“Rules of Acquisition” 30th-anniversary reflections

Word is there’s profit o’ plenty in the Gamma Quadrant, and the Grand Nagus wants a piece of it. And who better to send as chief negotiator than Quark? But never forget the 48th Rule of Acquisition: “The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife.” Quark’s new waiter, Pel, thinks Zek is setting him up to take the blame if a deal for the totally reasonable ask of 100,000 vats of tulaberry wine falls through. Thankfully for Quark, he won’t be alone at the table, because Pel turns out to be more than a waiter. He’s a skilled entrepreneur. And a she. Despite their combined negotiating prowess, Quark and Pel return without the wine. But they aren’t entirely empty-handed. They have the memory of an awkward kiss and information about some group called The Dominion.

In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one episode at a time. In this installment, we discuss “Rules of Acquisition,”what the story says about identity, how it sets up The Dominion, and how DS9 makes the Ferengi matter.

Chapters

Intro (00:00:00)

Making the Ferengi Matter (00:03:31)

Finding Common Ground (00:10:33)

Hiding Your Identity (00:15:45)

Originally a TNG Story (00:21:26)

A Rom Regression? (00:25:38)

Dominion Breadcrumbs (00:27:54)

Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:43:54)

Closing (00:46:08)

Hosts

C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production

C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)