I just want to tack on that Tawny Newsome looks destined to be Trek's next Jonathan Frakes - dipping in and out of Trek projects and leaving entertainment excellence in her wake.
(P.S. Dear Tawny and Jonathan, please don't have done anything deeply horrible to someone while I composed this. Thanks.)
What happens in Quark's holosuite stays in Quark's holosuite, for a very reasonable privacy surcharge.
Edit: Now I'm thinking about how even an imagined obnoxious behavior by Quark is still somehow dramatically more ethical than average corporate policies in 2025...I need to go sit down.
But he made up for all that by breaking the chronological prime directive, losing control of his ship to mutineers, and allowing his racism to nearly start a war with the Klingon empire.
So really, who are we to judge.
I could do the same analysis for Admiral Janeway, but I'm afraid she would shoot me, Tuvix me, or write me out of history.
I always figured the ending was to get the episode to air at all during the era. Like it wasn't obviously pro-tranistion, because no official protagonist transitioned or loved someone who did. :(
I'm thankful that Trek has managed stronger message with actual protagonists, since.
Of course, it must have also been to ensure the sacred expectations of television networks that episodes can air in any order because nothing meaningful changes.
Top hacking scene of all time!