Rivals (2 Jan. 1994)

Quark meets his match when a new rival opens a casino opposite Quark's Bar on the Promenade; meanwhile the station is suffering issues of high improbability.

Director:

David Livingston

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (creator), Rick Berman (creator),

Stars:

Avery Brooks, Rene Auberjonois, Alexander Siddig

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Avery Brooks	...	Commander Sisko
Rene Auberjonois	...	Odo
Alexander Siddig	...	Doctor Bashir (as Siddig El Fadil)
Terry Farrell	...	Lieutenant Jadzia Dax
Cirroc Lofton	...	Jake Sisko (credit only)
Colm Meaney	...	Chief O'Brien
Armin Shimerman	...	Quark
Nana Visitor	...	Major Kira
Chris Sarandon	...	Martus Mazur
Rosalind Chao	...	Keiko O'Brien
Barbara Bosson	...	Roana
K Callan	...	Alsia
Max Grodénchik	...	Rom
Albert Henderson	...	Cos

Storyline

Martus, an El-Aurian, tries to con a lady but gets arrested by Odo for conning a couple earlier. In his cell he meet Cos, a dying alien with a strange gambling device. Cos tells he had a string of bad luck. After Cos dies, he takes the device. Shortly after he hears the couple decided not to press charges and is released. He tries to sell the thing to Quark, but he is not overly interested. Feeling very lucky decides to become Quark's rival and opens another casino on the Promenade. Meanwhile O'Brien has constructed a racquetball court to get some physical exercise. He finds out Dr. Bashir plays it too. He even was captain of the team of his medical school. O'Brien is no match for Bashir, much to his frustration. He keeps challenging Bashir. Bashir fears for O'Briens health and tries to stop playing.

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Plot Keywords:

luck | 24th century

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 January 1994 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Whoopi Goldberg was to have played Guinan, her recurring role from Star Trek: The Next Generation, in this episode. But she was unavailable due to her movie work.

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Quotes

Martus Mazur: It seems that overconfidence comes in small packages around here.

User Reviews

Ferengi vs El-Aurian

This has always been one of my most favorite DS9 episodes, Chris Sarandon is "Martis Mazur" - An El Aurian, who like TNG's "Guinan" is from a race of "Listeners" - Only, Mazur is selective in who he "listens" to - Especially if it will bring him profit. He's a Ferengi in El-Aurian clothing.

In fact this episode has remarkable "Bookends" - We initially see Mazur trying to fleece an Alien woman (K Callan) . This comes back to bite him in the arse at the end of the episode.

Mazur, while being chilled out in Odo's Hoosegow, "Inherits" a strange "game" from another inmate- You either win, or Lose. He tries to sell it to Quark, but he realizes that he can use the thing to set up another "rival" gaming joint across form Quarks-Which he does by schmoozing Widowed Bajoran Storeowner Barbara Bosson. Initially, they start making money hand-over-fist, but then Quark has his "Revenge": He hosts betting on a Racquetball game between O'Brien and Dr. Bashir!

Which is another set of "Rivals" - O'Brien is an old-school (emphasis on "Old") Racquetball player versus Bashir's youth and enthusiasm and flapping mouth, who at this point in the show O'Brien can still barely tolerate. But O'Brien, after getting his rear-end kicked soundly in several thrashings by Bashir on the Racquetball court, needs and must get back at Bashir.

But when odd coincidences of "luck" start affecting both Quark (his Dabo Tables all give a win at the same time) and Bashir (Who in the 3rd of 4th game, keeps having unfortunate accidents on the racquetball court)-It is determined that something very ODD is going on - And "Ops" tracks it down-To the LARGER VERSIONS of Mazur's game, which he had replicated on a larger scale and installed into Bosson's new Gaming Place.

This sticks Mazur back in the same place he was at the beginning of the Episode: Broke. So he gives all of his winnings to the woman he had been trying to fleece at the beginning of the episode: Surprise, she fleeced HIM at the end. Add in two more "Rivals" with the fleeced/fleecing woman (Callan) and the Widow (Bosson).

This episode had many wonderful parallels, dualities, and reversals. One of the better DS9 eps of the whole run.