Profit and Lace

"Profit and Lace" is the 147th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 23rd episode of the sixth season. It was first broadcast on May 13, 1998.

"Profit and Lace"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 23
Directed byAlexander Siddig
Written byIra Steven Behr
Hans Beimler
Featured musicDavid Bell
Dennis McCarthy
Production code547
Original air dateMay 13, 1998 (1998-05-13)
Guest appearance(s)

Quark helps out when Zek's status as the Ferengi Grand Nagus is put in jeopardy by proposing equal rights for Ferengi females.

The episode received Nielsen ratings of 4.2 points corresponding to about 4.1 million viewers.[1]

Plot

The episode opens with Quark trying to persuade one of his best waitresses to provide sexual favors for him. Rom rushes in to declare that, while trying to contact their mother, Ishka, he has lost contact with their home planet of Feringinar. He fears that the Dominion have taken over the planet. When they go and explain the situation to Captain Sisko, sensors pick up an incoming ship which is carrying both Grand Nagus Zek and Ishka.

The Nagus explains that by changing the Ferengi Bill of Opportunities to allow women to wear clothes, he has caused planet-wide upheaval and has been replaced by Former Liquidator Brunt who will be officially installed by the commission at its next meeting.

Quark, Rom and Nog contact all 432 of the Ferengi commissioners to come to DS9 to meet and talk about the situation. Only one commissioner agrees. Brunt finds out about the upcoming meeting and arrives on the station to torment Quark and thwart his plans. After standing up to Brunt and throwing him out of the bar, Quark and his mother return to Quark's quarters. They get into a shouting match that causes her to suffer a heart attack, and Dr. Bashir performs a transplant. Without Ishka to stand up and speak for herself at the meeting, Quark poses as a female named Lumba to try and fool the commissioner.

Over dinner Quark/Lumba has to fend off the advances of the commissioner while explaining the benefits of the increase in the workforce and consumer base that Ferengi females would bring. Once in the commissioner's room, the commissioner goes into full assault, chasing Quark around the apartment. Finally Brunt bursts in and tries to unmask Lumba as an impostor and a male. This fails when "she" removes her dress, revealing her female anatomy to Brunt and the commissioner. Convinced, the commissioner pledges his support for Zek. Later Quark's sex change is reversed and Zek and Ishka leave the station anticipating Zek's restoration as Grand Nagus. Quark, still experiencing the hormonal fluctuations from the sex change, apologizes to the waitress he harassed at the start of the episode and gives her a raise.

Reception

A 2015 binge-watching guide for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine by W.I.R.E.D. recommended skipping this episode.[2]

In 2016, SyFy included this episode in a group of Star Trek franchise episodes they felt were commonly disliked but "deserved a second chance".[3]

In 2017, this episode was rated the 9th worst episode of the Star Trek franchise up to that time, by ScreenRant, which related the episode to the film Tootsie.[4]

WhatCulture ranked this episode the 4th worst episode of the Star Trek franchise.[5]


References
  1. "WebTrek - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine * SEASON 6 NIELSEN RATINGS". users.telenet.be.
  2. McMillan, Graeme (2015-05-13). "WIRED Binge-Watching Guide: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  3. Roth, Dany (2016-07-20). "The 10 most hated Star Trek episodes that deserve a second chance". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  4. "15 Worst Star Trek Episodes Of All Time". ScreenRant. 2017-05-22. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  5. Kmet, Michael (2014-01-26). "Star Trek: 20 Worst Episodes Ever". WhatCulture.com. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
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