WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 4, episode 6, "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place."
Summary
- Rom and Leeta's unconventional love story on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is weird, but great because they see each other for who they truly are and bring out the best in each other. They defy stereotypical expectations and support each other's unconventional beliefs.
- Rom gains confidence through his relationship with Leeta and learns to speak up for himself and his beliefs, which go against traditional Ferengi values. Leeta encourages Rom to pursue his passion for engineering and helps him find respect outside of Quark's exploitation.
- In Star Trek: Lower Decks, Rom and Leeta continue to prove that their unconventional pairing is a great match. They use their underestimated personas to their advantage and test whether others will truly see and respect the truth about them. Their love story is ultimately weird, but truly great.
On Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the love story between Rom (Max Grodénchik) and Leeta (Chase Masterson) is weird, but it's also great. Both of them are introduced as employees in the bar and casino owned by Rom's older brother Quark (Armin Shimerman) on DS9's Promenade. Rom works as a seemingly hapless waiter in the bar who occasionally fixes mechanical breakdowns, and Leeta is a gorgeous Dabo girl who entices customers to the gambling table. Neither of these jobs have a particularly prestigious reputation, but that's where their love story begins.
Quark's strict adherence to the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition dictates exploiting his workers to maximize profits. Quark berates Rom regularly and makes him believe that he's incompetent when the truth is that Rom's talents are more mechanical than entrepreneurial. Leeta is likewise subject to Quark's toxic behavior, receiving sexually suggestive comments in addition to the financial exploitation common to Ferengi managers, despite her high emotional intelligence and social skills. Rom and Leeta first join forces to challenge Quark with a union in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, episode 16 "Bar Association", but it's still a while before their romantic relationship develops.
