On Perma One, Palindrome (Conrad Janis) assembles the spaceship commanders to receive their instructions from The Head (Alan Caillou). Two of them receive crappy assignments. Commander Quark (Richard Benjamin) waits patiently to be told that his assignment is to pick up garbage. Quark is astonished when The Head tells him that he is instructed to have an extended romantic interlude with a beautiful princess. The Head says nothing more. Palindrome tells him that the mission is top secret.
Quark and his team head out for the rendezvous point. On the way they see a giant space baggie floating in space. Quark attempts to grab the baggie and bring it aboard. The baggie gets stuck, and the garbage hatch refuses to close. Quark goes below to fix the hatch. When he returns, he has visibly changed. He appears ten years older. Ficus determines that Quark picked up a virus that makes him age two years per hour. Ficus tries to find a cure before they reach their destination, however, he is unsuccessful.
Palindrome contacts Quark to read him in on his mission. The United Galaxies is attempting to sign a treaty with Kamamor, a planet that the Gorgons want to get a hold of. Quark’s mission is to guarantee that the Kamamor sign the treaty by romancing the ruler of Kamamor, Princess Carna (Barbara Rhoades). Quark has met the Princess before. He knows that the women of Kamamor are extremely passionate and that most Kamamorian men do not live past the age of twenty-five. At the rate that Quark is aging it is doubtful that he will live long enough to reach Kamamor let alone last through a romantic tryst.
The title of the episode “The Old and the Beautiful” is a play on the title of the American television soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful”. The episode parodies the theme of the Original Star Trek, Season 2 episode 12, “The Deadly Years”.
Kirstie Alley has a bit part as one of Princess Carna’s handmaidens. This was her first role.
Richard Benjamin’s sister-in-law Ann Prentiss voices the part of Gene/Jean’s female persona.