The Ferengi Episodes: Monstrous or Magnificent?

[Quinton O'Connor]

In the vein of my recent thread, the pop culture phenomenon "Worst episode of each season?" I have decided to return with a tour de force which promises to rivet and inspire long-time fans with a fresh dosage of never-before-discussed issues. Surely, no one has ever spoken out about their opinions on the many Ferengi-centric episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, so allow me the honors of being the very first fan in the history of ever to make such a topic.

Actually, it's because I've seen so much very vocal dialogue on the capitalistic chronicles of the big-eared variety that I decided to make this topic. I'm interested in seeing just how many people feel adamantly one way or the other about the myriad Ferengi episodes in DS9. Myself, I'm of the opinion that some of them are very good and some of them are fairly terrible, and that they really can't be discussed with absolute resolve. If this describes you, which episodes worked for you? Which ones didn't? What characterization separates the Quark of good times with the Quark of bad times? So on, so forth.

But I know there are those who spit on every single storyline that focuses extensively on Quark, Nog, Rom, Zek and/or the rest of the bunch. If this describes you, why do you loathe them so? Just what is it about the Ferengi episodes that guarantees a bad time for you?

And then there are those who live for these episodes. I haven't seen anyone on this forum to match this description, but I've seen them elsewhere. In fact, a friend of mine IRL sums this stance up fairly well. If this describes you, what is it that is so irresistible about them? Would you say they're all terrific? If so, are you British?

Okay, that last part is a joke.

 

[Trek_princess]

I like the Ferengi episodes - not all of them, but overall I think they're cute and add a nice change of pace/tone. "The Magnificent Ferengi," "Little Green Men," and "Paper Moon" are very good. Maybe I'm crazy, but I think "Rules of Acquisition" is cute too.

As for the infamous "Profit and Lace" - this episdode is pretty bizarre, but at least it's interesting. I prefer it to a boring episode any day of the week.

 

[Trek_princess]

Oh, I also like "Take Me Out to the Holosuite," which people seem to dislike. I think it's so funny that the Vulcans are winning the game by an outrageous lead, but when the ds9 team finally gets ONE home run, they start cheering and going crazy as if they won the game. And the Vulcans (who is this episode are snobby and smug elitests), are obviously pissed that the "inferior" team has usurped their glory.

 

[radk32]

Well, I cant shed any light on why other viewers seem to loathe ferengi centric episodes. For me, they are certainly among my favourites (Profit and Lace being a conspicuous exception).

TNG gave us the Ferengi, but DS9 told us who they were and what they were about. This is one of the many reasons why I believe DS9 is head and shoulders above any other trek series: the rich and detailed exploration of the various cultures that inhabit the trek universe. Only Voyager came close, with its exposition of the Borg.

TOS gave us the Klingons, but told us nothing about them. TNG lifted the lid and allowed us to peek inside, but DS9 was where they came into their own. The Klingons and the Ferengi are my two favourite species from the trek universe.

IMHO, Quark, Rom, Nog and Zek (and Brunt!) are some of the most brilliantly realised characters, not just on DS9 but on any trek show. I fail to understand the hostility which is sometimes directed at Zek in particular. I think he is a wonderfully written and masterfully acted character.

The Magnificent Ferengi is sheer comedy gold as far as I am concerned, and is firmly entrenched among my top 10 DS9 episodes. The combination of Gala and Brunt had me rofl.

In summation I loved the Ferengi, and DS9 would have been poorer for their absence.

 

[RegFan]

I dislike the Ferengi, and also most of the Ferengi episodes, but The Magnificent Ferengi is an exception because it's so funny. I find the Ferengi to be too ridiculously sexist and greedy for my taste, not to mention that they absolutely sucked as villains.

 

[DevilEyes]

The Ferengi episodes were hit and miss... but far more often miss.

The only Ferengi episodes I like are Little Green Men and The Magnificent Ferengi, which are actually funny. Of course, The House Of Quark is awesome and one of my favorite DS9 episodes, but it's not a Ferengi episode, it's a Quark-among-Klingons episode. Quark was usually much better when interacting with other characters, and even Rom could function in that context, but Ferengi episodes were usually embarrassing, bad comedy.

 

[DS9 Gal AZ]

Ferengi episode often walk a fine line between amusing and annoying. My favorite Ferengi episode is probably "Little Green Men." I remember see the trailer for that episode and giggling madly. The Ferengi were the Roswell aliens?! I LOVE IT! I also love "The House of Quark," but as referenced above, it's not so much a Ferengi episode as "Quark among Klingons." I love when Quark basically dares the bad Klingon to kill him and calls him on his cowardice and dishonor for being willing to kill someone so obviously weaker than him.

I do love the juxtaposition of the two cultures. I like the little moments, like when cadet Nog stands up to Martok and his big bad Klingons and Martok says "Courage comes in all sizes." Cool.

 

[trekkiebaggio]

I like all the Ferengi episodes, and Quark is my favourite DS9 character. The Magnificent Ferengi is my favourite of the Ferengi episodes.

 

[flemm]

Most Trek races benefit from being examined in greater detail, which allows them to move from being a caricature of some human trait to having more depth and nuance. DS9 did a lot of this kind of thing successfully.

The Ferengi, though, are an odd case in the sense that I think they work best as a caricature, and less well when the concept of a sexist society that sees profit as an ultimate good is examined in detail. (I will say in passing that the Ferengi on DS9 are certainly more entertaining than they ever were on TNG that I can recall, but I am referring to how they were handled on DS9 when I say that the caricature worked better than when the premise was explored in detail.)

For example, it is amusing when Quark mentions in passing that women aren't even allowed to wear clothes on Ferenginar, because it is hilariously over the top. But when you actually go to Ferenginar, and Rom is more comfortable around his Mom when she is naked, it's just wierd, and not in a good way.

When Quark cites the Rules of Acquisition when dealing with whatever situation arises, that can often be hilarious because the rules themselves are witty, and Quark's attitude contrasts so starkly with Starfleet's notion of morality, or the Bajorans'. But when they are treated seriously as a moral and legal code of behavior, they lose their satirical quality.

That is why I think (in agreement with DevilEyes above) the Ferengi episodes that work are generally the ones where the Ferengi are played against some other society or race, such as the Klingons in The House of Quark, mid 20th century humans in Little Green Men, and the Vorta and Jem'Hadar in The Magnificent Ferengi.

That's also why Quark is one of my favorite characters despite the fact that I don't like many of the Ferengi episodes, especially those dealing with Moogie and the Nagus: Quark is hilarious as a foil for the other characters, or as a source of wry commentary on the Federation. However, the ongoing storyline about the transformation of Ferengi society never did much of anything for me.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

Working on the principle that Ferengi episodes are the ones featuring a Ferengi guest character other than Rom or Nog:

The Nagus - boring. Oh well, Season 1 was kind of rubbish, anyway.
Rules of Acquisition - actually really good.
Prophet Motive - wait, this was a whole episode? It feels more like a subplot.
Family Business - I have a soft spot for this one.
Little Green Men - hey, this is a lot of fun!
Bar Association - again with the 'could have been a subplot' thing.
Body Parts - OK.
Business as Usual - good, and all the better for dialling down the wackiness.
Ferengi Love Songs - really cringeworthy.
The Magnificent Ferengi - fun, and it has Iggy Pop!
Profit and Lace - not a good idea.
The Emperor's New Cloak - pretty much trashes the MU and has some questionable implications, but I actually quite enjoy how farcical and silly this one is.
The Dogs of War (if it counts) - took my advice of making this a subplot. Rom becoming Nagus is silly, but Quark's speech is very funny.

I do like how DS9 re-worked the Ferengi into comic relief, but ultimately it went too far - they were excessively cartoonish by the end of the show. Oh, and it disappointed me that we never saw Ferengi warships on DS9, since they were actually one of TNG's coolest spaceship designs.

*Just realised that Little Green Men probably doesn't fit my definition of a Ferengi episode, but it still feels like one to me.*

 

[DS9 Gal AZ]

Body Parts - OK.

I actually really liked Body Parts. The whole convo between Quark and Brunt at the end:

Quark: And if you ever walk into my bar again ...
Brunt: Yes?
Quark: You won't walk out.

The look on Brunt's face as he realizes Quark is completely serious and will kill him... of course, that isn't the last time he walks into Quark's bar, but in that scene at that moment it's pretty bad-ass of Quark right there.

And then of course all of Quark's friend helping him open the bar, they bring in chairs and Morn comes in and immediately sits down in his old spot... hee.

 

[Danny99]

The only ones I hold with any kind of regard are Little Green Men and The Magnificent Ferengi, and really only Iggy Pop saves the latter.

I know the Ferengi are supposed to be this allegory for 20th century greed. But the whole "women aren't allowed to wear clothes" and the whole supersized greed/money character traits were just stupid.

Quark worked well when he wasn't the main character in the story. I don't know why people loved Rom, he was an idiot. Nog only became tolerable when he joined Starfleet.

 

[flemm]

At the end of the day, the main culprits (as far as I'm concerned anyway) are Family Business, Ferengi Love Songs and Profit and Lace. If you cut these three out of the repertoire, then the Ferengi episodes would mostly range from mediocre to good.

I actually enjoy Business As Usual and Body Parts quite a bit, and The Dogs of War manages to close out the Ferengi storyline in a respectable manner.

 

[Ro Boat]

Don't you feel that the writers sold the Ferengi down the river?

It makes sense for Rom to start a union or Nog to join Starfleet. They are far from Ferengi society. It seems as if Nog spent most of his life far from Ferenginar. But the overnight changes to Ferengi society that were explained throughout the last few seasons were a cop out. The writers built up this race, with all of its flaws and charms, only to tear it down.

This made the last bunch of Ferengi episodes rather dissatisfying at best.

 

[DS9 Gal AZ]

I dunno, I kind of like the feminist movement sweeping through Ferengi culture. Remember Pel? She was a female Ferengi who disguised herself as male in order to earn profit? She and Quark kind of had a thing, and then she was exiled to the Gamma Quadrant? I kind of hoped she'd hear about the changes on Ferenginar and come back, and then she and Quark could get back together ...

 

[flemm]

Don't you feel that the writers sold the Ferengi down the river?

It makes sense for Rom to start a union or Nog to join Starfleet. They are far from Ferengi society. It seems as if Nog spent most of his life far from Ferenginar. But the overnight changes to Ferengi society that were explained throughout the last few seasons were a cop out. The writers built up this race, with all of its flaws and charms, only to tear it down.

This made the last bunch of Ferengi episodes rather dissatisfying at best.

Well, as I said earlier, I could have personally done without the entire "transformation of Ferengi society" storyline, which has its roots in Family Business, really, with Moogie's illicit business endeavors.

However, it doesn't really bother me much that it's not too realistic, since the Ferengi are largely played for farce on DS9 from the beginning, and because it puts Quark in an interesting position as defender of traditional Ferengi values. The Dogs of War actually works much better than most of the episodes that lead up to it.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

I didn't expect quite so many replies upon my return. Cool.

I don't have much time right now so I'm not going to say much, but it seems only one person said they dislike the majority of the Ferengi episodes through and through, and even that they expressed that there were a couple of winners. Most seem to agree there are a few bad eggs for sure, and that those bad eggs mess things up.

The statement that the Ferengi work best when put up against other cultures rather than themselves is something I think I can get behind. I know exactly what you mean and look forward to possibly confirming that in my rewatch.