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Ferengi

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Ferengi on Star Trek: The Next Generation

The Ferengi are a fictional extraterrestrial race from the Star Trek universe. They first appeared in "The Last Outpost", the seventh episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987, during which they made first contact with the United Federation of Planets in 2364 on the planet Delphi Ardu, though they had been mentioned in the series' pilot, "Encounter at Farpoint". They and their culture are characterized by a mercantile obsession with profit and trade, and their constant efforts to swindle people into bad deals. They are also known for attitudes toward females that many in mainstream Western culture would describe as misogyny.

Their home planet, Ferenginar, is a non-Federation world governed by the Grand Nagus and a Commerce Authority made primarily of the Council of Economic Advisors (formerly Board of Liquidators). Like most of their culture, their religion is also based on principles of capitalism: they offer prayers and monetary offerings to a Blessed Exchequer in hopes of entering the Divine Treasury upon death, and fear an afterlife spent in the Vault of Eternal Destitution.

Prominent Ferengi include Quark, Rom, Nog, Ishka, Zek, and Brunt.

On Star Trek

The Ferengi were originally meant to replace the Klingons as a threat to the Federation, but viewers could not see the ridiculous creatures as posing any kind of consistent threat. Thus, Paramount scrapped them as true threats, and they were usually shown on Star Trek: The Next Generation as being somewhat of a one-dimensional nuisance, and plots involving them were usually comedic ones.

In "Encounter at Farpoint" the Bandi leader Groppler Zorn is the first to mention the Ferengi when he threatens to sell Farpoint Station to them, to which Picard said he hoped the Ferengi found the Bandi as tasty as their last associates. Oddly enough, internal references in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine made it clear that the Klingons and the Cardassians had been interacting with the Ferengi for years prior to Encounter at Farpoint, yet apparently the Federation never received information about the Ferengi in data exchanges with either race. In internal Star Trek chronology, however, the earliest known reference to the race occurs in the 2002 Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Dear Doctor", when, in 2151, a Valakian astronaut that encounters the crew of the Enterprise (NX-01) mentions the Ferengi in passing, but the Enterprise crew do not recognize the name. The crew would encounter the Ferengi themselves later that season in "Acquisition", but would never learn the name of their race, and thus not make the connection with the race mentioned by the Valalkian astronaut.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was the series that focused the most on the Ferengi, as it was the first to feature a Ferengi, Quark (played by Armin Shimerman), as a regular cast member, as well as Ferengi as recurring cast members, most notably Quark's brother Rom (Max Grodenchik) and Rom's son Nog (Aron Eisenberg). Nog would later become the first ever Ferengi in Starfleet. Deep Space Nine, therefore, featured many episodes that centered around the Ferengi and explored their culture in depth. It was on Deep Space Nine that Ferenginar was first seen.

Creation of the Ferengi is also seen as a thinly-veiled means to satirize studio and network executives: obsessed with profit, unethical, intelligent, inscrutable (to Betazoids, anyway) and technologically powerful, all male characters who would prefer their female "property" to be unclothed.

Etymology

The name "Ferengi" is an Arabic name for European traders, or for Westerners in general. Both the Arabic word and the name are similarly pronounced feringhee. The name is likely derived from the Arabic word faranj or ifranj = "Franks" or possibly the Persian word farangi, meaning "foreigner" or (most likely) the Hindi/Urdu word ferengi, which is a dialectic varietion on the Persian word. In Ethiopia, ferenj or ferenji has the same meaning. The Greeks used Farang or farangi to refer to western Europeans, especially from Catalonia. The Star Trek usage was taken from the above usage.[1]

Anatomy

Ferengi are somewhat smaller than humans, usually reaching approximately five feet in height. They have unusually large ears (more so in males than in females), lobed foreheads, large, ribbed noses, ascending ribs, upper and lower lungs, and a four-lobed brain that cannot be read by the telepathic powers of Betazoids or Vulcans. Data once also mentioned Ferengi being stronger than humans. The ears, at least in males, are erogenous zones; the Ferengi colloquially use the word "lobes" much as the word "balls" is used in modern English (as in, "I didn't think you had the lobes for that"). The Ferengi also use the word "oo-mox," which has no English translation, to describe the sensations they feel when their ears are stimulated. Ferengi teeth resemble jagged spikes, and they use a hand-held "toothsharpener" to maintain them.

Culture

The Ferengi originate from the planet Ferenginar, in the center of the Ferengi Alliance located in the Alpha Quadrant. Precisely what the Ferengi Alliance consisted of was never revealed; it may simply encompass Ferenginar and any uninhabited planets that the Ferengi have colonized, since there was little indication that the Ferengi government exercised authority over any species other than its own.

Ferengi culture is based entirely on commerce, and the 285 Rules of Acquisition comprise the sacred code on which all of Ferengi society is based. They were first written down by Gint, the first Grand Nagus, who leads the Ferengi Alliance. The title "Rules of Acquisition" was chosen as a clever marketing ploy (since the rules are merely guidelines) and Gint numbered his first rule as #162, in order to create a demand for the other 161 Rules that had not yet been created. Ferengi culture is so devoted to unregulated capitalism that concepts such as labor unions, sick leave, vacations, or paid overtime for workers are considered abhorrent, because they would interfere with exploitation of workers. In addition to the Rules, the Ferengi also recognize the five Stages of Acquisition: infatuation, justification, appropriation, obsession, and resale. They value similar traits in other species as well — Earth's Wall Street is regarded with religious reverence by Ferengi, who routinely visit Earth to make pilgrimages to the "holy site" of commerce and business. The quest for profit even reaches into Ferengi religion – similar to the prosperity gospel taught in some Christian circles, it is common for Ferengi to pray for financial success. The Ferengi believe in an afterlife which is based on the profit earned in life. There are two possible eternal fates: for the successful, the Divine Treasury or Golden Treasury lies ahead (provided one can bribe one's way in); the financial failures spend eternity in the Vault of Eternal Destitution, or Debtor's Dungeon.

Until the episodes "Ferengi Love Songs" (in which it was revealed that Ishka, the mother of Quark and Rom, had become romantically involved with Grand Nagus Zek), and "Profit and Lace", the laws and society of the Ferengi were extremely harsh towards its women. Female Ferengi were forbidden to make profit, wear clothes, talk to strangers, or travel without the permission of the eldest male of the family. Ferengi women traditionally softened food for members of their family by chewing it, and selling one's mother for gold-pressed latinum, the principal form of legal tender, is an act that would be looked on with admiration in Ferengi society. By the time of Deep Space Nine's penultimate series episode, "The Dogs of War", it was indicated that Ferengi capitalism was coming under greater regulation, with historic changes being made with respect to things such as female rights, universal health care, worker's rights, etc. Zek's appointment of Rom to be his successor as Grand Nagus suggests that this trend will likely continue, given that Rom was long-depicted as more liberal, compassionate, and sensitive than more traditional Ferengi such as Quark.

Ferengi males are neither buried nor cremated when they die. Rather, the dying male puts his body up for auction to the highest bidder and the dead body is carved up into little pieces that are vacuum-desiccated, preserved and packaged for sale as mementos of a worthy life. {In one episode Constable Odo in DS9 expresses an interest in buying Quark's remains!}

A subset of the Ferengi culture is known as the Eliminators, who routinely hire themselves out as assassins to anyone willing to pay for their services. Most Ferengi, however, view Eliminators as eccentric at best (since Eliminators appear to enjoy the sport of killing more than the profits gained thereby), dangerous psychopaths at worst, and avoid them whenever possible.

Ferengi cuisine consists of insects and other small invertebrates, such as "tube grubs," either served live, jellied or juiced. Regarding the comment made by Picard in "Encounter at Farpoint" about Ferengi finding their past associates "tasty", there is no reference to whether these associates were insectoids. (Picard was most likely stating one of the many rumors that had risen about the Ferengi, as referenced in "The Last Outpost".)

When welcoming guests into his home, a Ferengi will speak a traditional greeting. He will say "Welcome to our home. Please place your thumbprint on the legal waivers and deposit your admission fee in the slot by the door. Remember, my house is my house." The guest replies "As are its contents."

When a Ferengi bows, he holds his hands in a bowl shape.

Ferengi personalities vary from cultured (i.e. Quark of Deep Space Nine) to crude (as per the Ferengi first encountered by the Enterprise NCC-1701-D), to polite and intellectually curious scientists (Dr. Reyga from the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "Suspicions").

A certain branch of the Ferengi government, known as Liquidators, are almost universally loathed by all Ferengi, and are possibly meant as a parody of the IRS. Liquidator Brunt was a recurring character on Deep Space Nine, who often found himself at odds with Quark.

A line of toys known as Marauder Mo, which is an action figure based line, existed when Quark was a child, and he collected the figures. Little else is known about these items, but they do appreciate in value over time, particularly if they are kept in the original packaging. It is unknown how, but they also may sometimes depreciate over time.

Language

In the Star Trek television shows, Ferengi, like almost every other alien race are almost always shown speaking in English, but as with other races, they are known to have their own language. The Deep Space Nine episode "Little Green Men" shows Ferengi speaking their own language when their Universal Translators malfunction, one of the few alien races whose language have been thus heard by the home viewer. (In that episode, we see that Ferengi typically wear their Universal Translators implanted into their ears.) Several episodes show examples of the Ferengi written language or script, some of them being animated on computer displays, as if they were a futuristic version of a Ferengi Stock ticker. Ferengi writing is meant to resemble a flow chart. There are 160+ words in the Ferengi language for 'rain', due to the fact that Ferenginar is shown to have a very humid (and, hence, very rainy) climate.

There exists an unofficial constructed Ferengi language. (Link broken, see a version from Google Groups.)

Ferengi Alliance

In the fictional Star Trek universe, this is the unified alliance of Ferengi inhabited and controlled worlds located North-East of the Federation on the galactic map. It is a relatively small but very powerful group that plays a significant role in the economy of the quadrant.

The Ferengi Alliance is ultimately controlled by the Grand Nagus, followed by his subordinates in the Ferengi Commerce Authority. The ultimate aim of this group is to make profit, either through galactic expansion, acquisition (see the Rules of Acquisition), or trade. In the past, acquisition has been gained through attacking other ships and worlds and taking anything of value. More recently it has been determined that you cannot make a profit if you're blown up, and that peaceful trade is more profitable, so this hostile approach has been eliminated on the whole.

The Ferengi Alliance operates on a strictly patriarchal society in which women are forbidden to wear clothing or leave the home, and can absolutely never make profit. The atmospherics of Ferenginar (the Ferengi homeworld) are very stable. It is almost always raining heavily. There is strong Ferengi presence around Deep Space 9 as the gateway to business in the gamma quadrant.

The Alliance remained neutral during the destructive Dominion War which laid waste to much of the Alpha Quadrant. The effects of the war on the Alliance are unknown however it is likely to have suffered economic hardship with the collapse of neighbouring economies.

In 2375, Grand Nagus Zek retired and Grand Nagus Rom took command over the Ferengi Alliance. Since this took place, there have been many reforms in Ferengi society, including the ability of women to leave the home and earn profit, health system reforms, the outlawing of monopolies and there have been many social support systems implemented.

History

According to legend, in ancient times the Ferengi and the Gree vied for control of their planet.

Before uniting under a Nagus, Ferenginar was divided into warring Commerce Zones. This was known as the "Barter Age."

In about the 9th Millennium B.C. Gint started writing the Rules of Acquisition laying the basis for Ferengi society.

In 1947, a Ferengi craft from the 2370s (carrying Quark, Rom, Nog and Odo) crashed in Roswell, New Mexico. This was humanity's first contact with the Ferengi, although "officially" the record showed that the crashed alien ship was actually a weather balloon. (See the Deep Space Nine episode "Little Green Men.")

At some point between 1947 and 2151, the Ferengi purchased warp drive from the Breen. The technology was traded by a single Breen in exchange for ownership of several ice comets in the Ferengi solar system, as well as a small ice moon and all the arctic regions on Ferenginar itself. The Breen then departed Ferengi space, never to return. It is a common Ferengi myth that he took the arctic regions with him, but since Ferengi do not like to be in cold places, none have ever gone to check.

In 2151, a group of Ferengi raiders, using a gas-deploying device, incapacitate the crew of Enterprise and try to steal everything of value. Three crew members manage to foil the Ferengi and take back everything they stole before sending the pirates on their way. (the name of the raiders' race is never revealed to the crew)

In 2355, a (still unknown) Ferengi vessel fired on the USS Stargazer. The federation commander, Jean-Luc Picard, returned fire, destroying the Ferengi ship, which never identified itself. The Ferengi sensationalized this incident as "The Battle of Maxia." Daimon Bok, the father of the Ferengi who captained that vessel, sought revenge on Picard, first in Next Generation's first season episode, "The Battle", and later in its seventh season, in the episode "Bloodlines".

Ferenginar

The Ferengi home planet has been shown a number of times and has been referred to quite often as well. While not a great deal is known about it, it is almost always referred to and depicted as a massive swamp, with torrential downpours occurring constantly. Not surprisingly, there are 178 different words for "rain" in the Ferengi language, and none for "crisp". It also explains, at least partially, why Ferengi diet consists of things such as grubs and snails, as these lifeforms would have been more prevalent in the marsh-like environment, and agriculture would have been difficult in this climate.

Perhaps the most notable landmark on Ferenginar is the Tower of Commerce, which at 40 stories is the tallest building on the planet.

Characteristics

Template:Spoiler The Ferengi realize that Humans and other species often look down on them for their ravenous profiteering and lack of independent technological or cultural achievements. However, Ferengi often see other races as self-righteous and, as Ferengi have come into regular contact with Humans, their own self-image has improved by comparison. While their criticism that Humans took well over 6,000 years to develop a central banking system after the beginning of their civilization may seem lacking in moral force, other arguments can be more convincing.

  • In theory, every business transaction that a Ferengi makes is governed by 285 Rules of Acquisition, though the rules themselves give the Ferengi license to cheat, steal, and bend the truth to suit their needs.
  • The Ferengi are possibly one of the least belligerent races seen in Trek. Although they have fought skirmishes with other races, they have never been involved in an all-out war. Even on Ferenginar, disputes were almost always settled through extending economic hegemony, rather than through military action.
  • Racism is almost unknown among the Ferengi. It is unclear if there are even racial divisions among the Ferengi. Indeed, believing that a Ferengi merchant would refuse to serve anyone because of their race is almost unthinkable — there would be no profit in it. There has never been any indication that the Ferengi engaged in genocide or apartheid. However it must be pointed out that until the very end of the series, the Ferengi were notorious for their sexism. Xenophobia and speciesism are common Ferengi traits though. Ferengi also believed the Federation was a "humans only club" and practiced racial discrimination against the Ferengi. This is despite the Federation's non-human/alien president. They also are known for pronouncing the human race as "HUGH-man".
  • Revenge and crimes of passion are nearly unknown among the Ferengi — again, they rarely see any profit in either. The Ferengi idea of revenge is more akin to the human concept of Schadenfreude. Causing your enemy to lose profit, or fail to profit, is considered the best revenge.
  • Despite the goal of vast accumulation of wealth, income mobility among the Ferengi seems to be quite high. A poor Ferengi who has the "lobes for business" will almost certainly rise to great heights. Ferengi society seems to be based on strict meritocracy, and aristocracy, nepotism, oligarchy and dictatorship are almost unknown in Ferengi society. In fact, former Grand Nagus Zek rejected his own son, Krax, as his successor when Krax attempted to assassinate acting Grand Nagus Quark after Zek faked his own death: not because he had tried to do something morally wrong, but because Zek saw resorting to such a crude assassination attempt as the sign of an incompetent undeserving of the position.
  • Despite the possible profits from nuclear power, the Ferengi never tested nuclear weapons in their atmosphere. In addition, the Ferengi do not often believe in selling products that are inherently dangerous from regular use, as that would reduce their customer base. For example, the Ferengi invented synthehol for use as a harmless substitute for grain alcohol, and were astounded that humans would allow the sale of cigarettes, which are both addictive and unhealthy. However, they have been known to sell weapons to both sides in a war, though this may be looked down upon.
  • The Ferengi have a strong work ethic, and encourage thrift and saving over conspicuous consumption. When a Ferengi makes a major purchase, it is likely to be something very useful for making further profit. Ferengi make excellent administrators as they are well versed in accounting and inventory procedures, and can often apply these skills to other endeavours.
  • The Ferengi do not appear to appreciate class or have a class system. Even though their status is determined entirely by wealth, the Ferengi would consider it foolish to establish an "upmarket" clientele when there would be profit to be made in selling goods to less fortunate people. In fact, the Ferengi belief in the "Great Material Continuum," an analogue of the unrestricted free market, often drives them to great length to satisfy a potential customer's needs and to find a market for their goods.
  • To the Ferengi, profit is its own reward (Rule of Acquisition #41). Arms merchants are tolerated, as with any business. Ferengi Rule of Acquisition #34 states "War is good for business,"; however, Rule of Acquisition #35 rebuts "Peace is good for business." Ferengi engage in the practice of selling defensive weaponry to weaker species under attack, in addition to selling to species that are more belligerent.

In one episode of DS9, Quark and Commander Sisko share an exchange in which Quark makes the case that the Ferengi are a more civilized race than humans:

  • Quark: I think I figured out why humans don't like Ferengi--
  • Sisko: Not now, Quark.
  • Quark: The way I see it, humans used to be a lot like Ferengi: greedy, acquisitive, interested only in profit. We're a constant reminder of a part of your past you'd like to forget.
  • Sisko: Quark, we don't have time for this.
  • Quark: You're overlooking something, commander. Humans used to be a lot worse than Ferengi. Slavery, concentration camps, interstellar war... we have nothing in our past that approaches that kind of barbarism. You see? We're nothing like you... we're better.

It should be noted that the Ferengi that were featured in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise made reference to being involved in the slave trade, so it is possible that Quark is either not aware of his people's history or was indulging to make a point, or the Ferengi in that episode were renegade Ferengi, or that they make a distinction (e.g., between enslaving Ferengi and enslaving other species, or between keeping slaves and selling slaves), or that this is just an inconsistency.

Trivia

  • Many fans and Star Trek production staff feel that the Ferengi's introduction in TNG was a disaster (including Ira Steven Behr).[citation needed] Deep Space Nine has been credited most for making the Ferengi much more than one-dimensional villains.[citation needed]
  • Their currency, gold-pressed latinum, is also a commodity, similar to the former usage of the Gold Standard by the U.S.
  • The Borg designation for the Ferengi is "species 180"[2]
  • There have been allegations among white supremacists that Star Trek writers harbored racist tendencies and that the Ferengi were meant to represent the "Jews" of the galaxy, something Trek episode writers have emphatically denied. The physical appearance and character of the Ferengi do, however, closely mirror many of the negative stereotypes about Jewish merchants and businesspeople that have long been promulgated by anti-Semitic writers and cartoonists.[citation needed]
  • "Ferengi" was the IBM internal "codename" for the OS/2 for Windows product(based on OS/2 2.1)

Reference

  1. ^ Banco de Gaia, Farewell Ferengistan, liner notes
  2. ^ Star Trek:Voyager,"Infinite Regress"

External links

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