The Greatest Generation - Quotient of Shame (DS9 S5E20)

Episode Date: December 30, 2019

When Quark returns to his childhood home on Ferenginar, his old bedroom closet has been converted into something else. But when he finds his mother secretly canoodling with a powerful man, he can’t help but interfere in her affairs. Should Martok have an attorney on retainer? What’s the Ferengi whip called? Who do you give a space per diem to? It’s the episode that that proves there’s no ethics in podcasting!

Priority 1 message from Starfleet coming in on Secured Channel. Hey friends of Disodo. Before today's episode, we just wanted to take a moment to talk about the historic labor actions being taken by writers and actors in the American Film and Television industry. If you're a fan of the work done by the people who make Star Trek, we hope you'll join us in standing in solidarity with the folks who actually bring these adventures to life. Over the past several years, the AMPTP, the organization that represents the American Film and Television Production Studios, have reduced the profit from movies and TV going to workers. And in so doing,

they've attempted to weaken the labor unions that represent those workers. They wouldn't even engage the unions on many issues in their negotiations. And so a strike was the only course of action to take. Adam, Wendy and I have been having a lot of internal discussions about how best to stand with the unions and we are continuing those conversations in a dynamic situation. We're doing our best to understand where the picket lines are in these digital spaces,

and we would never intentionally cross one. With the information we have, we feel like we can do more good talking about and supporting the strike and continuing our show as planned. We'll keep you informed about what all this means for greatest trek specifically. Today we're making a contribution to the Entertainment Community Fund. This fund exists to help all the people whose livelihoods have been put on hold because the AMPTP refuses to negotiate

in good faith with the unions. It provides financial support for writers, actors, and all the thousands of laborers who make the shows that we talk about here and without whom we wouldn't have Star Trek to cast pot about. Those folks are all out of work because billionaires, company shareholders, and the executives of these companies don't want to compromise on the length of their yachts. We hope you'll join us in supporting entertainment workers in a challenging time, especially after they've already endured several years of challenges brought on by the pandemic

and season two of Star Trek Picard. We've set up a page where you can also contribute. It's at friendsofdecotoforlabor.com. That's friendsofdececoto for Labor.com. That's FriendsOfDecoto for Labor.com. Link in the episode description. Okay, now let's get on with the show. Here's to the finest generation Deep Space Nine. It's a Star Trek podcast from a couple of guys who are a little bit embarrassed to have a Star Trek podcast and to be doing a Quirks bar while doing it.

I'm Ben Harrison. I'm Adam Pranaka. The drinking helps me lose my inhibitions, which is why I would be embarrassed. I don't expect to be embarrassed in another 10 minutes. Have you already started? Yeah, started a little bit. Yeah, I hit a moment in the corner store when I was buying my provisions for today's episode that I may come to regret because I was there thinking about maybe getting some apple cider, some hard cider. And I add a can of that in my hand,

and then I looked up and there was a four pack of micro brew called banana bread beer. And I thought it would be funny to have apples and bananas. So I got that. I just don't understand you sometimes. So I'm gonna try this banana bread beer for the first time. I hope it's great. I don't hope it's bad. I'm not making this banana bread beer for the first time. I hope it's great, I don't hope it's bad.

I'm not making fun of you. Did you get a sixer of this or just get one? It was a four. You sold as a four pack and I don't have whatever bone that is that other people have in my head where you can take one out of a four pack and walk up and make eye contact with the person selling it. Yeah, I don't have that either. Instead, I have the bone that buys four or six of a thing.

I'll have the first one and not like it and then it'll stay in my pantry for four years. Wow. If I don't like it, I will accelerate through the remaining five to not let them go to waste. five to not let them go to waste. Man, I've been leaving a half a beer behind sometimes. I'm just not consuming a thing I don't like. If I don't like it, you know? Well, banana bread beer, surprisingly pretty good. I think you would like this in a beach context. What?

Yeah. Banana bread beer is a light and crushable. It is light, it is crushable, Adam. Give me on a scale of 1 to 10 bananas. How much of that banana is coming through? I would say that it's about a 3 on the banana and like a 2 on the beer flavor. Are you going to have a second one on the show? I guess that's the real test, right?

I don't have a choice. It's the only thing I have left because I drank my one apple cider. You're stuck with it. I'm stuck with you, Adam. And we are cruising into a whole new decade. Who'd have thought that the greatest generation would span more than one decade?

I certainly didn't. I mean, this weird experiment has turned into a lifestyle. There we are. Do you have any new decade resolutions? Lately, my mind and my focus has been so narrowed to the week that I'm living, that it has been very hard to think very far into the future. And I know this is a time of year

where where many people do, but I feel like if I look past the week that I'm in, I'm just going to drive myself crazy. I'm in that kind of headspace lately. Right, because you've got the whole move coming up, you've got a lot of eyes and tees that need crossing in the extreme short term. And we're kind of, we're recording this a couple of eyes and teeth that need crossing in the extreme short term. And we're kind of, we're recording this a couple of weeks ahead of its release,

but you know, like I'm going on a holiday trip, like I don't think either of us is particularly hoping to do a lot of work during the holiday season. Right. So we're trying to pre-tap and pre-edit. And that kind of turns this time of year into an end run. And you stack that on top of your impending out of state move. And that's a lot. Yeah.

I'm working as fast and as hard as I can because I know there's going to be a period of weeks where I can't because all of my shit will be in a box or something. Right. You know, exciting. What about you, Ben? because all of my shit will be in a box or something. Right. Yeah. Exciting. What about you, Ben? When you look at 2020, what do you see through those smudged glasses? Keeping my glasses less smudged is one thing that I aspire to on an ongoing basis. So that might be a good thing to look at for 2020.

Uh huh. And the 20s in general. I lost a bunch of weight in 2019 and I would like 2020 to be about being just in better shape in general and also keeping an eye on that like because I think I it was mostly through studied indifference and inaction that I gained weight that I didn't want. Yeah. That I put it all on. So, 2020, where I maintain, I don't, you know, fluctuate radically in pant size would be nice.

People don't concentrate enough on maintenance in favor of either gaining or losing a certain thing, you know? Yeah. Maintenance you know. Yeah. Maintenance is healthy. Yeah, and I'm literally like I'm paying attention to this stuff for the first time in my life, so I'm lucky to be saying that, but. Sure. Yeah, we all have. Yeah, so I don't know.

I don't think anything major. My wife and I are trying for having a house sometime soon that isn't a tiny little rental. So many of those words are usually followed by baby, fam. I sharply inhaled before the end of that sentence. My wife and I are expecting to live in a house. I proposed getting pre-approved for a mortgage. My wife has pulled the golly in her fantasy hockey league.

Yeah, so that's like 2020 is a year that that is as likely as any so far to happen, but it's really scary to me because she and I have very different approaches to major purchases and I get really stressed out and just, you know, I commit hard and fast and she really likes to consider every option and, you know is willing to to let a an opportunity pass if it if she's not a thousand percent sure yeah and it takes her along a much longer time to get to a thousand percent sure than it does for me so I'm you know bracing myself for the the challenges of that as well yeah man I think I know the feeling. And these decisions last for years and years, so it feels like you need to get them right. And that is a kind of pressure. Yeah, well man, I know you've got a lot on your mind.

So why don't you crack a beer and we can do our favorite thing, which is sitting around Yammering about a Star Trek episode we just watched. The pod heals, Ben. Maybe this one will do the same at Steep Space 9, Season 5, Episode 20. Ferengi. Love songs. Do you realize how many crud about this scene?

No, of course you don't. What about this song? Ah! Ah! Oh! No, of course you don't. With the title like that, I expected more music, didn't you? You thought it might be like that episode of Buffy that's a musical? That would have been great. Turns out, Franky Love Songs are a lot of crying. There is a ton of crying in this episode. There's so many forangi in this episode that it made me really appreciate Arm and Shimmerman's

performance as Quark. That's not to say any of the guest stars are bad to any extent, but Arm and Shimmerman's been wearing the loaf for years and years. He has practiced in how to do what he does. One of the things I noticed in this episode is how much of the lower part of his mouth moves compared to his top, like when he's enunciating, articulating words, like it's his bottom lip moving because his top teeth are so big.

Yeah. It looks really hard. One of the things about the Ferengy teeth is that it is definitely causing all of these actors to have to kind of consciously do things with their mouths to keep them closed when they're not talking. Yeah They look like they got a mouth full of marbles and just the fact that they're elocuting through all that crap that's being stuck in their mouths

is really impressive. I mean, I think it's one of the reasons why Mugi was recast the actor who played her in the last Mugi episode was like, can't do the loaf, sorry. Wow, I didn't even realize. So they brought in Cecilia Adams to play her this time around, who was great,

but I wonder, it's hard to cast guest stars on these shows for so many reasons I mean yeah let alone the discomfort that an actor goes through in just wearing the prosthetic yeah this episode opens with very strong season one episode one vibes It happens with very strong season one, episode one vibes. They show quirk like standing, just looking quite dismayed outside the bar, which sounds and looks sort of like the scene of a battle. Who's winning the war? It's too related to hell.

Like there's smoke and flashes and crackling noises back there. And we are led to understand by a conversation he has with Dax that the bar has been totally overrun or occupied by Cardassian voles. This is a time where depending on the sound effects you use, you can really change the feeling of a scene, right? And you don't want to make it too cartoonish, you don't want to make it sound like a vacuum

and a thump. Yeah. You don't want to sound like they're screaming and being vaporized. Like they... Right, you don't want to ruin people's TV dinner. Yeah, so I really think that they tried to get the middle round here sound wise, but you can imagine there's a version of this that is terrifying. That's raw!

I was trying to tell my wife about how the new Watchmen show is good. And to my shock, she agreed to watch an episode of it with me. And I had forgotten that that first episode features a scene where they attempt to storm a barnhouse and have to take cover behind the corpses of cows. Yeah, what you're getting, machine gun to part. And my wife was sitting there like, you know, pushing her dinner away from her. Yeah, so that's an unfortunate steak night. It's like, oh, god damn it. Come on.

That's what was great. But that is such an atypical like needle-pegging scene in that show. Yeah. That's not standard issue. I mean, it's crazy that that's in the first episode, given how crazy that scene is. It's excessive in that way that that comedy can be where something starts a little funny and then it gets less funny the more you do it, but then it gets more funny when you do

it for an excessive amount of time. That seems like how sound design works too. Like if they were just filling up one cow full of artillery, it would be gross and bad, but that they fill up 80 cows. Yeah. It somehow circumnavigates gross into something better. Not for my wife. Yeah. What's the one thing that can cheer quirk up at a moment like this Adam?

We're getting married. Didn't this episode make you think a lot about mental health and your own personal mental health? Because Quark is depressed, he says as much. Whether or not he is is another, is a conversation for another time. But well, there's like a situational depression and clinical depression.

And I think he's depressed because he's been in the ball kicking machine for a long time. What many people don't realize about those who are experiencing depression is that other people's happiness does not generally have an effect. What you just did. And Robin Lida are like, you are gonna love this. You're gonna feel so much better once you see

how we have paired off and found love. Yeah. Robin Lita not exactly taking things slow. Now, I don't think we've seen a single date go down, but now they are betrothed to one another. And this does not cause quirk to jump for joy on his psychoanalyst couch that he happens to have in his living room. And so, ROM suggests that because he's feeling crummy, he should go home for an extended visit with Maduke. Because when a person's feeling bad, family is often the answer.

Clearly Quark's family does not prescribe to the three-night rule that you and I know and love because he goes back to visit Mugi on Faringinar open-endedly. He surprises her with the visit. She's not given any advanced warning that he's coming. Yeah. And I think, is this the first time we've seen him wear a raincoat? Oh, yeah. Because, because Franginar is always rainy.

Yeah. But, Franginar always wearing like, pretty elaborate clothing that doesn't seem super rain friendly. Yeah, that. So So I like that he was bundled up in this. That'll let a wicking fibers on the frangies. It appears. Now, so he he schleps into his childhood bedroom to drop his stuff and is shocked to find that his mom has kind of is kind of redecorated, turned it into more of a guest room than a shrine to her fully grown 40-year-old son.

Yeah, there's like a Nordic track and a home office. Yeah, yeah, the printer is on the floor because there's really an appropriate piece of furniture to put it on. It's very, very disappointing. But also, well within her rights to do it because he has been grown and out of the house for a long time. And you know, when you grow up, you have to put away childish things. Yeah, also, he hasn't been a great family member to her.

Yeah, and he's putting stuff away. He opens the closet, sticks something in, and... That is the hilarious reveal that Grand Naga's Zek and Mayher do are stashed in the closet. This really feels like a episode of a season that is really paying attention to its budget because the closet becomes a transporter room throughout the episode. And you never see the effect. People just appear in the closet.

They are not bothering with the effect. If this was season one of TNG and they were hiding the transporter effect, every time people would go insane. Yeah, you don't even see a glow from behind the door. It makes me wonder what constraints that Renee Aubert Genois had to go through for this is yet another episode directed by him.

I think you directed eight, and this is his sixth. Yeah, the reveal is that Zach is there because he and Mugi are in love. They love that began at a Tango tournament that she gave him winning advice for. They really schmoopy each other, These two. Does anyone know about this? There's way more nose play than ear play with them. Isn't that weird? Yeah, I wonder if the ZEC earloaf is so...

So fucked out? Yeah, I wonder if it's like delicate because it's so bumpy and lumpy. If your ZEC aren't you getting umox on the rag, like to the point where your shit is just totally numb? Maybe that's why he switched to the nose. He's got the Kung Fu grip problem but for his ears. Yeah, I mean look at those things, they are pretty ragged. Sorry baby, I just can't get there in your pussy because I've been fucking with my ears my whole life. You mind umoxing me off? Yeah.

Back on Deep Space 9, the B story is the the ramen lita betrothal. And this is a this is one of those deep B stories that wraps up like well ahead of the A story because the episode loses interest in it. But the basics of it are, ROM is kind of converting to bejorinism. He's taken to wearing the bejorin earring. ROM is not your traditional forangi male. I guess not. And DAX kind of as an ally to the Ferengy people, sort of no true Scotsman's him where she's asking like how Lita is going to conform to his belief system as a Ferengy.

And this is stated very innocently as, as Dax just asking questions, but leads to Ram nearly ruining a good thing for himself. Can you remember another conversation between Ram and Dax? You're probably the least Farenci like Farenci I've ever met. I think that Dax, the implication is that Dax has spent a lot of time with Quark and Rom because of all of her late night, Tango hijinks. And has been a member of many cultures over her centuries of existence. So I bet that's like a natural conclusion for her to draw, like coming from a place of

centuries of life experience than her experience, knowing Rahman anyway. It's amazing how she can seem super wise and super naive at the same time. You would expect her to be more condescending or guinin' like in her takes, but she's never written that way. She's not written like guinin' at all. Yeah.

But yeah, Rahman's like, kind of at all. Yeah. But, uh, yeah, Rom is like, oh shit. I better like go, uh, go get like a prenup written up. I gotta go see my family attorney. Because I, you know, I never even thought about the fact that Lita's not gonna be nude and unemployed while, uh, while we're married. There's a thousand different episodes on television of, oh no, my mom is in love with my boss or something. But this doesn't feel like any of those. No.

The relationship by itself doesn't really offend him. And only later in the episode do they even like speak to the kind of scandalousness of it because she is to, you know, like, she's the only example of a Firingy woman we have on an ongoing basis on this show, but we're led to understand that she's extremely unconventional in many ways, you know, in a way that would probably be like politically inconvenient for Zach if it was public knowledge. Sure.

But they have a great bond with each other and like that part of it doesn't really bother Quark. It's not until the idea that there might be a come-up for him in breaking them up that he starts to really reject what they've got. I mean, the way that the A and the B story are so alike in this episode is that they're about people in love with each other who are imperfect fits. And where ramen leader concerned, ramen needs to make a decision about how much of his culture to inject into his own marriage. O'Brien reviews what is tantamount to a Farenki prenup, and wisely tells him that there's

no fucking way that Lida is going to sign something that honor us. How's your life? I think you're making a big mistake. Not just a prenup. It's referred to as a WPNP, the waiver of property and profit. And it stipulates that it such time as the marriage ends like anything that is hers is his

and anything that's his is his. It's a real fuck you. What's really interesting about this contract and its reason for existence and the reason that Ron wants to use it is his backstory with his first wife. And these two scenes are ones that I thought a lot about the order of because I wonder how different it would feel to go through that scene with O'Brien talking about that contract.

If before that scene you got the moment of ROM revealing that he's scared of making the same mistake with Lita that he made with his first wife. And that really incites it. But instead, in the episode, you get to understand the contract first, and then you follow it up with the reason that ROM has an encouraging L lead to design it. Yeah, he's definitely not following the, following the Brune Brown Ted Talk thing of be vulnerable with your loved ones. Yeah. If he laid his cards on the table,

she would understand what was motivating this and maybe not just react to it, like it's a thing he's doing to her. Yeah. Maybe nice. I don't know what that's like though. Yeah, she throws this iPad right back in his face. he's doing to her. Yeah. That'd be nice. I don't know what that's like though. Yeah. She throws this iPad right back in his face.

Sign the WP and P. Never. Then the marriage is off. You bet it is. I think when you jump into marriage this quickly, it is very easy to call it off just to sast, right? Yeah. We learned that at five minutes into the episode

that marriage was on and then 14 minutes into the episode that marriage was off. So hard to feel terrible about this, but wanting Ram to get something this good seems like what they're counting on for this to carry anyway for us. Right, dinner at Mugi's has Quark and Zeck and her around the dinner table. And Quark is attempting to

butter Zeck up. He's got an angle and the angle is if he can just butter him up, possibly he may be in a position to reinstate his business license. Forget it Quark. Right, and the quotient of shame that this can out is a little unclear because the first words that pass between Quark and Zach in the beginning of the episode is like, what the hell are you even doing on Ferenc and Arty? You're not even welcome here. But now it doesn't seem like, it doesn't really seem like Quark is so, it's not like

Worf's Discomendation where he can't even show his face around other Furnkey. Like he can, he can leave the house safely, right? So yeah, but Dex position is the, the FCA were the ones that revoked your license and it's really like a bureaucratic matter. I can't, I can't be seen to, you know, engage in acts of nepotism like getting my girlfriend's son

his business license back. Yeah, and what's worse is that Mugi won't back him up, at least in public. This is when in frustration, he heads back to his room and the transporter closet reveals. Brut. FCA. It's our second Jeffrey Combs episode in a row, Adam. Yeah. This time not as wayun, but as brunt. He's getting a lot of work at Jeffrey Combs. Yeah, he's nearly main cast, except for he's playing multiple characters.

Yeah. And he is offering Quark a way back to having the business license. You've got to put an end to the relationship. You've got to deal. This is a scene that made me really recognize the lighting challenges that a Ferengy represents. And it's Brunt's face, especially that underscores this because what he needs is an underlight. Yeah, he's got very deep set eyes.

His eyes are almost totally in the black contrast wise here for a lot of this scene. And it's clearly a challenge on some sets to make sure an actor's face is well lit. Like especially when he's in the closet super hard because that like all the doors are lower than for any head height for some reason. And so like you can't even get a light up above him necessarily.

Yeah, it's tough. I mean, you were talking before about how DS9 as a set is unique for it's having a lid on it in all of its locations. It's unclear how this is working on these foranginar sets and the challenges that those present. I don't think that there are ceilings on these sets, but one thing I thought a lot about in this episode is how uncomfortable Mayer Dew's life is. Yeah. He lives in these buildings.

Yeah. Like most of the doors are like waist tall for him. Yeah, he's bent at the waist for most of the app. That's not fun. Do you imagine how fucking uncomfortable that would be of every day you had to stoop over to get through doorways? Constantly getting things out of the tap shelf for people.

Yeah, the next day is at the the negas is like audience chamber where he you know sits there and has Frankie businessman kisses ring all day and and unload some some some bad stuff on the negas. It's kind of like Quark's version of siops is just telling the negus things about his mother that would Hortify Quark to learn about his mother. Yeah, and Quark has already learned most of this stuff

But the rumors are that she has not in fact given back all of the money that she earned when she was illegally Obtaining profit referring to an earlier episode with her, and that she has a scheme to use the money that she hid from the FCA to fund a women's rights movement on Farrington R. It's a horrifying thought. It's interesting how, like, as soon as Quark becomes motivated in this way in exchanging his mother's happiness for his own, like all of that depression of the first quarter of the episode, it's not like he becomes happy, it's that neutrality and a mission gives him a reason

for being, you know? Like he's not, I don't think he's relishing this at all, but it's almost like in his neutral play on things, like you get a sense that he's, that he's feeling better about himself because he's got this, this possibility. Right, I think that he'd be, he'd be really like gleeful

if there was also a payday involved here, but instead he's just, he's playing a pretty neutral, like, and competent, you know, like this is not, this is not one of those schemes that Quark and Barxon that doesn't go well, like when he leaves the room, Zach is, is, you know, in a tailspin emotionally. Yeah. And that's kind of the, like what Quark is playing at in the next scene, right?

He's waiting for his mom to come in and when he hears her coming gets into character as depressed and dejected Quark. Yeah, he's manipulating his mom's sense of being a good mom for him. And he's like, well, you wouldn't understand because I'm not allowed to earn profit in the fringy alliance. She's like, get in fucking line. I'm a woman on Ferenganar.

Give me a break. But also still loves him. Yeah. Mugi agrees to talk to Zach on Quark's behalf about reinstating his business license. And I thought that was interesting that he's on the chance that the FC, what he's being promised by the FCA doesn't work out. He is still pushing her, right? Like he doesn't have to go back and pursue this scheme with her, does he?

But it's like one last stone unturned. Like he tries every available option, he's got to turn over the moogistone. Yeah, we get a little scene on the promenade. Odo and Warf are arguing about what to do with Marthok because Marthok threw someone from the second floor of the promenade and is now locked up in Odo's holding cell and Wurf would like him to be released and Cisco agrees that he should be released, but also Mar-Takneets to understand

that he is not living on a cling on station where you can engage in martial disciplinary action like throwing a guy from the second floor of the promenade and not go unpunished. Not to play Martox advocate on this, but he has no depth perception. Is it possible that he wanted to just throw him against the rail and instead the room over the side? I think so. He should take this to court.

This episode should pivot to Deep Space 9 court and the last 20 minutes is in defensive Martak. I wish they had fleshed that out a little bit more because every time I've had a conversation with an attorney when I was fired up about something and I was like, let's have her day in court. I think we can really stick it to them or whatever. The attorney is like, don't be an idiot.

Going to court is the last thing you want. It's expensive. Big companies beat each other up in court over a civil shit all the time, but private citizens can't afford that type of shit. So what would it be? Would Martok have to hire his own attorney and pay for it somehow? Do the Klingons have money? Or are the Klingons also a post-scarcity, moneyless society like the federation? We've seen Klingon lawyers before, Ben. I know. What the fuck? What would it look like?

You bring up such an interesting point about lawyers, and that is like, I've got a few lawyers in my life as friends, and the one I've been friends with the longest has been a lawyer for maybe 15 years. He's been to trial maybe like three times. Why don't lawyers want to go to trial? It's what they were trained to do. I mean, a lot of lawyers are not trial-oriented. Like my wife, for example, has had phases of her career

where she was in court all the time, but she's currently primarily a policy and contracts lawyer. So... I am not disparaging your wife's great work in any way. When I say this, isn't the attraction to becoming a lawyer the trial? Isn't that like the inciting incident for going to law school? It feels like that's such a concentrated form of justice. Yeah, but here's the thing, it's so expensive that it's not actually the best way to resolve

Yeah. Differences that have a legal component. A conference from his more efficient. Like it's such a weird job. Like when I was mostly a freelance filmmaker, like there was a ton of incentive to like upsell my clients on things like, okay, we could do this video,

but what I really think you should do is this video and then two shorter videos that you can share on social media. And I can do that for only this much extra, you know? And like, when my wife was working for a litigation firm and like a case that she was working on settled. Like that was a celebration in her office and it was always like, but don't you get like way more billable hours if it goes to trial?

Like isn't it better to go to trial from your standpoint? And like like I understand that you're like happy on your clients behalf, but why are you celebrating? And like I can't explain it. They just, you know, it's a weird thing about lawyers. I don't get it. Yeah, I guess the end of any trial is a cause for celebration.

It's like the ethical oaths that they take mean something to them. Huh. I mean, going into freelance filmmaking, there's no hypocritic. There's no Hippocratic There's no swearing in ceremony. There's no ethics and podcasting either, so I think we found a career that's right for us What are you doing now? Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Yeah. Yeah, you want to, you want to take that into the bathroom stall where it belongs or in the car, cry in the car. Yeah, you'd like, you'd like a workplace that has enough bathroom stalls that you can, you can go cry and nobody knows who's in there crying.

Yeah, doors to the floor. That's how you know you've got a good crying stall. Yeah, like European style latrine would be great. A European style crying latrine. We don't normally do remodels enough as spaces, but on the 43rd floor of the Trans-America Tower, we're installing a new bathroom setup here. The clients chosen to go with a with a floor to ceiling door environment for their bathroom stalls. That way anonymous crying is allowed for all of their 40 employees. It's really the classic plum is lemon.

Yeah, you want a high flow toilet in a crying stall. Yeah. Well, you want to flush those tears down. A lot of ladies rooms in Japan have just like constant water flow noise playing in them. I like that. To mitigate embarrassment. That's why when I go to the bathroom in Japan,

I always choose the ladies room. Ha ha ha ha. Yeah, we should experiment with having just loud water noises on this program all the time to mitigate our embarrassment. You know what, I'm going to call a shot here. For end of the program and Kills are send us another postcard and tell us about the bathrooms in Japan. Yeah, what's up with those bathrooms?

Is that, I mean, I've only heard second hand about this water flow noise. Maybe I'm talking about talking out of my butt. Yeah. But it takes a lot less than 15 flushes to get the stuff down over there. They know what they're doing. Well, we're living really high on the hog in this country, you know. This is a bang, bang, bang of crying scenes at him, because we see ROM crying about how sad he is that the marriage is off.

And then the camera floats up to a brief little scene with Kira and Lita, and Lita sort of trying to talk herself into this being the right choice. And Kira rejecting every argument that she makes to that end and then Lita breaking down crying. Does Nana visitor break here? I am almost positive she does. I think it is Kira's character thinking it's cute that Lita is this broken up about this obviously fleeting argument.

I love that moment last for maybe a half a second. Yeah. I love that like her whole body feels the absurdity of that. Yeah, that is the moment of the episode, I feel like. And then we're on Firingaar and Ishka is crying. Yeah, triple crying. Quirk comes in, mom is very upset because Zach has left her and left her on a very insulting note. He called her a very insulting note.

He called her a prophet hungry female. I mean, he also accused her of trying to overthrow the government, which is an angle that Mugi was not expecting in the breakup, right? How'd you find out about that? Do you look at my texts? Kinda blindsided. Do you think you can see your ears

if you're wearing Firingy prosthetic like out of your peripheral vision? Speaking of blindsided? I bet you can. Yeah. Like hold your fingers up to the side of your head like where Firingy, like even touching where your headphones are.

I'm wearing headphones that I can see out of the side of my eyes. Yeah, so you totally can. That means you can't see stuff coming up behind you if you're a Farenki. That's the way to get at them. That's how you know the Farenki are predators and not prey. Maybe that's why they use those whips

because they're like circling them over their head. So if you get close, you might just get caught by that thing. Yeah, like that head cannon. Hey, is that Firingy Whip called a head cannon? I believe it is. No sooner has she left the room than he blows in a face time to brunt. You're smiling, Mark. Therefore I assume your mother is not. And gets his license reinstated. And then he goes into try and cheer his mom up. And she's gone from the crying phase to the pissed off phase. And is in the process of inviting him to leave

and him accepting that invitation when the Negas calls. The Negas has a job offer for Quark and that is to be his first clerk to job of some pedigree. Yeah. Quark has made to see that like his bar job doesn't have the shine of first clerk and so he accepts. This is kind of a chief of staff kind of position where he's there to help the Niggus run the society and this you know this starts you know first day of work for Quark is in that same audience chamber and they hash out an agreement about what Quark's role is going be, and then he's, like, handed the iPhone of power,

and the Negas cannot remember his passcode. All of the things that are happening between Quark and the Negas are things that you could conceive of as happening between he and Moogie, right? Like, the, why doesn't my internet work? Like, well, what's your password? I don't know. Like, it's very old V young conflicts happening

and it's super clear that that Zek is slipping. It's really scary to imagine the idea that the leader of a society could be mentally compromised in some way like this, and still have their hand on the levers of power. Yeah, you just hope that there's some sort of check and or balance in play here. Yeah, well anyways. They finally get into the phone because May or do knows the password also, but probably won't be that good of an advisor on account if he never says anything.

And Zach is just really lost the plot. He cannot keep track of a thread of conversation for longer than two or three back and fourths before he can't remember what they're talking about or why it's, why it's what they're talking about. I mean, look at him, he's too old. He's too old for office, Ben. There should really be a limit, an age limit. Yeah.

If you want to ascend to the highest reaches of Ferenganar. Right. Like, you have to be at least 35 and no older than, I don't know, 70. What's wrong with that? That's a big window. Yeah. Plenty of qualified people in that window. Long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, Stop! Hammer time! Back on the station, Ram is sitting on the floor, and he's got his entire fortune on the table in front of him.

He's like a little kid with all of his matchbox cars, like all lined up and neat rows. I thought you were going to see like a little kid selling chocolate bars so that his team could go to state. I said something you're familiar with, did you have to do the door-to-door chocolate bar game? Yeah, we did that when I was in school. Yeah. Even though it was milk chocolate, you managed to hold your nose and sell it. I did. It was the first 40 to 50 seconds of your doorway pitch just apologizing for the idea that

you're selling milk chocolate bars in that dark. Hey listen, I know that milk chocolate is trash. It's too sweet. It's too waxy and it doesn't really have much appeal to anybody. But how about this as a pitch? It's good for kids. If you buy this chocolate bar, I won't eat it. And also, my team will get to go to state.

Young man, I've never seen you before in my life, and I'm not sure you live in my neighborhood. Also, it's my family's dinner time. I'd like to ask you to leave. Yeah, that place right into all of my premature liberal guilt. So I apologize, sir. Adam, what's a more romantic place to get back together with somebody than the jump justic selling job that they just apparently got? Is

Lita working a second job now that the bar is closed or is this her her backup plan? No. Works as closed she's selling the jump justic. Does the does the Bajoran provisional government have some sort of works project administration where they can place you in other menial jobs while your remunerative employment is out of commission? We could use a little more detail here. I just wanted one line of expository dialogue. Yeah, I mean, I'm not dismerching the long line

of jump-jaw salespeople that we've seen. It's honorable work to sell jump-just sticks because people are always getting their relationships back on track when they get one. That's true. And there's always money in the jump-jaw stand. Ah, nice job. Ha, ha, ha, ha, cheers to you, Ben.

I don't even really like that show. She is a friendly face. She's selling a shitload of jump-jaw. It's on mid 25 grand last month. They're not gonna fucking believe you. Fuck them. Fuck them. And, uh, ROM appears. Like, here's what you don't want to do. If you're in limbo with someone, or if things aren't good, I don't think you surprised them at their workplace. New. But ROM does it because ROM doesn't have any concept

of social graces at all. He tells her, I gave all my Latinum to Major Kira for the pejorin war orphan's fund. Like, this is the loophole that he has He doesn't have to split anything with her if he doesn't have anything at all to split I think that I have two problems with this one ROM's

Fortune or lack thereof is such a squishy concept on this show like sometimes He's a fucking idiot who has not who doesn't have a nickel to his name that Quirk can make fun of. Other times he's got great big piles of platinum that he can give away and, you know, grand romantic gesture. Two, just keep the money for like a down payment or something. Like, you don't have to give it away for it to be okay for the two of you to get married

without the MP and P or the WPP MNP WPNP WPNP. Yeah, WPNP Banana bread beer. I agree with you This is a part of life and culture on the station we need to know more about because it seemed as though as soon

as Ram took a Starfleet job that the need to acquire that Latinum was going to be a thing of the past. The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force in our lives. But we see Starfleets in quarks all the time spending Latinum. Where do they get it if they're not being paid by star fleets? Yeah. I just wish this was described a little bit at some point in some episode, because like I love the idea that star fleets is so rich that like like post-scarecity like extends past its borders somewhat where like you can have... Like everyone's getting a UBI on Deep Space Nine?

Yeah, like there's like a... Deep Space Nine is on the Bedroin economy. And so everybody in Starfleet is just given a credit card that has no limit and Starfleet will honor all debts that they incurred because it doesn't matter at all. No, I've got to argue against you on that. I think it has to have a limit because if... Here's the thing. I love the idea of the universe being so vast

that you must integrate yourself in the financial culture of other worlds and races. Like, I think that's cool. But I don't think you can give a blank check to Starfleet's working in those areas. Otherwise, they would just take over, right? They'd have the biggest house on the Bajoran cul-de-sac, and all of a sudden, you've kind of spoiled the culture by financially being its leaders. Like I think- Shit, Doug.

Like, wouldn't you need a Bajoran credit card with a nominal limit, like a middle income limit? What you need is a bejure and per diem. Who do I give it to? Yeah. Yeah, that's the thing. With a bejure and per diem, you limit the amount, but it's generous enough that you don't feel constrained on a day-to-day basis.

Right, and it's the same way if you're working near Vulcan, or if you're working near any other of these worlds, like it's just different. It's a different limit. It's a different currency. But the philosophy is the same, like no better, no worse. Just enough to exist. You wanna integrate into the culture,

but you also wanna keep a sense of the lifestyle that you're used to. If it's a pooping into the culture, but you also want to keep a sense of the lifestyle that you're used to. If it's a poop in a whole culture, you might want enough in your per-dem to afford a hotel that has the kind of toilet you're used to. Poo-p in a whole culture, hub-in? That's what I think the fringier are probably working with. Well, you have not seen a fringy bathroom, and we do not know if the doors go all the way to the floor.

Yeah, where do the fringgy go when they need to cry? I bet you just go outside because nobody would be able to tell. You let the rain run down your face. It doesn't look like anything. Yeah. That's a private cry you could have right there. Latinum rain. Latinum rain Latinum rain So ramen leader are back together when court comes home to his muggie

Stress the fuck out she's been watching the like the CNBC all day and knows that the the markets are down all over for Engenar and What what court doesn't realize is that she has been sort of a guy behind the guy in Zech for a long time. She's the reason the Fringy economy was doing okay at all. She's not only wise in the way that props up the entire Fringy economy, she also figures out that he's the one along with Brunt that sabotaged her relationship with Zech and she's pissed. Yes, Corgis her son, so she loves him, but also she is sick of his bullshit, basically.

Moogie is smarter and better and wiser and kinder than any other Ferengy that we know. It's really amazing when you meet a parent that's so much better than their kids. Yeah. You wonder what that's so much better than their kids. Yeah. You wonder what that's about. Yeah. And yet, it seems like at the end of every episode Mugi's in, like she's made to make the ultimate sacrifice for the comfort of other people.

Yeah. That's not right. Yeah, that's some retrograde bullshit, Adam. But there's some real danger here for Ferengunar because the market needs to be stabilized. This has the consequence of destroying millions of people's lives if it gets out that Zeck is unfit for leadership. When really, like the removal of someone so unfit is probably better for everyone in the long run.

on fit is probably better for everyone in the long run. Right. Like he may be from Mugi standpoint, a useful idiot, but what should be done post-taste is some sort of removal process. Yeah. That's where I sort of turn on her and Quark in this episode because Brent comes in to Quark's place of work the next day as he's desperately trying to first clerk this economic crash into submission and Brent is gloating. Why are you picking on me? I've done everything you asked, haven't I? And it doesn't really make sense that Brent will be gloating initially because what would be in it for Brent for things to be

going badly for Quark and then he reveals his grand plan. Quark has been in a pond the entire time for Brent to game of thrones his way into the legacy. Yeah, Brent's happy in the way that many bad guys are before their evil plan comes to fruition. But Brunt knows the history of Ferengenar and knows that Zech's predecessor was assassinated along with his clerk. And he knows that that's a very real threat for for Zekin Quark here. Yeah, it's this is a classic villain monologue telling telling the plan before the plan has fully been realized.

I couldn't have done it without you. I feel almost grateful. With Zech out of the way, it actually clears the path for Brunt to become the new Negus. He even tries the throne on for size. Yeah. He looks good in that throne. I feel like this is a show where like that could be the end of the episode too Yeah, like if nurse ranch it can become the the Kai Then why can't brunt become the negas. Yeah, so quark confides all of this to Moogie and The second thoughts that he has about it his conscience won't allow this to happen

This is an observation that Mo Mugi has about her son. They both talk about the idea that there's two types of greed. There's X type of greed, which is good for people, in general, like broad, the broad type of greed, and then there's brunch type of greed, which is only good for himself. And when put that simplistically, the choice becomes fairly clear about

which one of the two is a danger to the most people. It's a, do you want Gordon Gekko or do you want Charlie Sheen? Yeah. And so this is a bit of a smash cut to victory party, right? The, like the conversation that Quartac has with his mom cuts to Grand Niggas, Zach, Mayer, Doe, and Quark walking out of whatever meeting they had with that board of the FCA and

Zach was able to answer all their questions their satisfaction. He's maintained his status as Niggas and I guess the FCA is some sort of check on his power, unclear, to what extent that is true. And then Quark usheres in the person that helped him formulate all the advice he gave Zach, because Zach really credits Quark with this advice having been the way he preserved his political power. And this person comes in in a hood and very unsurprisingly reveals herself to be Ishka. All the advice I gave you today came from her. Quirk also admits to lying to Zek about the rumors about her, those rumors about her wanting to overthrow the government turns out were unfounded or at least founded by Quark.

Falsely. You know, like Quark still has this first clerk gig, but makes the argument that the advice that he's able to offer is not terribly valuable compared to what she is able to offer. And she says, like, listen, I'm not going to lie to you. Like, I do think women should have equal rights. And I'm never going to back off with that opinion. But if you'll have me back, I would like to be your special lady friend, and I can also help you continue the project

of running for angry society. It's a weird anti-resolution here, right? Because all of the game pieces are put more or less back into their original places at the beginning of the episode, including the brunch piece, who during the button on the episode, like Quark Pax for home, things have been resolved. He and his mom appear to be okay. They have a cute moment having to do with Quark's

action figures. But when brunt beams into Quark's beaming closet, he makes it clear that he is still going to be a concern. He's going to be looking out at Quark in a way that he wants to entrap him once again. And one assumes that he's going to be doing that very same thing to Zek, right? Brent stays the villain of Ferenke society and the villain in Quark's life and is perfectly happy to do that. Like his scheme failed, but it didn't cost him a thing. No, nothing really changed at the end.

We're back to one. We're back to one, and that's a very TV ending. Yeah. It's like a one that we didn't know was one, though. I guess Quark has his business license back, right? Does Quark get to take those signs down in his bar? Thanks, so. I think that's the deal. I'll have to watch for that.

Did you like the episode? You really want to do this here. Now, okay, okay, let's do it, do it. I did. I don't know why I liked it, but I kind of liked it. I mean, it was a nice light episode. How about you? Any episode having to do with Ferengi, like just looks like it should be dumb,

and it's not trying to say anything sophisticated, but I think this episode says something sneakily sophisticated about how preventable it is for there to be conflicts between, you know, like family members and lovers that have to do with cultural stubbornness. Because remember, Rob's stubbornness about his culture was not coming from himself. Like, it was suggested by DAX. And then it just sort of spun him out of control into this sort of,

into the kind of cultural stubbornness that broke up him in Lita and the thing with Zach and Mugi is the same way. Like, Zach clearly doesn't prescribe to the sort of cultural stubbornness that would prevent having a relationship with Mugi. It's only when when outside powers come in and interfere with that that he's made to break up with her. Like I really think he was okay with everything about Mugi up until other people knew about it. And that I feel like is a quality that people are aware of right now. Like, people are age, getting into relationships with people of other cultures where the parents

of those kids are hard lying into whatever religion or culture that they belong to in a way that the kids don't. And it's only through that injection of someone else's opinion that a conflict can take hold. And that's what this episode maybe think about is like how often you're not really in conflict with the person you're with. You're arguing with them because of some outside force. It's unnecessary. Yeah. Yeah. Good buddy who's wedding was only complicated because his wife's grandma really wanted some very traditional Jewish elements to be part of their wedding that they didn't like neither of them

Wanted it and she super did and they like the compromise was just to have those things happen on like the day before Yeah, basically just for her benefit in a private smaller ceremony And you know like they, their culture other than that is basically not different at all. So. Right. I can't, like, these things happen even when the differences are really minor.

I mean, this episode doesn't exist if all parties sort of hold fast. Right. And are grounded in the confidence of their decisions and their feelings. And I think it is when characters don't feel those things. And more over when people don't feel those things that you leave yourself open to these unnecessary entanglements. Yeah, indeed. Well, do you want to see if we have any priority one messages in the inbox, Adam? Indeed. Well, do you want to see if we have any priority one messages in the inbox at them?

It's one entanglement we get into every episode. Priority one message from Starfleet coming in on Secured Channel. Need a supplement only. A supplement? A supplement. A supplement. Yes, extra. But the interest alone could be enough to buy this ship! Ben, our first priority one message, is of a promotional nature. How the interest alone could be enough to buy this ship!

Ben, our first priority one message is of a promotional nature. Hey! And it's from our friends at the 7th rule podcast. Whoa! This is the podcast that was created by Srirach Lofton and Aaron Eisenberg and Ryan T. Husk that is still going strong. Here's the message. Attention Greatest Gen viewers Jake and Nog created a new Star Trek podcast with sci-fi producer Ryan T Husk called the 7th Rule.

With entertaining behind the scenes insights while reviewing DS9, after the tragic passing of our brother Aaron, we are continuing the show in his honor. Please subscribe to the 7th Rule YouTube channel today and catch new episodes weekly. We have a ton of cool Trek stars on the show and also check out our Patreon page. Thanks and that message is from Sirok Lofton and Ryan T. Husk. Oh. This is a little peek behind the pod is that we had been in some preliminary discussions with that show about doing some guessing between us.

And it was right before Aaron Eisenberg's death. And it was really crazy timing on that. Yeah, I'm really happy to know that the show continues. Without Aaron, I can't imagine how difficult that's got to be, but I'm confident in Ryan and Sriracha's ability to do that and to carry that on in his spirit. Yeah, so give the seventh rule go on YouTube and Patreon. No other Star Trek podcast may purchase advertising

space on our show. I'm gonna make that rule right now. What the hell? What about go trek yourself? I go trek yourself can do that. What about mammary alpha? What about women trek yourself? Go trek yourself can do that. What about mammary alpha? What about women at warp? Alright, noted.

With a couple of exceptions. Okay, okay. That's what I'll say. Uh... You really want to advertise for a competition? I think that a rising tide raises all starships, Adam. Hmm. You can listen to those other shows at 1.5X, but you have to listen to ours

at 1.0. That's right. Well, check out the seventh rule over on YouTube and Patreon. Adam, we have a second priority one message. It is from Danielle, and it is too Riley. It goes like this. It goes like this. Dear Riley, happy 35th birthday to you, my magical winter solstice babe! Even if you were covered in loaf, I would still think you're a total cutie. I love you, your incredible mind and the fact that you introduced me to the Star Trek universe. You're the captain of my heart. Don't change a thing!

Love Danielle. Well you know you're a cutie when it shines through the loaf. That's what I'll say. Yeah. I'm not sure if my cute wood is loaf proof. I think I think you would be cute in love Adam. I don't know. I don't know anything I think I have the face for low. I think you'd I think you'd be a nice high carb snack. I think you'd be a nice high-carb snack. Wow, well, it sounds like Riley and Danielle are celebrating a great year to come. If you have a message that you would like transmitted to our myriad viewers, you can take it over to MaximumFund.org slash JumboTron where commercial messages are $200 and personal messages are $100 both of which are a great way to support our program well into the new year

Hey Adam. What's that been? Did you find yourself a drunk? Shemota Yes, this goes barely in this episode, but he's my drunk Shimoda because of his interaction with ROM, who's crying at work. We are made to believe that Cisco is one of the great star-track leaders and captains. He's many people's favorite, but he shows zero empathy for what's going on with Ram. And, and in fact, tells him to carry on after seeing that he's crying at work. That is a very Picard reaction to that phenomena.

It really is. And it, it's so Picard that it made me wonder how much thought was put into that moment. I know that it's a slide whistle, like it's played for laughs, and it is funny. Yeah. But it's cruel also. Yeah, it's weird that the that the scene where ramen Lita are their saddest is

the silliest moment in this episode a bunch of of money-hungry trolls running around. These people aren't their friends. That's what I'm getting from this episode. Well, what have the Friggy done to earn French, you pat him? That's fair. That's what I would ask you. I think Lita deserves to be happy. Yeah. What about you, Ben? My drunk Samota is Ram, and it's for the whole wafer of profit and property,

gambit, and I think that this is maybe like the thing that we've criticized most about this character is that he's kind of written as a punchline. And one thing that you are taught in an improv class is like, whatever character you wind up playing in your scene can't be dumb. Like the joke about your character being that your character is super dumb is tempting

when you're starting out in improv because it's like, oh, what if this guy was really dumb? That would be funny, right? And the reason you're discouraged by an instructor from playing a character that way is that if you do that every single time, it's never gonna be funny. And ROM is a dumb, but I think the reason that it doesn't work for me is that like they've started to try and write him out of that like oh he's actually a brilliant engineer. He's actually like got a lot of heart. But if that's true like he can't keep doing super duper dumb shit like.

Yeah but Ram is a dumb but dumb's deserve love too. Right but I also don't think he's this dumb. I don't think he's dumb enough to be given the slightest of pushes by DAX and suddenly be like, oh shit, I gotta really stick it to my future wife because that's my culture. Yeah, but I think we both know people who are work smart and social dumb.

Like, I think these are just aspects of one of, I'm one of those people. I know. Like, why don't you recognize this? Cause you're social dumb. I think that this is past social dumb. Like if, if they wanted to have an, uh, an episode about wanted to have an episode about Frengy pre-Neps. I think that that is an interesting and fun thing to tell a story about.

But the story that they wind up telling is just, boy, Ram's real dumb, right? You know what, up until now, Ram's entire story has been about the rejection of his culture and the replacement of it with something he sees as better, something that enriches his life more. Right. For him to be pushed over with Dax's feather back into subscribing to to this

way of thinking, I think it's it's not character honest for him and it would have been far more interesting if this was a B story that was about ROMs rejection of that again. Like this is a thing that Firingi do. This is an experience I had with an ex-wife that was bad. And this is why I'm not doing it. In spite of the many cultural pressures that he feels, and instead it's the exact opposite of that. You can still have conflict. It's just a different conflict. One of it had been a story about his moogie feeling

really strongly about him getting one of these pre-NEPs and him disagreeing with her. Yeah, like how fucking weird is moogie if she is so progressive in this way that she is with Zach and still super conservative in the marriage aspect with Ram. I think that would have been an interesting story to tell. I think there's a bunch of interesting directions you can take this, but I thought a lot in this episode about how Quark has all these instincts toward progressiveism that he's like constantly at war with in himself. Like they're always showing him like doing a nice thing

for a character as a counterpoint to what a scumbag he is most of the time. And that's not Rom. And telling this story about Rom felt a little bit like a bad fit, you know? He's too suggestible. I thought I knew who Rom was before this episode, and now I don't.

A greatest-gen live show is something you don't want to miss. Why? Well, it's a great opportunity to see me and Ben in person, but that's not all. FODs from all over gather at these shows to cosplay, to do pre and post-show hangs, to make friends, and share their embarrassment. Hey, let's make a pretty great name for a tour. Let's do it! The Share Your Embarrassment Tour is coming in August 2023, and we've got a bunch of dates in a lot of great places. Go to GreatestGenTour.com to get more info.

That's GreatestGenTour.com for dates and ticketing information for the Share Your Embarrassment Tour. I'm Jordan Morris. And I'm Jesse Thorne. On Jordan Jesse Go, we make pure, delightful nonsense. We were open awesome guests and bring them down to our level. We get stupid with Judy Greer. My friend Molly and I call it having the space weirds.

Pat Noswald. Could I get a ball-rock burger and some air-gorn fries? Thank you. And Kumail Non-Giani. I've come back with cat toothbrushes, which is impossible to use. Come get stupider with us at MaximumFun.org. Look, your podcast apps are open. Just pull it out.

Give Jordan Jesse Goat try. Being smart is hard. Be dumb instead. Oh, rats, hey, hey, hey, oh, I'm about to count you in line. These clouds are really freaking me out. I hate having to stand in line. And boy, what do I, these giraffes do not smell good. No, they do not, and they've such short nacks.

But I'm hearing we need to get on this. We've got to get on the art. It is It's about to rain, about to destroy humanity. Hey, oh, sorry, sorry, sorry. Are you Noah? Yeah, I know we look like humans, but we're actually, we're podcasters. Yes, probably. We are podcasters, so it's different. Have you heard of Ohno Ross and Carrie? We investigate spirituality, claims of the paranormal, stuff like that. And you have a boat and say the world's gonna end, so seem like something for us to check out. We would love to be on the boats. We came to by two.

What do you think? Ona Ross & Kerry, available on MaximumFun.org. Well, you know, another thing that has consequences at him is the game of buttholes, the will of the prophets. It's right. It's how we decide how our next episode will be consumed. And our next episode is season 5 episode 21, Soldiers of the Empire. On a mission for the Klingon Empire, Warf realizes that his friend General Martok is no longer fit to lead.

Yeah, I mean, I don't think he's going to pass the Warrior's physical with a knife like that. Yeah. Well, we are currently on square 18 that corks bar that we slip down to via the space but hole. Just ahead, we have another space but hole on square 21 that could get us stuck with a a dark mock episode. Everyone loved the first time we did that. Was that one of the controversial ones?

I, uh, people hated that of. Really? Yeah. Oh man. People don't like it when we break format. Fuck them! This is our game. I'm not gonna go that far as to saying fuck them.

I like a format that I've grown accustomed to too as a viewer of a podcast. So I get it, but also, it's fun every once in a while to do something different. I think that's the point of the game of battles. Sometimes it's painful to roll a bad bone. Yeah. Well why don't you roll that bone? Figure it out.

You're required to learn as you play roll. I think we could also potentially hit a banger so it depends on what I roll here but here I go. And I have rolled a one atom. We are on square 19. It's almost like I was ghostly rolling for you. Yeah. It's a regular episode next week, but a peek behind the pod, probably gonna be a bit of a drunk a suit as well because we're gonna record it really soon

after we stop recording this one. That's right. That's how we like it though. Yeah. We'd like to thank all of the friends of DeSoto who contribute on a monthly basis to the production of this program. You guys are the best. Yeah, it's the end of the year.

I think a lot of people at the end of the year are thinking about the things that they've supported the year behind and what else they might be interested in supporting in the year ahead. And we would ask that if you enjoy what we do on the greatest generation, you support it over at maximumfund.org slash donate. Just yesterday, as of this recording, I went over to the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles and dropped off the 60-something Lego kits

that you and I bought to donate to their playroom there for the kids who are stuck in the hospital. You didn't tell me that. That's great. Yeah, that's something that We were only able to do because of the incredibly generous support of the friends of DeSoto, so we're Trying to take this good will and spread it around as much as we can. And they, like the people at the drop off, like I scheduled my drop off.

And I went and when I was pulling the boxes and boxes of Legos, how do the back of my car, they were like, wow, holy crap. I hope you guys make a regular thing of this. This was really great. They were really thrilled. So I just wanted to say thanks to the friends of DeSoto for supporting us and enabling us to do a thing like that.

Wow, that's pretty excellent. And we should also think Adam Ragusia, who makes music for our program, of course, based his music off of that of dark material, who made the original Picard song, Adam Ragusia quitting his job as a college professor to go full-time YouTube cook. That's pretty awesome. Yeah, pretty great. Search for Adam Ragusia on YouTube and your dinner, tomorrow night,

taken care of. When you're Adam Ragusia, you season the two-week notice. And not the mailbox you put it in. Yeah, you pour white wine into almost every resignation letter you leave on your box's desk. So you understand what we're talking about. You got to go over to Adam Regusy as YouTube channel. It's great. We got to thank our buddy Bill Tilly,

who makes trading cards about just about every episode of the show. I think every single episode, right? Every single one. I don't think he's missed one. And it would be fine if he did. Benny would deserve a break. It's Bill Tilly But he ain't taking him. Yeah, he's on Twitter at Bill Tilly 1973 and he uses the hashtag

Greatest Jan when he posts his posts There are also lots of social media groups on discord and Reddit and Facebook all these evil companies have Group of friends of a de the pseudo operating inside them. That's right. They're groups waiting to spring into action and overthrow them. With that, we'll be back at you next time. Another great episode of Star Trek Deep Space 9, and an episode of the greatest generation, Deep Space 9, that is considering going sleeveless.

Yolopika, ka, ka, ka, ka, ka, ka, ka, ka. Maximumfun.org. Comedy and culture. Artist owned. Audience supported.