History Recap / StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS04E16BarAssociation

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Rom admits that he's been giving himself ''oo-mox''. Shortly thereafter, Quark tells him to leave his ears alone.

* IntimidatingRevenueService: Brunt and the FCA return, and they show exactly why they are so feared when he has Nausicaans [[MakeAnExampleOfThem make an example of Quark]].

** Brunt has his thugs put Quark in hospital, just to send a message to Rom. When Brunt returns in "Body Parts", it's clear his actions are motivated purely by petty dislike of Quark, and not by any real concern for Ferengi laws.

* PunctuatedForEmphasis: "Shove off! One! *flinch* By! *flinch* One!"
* RousingSpeech: Rom has two in this episode: one when he's forming the union, and one to keep them together after Brunt and the Nausicaans threaten them.

* WriterOnBoard: Hollywood is a heavily unionized industry, so the episode was always going to portray the union as the good guys. In spite of playing the villain here, Armin Shimerman was actually on the Board of Directors of the Screen Actor's Guild.

[[caption-width-right:350:"Workers of the world, unite!"]]

* WriterOnBoard: Hollywood is a heavily unionized industry, so the episode was always going to portray the union as the good guys. In spite of playing the villain here, Armin Shimmerman was actually on the Board of Directors of the Screen Actor's Guild.

* WriterOnBoard: Hollywood is heavily unionized industry, so the episode was always going to portray the union as the good guys. In spite of playing the villain here, Armin Shimmerman was actually on the Board of Directors of the Screen Actor's Guild.

* ShoutOut: Rom quotes from ''Literature/TheCommunistManifesto''.

Rom meets Quark in the infirmary. He still refuses to end the strike without getting his demands, so the brothers hatch a plan: Quark will cave to the union's demands to end the strike, but they'll make it look like Quark won to get the FCA off their backs. The bar reopens just as the Bajoran Cleansing Festival ends, so business is once again booming. Rom arrives in a Bajoran uniform announcing his resignation, saying he is now working as a station engineer. He assures his brother that he'll still keep the bar operation and visit him often, only now as a customer. Quark jumps to take his order.

Rom gathers the bar employees together and drums up interest in unionizing. The Ferengi are aghast, noting that unionizing is a high crime on Ferenginar, but Rom persuasively rallies them aboard. They present a list of demands to Quark, who refuses outright, prompting the workers to strike. They demonstrate outside of Quark's and give slips to latinum to passersby for boycotting the bar.

** When Worf complains about the fact that security was lax enough to allow someone to break into his quarters and that "nothing like this ever happened on the ''Enterprise''," Odo says, "Oh, realllly?" and relates the plots of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Next Gen]] episodes [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E7Rascals "Rascals"]] and [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E9AMatterOfTime "A Matter of Time"]]. Judging by [[CheshireCatGrin the big grin on his face]] and the quickness of pulling up the info on a padd, Odo was just waiting for Worf to start complaining about his methods again.* ADateWithRosiePalms: Rom admits that he's been giving himself ''oo-mox''. Shortly thereafter, Quark tells him to leave his ears alone.

* TookALevelInBadass: Rom goes from sniveling lackey to union leader. Inspired, he decides to finally cast of Quark's yoke and become an engineer for the Bajorans.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: O'Brien's description of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Clontarf Battle of Clontarf]] as between the Irish and Viking invaders is an oversimplification, as there were Gaelic Irish on both sides.

The Bajoran Ritual of Cleansing, a full month where Bajorans abstain from worldly pleasures, so Quark's bar is virtually empty. As Quark bemoans his lack of business, Rom passes out from an ear infection that he's let slide for weeks because Quark won't give him any sick leave. As he leaves sick bay, Bashir suggests he form a union against such strict work policies. But things only get worse at Quark's. The barkeep announces that he's cutting salaries by a third to make up for the lack of income, and no amount of begging from Rom will move him.

Meanwhile, Worf has arrived back at the station after captaining the ''Defiant'' on a mission into the gamma quadrant. Dax teases him about being in love with the ship. Later, when returning from a sparring session, they catch a thief who has just robbed Worf's quarters. Worf hauls the thief to Odo's and castigates the constable for such a lapse in security, but Odo counters that Worf's own security history on the ''Enterprise'' is not without incident either. Worf will just have to get used to living on a space station.

O'Brien and Bashir watch the events unfold, supporting Rom's union. When Worf crosses the picket line to patronize Quark's, O'Brien and Bashir rush after him to explain the situation, resulting in all three men getting thrown in the brig for brawling. Sisko chews them out and wants this strike ended. He calls Quark to his office and demands that he end the strike, threatening to call in all the outstanding debts that Quark owes the Federation. Quark is in a tight spot, because caving to union demands is itself on Ferenginar. He tries to bribe Rom into ending the strike, but Rom refuses.

But it's too late anyway, as Liquidator Brunt from the Ferengi Commerce Authority arrives with two Nausicaan thugs to break the strike. He threatens the Ferengi with financial ruin for them and their families unless they return to work tomorrow. One worker breaks, but the rest resolve to continue the strike regardless. Brunt decides that someone Rom cares about must be beaten to deliver a message. He notes how close Rom is growing with the dabo girl Leeta but decides that he WouldntHitAGirl, so he decides on the next best person: Quark himself.

O'Brien and Worf reconcile after their brawl and talk about Worf's unease in the station. The commander announces that he's found a solution: He will move his quarters onto the ''Defiant'', where he can keep to himself. He settles in, and Dax arrives to give him a housewarming present: some Klingon operas he can play over the speaker system. Dax advises Worf that he'll have to get used to the station at some point, but the Klingon suggests that perhaps the station will get used to ''him'' instead.

Rom meets Quark in the infirmary. He still refuses to end the strike without getting his demands, so the brothers hatch a plan: Quark will cave to Rom's demands to end the strike, but they'll make it look like Quark won to get the FCA off their backs. The bar reopens just as the Bajoran Cleansing Festival ends, so business is once again booming. Rom arrives in a Bajoran uniform announcing his resignation, saying he is now working as a station engineer. He assures his brother that he'll still keep the bar operation and visit him often, only now as a customer. Quark jumps to take his order.

Fed up with exploitative working conditions at Quark's Bar, Rom forms a union of Quark's employees, which is illegal according to Ferengi law. Events quickly spiral out of control as the FCA and Brunt get involved.

* WriterOnBoard: Hollywood is heavily unionized industry, so the episode was always going to portray the union as the good guys.

* BizarreAlienAnatomy: Per Quark's injuries, Ferengi apparently have "ascending ribs" and a "lower lung."

'''Brunt:''' If this was Ferenginar, I'd have you all taken to the spire of the Tower of Commerce, displayed to the crowds in the Great Marketplace below, then [[SuddenlyShouting SHOVED OFF]]! [[PunctuatedForEmphasis ONE! BY! ONE!]] Small children would bet on where you would land, and your spattered remains would be sold as feed mulch for gree-worms!\\

* EatTheFanService: Brunt gawks at Leeta when he first sees her, which foreshadows his reluctance to use her against Rom.

* Wouldn'tHitAGirl: Brunt doesn't like the idea of brutalizing Leeta, saying her lobes are too "delicate," so he has Quark beaten instead.

* BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: Sisko pretty much threatens Quark to solve the union issue or be made to pay back five years worth of unpaid bills, which Quark almost certainly can't do.
* CallBack: When Worf complains about the fact that security was lax enough to allow someone to break into his quarters and that "nothing like this ever happened on the ''Enterprise''," Odo says, "Oh, realllly?" and relates the plots of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Next Gen]] episodes [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E7Rascals "Rascals"]] and [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E9AMatterOfTime "A Matter of Time"]]. Judging by [[CheshireCatGrin the big grin on his face]] and the quickness of pulling up the info on a padd, Odo was just waiting for Worf to start complaining about his methods again.

* ContinuityNod: The thief dropping from the ceiling has just stolen Worf's stuff, including the Ferengi tooth sharpener he bought from Nog in [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS04E08LittleGreenMen "Little Green Men."]]
* ADateWithRosiePalms: (or perhaps Rosie Lobes?)
-->'''Rom:''' It's not Quark's fault that I got sick. I forgot to get my bi-monthly ear scan. And besides, I've probably been getting too much ''oo-mox''.\\
'''Leeta:''' Really? Who's the lucky female?\\
'''Rom:''' ''(sheepishly)'' No female. Just me.\\
'''Leeta:''' ''(embarrassed)'' I'm ... sorry ...\\
'''Rom:''' ''(hopeful)'' Sorry enough to do something about it?\\
''[Rom tilts his ear toward Leeta]''
* DescriptionCut: O'Brien and Bashir see Worf going into Quark's while the union are picketing it. An annoyed Miles goes to "talk some sense" into Worf. Cut to all three in a holding cell, Bashir sporting a nasty cut on his head, after the confrontation got physical.

* EvilDebtCollector: Sisko briefly invokes this when he tries to force Quark to put an end to the strike in the quickest way he knows how: ignoring the Federation's "no money" policy. He then calculates five years of back rent, plus compensation for repairs and the drain on the station's power supply, and asks how much latinum that is. It's quite enough to get Quark to the negotiation table.

* LastSecondWordSwap: Brunt considers having the Nausicaans beat up Leeta, but reconsiders because she has such delicate ... ''lobes''.

-->'''Grimp:''' I thought you said [[ImNotAfraidOfYou you weren't afraid of the FCA]].\\
'''Frool:''' ''[[ILied I lied.]]''
* PunctuatedForEmphasis: "'''SHOVED OFF!''' One! *flinch* By! *flinch* One!"

* TookALevelInBadass: God''damn'', Rom!
* TookALevelInJerkass: Quark's bar is in a slump due to the Bajoran Cleansing Festival, putting him on edge and making his behavior this episode go from JerkWithAHeartOfGold to JerkWithAHeartOfJerk.
* WriterOnBoard: With all the union people working on this episode, there was no way Rom and his union were going to be presented as anything but blameless and noble and no way the forces of business were going to be presented with ''any'' sympathy or nuance whatsoever--to the point where Rom gloating over the sight of his brother in sickbay, having nearly been beaten to death, is [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic presented as an unambiguously good thing]].

* CargoShip: InUniverse. Dax jokes that Worf is falling in love with the ''Defiant''. Considering this is the first Federation-designed warship, and sits in roughly the same weight class as a Klingon Bird-of-Prey, it's a perfect fit for him.

* NothingIsTheSameAnymore: Rom stops being his brother's lackey and plays a much more important part of the series from here on in. On a smaller scale, Rom quits Quark's bar, becomes an engineering technician in the Bajoran Militia, and develops feelings for Leeta, [[spoiler: who he would eventually marry later in the series.]]

* WriterOnBoard: As Website/SFDebris noted, with all the union people working on this episode, there was no way Rom and his union were going to be presented as anything but blameless and noble and no way the forces of business were going to be presented with ''any'' sympathy or nuance whatsoever--to the point where Rom gloating over the sight of his brother in sickbay, having nearly been ''beaten to '''death''''', is [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic presented as an unambiguously good thing]]. YMMV on this too, depending on which side of the picket line where one is standing.

* TookALevelInJerkass: Quark's bar is in a slump due to the Bajoran Cleansing Festival, putting him on edge and making his behavior this episode go from JerkWithAHeartOfGold to JerkWithAHeartOfJerk.