RIP Ralph Offenhouse
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RIP.
I liked him in both, his TNG appearance and his appearances in Three's Company as Chrissy's father.
I liked him in both, his TNG appearance and his appearances in Three's Company as Chrissy's father.
I like what the novelverse has done with Offenhouse.
First, he becomes the Federation ambassador to the Ferengi (a marriage made in Heaven, really, since nobody knows more about money than Offenhouse, and the Ferengi will certainly respect that), and later, Federation Secretary of Commerce.
First, he becomes the Federation ambassador to the Ferengi (a marriage made in Heaven, really, since nobody knows more about money than Offenhouse, and the Ferengi will certainly respect that), and later, Federation Secretary of Commerce.
I made a few fanfictions where Offenhouse took over the Ferengi Alliance.
Good times.
Good times.
I have a feeling those would be good reads.
Richman had charisma and made for a great character actor for sure. He made the most impact, for me, as Reverend Snow from Three's Company... but he had stage presence; his presence was always instantly recognizable as character and not typecasting. Offenhouse was not a cookie stamp template of Reverend Snow!
I completely forgot he was in an episode of "Wonder Woman" - from season 3. "Gault's Brain". An episode that could be deemed "so bad it's good", he puts in a good performance considering how camp it is. The episode also ended in a way that almost felt like the dastardly criminals would later return. Must be unintentional; should look that one up one day...
That's one of those fan ficcy nonsense ideas I find off putting about trek lit. Offenhouse had no qualifications to be an ambassador or secretary of commerce. Knowing about money? Lot's of people in the federation know about money, they aren't stupid, the federation does deal with societies that use money all the time.
Offenhouse didn't know anything about current interstellar politics (or local earth politics), trade, technology, traditions etc. and what he does know should work against him, being a greedy capitalist does not make him a good fit for ambassador to the ferengi or secretary of commerce, those positions require someone representing current values of their government. That would be like us making a 16th century slave owner secretary of labor or ambassador to china.
Yes, but some skills could be transferable?
There was a TNG episode that delved into this very topic, saying a person could only do x or y things because of personality types and the episode spent much time in selling the opposite. The title will come back to me and then I'll have to see it again. It was post-season 2, if not within seasons 5-7 where most of these scenarios were discussed and why a Ferengi couldn't be ___ or a Betazoid ___ or a Klingon ____.
No worries, China has had slavery back then too, in the Ming dynasty and earlier. Most if not all had. I'll scurry to the library and become a historian if it'll help, unless you know of any offhand and even then someone else will probably suggest otherwise. Abolitionists had also existed back then as well, but it didn't work out. Assuming the information handed down all the centuries doesn't equate to one Trek's plot points like in "Living Witness" (VOY).
He did not lose his welfare. If anything, he's arguably going to enjoy a higher standard of living in the Federation, for free, because the cost of basic material needs of food, shelter, medical care, etc., are effectively zero.
He lost his money and his position of class privilege, but living a good, safe, healthy life in the Federation does not require that anymore.
To be clear:
1) These books are not about Offenhouse. These references have always been quick asides, allusions, or very short scenes. Cameos, for members of the audience who recognize the reference to smile at a quick little 'Member Berry, and then the book continues. Offenhouse's presence is really not an important detail.
2) The earliest of these books is set in 2380, giving Offenhouse 16 years to have caught up on 24th Century politics and economics. He wasn't defrosted and then immediately shoved into government.
Offenhouse is not stupid. He strikes me as somebody who, given the right motivation, could easily adapt to his new surroundings.
As I said, nobody in the 24th century knows more about money than he does. So who better to rise to an important position in dealing with the Ferengi? And in turn, the Ferengi would learn to respect him, as well...they'd quickly realize he wasn't just another 24th century hew-mon to be trifled with. Sure, Offenhouse may not exactly be a trained diplomat...but let's be honest, would the Ferengi really care about people who are?
And who's to say what Offenhouse's intellectual and academic background actually are? For all we know he could already have degrees in politics, government, law, economics, etc. Clearly he's not just some random schmuck plucked off the street. You'll notice how quickly he picks up on the situation with the Romulans, for example?
As I said, nobody in the 24th century knows more about money than he does. So who better to rise to an important position in dealing with the Ferengi? And in turn, the Ferengi would learn to respect him, as well...they'd quickly realize he wasn't just another 24th century hew-mon to be trifled with. Sure, Offenhouse may not exactly be a trained diplomat...but let's be honest, would the Ferengi really care about people who are?
And who's to say what Offenhouse's intellectual and academic background actually are? For all we know he could already have degrees in politics, government, law, economics, etc. Clearly he's not just some random schmuck plucked off the street. You'll notice how quickly he picks up on the situation with the Romulans, for example?
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Who knows? Maybe he's just cryogenically frozen. See you in the 24th Century!
Everyone in the 24th century knows more about money than he does. You think future economists, the best 150 worlds have to offer, don’t know how to manage more diverse varieties of their own alien economies and dynamics than Offenhouse had fingers and toes?Offenhouse is not stupid. He strikes me as somebody who, given the right motivation, could easily adapt to his new surroundings.
As I said, nobody in the 24th century knows more about money than he does. So who better to rise to an important position in dealing with the Ferengi? And in turn, the Ferengi would learn to respect him, as well...they'd quickly realize he wasn't just another 24th century hew-mon to be trifled with. Sure, Offenhouse may not exactly be a trained diplomat...but let's be honest, would the Ferengi really care about people who are?
And who's to say what Offenhouse's intellectual and academic background actually are? For all we know he could already have degrees in politics, government, law, economics, etc. Clearly he's not just some random schmuck plucked off the street. You'll notice how quickly he picks up on the situation with the Romulans, for example?
Plus, the character cares more about power than money. He’d be humbled and explore Heaven, or look for a new way to get his jollies along the lines he knew.
Rest In Peace Mr. Richman, he certainly was good at what he did.
Unlikely.
Most people - most Federation citizens, anyway - in the 24th century, don't know anything about money. How can they, if they live in a society that doesn't even USE it?
The Ferengi, on the other hand...literally every aspect of their lives revolves around money. Not only DO they know all about it, they HAVE to, just to survive.
And so, naturally, Ferengi tend to look down on most Federation "hew-mons", because - perhaps at least a teeny bit justifiably so - they view the Federation as comprised of soft, mealymouthed sheep who have everything provided to them by the all-powerful State. So when a hew-mon like Offenhouse comes along - who is, arguably, an expert in financial matters - that will certainly catch the Ferengi off guard. Who could possibly be more qualified to deal with the Ferengi than someone who's as unabashedly capitalist as they? Talk about kindred spirits...
Yes, Offenhouse did care about power. Power over his own life. Picard claims that such power is an illusion...but as Offenhouse correctly pointed out, then why is he there?
As for power over others: We have no idea. Really, we don't. We know nothing about Offenhouse's life before he woke up on the Enterprise. Sure, he was kind of a dick to the crew, but it doesn't make him Donald Trump. For all we know, he used his money and his company for good, rather than evil. His actions on the ship don't prove anything about his old life.
Bingo.
And that is exactly what Offenhouse has done. Money, and matters arising from it, is exactly "the lines he knew". I mean, he's obviously going to struggle to fit in - to find something he's good at - and this certainly qualifies. Even if the Federation itself doesn't use money, I'm sure they could use the help in dealing with other governments which do.
In a world where a simple object like a replicator is somehow seen as society's ultimate savior, preventing the need for pretty much ANY kind of economy? Asked and answered.
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Everyone in the business of money. That means economists and anyone dealing with alien economies. And maybe the average citizen too. I learned way more algebra and calculus in school than I ever used outside of it. If I remember TNG’s “When the Bough Breaks” correctly, the average twelve year olds studies calculus in the future.
Someone who’s understands and is interested in advancing Federation interests and way of life? Offenhouse would likely be protected by the Federation, but would he be a citizen? That alone would take a while. Acclimating to both his new century and culture. Never mind competing with trillions of other people for a .0001% level job.
Federation largesse? His world ended in apocalyptic horror. His lost pod would have failed like the others on the ship and of the bankrupt(?) incinerated(?) cryogenic company. He gets points for trying, but how much do you credit the lottery winner for being the one in millions it worked out for? For even living somewhere there’s a lottery? The blond woman didn’t even sign up — her husband did not to lose her.Yes, Offenhouse did care about power. Power over his own life. Picard claims that such power is an illusion...but as Offenhouse correctly pointed out, then why is he there?
Yeah, possibly. Maybe he seemed overly dickish as a defense mechanism.
Pythagoras today might make a decent middle school math teacher, but he’s probably not going to be president of MIT.
That the replicator solved anything is some fans’ speculation. It’s never easy to be a saint, even in paradise. You don’t get points for never thinking to steal, for never needing to.In a world where a simple object like a replicator is somehow seen as society's ultimate savior, preventing the need for pretty much ANY kind of economy? Asked and answered.
The Trek future is one of many diverse aliens with diverse world-views and economies (whether Federation or Ferengi or Klingon or Sheliak or Wadi or what have you), and Federation business people and economists need to be able to navigate many if not all of them. I think there’s a far greater level of economic and cultural sophistication at the upper levels to optimize interstellar trade and commerce. That’s hard enough to do when your from that century. When you’ve grown up studying and getting a feel for even a fraction of them.
Offenhouse might be able to offer interesting, hopefully thoughtful perspectives, but I think he’d do better as a writer or commentator or maybe a consultant. Including in economies that aren’t too different from those he knew on a single planet centuries ago — maybe newer warp societies not too dissimilar from today. Upper level Ferengi capitalism might blow him away.
Why wouldn't he be? Offenhouse was born and raised on Earth. Centuries ago, to be sure, but Earth is Earth.
Understandable.
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