In a dissent from what is apparently the consensus of this Deep Space 9 episode, this is a terrible Star Trek episode. It’s unclear what the long term intent of writing and executing an episode like this would be. The only morsel of science fiction present is the premise of the Ferengi who seem to thrive as a society myopically focused on the accumulation of wealth all while subjugating half its species.
How does a species like become space-faring when it still exhibits repugnant behaviour such as that? It provokes the same cognitive dissonance as how barbaric Klingons managed to become space-faring.
Synopsis for “Family Business”:
An agent named Brunt from the Ferengi Commerce Authority serves Quark with a Writ of Accountability for improper supervision of a family member.
We probably spend a bit too long on how the writers chose to open the episode with Siskso ineptly preparing a salad by just barely disturbing the top layer of lettuce, as though Avery Brooks didn’t know the camera was pointed at the salad. Remember how Star Trek: The Next Generation opens episodes with mystery and intrigue? Why would we as a society choose to abandon that practice for this one?
One nifty tidbit about the cold open is the scene with Quark tending to his bustling bar is an “oner”, where the camera doesn’t cut in a long continuous take. These can be difficult to choreograph and film because every element and performance has to be executed perfectly or the shot has to start from the beginning. It’s time-consuming and pain to reset, which is why oners don’t show up too often.
It’s floated that perhaps the storyline of this episode is a heavy-handed lecture on women’s rights. It’s not exactly clear if this is actually the intent of the writers, but it wouldn’t be the first time this has happened in Deep Space 9.
It’s also presented in such a way that it would be difficult to find someone who’d disagree with their premise here. It could be that the writers wanted to juxtapose the premise of Ferengi women not being allowed to make money or even wearing clothes being just as ridiculous as women not having salary parity or equal job opportunity as men. Maybe if they’d written something not so on the nose, it wouldn’t come off so “After School Special.”
The other B-plot of this episode deals with the entire crew setting Sisko up on a date. Not that the intricacies of Sisko’s dating life couldn’t be riveting, it just didn’t happen to be in this particular expression of it.
Jake has expended a lot of calories to his dad and Captain Cassidy Yates together, an effort which culminates in him spying on the date as it transpires. It’s played for light comedy, but comes off as a bit creepy? I suppose who among us wouldn’t want to be a fly on the wall in certain situations, but come on.
