Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

"Rivals"

2.5 stars

Air date: 1/3/1994
Teleplay by Joe Menosky
Story by Jim Trombetta and Michael Piller
Directed by David Livingston

Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan

An El'Aurian con man named Martus (Chris Sarandon) visits DS9 and stumbles across a bizarre gambling device that—once replicated and integrated into his newly established casino—inadvertently changes the laws of probability so that unforeseen unlikelihoods occur on the station.

"Rivals" is an atypical attempt at light cleverness, and it almost works. This is a relaxing, diverting hour with enough sense of whimsy to be respectably entertaining. Particularly fun to watch are the humorous character moments surrounding O'Brien and Bashir's racquetball rivalry. Watching O'Brien's frustration over Julian's youth advantage is a delight, and Bashir's own problem of having to beat a person he considers a mentor is a witty twist.

Less compelling are the implications of Martus' competitive establishment stealing all of Quark's customers—though the idea isn't completely unpalatable. Quark's idea of conning O'Brien and Bashir into a "charity" racquetball tournament to regenerate his business is somewhat inspired. And the results of the tournament prove interesting when the change in the probability laws causes the ball to always go to O'Brien—a fairly clever idea.

But there's a glaring flaw surrounding this episode, which is that the writing is far too restrained and low-key for what the premise demands. Menosky should've pushed the envelope on this one so much further into comic mayhem—or at least into mild slapstick or memorable creativity. As it stands, "Rivals" is an amiable, lightweight episode with some good ideas, but just not funny or inspired enough to maintain a real sense of energy.

Previous episode: Sanctuary
Next episode: The Alternate

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43 comments on this post

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Paul York
Wed, Jun 6, 2012, 9:23am (UTC -5)
It seems improbably (implausible) that the laws of probability should be altered in this way, within a local area of spacetime. And if they were, the station would probably come apart and everyone would die, not just a few changes that we see here. However, this is sci-fi, so we accept the premise for the sake of the story. Shows how DS9 attracts all sorts of shady characters ...
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Ian
Sat, Jul 21, 2012, 10:55pm (UTC -5)
Sounds like they needed an Infinite Improbibility Drive...

Also sounds like somone had read The Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy...
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Asian James
Fri, Jan 11, 2013, 9:33am (UTC -5)
I'm surprised this episode received a 2.5 out of 4 stars from Jammer. The plot about changing the law of probability is very improbable in itself. The props are awful (e.g. the gambling globes that Martus sets up in his shop) and are more painful to watch almost 20 years later after the episode was produced.

The only two saving graces about the episode are as follows:

1. Seeing the B-plot of how much O'Brien hates Bashier, and how he works so hard to defeat Bashier in futuristic racquetball. ***SPOILER ALERT*** It's fun to watch since DS9 viewers know how their friendship evolves.

2. Seeing Chris Sarandon, a.k.a. Prince Humperdinck, on-screen.

My personal rating: 1.5 out of 4 stars.
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Jack
Sun, Feb 10, 2013, 9:13pm (UTC -5)
We have a scene in ops where they talk about how the infirmary is swamped, then to a scene where Bashir is in Quark's, and then back to a scene in ops where again it is mentioned that the infirmary is swamped. So why is Bashir in Quark's?
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ZurielSeven
Sat, Aug 10, 2013, 9:09am (UTC -5)
Sarandon's early "I'm not listening"... Quarks near-perfect manipulations to set up the match... The reactions of the Bajoran monks... C'mon - add another half-star for this one.
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Kotas
Tue, Oct 22, 2013, 3:44pm (UTC -5)
Absurd episode but somehow it kind of worked for me. The Bashir O'Brien plot was fun as well.

5/10
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Yanks
Fri, Jun 27, 2014, 11:20am (UTC -5)
This is a so-so episode.

Still not sure how someone's luck can be affect by these gizmos.

Bashir/Obrien racketball, blah...

Just a miffle of the road pretty boring ep. No highs and no real lows.

2 of 4 stars from me.
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DLPB
Sun, Aug 31, 2014, 7:00am (UTC -5)
This episode must rank in as one of the worst episodes in Trek history. The acting is poor, probably because the script is useless. The plot is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. This shouldn't come under "Science Fiction", but "Fiction". There's no science here, folks. The idea that probability works this way is simply insulting the viewer's intelligence.
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Scott
Tue, Sep 2, 2014, 1:05am (UTC -5)
I like this episode. Of course I like a lot of episodes that most fans think are cheesy. I can watch move along home, if wishes were horses, and any ferengi episode. It's not that I don't understand why people don't like these episodes. I just have fun with them. Then when I watch a serious masterpiece like rocks and shoals I change how I watch the show.

I liked the conflict between Martus and Quark but Martus does take away some of the mystery behind Gunans race.

House always take Blue!!!!
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Dusty
Thu, Nov 6, 2014, 11:36am (UTC -5)
I have an issue with the whole "luck" thing. A whole episode based on some alien doohickey altering the laws of probability? Humans MADE UP the laws of probability in an attempt to explain and organize random phenomena via mathematics. Why would alien races buy into them? And surely we would have moved on to something more sophisticated by the time we colonized space. Jadzia tracing evidence of these alterations on a subatomic level (the "spinning neutrinos" bit) just adds to the silliness.

Beyond that, it was a fun and entertaining outing, but not very memorable. Bashir and O'Brien never even resolved their rivalry. Honestly, I only watched it as closely as I did because I wanted Bashir to get beat (legitimately).
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methane
Fri, Jul 3, 2015, 11:52am (UTC -5)
This is an episode that I find more entertaining now than when it first aired. When I first watched it, I groaned at the "science". Now I just accept it and find myself amused with the character interactions.
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DLPB
Wed, Jul 8, 2015, 6:43pm (UTC -5)
Humans MADE UP the laws of probability in an attempt to explain and organize random phenomena via mathematics.
---------

No. Probability is a part of mathematics. We didn't invent it any more than we invented a quantity of something. We simply gave a name to it.

The only thing I like about this episode is Quark.
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William B
Fri, Jul 31, 2015, 4:01pm (UTC -5)
This is an episode which examines the theme of luck, in that sometimes people have good luck and sometimes they have bad luck. It also examines the theme of rivalry, in that there are two sets of people -- Quark and Martus, Julian and Miles -- who are competing with each other, who are "rivals" if you will.

...

...

OK, that's it. I've got nothing more to say.

...

OK, OK, I'll try a bit more. The episode's depictions of the ups and downs of fortune makes it feel a bit like some kind of genie story, or some such, and the idea of a device that artificially makes one's luck good or bad has a certain appeal as a fantasy idea. The episode's attempt at a SF explanation is pretty painful, so I won't belabour that. The episode doesn't do much interesting with it, except that it does get something of the charge that the compulsive gambler feels. The real issue with those luck spheres for Martus, and for the previous owner, is that the initial run of good luck creates an artificial high which then makes the person restless and unhappy until they have that again, which is why it's often said that the worst possible thing that can happen to someone is to win big the first time they gamble, since it creates a thrill and a set of expectations that can't really be matched. Making unknown character Martus the person whose luck changes so radically was a weird choice; while, yes, it's nice to see Chris "Prince Humperdink" Sarandon in the role, there's no indication why we should care about this guy aside from the most general "all human[oid]s deserve our empathy" sense of it. The one advantage of making Martus the luck-holder is that it helps establish Quark as the real underdog hero of the episode; while Quark allows gambling at his place, and is a gambler of sorts himself, he judges each deal as it comes and uses his wits, cunning, and interpersonal skills to profit, while "listener" Martus, despite his rep as a con man, mostly ends up a passive individual, at the whim of The Fates splashing him to and fro. The passive man who bets on luck may briefly overtake the canny individual who focuses on skill, but fortunes change and eventually skill tends to win out. Comparing the way Quark makes the O'Brien/Bashir feud into a big source of profits, using the carrot of charity to lure the two in, makes Martus' "a random guy gave me a luck generator which I used to make more luck generators" approach seem even more pathetic.

The Bashir/O'Brien rivalry is pretty fun, actually, though it takes up less of the episode's runtime than I had remembered; I also think that their not resolving their rivalry in episode -- no tag, even! -- is a bit of a shame. It's a comedy plot, yes, but comedy plots still (mostly) work best as plots. Anyway, I find their scenes, along with the related ones (Julian's telling Dax that he's afraid Miles is going to have a heart attack, Miles' venting to Keiko) pretty enjoyable throughout. The personality clash/buddy cop formula is obvious but it does work here, and much better than in "The Storyteller," and I like that Julian is both much more enthusiastic about the friendship and also tries very hard to put an end to the matches while leaving Miles' dignity intact; Miles' desire to beat Julian and wipe that smug smile off his face as a way for Miles to (willingly!) choose to spend more time with the guy is a neat way to push their development without resetting Miles' fundamental attitude, nor putting them in a big life-death situation.

I get something of a kick out of the image of the ball bouncing around the room and O'Brien catching it. I don't quite know what it is, but I like it.

Comedy or no, I do think it's a bad sign when the "main plot" essentially gets resolved because, EVENTUALLY, the main cast notice something, then pick up their tricorder, and then shoot spheres with phasers, end of story, taking all of like one minute.

2-2.5 stars. Probably a high 2 -- enjoyable fluff in the B-plot, somewhat dull and very silly, but with some redeeming elements, A-plot.
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William B
Fri, Jul 31, 2015, 9:54pm (UTC -5)
A bit more on Julian-Miles:

The Bashir-O'Brien friendship is between awkward supergenius and skilled everyman, and so one of the recurring elements is the way any competition between the two of them will go to Bashir, if it's actually something that requires pure physical or mental aptitude. So given the "luck" theme here, it might be worth considering that Bashir happens to have "won" a certain genetic crapshoot that O'Brien didn't. O'Brien is very smart and talented, but is not the kind of physical/mental prodigy that Julian was/is, and has several years on him to boot. O'Brien has experience, Bashir has "talent" in its rawest form, and O'Brien tries to beat Bashir head-on through sheer force of will in spite of the fact that Bashir has every physical advantage, plus training. Bashir did work hard to become an expert racquetball player and, for that matter, briefly wanted to be a great tennis player before going the "easier" route of medical student. But it is hard for O'Brien not to see him, on some level, as having on his side things which have nothing to do with how hard they worked -- Bashir is younger and happens to have been some kind of genius prodigy.

It's another instance where the retcon about Bashir's genetic engineering works wonders. The reason Bashir is so talented is that his parents rigged the game, secretly. And so this brings Bashir into parallel with Martus, and O'Brien into parallel with Quark -- Bashir's genetically enhanced mega-talent gave him an artificial leg-up which amounts to "luck," not in terms of probability but in terms of him happening to have an advantage unrelated to the effort he put in. And then when Martus starts losing, Bashir loses badly. The episode's comedy and the reversal of fortunes perhaps implies that even accidents of birth (or deliberate choices by parents to give their children an Advantage) are just as ephemeral as any other random-number-generator -- even if these accidents of birth end up determining a whole lot of what happens in a person's life. Pretty interesting, if not fully fleshed-out (and I might be imagining things, more so than usual).
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Elliott
Wed, Sep 23, 2015, 4:08pm (UTC -5)
Teaser : ***, 5%

A drunk widowed Milf decides to buy a mining operation. She tells this creepy guy all about her plans while Odo looks on incredulously. As soon as creepy 90s dude suggests that he “help” her with her investment, Odo drags him out of the bar. Turns out the creep is an El'Aurian (the first we have met since Guinan). Martus, the “listener,” is some sort of extortionist. Odo throws him in a cell. There's very little to say about any of this. It's rather straight-forward, well-acted and clear, but not exactly riveting either. Things could go either way.

Act 1 : **.5, 17%

Plot B : O'Brien happily enters his newly-built racquetball arena (I assume “built” means “designed” as in the holodeck/suite programme, not physically by hand. I mean, he can't get the station to function properly as it is). He discovers Bashir, suited up and ready to go, apparently uninvited. Also uninvited are Bashir's comments about how he beat a Vulcan at the game while at the Academy. The dialogue is very efficient in setting up the dynamics here: Bashir is 1. younger, 2. more talented, 3. more eager, and 4. more competitive. I'm also pleased to report that the writers have honed their writing between the two considerably since that piece of crap, “The Storyteller”--I laughed out loud at Bashir's “I see by the lines you prefer the old-style rules.” While this is good fun, I'm hoping we get a bit of development for him; he's still very much the blank slate he was last season.

Plot A : Martus is bothered by a snoring Ent sharing his cell. The Ent wakes up and starts blabbering on about how he once had health, riches and fame but lost it all to “this”; [removes light-up 80s sextoy from cloak]. Odo, why wasn't this confiscated? The Ent explains that his toy is an ancient gambling device, then dies. The structure of the A-plot (as well as its author) would suggest a Trekkified Grimms' Tale of sorts—Martus collects the Rhinegold from a wizened sage and learns a painful and ironic lesson. But the tone is all wrong—it's this half-hearted (and very beige) comedy. I'm still feeling ambivalent.

Act 2 : **, 17%

Miles returns to his quarters sweaty and ashamed after his workout with Julian. *ahem* I think Garak is going to be jealous... The conversation between him and Keiko dusts off that ol' Season 1 trope, the DBI (DS9 Banality Indulgence). It's not that I don't think real people have these kinds of conversations (in fact, I know they do), it's just that I don't want to sit and watch them have them. It is odd to think that this is the same Miles O'Brien who can speak calmly about war combat and racial bigotry but gets himself into a mad frenzy over a game of racquetball.

In the meanwhile, Bashir shares his side of the story with Dax. It seems he attempted to spare the chief further embarrassment and/or death-by-exhaustion by trying to get out of the game.

BASHIR : I really respect him...the things he does, the kind of man he is. I just don't want to humiliate him.

The blithe visual metaphor accompanying this conversation is a little obvious, but I think it works: Bashir is after some space-catsup for his sandwich. His table's bottle is empty, so he asks another for theirs, which is also empty. Finally, he just grabs one without comment and succeeds in finding his catsup. He dresses his sandwich, looks at it, then sets it down uneaten. The man knows what he wants, asks for it politely, then finally just takes it, but is left unhappy with his success.

Plot A : Odo releases Martus and his new sextoy from his cell, charges having been dropped. He and Quark barter for his toy (for reasons that are left unclear) while Quark pours him pink lemonade. He asked for prosecco! Uh uh. You can't serve koolaide from glass jars when the characters ask for actual beverages. In spite of some genuine effort between the actors, the conversation is baffling, inane and seemingly without motivation. I don't recommend it.

Martus steps out of the bar and spots another Milf who's shutting down her business, her husband having just passed away. “You understand,” she says. I'm sorry what? What the hell is going on?

Plot B : Return to racquetball; Bashir is doing a bad job pretending to lose to Miles. And we're out.

Plot A : Martus has opened a night-club in the widow's old shoppe (presumably with her money). The entrance looks like a cheap carnival ride, so of course it's being flooded with clients.

Act 3 : *.5, 17%

Sisko flatly admits that he blackmailed Quark during “Emissary” to stay on the station while having the gall to invoke Federation morality, claiming Quark's bribes to the Cardassians don't constitute a contract in its eyes (he claims exclusive gambling rights on the station). Are we supposed to applaud Sisko for this assbaggery? Ugh.

Anway, Martus has spun his good luck sextoy into a thriving business, eh, somehow. Widow A from the teaser shows up looking for another investor in her “dream.” Widow B is on her heals wearing the latest in Playing Card Fashions. Martus proposes to her, I think.

Meanwhile, Dax has her own bout of luck running some sort of diagnostic. Oooo, “mystery”...

Plot B : Bashir decides to end his rivalry with O'Brien and calls it quits, leaving Miles blue. He pays a visit to Quark's which is woefully empty. Quark is determined to prove he can listen as well as his El'Aurian counterpart, er, rival.

QUARK : Tell me your problems. All of them.

Quark gets a bright idea to turn Miles' woes into a gambling opportunity. Holy 1-dimensional character traits Batman!

Plot A : Kira is hitting the furniture. Again. Everyone get it yet? Some people are really lucky. Some are really unlucky. Get it? Are we done yet?

Act 4 : *, 17%

Plot A/B : Quark sets up his “Grudge-Match of the Galaxy: The Mechanic versus the Doctor”! It's suppose to be funny that Quark uses his promise to donate half the proceedings to the Bajorans' Orphan Fund to strong-arm Bashir and O'Brien into playing his game, but on the heals of the last two episodes (and Sisko's unwelcome assbaggery), I can't help remembering that there are still starving orphans on Bajor and the Federation is just sitting around, gambling, wasting time. I don't care how much “funny flute music” you play, it's just not that funny.

On the heels of the reversal of luck between Quark and Marcus, everyone else's luck is also being reversed. Speaking of Marcus, he's resting his weary head on one of his not-dabbo-girl's bosom. Widow B bursts in, incensed, and orders him to leave and “take those damn things with you.” I always say I award points for clever innuendo. And boy does this sinking ship need some points.

Anyway, he decides to invest his profits in Widow A's venture. We close out the act with a closeup of one of his replicated gambling sextoys. Do you get it yet? Helloooo...

Act 5 : .5 stars, 17%

Keiko is being her awesome self:

to O'BRIEN : Win or lose, tonight, we celebrate [wink].

What a good spouse.

Quark drops by with a “gift” for Bashir (an anæsthetic). He's trying to fix the match (Quark is a crooked Capitalist. Get it? GET IT!!!!!!).

Meanwhile, Dax has discovered some quantum bullshit that reflects the luck-distribution-phenomenon. Bashir is losing badly. Neutrinos are spinning like ballerinas. Rom gets the girl. It's madness!

So, it turns out that the Ent's technology can change the laws of probability. And turn itself on. And power itself. And can be perfectly replicated. Uh huh. Fucking brilliant.

Dignity and an empty sac is worth a sac...even if you get kicked in the balls.

Episode as Functionary : *, 10%

This is the era of Menosky's writing that gave us “Masks.” Buried in here is a mythological story that could have been great fun, but the fairytale and Trek genre are so at odds that we feel this very uncomfortable tension that never really resolves. The “science” is laughably stupid and basically unexplained. Quark is one-dimensional and bland. Martus is insufferable and many of the characters (Kira, Dax and Sisko) have reverted to the dregs of their Season One selves. The only saving grace here is an amiable portrayal of the Bashir/O'Brien relationship. But even that is hampered by too little screentime, no development of the characters themselves, and a non-ending. Their story is swallowed up by the A-Plot and forgotten entirely. Skippable.

Final Score : *.5
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Diamond Dave
Thu, Nov 12, 2015, 3:57pm (UTC -5)
An episode with a markedly off beat feel. But it just doesn't really work. The characterisations are flat and uninteresting and the plot laughable in the extreme. I agree that if the episode had committed to the comedy it might have worked as a farce, but in reality this is neither here nor there.

There are some nice moments in the Bashir/O'Brien story, but it all just feels utterly inconsequential. 1.5 stars.
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Luke
Tue, Feb 23, 2016, 8:17am (UTC -5)
"Rivals" was surprisingly enjoyable. Granted, it has it's flaws. The whole "science" element is awfully absurd. Machines that alter the laws of probability? Yeah, okay. And the Bashir/O'Brien subplot is middling. And the humor is hit-and-miss. Jammer's right that they probably should have just gone with full-out slapstick.

However, the Quark/Martus plot is rather effective, since it finally allows Quark to be treated with respect. An episode like this was very necessary at this point, in my humble opinion. We've spent a lot of time (and episodes) seeing Quark either as a semi-antagonist or seeing the "hero" characters treating him pretty badly. This shows us just who Quark really is. Yes, he's a scoundrel. Yes, he's perfectly willing to run con jobs on people. And, yes, he's definitely in a moral grey area compared to most the rest of the cast. He even holds some rather unsettling views about a range of topics. But he is not Martus. He's not an out-and-out con-man. He does have a moral code and there are lines he will not cross. Martus is perfectly willing to manipulate everyone around him for his own ends and doesn't care one whit about who gets hurt in the process. Quark may be willing to test the boundaries, but he won't go that far. The differentiation is very important for Quark's overall character, especially since they had him acting like such a racist in the previous episode.

One thing I particularly liked about the Bashir/O'Brien plot was its use of Keiko. It would have been so easy to take her down the stereotypical road of "exasperated wife dealing with her husband's foolish obsession." But, instead, she's right there with O'Brien the whole way, even telling him to kick Bashir's ass in the tournament. That's why I love the O'Brien's relationship. They may bicker a lot but they always have each others' backs.

WTF HAIR - 11 (+1)

5/10
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N
Thu, Mar 23, 2017, 9:01am (UTC -5)
3 stars for me - I'll buy the central conceit insofar as the episode is entertaining, funny, well-performed and well-paced. Lots of little smart details in the script - Quark's "think of the orphans" appeal, Keiko's send-off to Miles, Martus being conned by the person we thought he was conning, Bashir's ridiculous costume etc - I like it.
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Rahul
Thu, Apr 27, 2017, 4:21pm (UTC -5)
Another DS9 episode with more Ferengi silliness - the first half hour is a real snoozer as one wonders what the point of this episode is.
I actually think it's a neat sci-fi idea that some machines could somehow alter the laws of probability in a certain area. Again, this requires suspension of disbelief but the concept is an interesting one. I wish the episode had spent more time analyzing that. Of course the ending with phasers blowing up the gambling devices is weak.
The racquetball rivalry didn't do anything for me - I think the acting of Bashir and O'Brien is bland -- but it does make sense as a B-plot about rivals as Quark/Martus compete.
Anyhow, I haven't seen too many DS9 episodes but I have seen more than enough Ferengi episodes - their characters just strike me as stupid and only good for the odd B-plot.
It is an interesting twist at the end with the old retired lady and her asteroid mining operation proving to be a scam and Martus getting taken. But overall, this episode didn't put emphasis on the things that are potentially more interesting (sci-fi of altering probability) and the actual rivalry stuff was hardly compelling. The acting was bland.
For me, 1.5/4 stars. I imagine as I watch more DS9, "Rivals" will be one of its worst episodes.
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grumpy_otter
Mon, Jul 3, 2017, 6:58pm (UTC -5)
While it was nice to meet another El-Aurian (to learn they are not all like Guinan) this was just fluff. And, as Jammer suggests, it could have been much better fluff if they'd pushed it a bit. As it was, a bit of a yawn.

Aside from that, the other big mistake was trying to explain how the device worked. Neutrinos? Clockwise? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? They should have just let how it worked remain a mystery.
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Startrekwatcher
Sat, Sep 16, 2017, 7:20pm (UTC -5)
2.5 stars. It's sort of an entertaining episode even though a pointless hour

The part I enjoyed the most was the Quark and Martus rivalry--Martus stealing Rom from Quark, Martus opening a bar right across from Quark(liked the arcade feel of his establishment) , Rom checking food make sure Quark didn't put something in it to cause food poisoning, Quark warning Martis to be careful that Rom shaves the latinum lol, Quark trying to spike Bashir's drink lol and I've always loved that one scene and way Quark says "House always takes bloooooo"

I also liked the fresh sci fi idea used in this story with alien technology changing the laws of probability.

The Bashir/Obrien story didn't do much for me. Bashir is pretty annoying
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Grumpy
Sat, Sep 16, 2017, 10:30pm (UTC -5)
When it first aired, this episode got a boost from the fact that some movie theaters were still playing The Nightmare Before Christmas, featuring Chris Sarandon as the speaking voice of Jack Skellington. At least, I thought that was cool at the time.
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Dr. Dunc
Mon, Jul 16, 2018, 3:06pm (UTC -5)
Ok Luke, having read and enjoyed many of your comments (along with those of everyone else, on this magnificent accomplishment of a site by Jammer), I’m finally going to bite: wtf is ‘WTF HAIR’ and what do each of the subsequent two numbers signify? Thank you!
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Luke
Wed, Jul 18, 2018, 2:30am (UTC -5)
@Dr. Dunc....

I've noticed that DS9, more than any of the other shows, had a noticeable tendency to put characters, especially background ones, in elaborate or ridiculous hairstyles. Since I like to count things during my re-watches (like Holodeck Toys - the number of times we see characters wearing outfits or taking props into the holodeck when they could just as easily wear holographic outfits) I decided to count this item during the reviews. The first number is the total times it has happened, the second is the number of times it happens in the given episode.

If I ever do manage to get back to my reviews I'll continue the process. For instance, things I could for VOY episodes could be Holodeck Toys again (since it's more egregious on that series) or the number of times Janeway dies (which, if I remember correctly is a surprisingly high amount of times) or how many photon torpedoes they fire with a limited supply.

The problem is that I stopped reviewing because I was getting burned out and just needed a break and then never picked it back up. And since the next episode for me to review is "Profit and Lace", that doesn't really help get me back into the swing of it. *wink*
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Dr. Dunc
Wed, Jul 18, 2018, 12:09pm (UTC -5)
@Luke - ah I see now! Thank you for the generous response.

I myself am currently in the midst of a series rewatch. Given that I find it work enough to simply read the review and browse all comments after each episode viewing (and I’m a decades-old confirmed Trekker), I am astounded and impressed at the voluminous output of people like yourselves; hence I can well appreciate the need for a break. I also feel your pain regarding these season 2 doldrums, but seeing as all *I* need do is watch the damned things, I’m soldiering through :). May Sisko grow his goatee ASAP!!!

Thanks again.
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Iceman
Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 2:39pm (UTC -5)
The O'Brien and Bashir plot works very well in "Rivals". It's fun and engaging pretty much all the way through. Sadly, the same can't be said for the main plot, which is nonsensical and thoroughly uninteresting.

1.5 stars.
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Joshua
Sat, Sep 1, 2018, 7:08pm (UTC -5)
One thing that comes to mind that is a kind of fridge brilliance is how the 'probability device' acts. Machines generally aren't designed to be unpredictable; I can assume that it is designed to alter probability (or even shift their quantum state) to one of if not the most unlikely occurrences in the current time. However, given that it is supposed to consistently make improbable occurrences more probable, eventually, it will backfire. The more often something happens, the more unlikely the opposite will occur. If you win the lottery 90% of the time, that 10% of losses will be the improbable factor; the little machine is GOING to make you lose eventually.

The designers of the device were certainly brilliant, and I do wish it was played with a bit more.
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Adam
Tue, Oct 16, 2018, 4:02pm (UTC -5)
It's amazing that DS9 was renewed after its first two seasons, which were largely boring snore-fests like this episode. If this show didn't carry the Star Trek name, we likely would never have gotten the awesome Dominion Wars arc in later seasons.
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Springy
Sun, Dec 2, 2018, 10:41pm (UTC -5)
Watching and commenting:

--Gigolos in Space! Uh oh. Odo is on to Mr Smooth, and locks him up.

--O'Brien and Bashir playing racquetball. That outfit on Bashir!

--Old timer in the cell with Mr S has a toddler toy.

--Oh, I love Miles O'Brien. Meany is so good.

--Quark is actually starting to grow on me. I would never have believed it. Armin Shimerman is a miracle worker.

--Luck be a lady, tonight!

--I am suddenly remembering the first time I went to a Protestant service, at age 19, after 12 years of Catholic school and Gregorian chants and Latin and incense and communion and robes and rosaries and memorized responses during Mass. At the Protestant church, I listened to the hymns, some readings, a sermon, some announcements, and just as I was asking myself: "When is the service actually going to start??," it was over.

--Not much to this ep. Some good lines, some amusement.
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Chrome
Mon, Dec 3, 2018, 2:13pm (UTC -5)
@Springy

I can see where you’re coming from with the Protestant service comparison to Catholic mass. May I ask how this episode reminded you of it?
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Peter G.
Mon, Dec 3, 2018, 2:47pm (UTC -5)
@ Chrome,

"@Springy

I can see where you’re coming from with the Protestant service comparison to Catholic mass. May I ask how this episode reminded you of it?"

Heh, I interpreted the comment by way of imputing my own experience of watching the episode: "When is the good part going to start? Oh look, it's over :( "
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Springy
Mon, Dec 3, 2018, 3:53pm (UTC -5)
@Chrome
@Peter G

Yes, Peter, you've got it.

Chrome, I just meant to convey the idea that I kept watching the episode, staying mostly interested, but wondering when it was "really going to start." The ep just wasn't very . . . meaty. Little in the way of plot, character development, action, etc. Seemed more like a long intro, than a full ep.
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Chrome
Mon, Dec 3, 2018, 7:55pm (UTC -5)
@Springy

Gotcha. I’m actually a fan of this one (Quark’s guile helps solve a mystery and beat the annoying lucky guy!). But I admit much of the enjoyment hinges on how much you like Quark at this point.
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Chess
Thu, Jul 25, 2019, 4:46pm (UTC -5)
What a goofy story.
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Chess
Thu, Jul 25, 2019, 8:35pm (UTC -5)
So I watched it alone, and then watched it again immediately with a group (within a few hours). It was funny the second time, even though I knew what all the jokes were. For some reason all the empty salt (?) shakers Bashir ran through while gossiping with Dax cracked us up, and then most of the weirdness was funny.
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MusicalTurtle
Mon, Oct 14, 2019, 5:20pm (UTC -5)
Enjoyable fluff, for me. I would love to know if Bashir's bizarre warm-up was directed or improvised. Rom made me laugh, and I loved Keiko in this. They're not very consistent writing for her throughout the series and it's nice to see her like this (I also thought she was very believable in the Harvesters episode).

This is one I'll happily rewatch - for me the best part of it is Bashir/O'Brien, but the rest is quite fun too.
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Jamie Mann
Sun, Nov 24, 2019, 10:32am (UTC -5)
A pretty weak episode by any measure. There's several major issues for me:

1) the contest between Bashir and O'Brien. People generally don't watch scifi to see people play sports (barring ones that involve large amounts of death and violence) and racquetball - even a futuristic version of it - isn't particularly exciting, much less something which can act as a key plot device or actively engage an entire space station.

2) the probability-altering macguffin. The technobabble explanation is weak even by ST standards, especially when you consider that some of the device's effects (e.g. the old couple deciding to drop/press charges) would have had to involve affecting the past. Equally, the idea that such an alien device can be replicated seems a bit convenient and no attempt is made to analyse or study it. Instead, it's just another gimmick of the week...

In truth, it perhaps would have been better if the device had been exposed as a placebo.

In general, this episode mainly serves to remind me why I couldn't get into DS9 the first time; for all that there were a few good episodes in the first two seasons, for the most part there was a lot of mediocrity...
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Fenn
Sun, Dec 22, 2019, 1:31am (UTC -5)
Fun ep, and dammit, I really did get into the intense raquetball rivalry (or at least intense on O'Brien's side. "please don't have a heart attack on me" on Bashir's). I definitely felt the missing resolution on that, though.

Good lord it's really hitting home what a skinny vertical line of a man Siddig is in that silver whatever jumpsuit.
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Picard Maneuver
Thu, Nov 26, 2020, 3:46am (UTC -5)
Pretty careless to fire at the probability machines. And there was an obstacle with the last shot. Given how the things work, what if Sisko hit the equipment and the phaser ricocheted into his eye? Also, I'm sure Starfleet Command might have some interest in developing the things into weapons or at least furthering scientific research.
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Jason
Fri, Feb 26, 2021, 8:47am (UTC -5)
If the station's equipment can replicate devices that change the laws of probability, you'd think getting blankets to Bajor wouldn't require so much charity.
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Craig
Fri, Jul 23, 2021, 9:34am (UTC -5)
It below average episode saved from being completely dull by Armin Shimmerman's and Chris Sarandon's acting.
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Michael Miller
Fri, Sep 17, 2021, 11:31am (UTC -5)
Interesting episode, but they screwed up the physics here. All neutrinos have a "left spin" so the claim that they should be 50/50 for both spins is totally wrong. Also, probability has nothing to do with the basic laws of physics. So when Chief o Brian was throwing the ball around and it kept going back to him, basic newton's mechanics would have to be violated, which is not on the scope of quantum mechanical probability changes. Weird but fun episode nonetheless, 7/10.
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dlpb
Mon, Jan 9, 2023, 4:44pm (UTC -5)
Also, probability has nothing to do with the basic laws of physics.

< Actually it does at the quantum level. In fact, that's absolutely tied into physics. probability is a pure mathematical and scientific concept.

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