The Good: Fun, Intriguing plot, Good direction, Nice acting, Unpredictable, Character
The Bad: Somewhat silly, Obvious difficulties with special effects
The Basics: When the wormhole aliens rewire the leader of the Ferengi, Quark must figure out a way to set things straight.
One of the truly enjoyable things about Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is that it has such consistently wonderful recurring characters that we enjoy it every time they show up. The leader of the Ferengi, Grand Nagus Zek, is one such character. Last seen in the second season's "Rules Of Acquisition," Zek is known to show up abruptly.
In "Prophet Motive," Zek returns strangely reclusive. When Quark and Rom are forced to board together, Quark finally snaps and confronts the Nagus. It turns out Zek is thinking of revolutionizing Ferengi society. He has rewritten the Rules of Acquisition and is convinced that the Ferengi must give up greed in order to go on. Reasoning that something is wrong, Quark learns that Zek recently went through the wormhole and encountered the entities that live there where they de-evolved them. In a b-plot, Dr. Bashir is nominated for the prestigious Carrington Award.
This is an episode that progresses the Ferengi subplot, which is the most involved subplot that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine does. Here we once again see Ferengi ingenuity and cunning with Quark realizing quickly how to speak to the aliens in a way that will allow him and Ferengi society to survive. It's a fun little dilemma and the outcome is actually somewhat unpredictable, which is enjoyable.
More than anything, this is a funny episode. Here we see all of the conventions of Ferengi society turned around and examined, turned up-side down and twisted. Quark, embodying conservative Ferengi establishments, instantly reacts badly to these changes and resists them. Here his character is accented by an unusual amount of cunning. While in the past, we have witnessed Quark being ingenious, the depth of his cultural conservatism is expounded upon here.
Even more telling of character is the Dr. Bashir plot. Here we see Bashir's eagerness return in a subdued form. His desire to win the Carrington award is realistic and a fun aspect of his personality to explore. Refreshingly, his plot arc in this episode is not predictable either.
The episode is strengthened by the acting. Armin Shimerman and Wallace Shawn give great performances as Quark and as the Grand Nagus, respectively. Shimerman infuses Quark with suspicion, which is surprisingly difficult when one is wearing as much latex on their face as Armin does to play Quark. Similarly, Wallace Shawn realistically portrays the Grand Nagus in the new subdued form, which is quite a different role from his usual exuberant, greedy self. Shawn sells us on the transformation and he makes us believe in him with the energy and enthusiasm that is usually buried.
"Prophet Motive" is the directoral debut of Rene Auberjonois, who plays Security Chief Odo on the series. It's an auspicious outing and Rene brings much to the look and feel of the episode. Quark's experience with the wormhole aliens, while clearly a wormhole experience, is visually quite different from the other ones we have seen. Auberjonois has a clear style and he makes his mark with this episode.
Unfortunately, Auberjonois is human. As a result, he runs into two problems with pulling "Prophet Motive" off realistically. The first is that Odo does not appear in Quark's experience with the wormhole aliens. This is a sensible problem considering how difficult it is for a director to direct themselves, especially the first time out. While Rene does appear as Odo, it's only in the Bashir plot and as a result it is somewhat unsatisfying to the viewer. Second, his actors are unable to be anything other than human and as a result, the special effects end up being quite awkward. I refer specifically to a sequence where Quark is being turned on a dabo wheel. Because poor Armin Shimerman got seriously ill when he was actually spun around, Rene ended up turning the wheel very very slowly with Quark on it and then speeding up the film. The resulting effect is less convincing and it ends up looking silly.
In the end, "Prophet Motive" is a fun episode with a decent idea, nice character development and decent acting. It's a reward to the fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and it's a refreshing episode to watch when one considers how ridiculous the Ferengi were originally portrayed as on Star Trek: The Next Generation. As well, most of the ideas and action are contained well enough in this episode to make it accessible to those who are not traditionally fans of the series.
[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Complete Third Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the breakout season by clicking here!
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7.5/10
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© 2011, 2007, 2003 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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