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.
Publisher's description
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!
Summary
Characters
Regular
- Julian Bashir • Jadzia Dax • Kira Nerys • Morn • M'Pella • Miles O'Brien • Odo • Quark • Rom • Shakaar Edon • Benjamin Sisko • Jake Sisko • Winn Adami • Worf, son of Mogh • Zek
Other
- Argan • Borit • Bractor • Broc • Carlien • Crimmon • Drayan • Enkar Sirsy • Gaila • Jessel • Karg • Kreln • Lenk • Letek • Mitra • Onial • Phlugg • Prana • Robinson • Tarken • Xillius Vas • Charlie Whatley • Wyra • Wyte • Zhrel
Referenced
- Bareil Antos • Curzon Dax • Darhe'el • Elim Garak • A. Bartlett Giamatti • Gint • Hannan • Ishka • Kalem Apren • Keldar • Kira Taban • Klyta • Leeta • Alynna Nechayev • Nog • Opaka Sulan • Parilka • Pralon • Jackie Robinson • Jennifer Sisko • Sorretta • Eddie Stanky • Abe Stark • Trog
References
Locations
- Bajor • Ashalla • Deep Space 9 • Docking ring • Ferenginar • Gallitep labor camp • Grand Nagus' Palace • Habitat ring • Klingon restaurant • Operations center • Promenade • Quark's • Replimat • Station commander's office
- Referenced only
- Alastron IV • Andor • Archer IV • Bajoran wormhole/Celestial Temple • Bradbury Township • Cardassia • Cardassia III • Dahkur Province • Delta IV • Earth • Ebbets Field • Gaila's moon • Gamma Hydra IV • Gamma Quadrant • Johnson City • Kilandra Cluster • Louisiana • Mars • New Orleans • Omarion Nebula • Rigel V • Risa • Sacred Marketplace • San Francisco • Starbase Icarus • Terekol Chasm • Wormhole relay station • Wyntara Mas Province • Zhentu Province
Starships and vehicles
- USS Ad Astra • Alerica • Aran'tsah • Calliope • Da Vinci • USS Defiant • Kreechta • USS New York • Neemis • Preekon • USS Rubicon • Wealth
- Referenced only
- Maurit'li'och • USS Okinawa • USS Saratoga • USS Tian An Men
Starship classes
- Andorian freighter • Danube-class • Defiant-class • D'Kora-class • DY-700-class • DY-1100-class
- Referenced only
- Galaxy-class
Species
- Bajoran • Bolian • Changeling • Deltan • Ferengi • Frunalian • Gorn • Human • Klingon • Otevrel • Trill • Yridian
- Referenced only
- Alastron • Andorian • Borg • Cardassian • Karemma • Orion • Prophets • Romulan • Tholian
States and Organizations
- Bajoran Militia • Ferengi Alliance • Great Assembly • Starfleet • Starfleet Command • United Federation of Planets
- Referenced only
- Bajoran Resistance • Bolian Credit Exchange • Boston Braves • Brooklyn Dodgers • Cardassian Central Command • Cardassian Union • Detapa Council • Dominion • Esquire Shoe Polish • Federation Council • Ferengi Commerce Authority • First Bank of Ferenginar • First Federation • Klingon Empire • Major League Baseball • Romulan Star Empire • Starfleet Academy • Vedek Assembly
Other
- 1949 • 1986 • 1988 • 1989 • 1989 World Series • Archerian slug wine • Bajoran religion • Baseball • Baseball (object) • baseball bat • baseball glove • blockade • cabrodine • cloaking device • dabo • DaiMon • darts • deuterium • Divine Treasury • Emissary of the Prophets • Federation Constitution • Ferengi language • Ferengi Rules of Acquisition • Finagle's Folly • First Minister of the Republic of Bajor • Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance • holosuite • infernite • isolinear rod • jebret • kai • kiriliona • Klingon emperor • latinum • margarita • Muriniri doll • nerak • Occupation of Bajor • orb • Orb of Prophecy and Change • Orb of Wisdom • Orion chancellor • PADD • pooncheen • pooncheenee • Praetor • Prime Directive • raktajino • Resolution 49-535 • rokeg blood pie • Saurian brandy • tequila • transporter platform • tranya • treni cat • val-eff • When the Prophets Cried
Information
- Armin Shimerman dedicated the novel to his wife Kitty Swink.
- The story was originally conceived as an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The pitch was unsuccessful but Shimerman and George decided to turn it into a novel instead.
The alternate cover.
- The novel was written as an allegory for the internment of Japanese American citizens (including TOS star George Takei) during World War II. [1]
- An alternate cover for the novel (pictured) features a Gallitep sign as well as barbed wire rather than forcefields.
- An audiobook, abridged by George Truett and read by Shimerman, was released a month after the novel.
- The 34th Rule 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 Letek, Bractor, 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
- The events of The 34th Rule are mentioned in the DS9 relaunch novel Twilight.
- 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.
Connections
- The 34th Rule article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
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Deep Space Nine Adventures | Next Adventure: Accession |