Rules of Acquisition (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Grand Nagus Zek plans to establish a Ferengi business presence in the Gamma Quadrant and wants to purchase a large amount of tulaberry wine from a species called the Dosi. Zek enlists Quark as his representative and Quark asks Pel, one of his Ferengi waiters, to be his assistant. Unbeknownst to Quark, Pel is a female. Ferengi females are not allowed to wear clothing, earn money, or leave Ferenginar, so she is forced to keep her identity a secret. However, Pel proves to be a valuable assistant. At one point, Pel takes Jadiza Dax into her confidence, revealing to the shocked Jadiza that she is a female Ferengi. Pel also confesses that during her time as Quark's assistant, she has come to fall in love with him, which gets in the way of her ambitions to make profit.

At the meeting with the Dosi, Quark and Pel request 10,000 vats of wine, but the Dosi offer them half that. They are close to making a deal when Zek informs Quark that he now wants 100,000 vats. When Quark tells the Dosi what Zek said, they leave the station. Zek is furious but Pel steps in and informs him that she and Quark plan to follow the Dosi back to the Gamma Quadrant. The two of them travel to the Dosi homeworld and find that the Dosi have a Ferengi-like desire for profit and Klingon-like tempers.

The Dosi from whom Quark and Pel were originally going to buy the wine still refuses their offer. Another Dosi informs them that the entire planet does not have 100,000 vats of tulaberry wine, but she offers to put them in contact with another race she calls the Karemma, for a price. The Karemma are a powerful member of what the Dosi calls "The Dominion," and when Quark and Pel hear the name, they realize Zek's true intentions. He has no interest in tulaberry wine; he wants to find out more about the Dominion.

Although they return to the station empty-handed, Zek tells Quark and Pel that he intentionally requested more wine than the Dosi could provide in order to make contact with someone from the Dominion. Unfortunately, while Quark and Pel were gone, Rom, jealous of Quark's preference of Pel over him, discovered Pel's true identity. He tells Quark, who instantly faints. When he wakes up in the Infirmary, Quark orders Rom not to tell anyone, knowing his own career would be ruined.

Quark confronts Pel in her quarters and tells her to leave while offering her ten bars of latinum to help her start a new life, in order to save her and himself from punishment. Pel confesses her feelings for Quark and pleads with him to come with her to the Gamma Quardran, where no one would mind that she is a Ferengi female who makes profit. Quark refuses, though it is clear that he has feelings for Pel as well, partly because she was a huge assistance to him during the negotiations. While Quark, Rom and Zek are having dinner celebrating the business negotiation success, Pel enters the room. To Quark and Rom's shock, Pel boldly reveals her identity to a horrified Zek by pulling off her fake ear lobes, while saying, “So you like my lobes? Good! Then you can have them!". Zek angrily threatens to put Pel and Quark in prison, but Quark defends Pel by implying to Zek that the Grand Nagus himself had unknowingly allowed a female Ferengi to represent him during a business negotiation. Realizing that they were all misled, the group decides to keep Pel's identity a secret. Pel leaves to start a new life in the Gamma Quadrant. Before leaving, Pel again asks Quark to come with her. A regretful Quark says, "I can't." An understanding Pel replies, "I know." The two share a tender kiss and Pel strokes Quark's ear, remarking that she might take the ten bars of Latinum he offered her to help start a new life. As she leaves, an aroused Quark watches her go with an absent-minded smile.

Sometime later, Dax quietly reveals to Quark that she knows about Pel's secret and remarks that he misses her. He at first denies it, but after Dax leaves, Quark's expression is forlorn.

In 2015, Geek.com recommended this episode as "essential watching" for their abbreviated Star Trek: Deep Space Nine binge-watching guide.[1]

In 2018, SyFy included this episode on their Jadzia Dax binge-watching guide for this character.[2]

• At one point, Pel asks Quark if he knows what the 103rd Rule of Acquisition is. Pel begins it by saying, "Sleep can interfere with ..." and is then interrupted by Quark. Rules of Acquisition 103 "Sleep can interfere with opportunity". In the book, "The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition" (ISBN 0-671-52936-6), Rule 103 does not appear at all.
• This episode marks the first mention of the Dominion.

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine DVD set, volume 2, disc 2, selection 3.
• I. S. Behr, The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition New York: Bantam (1995)
• P. Farrand, Nitpicker's Guide for Deep Space Nine Trekkers New York: Dell (1996): 115 - 116

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Rules of Acquisition

• Rules of Acquisition at IMDb
• "Rules of Acquisition" at TV.com
• Rules of Acquisition at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• Rules of Acquisition at StarTrek.com