Quodo in Every Episode discussion: "Q-Less"

[chacusha]

This week we're discussing... episode 1x07 "Q-Less"!

Episode synopsis: Vash (and her traveling partner, Q) are picked up in the Gamma Quadrant. With them come some mysterious and potentially life-threatening power fluctuations. As the crew tries to find the source of the fluctuations, Vash and Quark auction off some rare Gamma Quadrant artifacts.

What The Boys are up to in this episode: Quark has a big role in this episode, meeting with Vash several times to strike a deal about selling her Gamma Quadrant artifacts, conducting the auction, and then seeing if he can entice Vash into going into business with him rather than getting a job at the Daystrom Institute. Odo has two appearances: one very brief scene where he's keeping an eye on the wealthy visitors coming aboard the station and comments on the power fluctuations, and then a longer scene with Quark in his office where they talk about material possessions and Quark tries to sell Odo some goods.

One screencap from this episode:


Transcript: http://chakoteya.net/DS9/407.htm

Quodo fics tagged with this episode: None (https://archiveofourown.org/works?work_search%5Bsort_column%5D=revised_at&work_search%5Bother_tag_names%5D=Episode%3A+s01e07+Q-Less&work_search%5Bexcluded_tag_names%5D=&work_search%5Bcrossover%5D=&work_search%5Bcomplete%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_from%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_to%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_from%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_to%5D=&work_search%5Bquery%5D=&work_search%5Blanguage_id%5D=&commit=Sort+and+Filter&tag_id=Star+Trek%3A+Deep+Space+Nine)

Tell us:
- What did you think about this episode?
- Have you written a fic set during/after this episode?
- Do you know of any other fics set in or that build off this episode that weren't linked above?
- What do you see as the Quodo potential for this episode?

Anonymous comments are on, so feel free to chime in even if you don't have a Dreamwidth account! If you prefer, we are also available on Discord:
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Event info & rules
Fic masterlist

Comments

[chacusha]

Random thoughts:

- It's interesting that Quark and Bashir are both pursuing/flirting with Vash in this one. I guess they also both pursue Dax as well, but it's an interesting dynamic that they're both the station womanizers.

-

Quark: Isn't there anything you... desire?
Odo: (eyes flicking to glance at Quark) I have my work. What more do I need?

I'm dying. XD Also, "When are you going to realize that you have no secrets from me?" Why are they like this 😂 This scene is so dang shippy.

- Vash's hair in the auction scene is fantastic. Love it.

-

Vash: How honest?
Quark: As honest as you and I.

Following up on my previous comment, I also like how Quark understands Vash as a person better than Bashir does -- Quark and Vash are very similar people.

- "Friends -- it's rare; it's beautiful... and it's a Gamma Quadrant original! And it can be yours for the right price." -- lol, I love Salesman Quark here. XD

- Another Quark cousin appears in this episode -- Cousin Stol.

- The fact that Vash and Quark are still in contact/business together at the end of this episode opens up the possibility of Vash plotlines in the future. We didn't get any, unfortunately, but there's always fanfic...

- Quark has a lot of love interests starting from season 2, but I guess this is the first episode in DS9 where he has a one-episode love interest?

Overall, another pretty forgettable episode, IMO. I guess there are some moments that are memorable and some aspects that are interesting (Sisko punching Q; getting closure on what happened to Vash; the various Quark scenes). The technobabble plotline and how long it takes to resolve is kind of boring/slow-paced, though, in my opinion. Kind of wish there was another subplot in this one.


Thoughts on Quodo potential:

I can't believe this episode doesn't have any Quodo fic for it yet?? The scene between them is so shippy. Some ideas:

- With early seasons Quodo, it's really easy to read them as having broken up recently and started dating other people, and Odo being really jealous whenever Quark flirts with someone else. Anyway, I feel like Odo spying on Quark and confronting him about his meeting afterward fits that read very well...

- Or you could go for a pre-relationship sexual tension read instead: expand on Odo shapeshifting in order to spy on Quark. Or thinking about what he desires lol.

- You could also have it so that Quark buys Odo a latinum-plated bucket as a present and then bills him for it later. (Odo secretly treasures it although not for material reasons haha.)

[axolotls]

I'm dying. XD Also, "When are you going to realize that you have no secrets from me?" Why are they like this 😂 This scene is so dang shippy.

I know right?? I think when I first watched the show, I was starting to ship them around this time... That line about desire is so easy to read into, hehehe. (I do also enjoy that Odo clearly seems to consider a nice bucket. I like the idea of Quark getting him a nicer one (maybe not super expensive though, lol) under the pretense of testing his vices, but really he just wanted to see what emotions he could get out of Odo...)

[chacusha]

I can't remember when in my first watch-through I started to ship them -- but they do get so many good moments straight from season 1. XD Odo actually considering the bucket for a hot second there is also so good! And yeah, Quark wouldn't want to spend TOO much money on what is ultimately a very risky investment, but he'd want to make sure it looked nice enough to be tempting, haha.

[axolotls]

Hehe yesss.