Star Trek DS9 - Season 1 - Episode 11
Star Trek DS9 - 1x11 - The Nagus
Originally Aired: 1993-3-21
Synopsis:
Quark is suddenly named leader of the Ferengi financial empire, and discovers that he's not only popular, he's now a target for death. [DVD]
Filler Quotient:
0, not filler, do not skip this episode.
- This episode is a must watch largely for the pivotal character development for Jake, Nog, and Rom. It's also the episode which introduces Grand Nagus Zek and sets up Ferengi interest in doing business with the Gamma quadrant which will be significant later.
Problems
None
Factoids
- This is the first mention of the Bajoran fire caverns.
Remarkable Scenes
- Zek's "death."
- Quark's reaction to Rom wanting to take over the bar.
- Sisko: "Going through my own adolescence was difficult enough. Surviving my son's is going to take a miracle."
- Dax taking generous helpings of Sisko's dinner.
- Jake teaching Nog to read.
- Rom and Grax attempting to execute Quark.
- Rules of Acquisition; 1. Once you have their money, you never give it back. 6. Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity.
- Morn appearances; 1. Quark tells him a joke about Andorians at the bar. We hear Morn laugh! 2. Quark shoes him away when he tries to come in during the Ferengi conference. 3. Can be seen on the bottom level during Nog and Jake's argument. 4. Can be seen walking by after Gral threatens Quark. 5. Can be seen in Quark's through the window during the discussion about whether or not to take a Dabo girl. 6. Passes by during Quark and Nog's final conversation regarding the airlock execution stunt.
My Review
Introducing the Pope of the Ferengi. The Grand Nagus. This character cements the status of the Ferengi as a wonderfully overly exaggerated representation of American capitalism. You've got to root for Quark for once in his struggle against the greater greed he faces here. And he achieves honest success at that! I also like how Quark held no grudges against Rom for his actions. Indeed, he congratulated him! The most touching detail though is the reaffirming of Jake's and Nog's friendship and seeing it withstand the prejudices of their fathers. All things considered, a fine episode.
The following are comments submitted by my readers.
I cringed at the thought of this episode because I'm generally anti-Ferengi. At their best, they're little more than comic relief. At their worst, they're silly and borderline offensive.
This, however, is pretty solid. Yes, it's mostly aimed at laughs. Yes, the Ferengi are what they are. But this is done pretty well, and we get good character development of Rom, Quark, and the Ferengi at large. On top of that, it's entertaining from top to bottom, so it all falls together well.
Excellent episode! One of the strongest of season one, though that really isn't saying much.
Ferengi lore is started in earnest during this episode and remains throughout the seven seasons. I for one enjoy what you might call the 'Ferengi story arc'.
Two important recurring characters get a good grounding here. One is the Nagus, delightfully played by Wallace Shawn. The other is Rom, who despite earlier appearances gets more to do here.
Surprised to see the fan average below your score here, but many do not like the ferengi storylines. I'd give it a solid 7.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one, not the least because of the great contribution of Wallace Shawn, the exceptional character actor who plays the Grand Nagus. (Shawn is possibly best known for his role as Vizzini in the Rob Reiner film "Princess Bride", but he has a long list of credits to his name. See the IMDB database for more information.)
One comment on the idea that the Ferengi represent American capitalism. Having traveled extensively, I find the Ferengi more like the capitalism in places like Hong Kong or Singapore than the US. The fact that the Ferengi despise trade unions for example, and their extremely repressive attitude towards women are certainly not typical of the US. However, I see the point. I think Star Trek in general tries to portray the Federation as a more evolved version of the USA, absent the drive for wealth and status (although this analogy breaks down at times). Thus, the Federation is a symbol of our aspirations, while the Ferengi are perhaps symbolic of our dark side.
At any rate, I generally enjoy episodes where the Ferengi's are heavily involved. (I find the relationship between Quark and Odo as rich and fulfilling as any in Star Trek, including that between Bones and Spock, or between Geordi and Data.)