Game The Most Disliked Ferengi Episode

[Qonundrum]

For reasons other than being rascally, the next I will save and despite it all is:

TNG Season 6: “Suspicions”​

The attempt to add some new layers to the Ferengi in this episode doesn't quite work. Nor did it help that they really took Crusher to a level that's arguably out of character. But that might be the point, her trying something above and beyond and in a way that backs up her passion - and she is admonished by Picard at the end; the one person who knows the rules and practices the most when it comes to diplomacy, which isn't her field and note that she's about the medical aspect and can even outrank him in terms of reliving him of duty! her shift just feels more jarring and out of place. But if only the incidental music could be surgically altered into something good...

What's left:

TNG Season 3: “The Price”
TNG Season 5: “The Perfect Mate”
TNG Season 7: “Bloodlines”
DS9 Season 1: “The Nagus”
DS9 Season 3: “Prophet Motive”
DS9 Season 5: “Ferengi Love Songs”
DS9 Season 6: “Profit & Lace”
DS9 Season 7: “The Emperor’s New Cloak”
DS9 Season 7: “The Dogs Of War”
VOY Season 7: "Inside Man"
ENT Season 1: “Acquisition”

 

[Tim Thomason]

There's some good DS9 episodes here, but I need to get to work, so I'm going to quickly save Acquisition. Why?, you may ask. Because it is not the most disliked episode in my opinion or at least should not be.

Acquisition is a great episode that shows us the dangers of space piracy like no other Enterprise episode. The capture of the NX-01, a relatively primitive ship, is accomplished much more cleanly and believably than in its TNG inspiration "Rascals". The Ferengi are being Ferengi of course, comic relief with a sense of menace, but the story is well-written and the characters multi-dimensional.

Of course everyone hates on the episode because "Ferengi aren't supposed to be around before 2364". What do you think they were doing before The Battle? Hanging out on their planet? No, they're a 10,000-year-old civilization. Of course they existed two hundred years before we see them. These Ferengi are opportunistic pirates explicitly far from home. All that makes sense and is a perfect explanation for their appearance here.

TNG Season 3: “The Price”
TNG Season 5: “The Perfect Mate”
TNG Season 7: “Bloodlines”
DS9 Season 1: “The Nagus”
DS9 Season 3: “Prophet Motive”
DS9 Season 5: “Ferengi Love Songs”
DS9 Season 6: “Profit & Lace”
DS9 Season 7: “The Emperor’s New Cloak”
DS9 Season 7: “The Dogs Of War”
VOY Season 7: "Inside Man"

 

[Sakonna]

Wow, I find it pretty crazy that my favorite of what remains is "Ferengi Love Songs"! The Rom/Leeta subplot is ATROCIOUS in every way, and the slapsticky Quark story is embarrassing. But, I looooooooooooooooove the way Armin Shimmerman and Cecily Adams act it.

TNG Season 3: “The Price”
TNG Season 5: “The Perfect Mate”
TNG Season 7: “Bloodlines”
DS9 Season 1: “The Nagus”
DS9 Season 3: “Prophet Motive”
DS9 Season 6: “Profit & Lace”
DS9 Season 7: “The Emperor’s New Cloak”
DS9 Season 7: “The Dogs Of War”
VOY Season 7: "Inside Man"

 

[at Quark's]

Saving "the Nagus" once again, just like in last game

Of course the plot is pretty implausible. A leader of an interplanetary alliance who wants to test whether his son is ready to take over and therefore simulates his death and names a small-time bar owner as his successor? Right. Then again, it wouldn't be the only or even first implausible story in trek that made for a decent episode.....also it's the first story in which Quark is cast in the protagonist's role, forced to act himself, rather than to react to circumstances, which allows for a wider range of (comedic) situations and showcasing a wider range of acting from Shimerman.

TNG Season 3: “The Price”
TNG Season 5: “The Perfect Mate”
TNG Season 7: “Bloodlines”
DS9 Season 3: “Prophet Motive”
DS9 Season 6: “Profit & Lace”
DS9 Season 7: “The Emperor’s New Cloak”
DS9 Season 7: “The Dogs Of War”
VOY Season 7: "Inside Man"

 

[Seven of Five]

I'll save The Dogs of War. We get to see the fate of the Ferengi since their original introduction, and they've come a long way. Rom becoming the new Nagus was the perfect way to start the new Ferenginar. There is also a lot of good other things happening in the episode in the build-up to What You Leave Behind.

TNG Season 3: “The Price”
TNG Season 5: “The Perfect Mate”
TNG Season 7: “Bloodlines”
DS9 Season 3: “Prophet Motive”
DS9 Season 6: “Profit & Lace”
DS9 Season 7: “The Emperor’s New Cloak”
VOY Season 7: "Inside Man"

 

[Sakonna]

I'll save "Prophet Motive", as I find it clever when they use to the Ferengi to backdoor major dramatic elements (back) onto the series... the Dominion intro in "Rules Of Acquisition", and this episode being the first appearance of the Prophets since the pilot.

Boy, what a dreadful lineup remaining. I can't begin to guess what will emerge victorious from this.

TNG Season 3: “The Price”
TNG Season 5: “The Perfect Mate”
TNG Season 7: “Bloodlines”
DS9 Season 6: “Profit & Lace”
DS9 Season 7: “The Emperor’s New Cloak”
VOY Season 7: "Inside Man"

 

[Tim Thomason]

Bloodlines features good drama with Jason Vigo and continues the non-Ferengi storyline of Bok seeking revenge for the death of his son: a nice, sorta, reminder that some of these fun adventures have consequences and the bad guys leave family behind.

TNG Season 3: “The Price”
TNG Season 5: “The Perfect Mate”
DS9 Season 6: “Profit & Lace”
DS9 Season 7: “The Emperor’s New Cloak”
VOY Season 7: "Inside Man"

 

[Seven of Five]

The Perfect Mate has a nice relationship between Picard and Kamala. It's not one of my favourite episodes but it has a little more substance that what is left.


TNG Season 3: “The Price”
DS9 Season 6: “Profit & Lace”
DS9 Season 7: “The Emperor’s New Cloak”
VOY Season 7: "Inside Man"

 

[Sakonna]

"Inside Man" is very bad, but the other three are that and also offensive to varying degree.

TNG Season 3: “The Price”
DS9 Season 6: “Profit & Lace”
DS9 Season 7: “The Emperor’s New Cloak”

 

[Tim Thomason]

You know what, I don't think The Price belongs here. Sure, it had early TNG syndrome, but the glimpse into Federation economic diplomacy is fascinating, and the real bad guy (Devinoni Ral) gives us a nice look into Troi's background.

I'm glad I don't have to pick between the other two. Good luck to the brave soul who does.

DS9 Season 6: “Profit & Lace”
DS9 Season 7: “The Emperor’s New Cloak”

 

[Farscape One]

I will be that brave soup.

Both episodes have A LOT going against them. Frankly, both offend a lot of people in different ways.

It's tough.

As much as it pains me, I'm going to save "PROFIT AND LACE". My personal opinion is it really is the worst episode of DS9, but I will defer to my wife's thinking that it may have been an attempt at comedy. Badly done, but still an attempt. And there are scenes that give it that impression.

The last visit to the mirror universe, chronologically speaking, not only was a bad one for that world, but it basically hurt a storyline that ran across multiple series. And don't get me started on the nonsense of the Empire not having cloaks. "PROFIT AND LACE", at least, only hurt the one show.

So the 'winner' is... "THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOAK".

 

[at Quark's]

^ Interesting, I was fairly convinced Profit and Lace was going to be voted the worst. But this is of course also a valid (and for me a new) way of looking at the 'winner' ep. Seems I can learn things even from games. Thank you.

 

[Seven of Five]

They both stink up the place. I might have voted Profit and Lace as well, but The Emperor's New Cloak was such a poor way to end the Mirror Universe arc.

 

[Sakonna]

A worthy winner! I would have saved "Profit & Lace" as well. It is hugely offensive, but so is "New Cloak." Unlike "New Cloak", "Profit & Lace" has (very) occasional moments that work for me... everyone singing along with the Slug-O-Cola jingle, Brunt having his own Hupyrian servant. "New Cloak" has nothing. A dreary, joyless, airless slog the whole time. And it provides a terrible ending to a story arc that was often great, whereas the Ferenginar arc really did not have any high points to drag down.

Hey, it's the first DS9 for the winners board!

MOST DISLIKED "WINNER"LOSERS, 2020
SEASON PREMIERE: TNG, Season 7: "Descent, Part II"
FERENGI: DS9, Season 7: "The Emperor's New Cloak"
HOLODECK: VOY, Season 6: "Fair Haven"
TIME TRAVEL/ANOMALY/LOOP: VOY, Season 6: “Fury”
Q: VOY, Season 7: "Q2"
VISIT TO EARTH'S "PRESENT": ENT, Season 2: "Shockwave, Part II"
HALLUCINATION/ILLUSION: ENT, Season 3: "Extinction"
VISIT TO EARTH'S PAST: ENT, Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I"
INTRODUCTION OF RECURRING ALIENS: DIS, Season 2: "An Obol For Charon" (the jahSepp)

Next up: "The Most Disliked Klingon Episode." Hope to see you all there!