Quodo in Every Episode discussion: "Move Along Home"

[chacusha]

This week we're discussing... episode 1x10 "Move Along Home"!

Episode synopsis: DS9 has visitors from the Gamma Quadrant, the games-loving Wadi. Quark agrees to play one of their board games, unaware that the senior officers are the game pieces!

What The Boys are up to in this episode: This is a Quark-centric episode. He is talking to and entertaining the Wadi at his dabo tables, and playing the board game and learning its rules as he goes. Meanwhile, Odo is investigating Sisko and the others' disappearance, and sneaks on board the Wadi ship, which only ends up transporting him to Quark's bar. From then on, Odo tries to assist Quark in making decisions in the game to keep the officers out of danger. After the game finishes, Odo rats out Quark and his cheating of the Wadi to Sisko. The Wadi are not particularly bothered by this, though, and Quark hurries to make a business arrangement with them.

One screencap from this episode:

"Blow on them."

Transcript: http://chakoteya.net/DS9/410.htm

Quodo fics tagged with this episode: There is one in the tag (already added to the masterlist): https://archiveofourown.org/works/41650548

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:
https://discord.gg/VaCnMYvKu6 (18+ proship Quodo Discord - there is a dedicated channel for this event)
https://discord.gg/Htz4crCdCt (general Quodo Discord)
Event info & rules
Fic masterlist

Comments

[chacusha]

Random thoughts:

- Hell yeah, dress uniforms.

- Aw, Jake is amazing in this opening scene -- I love his SMOOTH sitting. XD Sisko's face at "Nog." XD "It's sort of like... a first date with a girl." -- lmao, love Ben and Jake's interactions.

- I like everyone else being like "It's fine" to Julian not having his uniform and Sisko immediately being a hard-ass about it. XD

- I love Bashir's amused smile at the unusual first contact. He's just here to have an adventure, and I love that for him.

- Love how sketchy Quark is.

- The moment they said "klon peags," I laughed out loud. This episode is so silly. I think the cheesy sci-fi aesthetics of the aliens in this episode is probably the closest we get to TOS aesthetics in the 90s shows, maybe aside from the costumes in the TNG episodes with the Edo ("Justice") and on Angel One.

- It's interesting to me how Sisko and co. enter the game equipped with uniforms and tricorders, even when previously in bed in their pajamas.

- Kira's reaction to this sci-fi bullshit is so iconic. XD

- Ahh I forgot Primmin is in this episode too. Amazing. Odo is such a dick to him 😂

- I always wondered in this episode how Quark and the Wadi experience this game. (Apparently, the game is called "chula.") Like, does time pass differently in this game dimension, or are the spectators just waiting? How are the people outside the game alerted of the outcome of each challenge? (The computer gives some notification and the host makes an announcement of the result?) Because Quark seems completely oblivious of the fact that it's the officers playing until later, so he must not be able to see them...

- It's also interesting to me in this episode that Bashir's scientific thinking is pretty helpful throughout. Until he gets knocked out of the game, that is.

- "Oh, i-i-is that Starfleet policy?" -- Man, Odo's sass in these past two episodes... XD

- Love all of Bashir's model posing in this episode. XD

- This is a really great Quodo episode. I like how stressed Quark is when responsible for the officers' lives, and I like the dynamic of Odo standing up for Quark. And "Blow on them." XD Just such an amazing dynamic between them!

- Lol at Odo and the Wadi guy just looking on with puzzled confusion as Quark has a full meltdown.

- I also like how the reason why the officers lose is because the players in-game (like Quark outside the game) also refuse to sacrifice one to save the rest.

- This last scene with Odo and Quark is so funny to me because Odo just won't take his eyes off of Quark lol. They have such a good dynamic in this episode!

I think what makes this episode both work and be quite polarizing is the bathos of its plot. Like, there's so much dread regarding the officers' welfare, and Quark's confident "Trust a gambler" instinct, and Odo very seriously choosing to put his trust in those instincts... And then Quark just loses, and the stakes don't matter anyway. There's just no payoff at all. XD Even Sisko's anger at the Wadi at being trapped in the game being defused by the revelation of Quark's cheating just... doesn't really make logical sense? There's no real connection between the setup in this episode and the payoff and I think that makes it quite an absurd episode to watch.

I think this episode also tends to be a fairly early indicator whether you will or will not like Quark. Personally (as a Quark fan), I think he shines in this one because he combines a kind of slipperiness with a bit of other unexpected talents/virtues and pathos. I feel like if you're going to appreciate what they do with Quark's character, this episode is the one that sells you on that vision.


Thoughts on Quodo potential:

This episode already has a fic for it, but here's some thoughts anyway:

- Okay, so I think that this episode is actually just kind of begging for a sequel! Like, I think it's fascinating what could be done if you combine board game mechanics with physical challenges taking place in a holosuite. Quark is right that there's a business opportunity here. You could have whole televised chula games featuring teams of players where you have the strategist outside the arena guiding the actions of players doing physical challenges in a holosuite. (Actually, isn't this the setup of Hunger Games? Like, you have the coach outside trying to help the players in the arena...) Anyway, Quark sets up a holoprogram for playing chula and maybe convinces Odo to give it a whirl.

- A bit simpler, but you could do a pretty shippy Quodo fic just by going into what Odo and/or Quark is thinking during that whole "blow on them" moment. XD