“The Magnificent Ferengi” is episode ten of season six of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Quark has arrived at his bar with some cases of syrup of squill – something that hasn’t been around for some time. There has supposedly been a drought, but this was a trick to drive up prices. Quark has negotiated a deal for a shipment of syrup, in exchange for not telling the entire quadrant about the deception. Although he has just told the entire bar, which is not a great way of keeping a secret. Dax, Bashir and O’Brien arrive in the bar, back from the first reconnaissance mission into Cardassian territory since the Dominion retreated. The first to make it back anyway.
Quark is disappointed that they are being treated as heroes, and taking his audience. Odo tells him that there is nothing heroic about earning profit – there may be on Ferenginar, but they are not on Ferenginar. The next thing is Quark gets a call from the Grand Nagus. He is not interested in the squill though. Quark, and Rom’s, mother has been taken prisoner by the Dominion. The Nagus wants Quark to rescue her.
Quark’s first decision is to get Rom’s help. Given that Rom is actually closer to their mother, he is a logical choice – but he is now also married and doesn’t want to die. The Nagus is also offering a reward. Their mother was travelling to Vulcan for an operation – she was given special dispensation by the Nagus to travel, as females are not usually allowed to travel off world – and her transport ship was captured by the Dominion. Rom is surprised that the Nagus could be so generous – so Quark tells him that their mother and the Grand Nagus have a relationship, which Quark discovered in “Ferengi Love Songs”.
Rom suggests they hire mercenaries; Quark agrees. Rom suggests a number of races noted for either their skill or ferocity. Quark is only going to use Ferengi. Rom does not consider this to be a good idea. Nog refuses to start with, but Quark and Rom convince him otherwise. The other team members recruited are an eliminator (a Ferengi who enjoys killing things and is not that interested in money), Leck, Quark and Rom’s cousin, Gaila (who is not happy about what happened in “Business as Usual”) and ex-Liquidator Brunt (Jeffrey Combs again – the man has been in TNG, Voyager, DS9 and Enterprise as a whole host of people between them, but usually in pretty extensive makeup), who recruits himself.
Training for a military assault does not go well. So Rom suggests they act like Ferengi instead – make a deal with the Dominion. Find something the Dominion wants in exchange for their mother. The Vorta, Keevan, who turned himself over to Sisko, and betrayed his own Jem’Hadar, in “Rocks and Shoals” in order to avoid death. Not what Vorta are supposed to do.
Things do not go as smoothly as they could and there’s a fairly strong element of humour.