The Ferengi Appreciation Thread

[Oddish]

If you take out the queen of a hive of insects, they'll often select a new one. Remember that Picard snuffs the queen in First Contact, but there are plenty of Borg still out there.

 

[at Quark's]

Well, we need to just show them an MC Escher print and wipe their ugly cybernetic butts out.

Reference: "I Borg", that's basically what they were going to do to Hugh.

It is, of course, highly debatable that would have worked at all. It might have been as efficient as Crusher's plan to employ nanites against them (Borg nanoprobes probably would have instantly destroyed them).

I thought One True Sin of the Borg was putting a Queen at their head. One of their great strengths was originally that there was NO central point that could be destroyed to take out the whole collective.

Well, of course my post was just in jest. I agree with you. The true terror of the Borg (to me at least) was that it was a faceless enemy, an enemy that couldn't be reasoned with because anything else than its own objectives, even death itself, was considered 'irrelevant'.

Even though I can understand they wanted a queen for dramatic reasons in FC to provide a counter character to Data and Picard, it 'ruined' the Borg for me in that it made them less scary than before.

 

[Ensign Mia]

Quark is one of my all-time favorite Ds9 characters, for so many reasons. First of all, he's a brilliant, multifaceted character- a lot like Worf (here me out). He still follows traditional Ferengi values, is a quick-witted and cunning businessman, and stands strong in his loyalty to Ferenginar. However, even though he follows these Ferengi ideas that previously, in TNG, were seen as shameful or archaic, we grow to love it. He's a Ferengi, AND we love him. He comes to form a patriarchal, profit-based society that values greed AND we love him. he's not ashamed to be Ferengi and we're not ashamed to love him. its that outsider perspective we learn to appreciate and I love it.

Not only that, but his back and forth banter with Odo is hilarious and adorable. Their relationship is one of the things I enjoy most about Ds9. Though I do see them romantically, just their friendship provides so much entertainment and surprisingly heartwarming moments (Like the ep where Kira chooses Shakaar and Odo is heartbroken). He's a morally complex and lovable character, with a fantastic actor to match.

Nog's story about joining Starfleet and Rom's journey away from being a waiter brings the biggest smile to my face!! Gah, I love these big-lobed cuties!

 

[at Quark's]

Quark is one of my all-time favorite Ds9 characters, for so many reasons. First of all, he's a brilliant, multifaceted character- a lot like Worf (here me out). He still follows traditional Ferengi values, is a quick-witted and cunning businessman, and stands strong in his loyalty to Ferenginar. However, even though he follows these Ferengi ideas that previously, in TNG, were seen as shameful or archaic, we grow to love it. He's a Ferengi, AND we love him. He comes to form a patriarchal, profit-based society that values greed AND we love him. he's not ashamed to be Ferengi and we're not ashamed to love him. its that outsider perspective we learn to appreciate and I love it.

It's true that he isn't ashamed to be Ferengi but I believe that's only part of the reason he is loved. For example, Brunt is unashamedly Ferengi too, and most hate him. And to the response that he is a corrupt self-centered person that will do anything to further his own career and wealth, I'd reply that that's exactly how Ferengi are supposed to be according to their culture. Even Quark himself admits that Brunt is a true Ferengi, and just adds that a Grand Nagus has to be better than that ('his personal greed should reflect the public's greed').

I think the other side of the medallion that makes Quark loved (apart from his comedic role) is that he may be a conniving small time smuggler who mouths the Ferengi ideals and believes in them, but still has a good heart when it really comes down to it, and then has to juggle between that and his Ferengi code of conduct. For example in Business as Usual when he could have gotten filthy rich by selling arms, yet in the end decided he couldn't live with his conscience burdened with so many potential deaths, but also in many other smaller instances.

All of this is shown most succinctly, I think, in the following exchange with Brunt:

BRUNT: You give your customers credit at the bar. You only take a thirty percent kickback from your employees' tips, and you sold food and medicine to Bajoran refugees at cost!
QUARK: That's not true. It was just above cost.

 

[kkt]

And to the response that he is a corrupt self-centered person that will do anything to further his own career and wealth, I'd reply that that's exactly how Ferengi are supposed to be according to their culture.

Yes, the Ferengi would no doubt call this "looking out for number one", and if they don't look out for themselves no one else is going to do it for them. A large element of our culture would agree, which is what makes the Ferengi so useful to do a show about 20th century Earth.

 

[JamesBondJR]

I apply many of the Rules of Acquisition in my daily life. And I often think about the Great Material Continuum. So there can be no doubt, that the writers NAILED it with their portrayal of the Ferengi in DS9.