Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 3x03 — The House of Quark

Aired 1994-10-10

SpaceOpera.com rating:6

Average reader rating:6.1

Synopsis

In order to boost his business and gain respect, Quark lies about killing a Klingon, then winds up forced to marry the dead man's widow.

Filler rating: not filler

Both Quark's story and Keiko's story have long term implications that will be important to later episodes.

Remarkable scenes

Quark accidentally killing the Klingon.
Keiko lamenting about having no children to teach.
Quark manipulating Klingon honor.
The dead Klingon's wife barging in on Quark.
O'Brien talking to Sisko about Keiko.
Gowron mispronouncing Quark's name.
Quark discovering the financial trickery of the opposing the Klingon house.
Quark trying to walk the Klingons through the financial trickery in the high council.
Gowron: "If you can stand here and murder this pathetic little man, then you have no honor."
The divorce.
O'Brien encouraging Keiko to go to Bajor and put her skills to good use on the 6 month expedition.
Rom showing respect for his brother.
Rules of Acquisition; 286. When Morn leaves, it's all over. (This is a fake rule that Quark made up.)
Morn appearances; 1. The first scene.

Review

A great humor episode clashing Klingon and Ferengi cultures. The thing that most benefits this episode is the skillfully intelligent writing. Klingon honor and ceremonies are accurate with regards to continuity with previous episodes dealing with the Klingons and the culture clash is a convincing, downright enticing story. I very much enjoyed Quark's almost taboo desire for true respect. It shows how much color the Ferengi have. They're not entirely stereotypical greedy profit mongers after all. Despite these changes in pace, everyone was completely in character and the episode came off as quite enjoyable. I'm also fond of the secondary plot with Keiko and O'Brien. Their marital problems haven't just gone away with Keiko becoming a teacher. I like this. Keiko is a person; you can't just give her a hobby to shut her up and keep her happy. She's a botanist. And as O'Brien said, she should "be the best damn Botanist she can be!"

8 reader comments

I gave this one a ten because it's DS9 hitting its stride. Here we have a well-crafted little humor episode that actually made me laugh out loud a few times. It's a good stand-alone episode on the heels of the Dominion saga story arc, and even though this episode isn't linked to that story, the mood on the station has changed because of it.
by JRPoole | 01/09/2009 at 9:25 pm

I really loved this episode and gave it a 10,too. Quark is fantastic and I had to laugh out loud when the klingon kissed him and the spit it out! Also a very refreshing breather from the terrible overacting of bashir,sisko and dax.
by onlinebroker | 10/31/2009 at 7:20 am

I loved this! The humor is great, as is the acting by Quark! Quark shows that he has character. He could have walked away but didn't. Makes one wonder whether he was always like this or that he has become like this under the gradual influence of Odo, Kyra, Circo etc.
by JJ | 08/07/2010 at 6:35 pm

A very strong and fun episode, I also gave it a 10.
I love the way Armin Shimerman uses nuances of his voice - "I am Quark, son of Keldar! I have come to answer the challenge of D'Gor, son of… whatever."
by Gul Ranek | 12/19/2012 at 10:01 am

An under-rated episode that's close to DS9 perfection. While most Ferengi-centred episodes are a chore & sometimes serve to triviliase the series, this one offers masterful, imaginative insight, generating a wealth of plausible and memorable cultural basics that help underpin the Star Trek universe. It's literature-class story-crafting, championing essential precepts like dignity and honour, and leaving the viewer with a lasting sense of what it means to be Klingon, and a grudging sense of respect for the Ferengi.
by Joseph Angeles | 01/13/2013 at 4:58 am

Although the humour in this episode is really wonderful, mainly caused by the cultural clash of Ferengi and Klingons, I see more serious themes in the story. The different versions of Kozak´s death remind me of the famous movie "Rashomon". It is nice to see that Quark is not always a greedy Ferengi, but shows some good parts of his character, too. Strange enough, he is "a brave Ferengi" as Gowron tells us. The final scene with Rom and Quark is just brilliant and proves how great the actors and writers of Deep Space 9 are.
by peterwolf | 11/09/2013 at 3:35 pm

I enjoyed this episode tremendously, but something always bothered me about it and I finally think I've grasped what it is. Bajor and Qo'Nos are quite a distance away from each other. From what I can gather, they're essentially on opposite sides of Federation space. Granted, Trek canon often plays fast and loose with distances for story convenience, but it would take at least three weeks of travel at high warp to get from Bajor to the Klingon homeworld. I find it unlikely they would keep Quark sedated the entire trip, and in any case the episode implies that everything takes place in a handful of days.
Classic Trekkie nitpick, I admit. Ignoring that detail, this is still a very fine episode, one of my favorites in fact.
by Ravenlord | 09/16/2015 at 6:11 am

Great writing, great acting, great episode. Ferengi values and Klingon values in conflict, with understandable tensions and smart resolutions. Genuinely humorous while maintaining diligence to both plot and character--characters that are complex and believable! Even the side plot with O'Brien and Keiko is well done. And the wrap-up is perfect. This is Trek at its best. One of my personal favorites. 10/10
by jbense | 07/16/2020 at 7:38 am