Rivals
- FIRST SHOWN (US)
- 3 January 1994
- ON
- First-run syndication
- STARDATE
- None given
- DIRECTED BY
- David Livingston
- PRODUCTION NO.
- 431
WRITTEN BYTeleplay by Joe Menosky; story by Jim Trombetta and Michael Piller
A charming El-Aurian con man acquires a strange device that brings good luck, opens a rival bar across the Promenade, and Quark's fortunes begin to sink.
Red alert: the full plot, ending included. Haven't watched yet?REVEAL SYNOPSIS
Odo arrests the smooth El-Aurian swindler Martus Mazur for swindling. In the holding cells, Martus's cellmate Cos dies and leaves behind a small gambling device that seems to bend the odds. Released when the charges are dropped, Martus opens a bar and casino of his own, built around larger versions of the machine, and steals Quark's customers. Meanwhile O'Brien, stung by losing to Bashir at racquetball, trains hard for a rematch, and Quark turns their rivalry into a public contest so he can take bets. Odd runs of luck start appearing across the station, including O'Brien's unlikely winning streak, and Dax and Sisko trace them to Martus's devices, which are distorting probability. The machines are destroyed, the match is called off, Martus's luck turns, and his victims decide to press charges after all.
- 01Martus was first conceived as a wayward son of Guinan, but Whoopi Goldberg was unavailable, so only his El-Aurian heritage survived.
- 02The racquetball court was built on the holosuite set. The cheaper dartboard in Quark's became the regular pastime from the third season.
- 03Jim Trombetta's original pitch had Quark himself acquiring a device that brought him luck at others' expense.