



These two scenes remind me of each other because they boldly illustrate how disparate TNG and DS9 were when it came to morality. In TNG, there was often a right answer, and the lines separating what was good and bad were often clear. While in DS9, the best thing to do was not always the “right” thing to do. DS9 gave you scenarios where you could not judge whether decisions were moral or immoral, leaving you conflicted because they did not fit in those boxes.
Also, I find these scenes are remarkable because they showed how the principles that Starfleet claimed it was built on went out the window when it itself was threatened.
Sisko: Quark, maybe you’d better take a look at this.
Quark: Sure. “Quark, be quiet. Quark, stand watch. Quark, pick a lock.” All you ever do is order me around. I know why humans don’t like Ferengi.
Sisko: Not now, Quark.
Quark: Humans used to be a lot like Ferengi: greedy, acquisitive, interested only in profit. We remind you of a past you’d like to forget.
Sisko: We don’t have time for this.
Quark: But you’re overlooking something. Humans used to be a lot worse than the Ferengi: slavery, concentration camps, interstellar wars… We have nothing in our past that approaches that kind of barbarism. You see? We’re nothing like you. We’re better. Now, if you’ll excuse me… I have a lock to pick.