re: 5), one of the things I always found interesting in Quark is that his Ferengi pride, so to speak, is depending on being far from Ferenginar. (Which always reminds me of Shaw's, or was it Wilde's, observation that the romance of being Irish starts the moment you leave Ireland for good.) He's actually miserable on the few occasions we see him on his home planet, and we do know he used to work on a Marauder as a young Ferengi, so he probably left as soon as he could. Now part of this is because Quark genuinenly seems to enjoy interacting with non-Ferengi, but part undoubtedly is due to his family, though the never seen an departed Keldar as much as Moogie if various bits of dialogue over the seasons are anything to go by. (Since Keldar, as opposed to Ishka, was bad at making profit and seems to have been very much like Rom, in fact, Quark was soundly mocked as a child.) So compensation, certainly, but distancing not so much - well, from Ishka, but not Rom, considering Quark in his bullying way always seems to have considered
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I agree that Quark has a lot of inner conflict - actually, I'd like to see more in the Federation characters - but he still seems very determined to enforce Ferengi values when it gives him an advantage (which is in itself probably a Ferengi value!) While he definitely cares about his family (even the rebellious Ishka), he's also extremely controlling, and uses "values" as a way to do that while also being quite happy to break the rules for himself when it benefits him. He won't break those rules for Rom or Nog or Ishka until his hand is forced
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I agree that Quark has a lot of inner conflict - actually, I'd like to see more in the Federation characters - but he still seems very determined to enforce Ferengi values when it gives him an advantage (which is in itself probably a Ferengi value!
True. Body Parts (have we done that yet or is it s5? can't remember) pushes it to a different point, though, in that Quark finds himself trapped in a situation where adhering to Ferengi rules is harming no one but himself. And then there's the big episode which definitely is s5 where, to put it as unspoilery as possible, it's ultimate profit versus lives (and his relationship with Jadzia, which despite Quark's mixed feelings is not romantic in nature).
the Klingon marriage was not really deliberate!
No, but his actions with Grilka in Looking for Par'mach in all the wrong places are. Also, going back toHouse of Quark, his going back to face D'Gor instead of hightailing it out of Dodge as he originally means to most certainly is. If he had miscalculated about shaming D'Gor and Klingon
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Haven't seen Body Parts or Looking for Par'mach in all the wrong places yet! I do agree that Quark is one big step more advanced than Don Draper (probably through greater social contact with equals of very different backgrounds) or you'd be right about him marrying Pel. Don tries to control what he doesn't own, Quark tries to control what he does own.
Great point about the Nagus! That's very true about Quark's relationships with other male Ferengi - he might well think that his controlling relationship modelled on the Nagus' treatment of him is a very good one. The Nagus gives Quark a small chance to advance in status or wealth every time he uses him! Maybe the way that Quark is more advanced than Don Draper (greater contact with very different equals) is a two-way street: he desired it, both romantically and personally, which got him off Ferenginar in the first place; the more contact he had, the more he both enjoyed his equals and controlled those he was responsible for.
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True. Body Parts (have we done that yet or is it s5? can't remember) pushes it to a different point, though, in that Quark finds himself trapped in a situation where adhering to Ferengi rules is harming no one but himself. And then there's the big episode which definitely is s5 where, to put it as unspoilery as possible, it's ultimate profit versus lives (and his relationship with Jadzia, which despite Quark's mixed feelings is not romantic in nature).
the Klingon marriage was not really deliberate!
No, but his actions with Grilka in Looking for Par'mach in all the wrong places are. Also, going back toHouse of Quark, his going back to face D'Gor instead of hightailing it out of Dodge as he originally means to most certainly is. If he had miscalculated about shaming D'Gor and Klingon ( ... )
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Great point about the Nagus! That's very true about Quark's relationships with other male Ferengi - he might well think that his controlling relationship modelled on the Nagus' treatment of him is a very good one. The Nagus gives Quark a small chance to advance in status or wealth every time he uses him! Maybe the way that Quark is more advanced than Don Draper (greater contact with very different equals) is a two-way street: he desired it, both romantically and personally, which got him off Ferenginar in the first place; the more contact he had, the more he both enjoyed his equals and controlled those he was responsible for.
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