Season 1 weirdness: "The Last Outpost"

[Santa Kang]

The problem with the Ferengi is that you can sense they were supposed to be menacing and mysterious, when in fact they were just kind of silly (even though they did manage to dupe the Enterprise's crew on a few occasions, if memory serves). Early TNG, people were all "wow, the Ferengi, no-one knows anything about 'em", but when you examine DS9 chronology, you have to wonder if the Enterprise simply didn't have access to space internet.

Actually they seem to know alot about them.

Captain's log, stardate 41386.4. We are in pursuit of a starship of Ferengi design.

They know what their ships look like.

RIKER: Anything on that design, Data?
DATA: Nothing specific, sir. As you know, Ferengi technology is estimated to be generally equal to our own.

They know their tech is roughly equivalent to the UFP.

RIKER: Which reports do not conflict?
DATA: That the Ferengi are, well, the best description may be traders.
PICARD: What kind of traders?
DATA: A comparison modern scholars have drawn from Earth history likens the Ferengi to the ocean-going Yankee traders of eighteenth and nineteenth century America, sir.
RIKER: From the history of my forebears. Yankee traders.
DATA: Who in this case sail the galaxy in search of mercantile and territorial opportunity.
RIKER: And are those scholars saying the Ferengi may not unlike us?
DATA: Hardly, sir. I believe this analogy refers to the worst quality of capitalists. The Ferengi are believed to conduct their affairs of commerce on the ancient principle caveat emptor. Let the buyer beware.
RIKER: Yankee traders. I like the sound of that.
DATA: Well, sir, I doubt they wear red, white and blue, or look anything like Uncle Sam.

They've a pretty good idea what Ferengi society is like.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

Thanks for the info, but I was actually only trying (and obviously failing) to make fun of how in the pilot, they were supposed to be dangerous and mysterious, when in the end, they turned out to be neither.

 

[St. Squigolas]

Who's going to remember it? A fucking android ought to.

Garbage in, garbage out. Data only knows what the databanks tell him. If the databanks are in error, so he will be, too.

Yes, but "realistically" his databanks should be at least as good as Wikipedia.

 

[Santa Kang]

Thanks for the info, but I was actually only trying (and obviously failing) to make fun of how in the pilot, they were supposed to be dangerous and mysterious, when in the end, they turned out to be neither.

Well they pretty much blew it on every level: Make up, costume, body language. None of which said "Serious threat".

 

[Lance]

Thanks for the info, but I was actually only trying (and obviously failing) to make fun of how in the pilot, they were supposed to be dangerous and mysterious, when in the end, they turned out to be neither.

Well they pretty much blew it on every level: Make up, costume, body language. None of which said "Serious threat".

I think it's a great shame that the Ferengi design got watered down. Some of the early proof concepts (pointed ears and more pronounced-looking fangs) do actually look pretty fearsome.