The 34th Rule

Quark finds himself at the centre of a dispute between the Ferengi Alliance and Bajor after Grand Nagus Zek refuses to return an Orb of the Prophets to the Bajorans.

Introduction (blurb)
For once, business is going well for Quark, not that anyone on Deep Space 9 truly appreciates his genius for finding profit in the most unlikely of circumstances. Quark is even looking forward to making the deal of a lifetime -- when he suddenly finds himself stuck right in the middle of a major dispute between Bajor and the Ferengi Alliance. It seems that the Grand Nagus is refusing to sell one of the lost Orbs of the Prophets to the Bajoran government, which has responded by banning all Ferengi activity in Bajoran space.

With diplomatic relations between the two cultures rapidly breaking down, Quark loses his bar first, then his freedom. But even penniless, he still has his cunning and his lobes, and those alone may be all he needs to come out on top -- and prevent an interstellar war!

Main and recurring

 * Benjamin Sisko
 * Kira Nerys
 * Quark
 * Worf, Son of Mogh
 * Odo
 * Julian Bashir
 * Miles O'Brien
 * Jake Sisko
 * Rom
 * Shakaar Edon
 * Zek
 * Winn Adami
 * Gaila
 * Morn
 * M'Pella

Other Bajorans

 * Mitra
 * Sirsy
 * Onial
 * Carlien
 * Argan
 * Jessel
 * Wyte
 * Prana
 * Argan
 * Jessel

Other Ferengi

 * Bractor
 * Letek
 * Borit
 * Lenk
 * Kreln
 * Tarken
 * Zhrel
 * Broc
 * Drayan

Other
Referenced: Bareil Antos | Curzon Dax | Darhe'el | A. Bartlett Giamatti | Gint | Hannan | Ishka | Kalem Apren | Keldar | Kira Taban | Leeta | Alynna Nechayev | Nog | Opaka Sulan | Pralon | Jennifer Sisko | Sorretta
 * Charlie Whatley
 * Xillius Vas
 * Crimmon
 * Wyra
 * Jackie Robinson (hologram)

Starships and vehicles
Referenced: USS Okinawa | USS Saratoga
 * USS Ad Astra
 * Alerica
 * Aran'tsah
 * Calliope
 * Da Vinci
 * USS Defiant
 * Kreechta
 * USS New York
 * Neemis
 * Preekon
 * USS Rubicon
 * USS Tian An Men
 * Wealth

Starship classes
Referenced: Galaxy class
 * Andorian freighter
 * Danube class
 * Defiant class
 * D'Kora class
 * DY-700
 * DY-1100 class

Locations
Referenced: Alastron IV | Archer IV | Bajoran wormhole/Celestial Temple | Bradbury Township | Cardassia III | Dahkur Province | Delta IV | Earth | Gaila's moon | Gamma Hydra IV | Gamma Quadrant | Johnson City | Kilandra Cluster | Mars | New Orleans | Omarion Nebula | Rigel V | Risa | Sacred Marketplace | San Francisco | Starbase Icarus | Terekol Chasm | Zhentu Province
 * Bajor
 * Gallitep
 * Deep Space 9
 * Quark's
 * Ferenginar

Races and cultures
Referenced: Alastron | Borg | Cardassian | Karemma | Prophets | Romulan | Tholian
 * Bajoran
 * Bolian
 * Changeling
 * Deltan
 * Ferengi
 * Frunalian
 * Gorn
 * Human
 * Klingon
 * Otevrel
 * Trill
 * Yridian

States and Organizations
Referenced: Bajoran Resistance | Bolian Credit Exchange | Boston Braves | Brooklyn Dodgers | Cardassian Union | Council of the United Federation of Planets | Detapa Council | Dominion | Ferengi Commerce Authority | First Bank of Ferenginar | First Federation | Klingon Empire | Romulan Star Empire | Starfleet Academy | Starfleet Command | Vedek Assembly
 * Bajoran Militia
 * Ferengi Alliance
 * Great Assembly
 * Starfleet
 * United Federation of Planets

Food and beverages

 * Archerian slug wine
 * Finagle's Folly
 * Kiriliona
 * Margarita
 * Pooncheenee
 * Raktajino
 * Rokeg blood pie
 * Saurian brandy
 * Tequila
 * Tranya

Other

 * 1989 World Series
 * Articles of the Federation
 * Bajoran religion
 * Baseball
 * Baseball (object)
 * Blockade
 * Dabo
 * DaiMon
 * Darts
 * Deuterium
 * Emissary of the Prophets
 * Ferengi language
 * Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
 * First Minister of the Republic of Bajor
 * Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance
 * Holosuite
 * Isolinear rod
 * Latinum
 * Muriniri doll
 * Occupation of Bajor
 * PADD
 * Prime Directive
 * Resolution 49-535
 * Transporter platform
 * When the Prophets Cried
 * Wormhole relay station

Background Information

 * Armin Shimerman dedicated the novel to his wife Kitty Swink.
 * An audiobook read by Shimerman and a EBook have also been released.
 * It is one of the best selling Star Trek and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novels released by Pocket Books.
 * The 34th Rule of Acquisition is "War is good for business".
 * One running gag in this novel is that Bractor, Letek, and a Betazoid Gift Box all appear in this novel, and when they do, a character will make a remark about them looking familiar. Armin Shimerman, co-author of this novel and the actor portraying Quark also played these characters in "The Last Outpost", "Peak Performance" and "Haven" respectively, all early episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
 * The 34th Rule has been called "The Great Ferengi Novel" by TV Zone.
 * This book was named one of the top Star Trek novels in TV Zone #207. Other novels to be included in the top ten list were The Galactic Whirlpool, The Entropy Effect, The Final Reflection, My Enemy, My Ally, Once Burned, Rising Son, Ex Machina, A Time to Kill and Crucible: Provenance of Shadows.

Related stories

 * Grand Nagus Zek recieved the Orb of Wisdom and announced his plans to sell it to the Bajorans in the DS9 episode "Prophet Motive".
 * Quark recalls meeting Sisko in "Emissary" and mentions how he felt he was "blackmailed" into staying on the station.
 * Sisko also recalls his conversation with Quark in "The Jem'Hadar" in which Quark claimed Humans were uncomfortable around Ferengi because they reminded them of how their species used to be.
 * There is a reference to Sisko wanting to build a house on Bajor. Sisko would tell Admiral Ross about his plans to do so in "Favor the Bold" and would carry the project forward in the Final Chapter arc.