."

[@SirZapdos]

Rom: "I've figured out how to stall the war and save the Federation." Also Rom: "I'm gonna go take a shit."

[@bensisko4651]

Rom is a genius. It's insane that he comes up with this while he's PRIMARILY mentally occupied with his wedding.....

[@MRJK87.]

Rom is the biggest case of rags to riches there ever was

[@JaguarCats]

It's official, Rom missed his true calling in life. Like his son said, his father could had been a great engineer but he went into business like a "good" ferengi.

[@MaxUltimata]

@VulpisFoxFire On top of that, I think an alert is automatically sent to security that someone tried to replicate a weapon from exactly where. Then there's the replicator logs that show who replicated what and when. Delete your replicator history!

[@DTSephiroth]

I don't have enough closet space! ROFL

[@Howyaduing]

Tell was the problem when he comes to moving in with your girlfriend or future wife

[@charlesdaugherty321]

This is how actual genius works. Multiple thought processes going on at once, this is why most go insane.

[@Dippers85]

Watching this at 2x speed is rather amusing!

[@NovaRuner]

even when Rom is half distracted by anxiety over marriage issues, he is still kind of a genius. which is awesome. and some what unexpected. he is awesome tho.

[@matvangogh]

I find it completely ironic that a Ferengi ends up saving the entire Alpha quadrant

[@patrickeh696]

Rom sneers, "We don't need no steenking laws of thermodynamics!"

[@swwei]

Call to Arms, one of the best episodes( I think) in the DS9 series.

[@k1productions87]

you could fill an entire season with nothing but "one of DS9's best" episodes

[@AcuraAddicted]

That's how you write a character which is an episodic appearance at best in the beginning.

[@jessejauregui]

I love Rom, I want my moogie!

[@thomasjones6216]

Thats the thing that always puzzles me about Ferengi; in business its not what you value its what your customers value Understanding engineering is an ideal business strategy- if you understand it, you can build it, if you can build it you can sell it They might be a capitalist society but they're a very short sighted capitalist society

[@animemanXLK]

How can one character be so brilliant and dumb at the same time?

[@Sailor_Saturn1]

Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut.

[@clickrick]

I have several who fit that description just in my office.

[@WorivpuqloDMogh]

One of my favorite characters, because his situation and him reminds me of myself and my family

[@Stardweller1]

Oh, Rom.

[@SuperMasterTurtle]

I loved Rom's way of working multiple projects at once.

[@nitePhyyre]

Ahhh, that special moment when your show moves from SciFi to pure fantasy.

[@jayman1772]

yeah if energy would work like that they would never run out of it xD just replicate a new warp core no problem xD mass produce starships like its nothing xD limetless possibilities ^.^

[@Olumin37]

@Jon Kentucky Antimatter cannot be replicated, certainly not by the small, unsophisticated replicators they would put in those mines. It takes a LOT of energy to replicate matter. E=MC2. Where is the mine taking the energy from for that? To replicate 1g of antimatter, you need 1g of antimatter worth of energy. Violation of thermodynamics.

[@rootfish2671]

Rom may not have had the lobes for making profit but he was a genius engineer

[@jamestown8398]

The fact that Rom is so concerned is evidence that he'll be a good husband to Leeta. A bad husband wouldn't have even considered that he'd need to make room for his wife's possessions, let alone keep her happy.

[@alpha3305]

Rom is such a bumbling simple-minded genius. Large capacity, low bandwidth brain.

[@Phoenixesper1]

great plan only one major problem.... replication takes alot of power and to replicate an exact duplicate with the same explosive power and the ability to replicate itself again would rapidly use up the mines energy supplys. For example, mine A replicates... it uses part of its power making the replicant and then give 50% of its remaining power to the new mine to allow it to function, and then the new mine replicates in the same pattern.... within a very short period of time all the mines would have exausted their entire energy reserves. In reality the field could have been brought down within a couple hours time by simply having the station fire non stop at the mines until they were all exuasted. and even if they were in a hurry, the mines explosive potential would have been reduced so quickly that within 3-4 generations their gem jidars shields could have withstood their force. without a limitless powersource they are nothing but a speed bump.

[@nilloc93]

I'm pretty sure that the original mines could be charged remotely from DS9, like the defense platforms that were powered by a nearby asteroid. There is also solar power and radiation from the wormhole.

[@3Rayfire]

According to the tech manual they were able to draw extra matter from the zero-point field that powers Quantum Torpedoes. The amount of matter contained in the field was enough to rebuild 2500 mines, after which it would start extracting particles from other domains. The sphere was centered on the neutrino source that marked the wormhole so maybe they were powered by neutrinos and solar power like Nilloc said. There is no mention of any power source however. The warhead is a photon torpedo's though, and Photons have the same power source as their warheads, a deuterium and antideuterium reaction usually no more than 23% of the payload.

[@3of12]

thats not how it would work.... the replicated mines would be new charged mines, I don't know where you got 50% from, thats not how explosives work. The real problem is conservation of energy. To replicate something with that amount of mass, you'd need the power source to be quite dense, working on very slight margins. I doubt you could replicate a mine without using the entire battery almost exactly

[@3of12]

3Rayfire so basically the power source isn't held onboard and therefore would not need to be replicated each time, brilliant!

[@Phoenixesper1]

You know it just occurred to me that the plan would fail based on a single fact i overlooked. The mines are designed to replace it's neighbor. There fore if you were to destroy a large block of them simultaneously in one single explosion, it would leave a hole in the mine field that would not be filled in.. The reason is simple... the mines replicate to fill in their neighbor after it detects its destruction... however the NEW mines created would not be replicating as they have not sensed destruction yet, in essence their reset. So if you made a big enough void only the edge of the hole would be filled in as obviously none of the interior mines would have survived to fill in the hole. And with this little factoid in mind, dukat could have simply mapped out the exterior limits of the mine field by shooting around it with the stations phasers, determined the spacing between the mines from one another, and then simply mined the mine field with thousands of tiny mobile bombs, just powerful enough to set off the mines, that could slip between the mines undetected and then blown up the entire field all at once. And even if they didnt destroy the entire field this way, enough of it would have been destroyed allowing the station and alpha fleet to keep the gap open with continous fire, long enough to allow for the gamma quadrant armada to pass though into the alpha quadrant. Would have taken maybe a week to complete the mapping, replication of the bombs and placed them in the field. Game...set...match.

[@fumarc4501]

Rom is the best person to be in power. Someone who doesn’t actively crave it, but acts well under pressure.

[@BobBob-kr5wr]

I always wondered what powered those things. I mean you literally have mines replicating more mines with built in power sources and the cycle continues.

[@SoranoGuardias]

Anti-matter is a hell of a fuel source.

[@crackwitz]

They need to be fed or feed themselves. With matter. Matter-antimatter reaction merely releases the energy that is equivalent to the (anti)matter. For the replication process, you need some energy to make it happen, and the matter as feedstock. You can't replicate more matter than you started with, not even if you take a matter-antimatter reaction (where matter and antimatter are equivalent in energy).

[@BobBob-kr5wr]

@@crackwitz I'm not sure how you feed a mine. Also, were not sure how dense these mines were. Maybe 24th century battery tech in insane and the mines density was paper thin. Could also just say lazy writing.

[@azurerainbow4637]

Rom was brilliant to think of self-replicating mines against the Dominion.

[@AJDojutrek]

I've always considered the idea of Self-replicating mines as a good one, but not well explained here. Each mine would be its own Scavenger and Production unit, so they'd need to have at least one to maintain the minefield using debris and other materials scavenged from the destroyed ships/mines. It then becomes a Master-Slave concept, where the Master unit replicates a mine from debris then the replicated mine sacrifices itself to maintain the master which in turn creates more slave units. That way, you'd need only one working replicator unit to actually maintain the minefield and have the swarm detonation needed to obliterate a ship. They'd deploy a ton of master units at the beginning to saturate the field with working replicators, then every mine that is destroyed would recreated as a slaved unit to the remaining master units. This is just a theory though, but it makes the most sense in context given.

[@SoranoGuardias]

Star Trek has energy-to-matter replicators. As long as there is a sufficient supply of energy, the replicators can create whatever they are requested of. The do not require raw materials, only energy.

[@AJDojutrek]

@@SoranoGuardias Yes, but the problem is where that energy comes from which is something left up to speculation. Replicators aren't able to produce select materials, like Antimatter or Dilithium, and unless all the mines are mounted with a conventional energy generator (i.e. Fusion) then I don't see how they'd be able to rebuild themselves from just the raw energy they had available when initially launched considering it was also running a cloaking device. I was thinking that since Replicators can be used to recycle matter into its base form then store it as energy, it could then use the surrounding debris of destroyed vessels as a means of sustaining the minefield. This is backed up by the information on replicators as they can either store or instantly put to use recycled matter-to-energy conversions into something new. I was merely theorizing about how an individual mine would potentially function within the constraints of the information provided since the show itself doesn't actually go into detail outside of this one scene.

[@crackwitz]

If you consider energy equivalent to matter, a tiny bit of matter contains an unfathomable amount of energy. You can't store that feasibly except as matter. Replicators absolutely do require matter as feedstock. The difference is between alchemy (matter-energy-matter conversion) and chemistry (atoms remain themselves, recombined) and "cooking" (molecules stay themselves, just add flavor), which takes progressively less additional energy to make happen

[@NeroThacher]

"I dont have enough closet spaace" No truer words have been spoken

[@firstname1lastname127]

The 2nd law of thermodynamics says "Cool story, bro".

[@Daniel-rd6st]

True that. Even when i watched the show as a kid i thought that the self replicating mines are the greatest bullshit in star trek and thats saying something in a world of warp drives and time travel.

[@kleanthisxanthopoulos9670]

You don't know what the 2nd law of thermodynamics states do you? Let me explain it to you. Basically the 2nd law of thermodynamics states that going from A to B needs less energy than going from B to A, with the latter (going from B to A) possibly being energetically impossible. In terms of mines, a mine that has been detonated cannot self-re-assemble. Indeed that would (possibly) violate the 2nd law of thermodynamics. Self-replicating mines though do not. Each mine has a power source (different from the one used for detonation) that powers the replicator. Upon proximity the mine self-replicates and detonates. This means that if each mine destroys a ship and it replicated 20 before detonation, you end up having more mines afterwards than before. The question that does arise is the following; If each mine is powered by a power source that burns e.g. coal, how is it possible to self-replicate enough coal for 20 mines, with each one able to self-replicate 20 mines and so on. Indeed that would violate the 2nd law of thermodynamics, but here you are making one crucial mistake. Thermodynamics are employed to *systems* . The mine or even the minefield are not (necessarily) an isolated system. As such, imagine the following; Each mine has the following systems; 1) a proximity system/activation system. The said system will detect the proximity of a ship and activate the rest of the systems, 2) a propulsion system. Upon activation the mine goes towards the ship. Let's assume, for simplicity, that the propulsion system requires coal, 3) a detonation system. Upon close/closer proximity the mine detonates. Let's assume that the detonation includes old good TNT, 4) a stealth/cloaking system (the mines are supposed to be cloaked), 5) a replicator (as mentioned at the video), 6) a power system. Now, 1 TNT equivalent is 4.184 gigajoules. So, let's assume that in order to replicate one such mine you require 1 terajoule and a minefield of 20 mines would require 20 terajoules. Once more, if the minefield is an isolated system, then the energy required for self-replicating (the minefield) would go up, which would violate the 2nd law of thermodynamics. After one mine detonating, there would be 39 mines (instead of 19) and the energy required would be 39 terajoules! *But* the minefield is *NOT* an isolated system. The minefield may be powered by...the sun of the Bajoran system. As such, the power system, would be 24th century solar panels. Voila...now you have a self-replicating system. At first the minefield would draw 20 terajoules from the ambient solar energy of the Bajoran system, then it would draw 39 terajoules, then 58 terajoules and so on. Alternatively, you could draw energy from the wormhole or an external power source for all mines like a fusion reactor or an antimatter reactor. That of course would have two drawbacks; 1) it would be possibly to be detected, 2) the energy they could provide would be limited (albeit huge and possibly sufficient). Regardless, it falls within suspension of disbelief that the UFP could make such a minefield. Your mistake is a common mistake and if you are unable to correctly define the system at which you will apply thermodynamics a number of things will make no sense. For example, and this surprised me personally, A/C units are very energy efficient, up to the point of being >100%! To this you will say; "But the 2nd law of thermodynamics...". Well, here is the thing. If you have a heating unit (e.g. common fireplace), then the energy conversion from one energy form (e.g. the chemical energy found at wood) to another energy form (the desirably heat) would be less than 100% (100%, in terms of energy it does not violate the 2nd law of thermodynamics. The electrical energy used *+ the ambient energy of the external air* < the thermal energy provided. You can say that we utilize "free energy". And this "free energy" is free both in financial terms as well as environmental terms. The electrical energy used came from whatever source that most likely is not environmentally friendly (e.g. burning fossil fuels). And that boys and girls was a free lesson at thermodynamics. Thank Star Trek for that.

[@xsailor85]

Chief O’Brien is proud to have Rom on his engineering team.

[@Psychx_]

Rick Berman's writing at its finest. God, I wish he came back, but he still holds a grudge against CBS because they mistreated him.

[@DelcoRanz93]

Rick Berman wasn't as involved with Star Trek Deep Space Nine as he was with Voyager and Enterprise; Ira Steven Behr was the showrunner for Deep Space Nine at this point, having been so since either the third or fourth season. Berman, who was so dedicated to upholding the idea of Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future, would NEVER have allowed the Dominion War to even happen.

[@Lupinthe3rd.]

I was Watching the kardashins before for no reason i thought of Rom and that waste extraction line came up in this clip and it all made sense

[@trilobright]

"Waste extraction"? Did Rom mean he had to go take a dump?

[@tbeller80]

Either that or go repair the septic tank.

[@Janoha17]

They need matter to replicate the mines, and the most readily-available source of matter is the station's waste-processing facilities.

[@ifragpsn6431]

Every genius with ADD is rocking back and forth in their chairs right now.

[@MrDeadsr]

The flaw is: Where did the antimatter for the new mine come from? I mean from what i know antimatter cant be replicated, or can it?

[@TheBaldr]

My bigger question is where are they getting the matter to replicate themselves. If you can replicate a replicator why are their food shortages on Bajor?

[@BrightOranje]

One of the few times in Trek where there's a direct reference to needing to use the restroom. "A Call to Arms" indeed.

[@Erik-co6of]

Won't the replicators run out energy quite fast?

[@TheLichruler]

That was always the issue I had. How would the mines be able to have enough energy to replicate over and over, and yet still detonate?

[@tigersebel]

in one non canon book there was the explanation that one mine had enough ressources to replicate 1/65 of a mine. Replicators however transfer material to one another where it is needed in the field through networking. As stated in DS9 "A time to stand," the neighbor of a detonated mine does seem to replace the lost mine in the end, material however comes from at least 65 different mines. As stored material begins to run out the mines have a zero-point extraction system for matter replenishment.

[@dungeonmasteromega]

Explosions and ship debris make for plenty of materials for energy and replication.

[@hagamapama]

Not to mention that even in space there's a thin layer of ambient mass.

[@Sn0wc4t]

Is there not also the possibility of the mines drawing power from DS9 itself? There's been several instances within TNG of wireless power transfer between ships/facilities. Granted, this wouldn't account for the time that DS9 was recaptured by the Cardassians/Dominion as it wouldn't have taken much for the enemy to simply switch the power off...

[@jamessm4401]

I love the evolution of Rom. At first he was just a generic background ferengi at Quarks bar, then he was an idiot who didn’t have the lobes for business, then he turned out to be a genius engineer.

[@neptunekh]

Kinda like Joxer from Xena in way,

[@ghenulo]

Though Joxer was so much cuter!

[@OrgyMeyer]

"He's Joxer, Joxer the mighty!" kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZaxgqCjpMRkZ9k