Posted in: Star Trek, TV | Tagged: Armin Shimerman, Deep Space Nine, Ira Steven Behr, Max Grodénchik, Quark, rom, star trek

Star Trek: DS9 EP/Showrunner on Why Max Grodénchik Remains a "Hero"

For Star Trek: Deep Space Nine EP/Showrunner Ira Steven Behr, Max Grodénchik remains a "hero" - especially during the SAG-AFTRA/WGA strike.

Published Tue, 22 Aug 2023 20:07:08 -0500

by Tom Chang

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It's a case of "life imitating art," Star Trek: Deep Space Nine star Max Grodénchik remains as boisterous as ever fighting for his fellow actors' rights during the SAG-AFTRA strike – as his character, the beloved Ferengi, Rom did 27 years ago during the season four episode "Bar Association." One Trek fan quoted Colm Meaney's Miles O'Brien from the episode when he talked about his ancestor Sean O'Brien that's become a popular meme, "He was more than a hero. He was a Union man!" That quote inspired Rom to unionize the workers at Quark's (Armin Shimerman) Bar, who feel they're overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated, and subsequently, strike.

Star Trek: DS9: Why Max Grodénchik Remains One of Ira Behr's — Max Grodénchik in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Image courtesy of Paramount

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Star Max Grodénchik Is Leading as Rom Did

The fan screenshotted sharing Grodénchik's social media post with his sign on hand and obviously, without his Ferengi makeup with the caption "Picketing outside Disney Studios in Burbank…" This caught the attention of DS9 showrunner and writer Ira Steven Behr, who wrote, "I know he's one of my heroes." In "Bar Association," Quark attempts to operate his bar using holographic copies of himself to replace the existing labor. While it fails miserably, the strike also gains the attention of the Ferengi Commerce Authority led by Brunt (Jeffrey Combs).

The FCA, not interested in seeing their profits stymied, try to do everything they can to union-bust to the point of making an example…out of Quark. As he feels the heat from both sides, he finally agrees to Rom's demands while also telling the FCA the union has been dissolved to get them off his back. The episode was directed by Next Generation alum LeVar Burton and written by Barbara J. Lee, Jenifer A. Lee, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and Behr. Currently, all major studio scripted productions have been suspended due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, with talks ongoing.