thoughts on “profit and loss” because i just rewatched it and it’s SUCH a great garak and quark episode, a great episode thematically speaking, and also (imho) a cool garashir episode (metatextually)
the overarching conflicts between nationalism, justice and love. we begin with bashir challenging garak on cardassian ideals - “before you can be loyal to another you must be loyal to yourself” which garak pretends to scoff at but you know it’s hit home. this also sets up the ensuing thematic and interpersonal conflicts in the episode.
quark lost natima’s trust because he prioritized a loyalty to himself - specifically to his cultural values of monetary gain - over a loyalty to the cause of fighting the occupation. he starts to regain it by offering to help her and her students escape central command, but he’s still holding on to that nugget of selfishness, he wants natima to stay behind and choose a happy life with him over her political ideals.
then you have garak, who clearly despises the leadership at central command but is desperate to be allowed to return home. he can’t even let himself form an opinion on the politics of cardassia because he’s beholden to cc, and reports natima’s presence on the station as soon as he sees her. his love for his homeland, even in exile, is depriving him of certain freedoms of thought and movement. the psychic and political reach of fascism doesn’t stop at the borders of the fascist empire, and this is perhaps one of the strongest arguments for why natima and her comrades need to survive and continue the movement for a free cardassia.
the ways that pleasure, sensuality, joy, beauty, femininity and creativity is anathema to fascism, and also contain the seeds of resistance. natima’s breathy recollection of the picnic where quark covered her face in honey, as they breathlessly embrace, reminds them of joy and pleasure snatched under the shadow of military occupation, of a bond forged from happiness and sensuality that then manifested in political and financial resistance against the empire, that is still manifesting in quark’s willingness to help natima’s students escape.