Quark is in it to win it. Look at how he goes right for her neck ridges.
Love that both Quark and Natima found themselves in a life or death scenario and decided “You know what this calls for? Foreplay”
Icon from a picrew by grgikau. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
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.
Anyway when Garak says “That’s the thing about love. No one really understands it, do they?” He’s talking about Julian.
They set up this parallel between Quark’s struggle to let Natima go and Garak’s struggle with his conscience whether to kill her and her students. Then they equate Quark’s love of Natima with Garak’s love of Cardassia. Which totally fits, and I love that actually!
But! Also! *Julian* was literally the one who told Garak, “Before you can be loyal to another, you must be loyal to yourself.” There’s no way that wasn’t playing in his mind in that final scene. I don’t want to diminish Garak’s own morality and his desire for a free Cardassia as his chief motivations, but I think Julian’s words, and Garak’s developing feelings for him, helped tip the scales. When you’re trying to make decisions for yourself that you want to make, it helps immensely to know someone you care about agrees with you.
Also Garak understands his love for Cardassia. It’s an intrinsic part of him. But these feelings for Julian? For this idealistic human doctor? That love is the mystery.
Anyway when Garak says “That’s the thing about love. No one really understands it, do they?” He’s talking about Julian.