Business as Usual (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

As Quark ponders the large debts he has run up, his cousin Gaila arrives on the station and offers a way out of his predicament: arms dealing. Since Odo will confiscate any actual weapons brought aboard Deep Space Nine, Quark is to use his holosuites to simulate the weapons for potential customers. The merchandise will be supplied by the suavely sinister Hagath, and all transfers of cargo will occur off the station. Quark agrees to the deal, enticed by the prospects of paying off his debts and even turning a profit. Hagath arranges for Quark's percentage of the proceeds to go immediately to his creditors until his debts are fully paid.

Quark is a natural at selling weapons and the scheme becomes quite profitable. The Bajoran government prevents Odo from arresting Quark, citing Hagath's sale of weapons to the Bajoran resistance during the Cardassian occupation. However, Quark soon finds himself ostracized by his friends, particularly Jadzia Dax, who is disgusted that Quark has sunk so low. Gaila warns Quark not to cross Hagath, bringing news that an associate who did so has been killed. The group's latest client is the Regent of Palamar, who wants to make a purchase that will kill millions of followers of his opponent, General Nassuc. Gaila and Hagath take the matter lightly, but Quark is horrified at the idea of being responsible for so much death.

Having now paid off his debts, Quark realizes he must find a way to escape with his life and avoid being part of a genocide program. He invites Nassuc to the station, on the pretense of supplying weapons to both sides, and arranges for Nassuc and the Regent to encounter each other in a cargo bay. A firefight ensues between the two leaders, and they pursue Gaila and Hagath off the station, believing the pair to be responsible for the double-cross. The Regent is later killed by Nassuc's forces, preventing his genocidal plan. Quark's friendship with Jadzia is renewed, but he ends up in debt once again when Captain Sisko makes him pay for the damage caused by the firefight.

Meanwhile, O'Brien has trouble caring for his new son Kirayoshi, who cries incessantly unless O'Brien holds him. He carries Yoshi around all day, even at work and while playing darts in the bar. The baby finally settles down when Worf holds him, allowing O'Brien to get some much-needed rest.

In 2017, Business Insider listed "Business as Usual" as one of the most underrated episodes of the Star Trek franchise.[1] They note that a speech from the character Gaila on the insignificance of one star or planet among countless others is a re-interpretation of a famous monologue by Orson Welles in the 1949 film The Third Man and that, while the Star Trek Ferengi aliens are usually played for comic relief on the series, they adopt a more serious tone in this episode as Quark struggles with the morality of a lucrative arms deal which might lead to the death of millions.

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• "Business as Usual" at IMDb
• "Business as Usual" at TV.com

• Business as Usual at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)

• Business as Usual at StarTrek.com