The fact that Dan Shor has played a Ferengi may have various implications, but the only one my Pattern Recognizer wants to explore is whether this means Ram has ever met Rom
QUARK: C'mon, Rom. You must have some fantasy you’d like to live out in my holodeck.
ROM: Not for your prices, brother!
QUARK: You sure? I’ll give you a free trial.
ROM: Nice try. I know nothing’s free with you.
QUARK: Aww. And I saw how you looked at that visiting consul, too.
ROM: …Dr. Arridor? I– don’t be disgusting!
QUARK: Whadda ya mean? You don’t think he’s good-looking? You’re disgusted by how you feel about him?
ROM: I’m not having this conversation! It’s his morals I don’t like. He’s a doctor! He should be helping people! Not infecting them with diseases! Even if it’s profitable to him!
QUARK: gasp Blasphemy!
ROM: I said what I said.
QUARK: Well. There’s no accounting for taste, I suppose! But, if it’s his personality you’ve got a problem with? –well, then, all that is changeable, within the world of a holodeck simulation!
ROM: I doubt you’d have the first idea how to program a character I’d like spending time with.
QUARK: Well, that’s why I’ve outsourced some of my programming to AI, isn’t it? My holodeck simulations are connected to vast training datasets of other works in all media. Syncing with your own favorites, the algorithm is guaranteed to generate a hologram who’s got what you like about Dr. Arridor, and none of what you don’t like! Simple as that.
ROM: …I’ll try it. If only to see how horribly you’re going to mess this up.
QUARK: Well, I’ll just leave you to it then. Have fun!
COMPUTER: Simulation activating. Generating Arridor. Initializing player-controlled character creation mode. State parameters.
ROM: Uhhh …I mean… I like his jawline. And his laugh. And… I mean, I guess I like that he’s in healthcare? …just not how he seems to feel about that job! I’d like him better if he at least wanted to help people. Even if he was part of a soulless corporate machine that left him utterly powerless to change any of it. I… I think I’d find that relatable.
COMPUTER: Processing. Accessing datasets from: twentieth century; twenty-first century– Character complete!
HOLOGRAM: …Welcome, friend?
ROM: Wow. You look… different.
HOLOGRAM: Well, of course. I was changed. I’m not as consistent and non-volatile as folks like you, y'know? I can be read and changed in any order!
ROM: …are you even still Dr. Arridor?
HOLOGRAM: I mean. If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather go by the name from the dataset that inspired me. (holds out hand) I’m Ram. I do actuarial calculations for a big insurance company!
ROM: …wow. I guess it actually kinda worked. Um… (shakes hands) …Greetings, hologram.
…