8 Star Trek Episodes That PISSED OFF Other Franchises
4. Profit And Loss Vs Warner Brothers
Profit and Loss is a second-season episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that places Quark firmly in the front seat, for once depicting him as the romantic lead of the episode. His old flame, Professor Natima Lang, arrives on the station with her students, Hogue and Rekelan. They are fleeing from the Cardassian government, though Quark gets caught up in a plot involving revolutionaries, spies, and warring governments.
Quark is Rick Blaine, Lang is Ilsa Lund and the plot is entirely based on the film Casablanca, which is arguably the most romantic film ever made. The plots are so close to each other, in fact, that the original title of the episode was going to be 'Here's Lookin' At You'.
Warner Brothers were having none of it and the episode was quickly retitled on the threat of legal action. The actual story was vague enough, without the direct reference, to get away with being made. Having the title be an actual line from the film? Absolutely not.
The episode's ending is a direct lift from the film, with even Garak getting in the fun, playing the part of Captain Louis Renault. It is a fun, romantic example of gently lifting a plot and dropping it into the 24th century.