star trek ds9 the magnificent ferengi

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Star trek: the 10 best ferengi episodes, according to imdb.

With their strict rules of acquisition, the Ferengi are one of Star Trek's most interesting races. These are the 10 best Ferengi episodes.

Originally shown to be unrepentant villains in  Star Trek: The Next Generation , the race known as the Ferengi really flourished once they appeared on  Deep Space Nine . With a strict culture that revolves around an exaggerated form of capitalism, the Ferengi were an interesting foil to their Federation counterparts.

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Whether they are making first contact with humans in  Enterprise , or being some of the most beloved characters on  Deep Space Nine , the Ferengi are one of the most memorable races in  Trek  history. While there are many great episodes that revolve around the Ferengi, some garnered higher scores on IMDb .

"Bar Association" (Deep Space Nine) - 7.4

Deep Space Nine  offered fans a deep look at Ferengi culture, but it also showed that not all Ferengi were the same. The episode "Bar Association" sees Rom organize a workers strike against the unfair conditions at Quark's bar.

Rom and his brother Quark have two different outlooks on life, and it caused quite a lot of conflict throughout the show. While Quark is more of a conservative who believes in classical Ferengi strictures, Rom shows that a Ferengi is capable of being so much more than an adherent to the rules of acquisition.

"Body Parts" (Deep Space Nine) - 7.4

One of the most important themes of the  Star Trek  universe is characters from disparate backgrounds working together in harmony, despite their differences. In "Body Parts", Quark learns that he is going to die soon, and ponders whether he should keep with Ferengi custom and auction off his body parts.

Never one to miss out on a chance to profit, Quark is torn between his desire to live, and the opportunity to make money. Meanwhile, many of the other members of the DS9 crew are revolted by the custom, but they eventually come to grips with the fact that it is from a culture that isn't theirs. Keeping with the  Star Trek  tradition, people of different races learn more about each other and find common ground in the end.

"Rules Of Acquisition" (Deep Space Nine) - 7.4

Outside of the Ferengi inhabitants of the station, many of the best episodes of  Deep Space Nine   revolved around other Ferengi characters. The episode "Rules of Acquisition" follows a female Ferengi named Pel who must go undercover as a man in order to conduct important business with another race. While she is negotiating, she begins to develop romantic feelings for Quark.

The traditional Ferengi culture is quite patriarchal, and most females of the race are subjugated to less than dignified roles. The episode is great because it shows a character daring to go against tradition and she puts her neck on the line to be a part of her society. While the episode is somewhat hampered by its love plot, it is still a fascinating insight into the Ferengi business culture.

"Acquisition" (Enterprise) - 7.5

Recounting one of the Federation's earliest encounters with the Ferengi, the episode "Acquisition" showed the race in their more combative period. When a crew of Ferengi pirates raid the Enterprise, Trip and T'pol are the only two crew members who are left conscious to fight back against the roving marauders.

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Showing how frightening the early days of warp travel could be, the episode's villains are somewhat reminiscent of the Ferengi of  The Next Generation . Fortunately for viewers, the pirates are given a healthy dose of personality, even down to their humorous foibles. Not known to be one of the most powerful alien races in  Star Trek , the Ferengi rely heavily on clever ruses to best their opponents.

"Who Mourns For Morn?" (Deep Space Nine) - 7.6

Morn was one of the funniest side characters in  Star Trek  history, and the quiet bar patron was always around in the background, or available for a quick gag. "Who Mourns For Morn?" finds Quark the sole inheritor of Morn's entire estate when he dies in a shuttle accident. Unfortunately for Quark, Morn's ex-wife arrives and threatens to sue Quark unless he cuts her in.

Faced with a character that surpasses his greediness, Quark begins to see the error of his ways, and misses his old patron. While Quark was usually frustratingly unfair to his friends and relatives throughout the show, he also grew and changed as the series went on. In the episode, fans got a chance to see his softer side come out.

"In The Cards" (Deep Space Nine) - 7.7

Giving the main characters a break for once, the episode "In the Cards" gave two of  DS9 's side characters a chance to relive their past. Jake Sisko and Nog decide to do anything to cheer up the captain who is dealing with the fatigue of war. No matter what it takes, the duo goes all out to secure him a genuine Willie Mays baseball card.

Reminiscent of the early episodes of the series that featured the younger Sisko and Nog getting into trouble, "In the Cards" is a pleasant bit of nostalgia. Nog and Jake's friendship is an important part of  DS9 lore and shows that the two races are not so different, and are capable of getting along swimmingly.

"House Of Quark" (Deep Space Nine) - 8.0

Not only is "House of Quark" a great Ferengi episode, but it is also one of the best Klingon episodes as well. Quark finds himself in hot water when he is forced to marry a Klingon woman after wrongfully taking credit for the death of her husband.

Not known for his physical prowess, Quark is in over his head with the abrasive Klingons that he runs into. The episode is a humorous detour for the series, and shows that Ferengi culture not only clashes with human culture, but Klingon as well. Ultimately, Quark finds a way to work his way out of the jam, but not without a few bumps and bruises first.

"The Magnificent Ferengi" (Deep Space Nine) - 8.1

"The Magnificent Ferengi" casts Quark and his fellow Ferengi in an unfamiliar role, that of a band of action heroes. When Quark's mother is kidnapped by the Dominion, the barkeep must assemble a crack team of Ferengi to rescue her from the clutches of evil.

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With a heaping helping of humor and excitement, "The Magnificent Ferengi" allows the race to shine like few episodes had before. Though they aren't necessarily suited for gung-ho action, their unique talents all blend together to help save the day in the end. As their leader, Quark gets to show off the best aspects of his personality, and he acts purely out of love for his mother, and not for any financial gain.

"The Dogs Of War" (Deep Space Nine) - 8.2

Though the Ferengi plot is buried amongst the many other threads of the episode, "The Dogs Of War" offers a view into the Ferengi political situation after the end of DS9 . With the Dominion War raging in the background, the Grand Nagus arrives on the station to tell Quark that he has been hand picked as his successor to the title.

Given the opportunity to make more money than he ever could before, Quark is nevertheless torn between profit, and the emotional gains he made during the series. While the offer is incredibly tempting, Quark isn't necessarily the Ferengi he was when the series first started, and he pauses to reflect. "The Dogs of War" was the last major Ferengi moment in the series, and was a fitting end to their arc.

"Little Green Men" (Deep Space Nine) - 8.4

Generally regarded as one of the best episodes in Star Trek  history , "Little Green Men" attempted to explain one of recent history's greatest mysteries. When escorting Nog to Earth for his Starfleet Academy training, Quark, Rom, and Nog are transported back in time to the year 1947.

Fleshing out the infamous Roswell UFO crash of the late 1940s, the episode is a hilarious romp through the past. Coming face to face with aliens leaves the humans perplexed, and it is funny to think that the Ferengi were the inspiration for the classic grey alien design. Ultimately though, the episode gives the close-knit family one last chance to bond before Nog is sent away to the Academy.

NEXT: The 10 Best Borg Episodes Of Star Trek, According To IMDb

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – The Magnificent Ferengi (Review)

In some ways, The Magnificent Ferengi serves as a logical end point for the Ferengi.

It is, after all, the last good Ferengi episode of the Berman era as a whole. The Dogs of War is not terrible, but it has serious problems. It looks much better following on from the double-header of Profit and Lace and The Emperor’s New Cloak , which rank among the worst episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ever produced. Then again, it is not like the other Star Trek series had much better luck, with Inside Man on Star Trek: Voyager and Acquisition on Star Trek: Enterprise also falling flat. However, there is more to it than that.

The comedy really Pops here.

The Magnificent Ferengi is an episode that revels in one of the franchise’s most reviled recurring alien species, serving as a grand celebration of the work that Ira Steven Behr has done with the Ferengi since The Nagus during the first season of Deep Space Nine . This is reflected within and without the text. The Magnificent Ferengi is  about a band of Ferengi who finally get to be the heroes of their own weird little war story. However, it’s also a celebration of how well-developed the species is that the episode has seven distinct major Ferengi characters.

Indeed, it could reasonably be argued that the best thing about The Magnificent Ferengi is that it puts a cap on the Ferengi as a concept, rendering any further Ferengi episodes completely superfluous to requirement.

Ira Steven Behr was a producer with esoteric interests. Most discussions of Deep Space Nine tend to focus on the bolder and more iconoclastic elements of the series, whether the needling of Gene Roddenberry’s utopia in episodes like The Maquis, Part I and The Maquis, Part II or the more experimental narrative choices like the long-form storytelling that led to the Dominion War. These aspects of Deep Space Nine are undoubtedly important and influential, but they are not the only contributions made by showrunner Ira Steven Behr.

It is interesting to look at Behr’s script credits on Deep Space Nine . As showrunner, Behr’s name is attached to most of the “big” episodes like season premieres and finales and epic two-parters; The Jem’Hadar , The Adversary , The Way of the Warrior , Broken Link , Apocalypse Rising , In Purgatory’s Shadow , By Inferno’s Light , Call to Arms , A Time to Stand , Favour the Bold , Sacrifice of Angels . However, Behr is also responsible for some of the weirder episodes; Prophet Motive , Through the Looking Glass , Shattered Mirror .

A Gaila premiere.

However, Behr invested a lot of time an energy in developing the Ferengi as a credible culture. His second teleplay credit on the show was The Nagus . He wrote two tie-in books centred on the culture, The Rules of Acquisition and Legends of the Ferengi . Behr made sure that each season of the show contained at least one episode focusing on Ferengi culture and traditions, many written by Behr and his writing partner; Rules of Acquisition , Family Business , Bar Association , Ferengi Love Songs . He also loved writing for Quark; Babel , Little Green Men , The Ascent .

Behr’s commitment to the Ferengi was striking, particularly since they had effectively been written off in the later seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation . They had been hinted at in Encounter at Farpoint and introduced in The Last Outpost as iconic new adversaries for the crew of the Enterprise. However, they were an immediate flop, appearing sporadically as unconvincing antagonists in early episodes like The Battle or Peak Performance . They were already a joke by the time Behr joined the series, serving as gag villains in The Price and Ménage à Troi .

Coming to Ishka’s (Promen)ade.

Behr responded to the Ferengi, seeing them as a relatively unique alien species in the larger context of the Star Trek mythos. To Behr, the Ferengi were a lot more familiar than the Klingons or the Vulcans :

Ferengi are us. That’s the gag, the Ferengis are humans. They’re more human than the humans on Star Trek because they’re so screwed up and they’re so dysfunctional. They’re regular people.

The Ferengi are not heroic individuals. They are clumsy. They are awkward. They are flawed. Quark is willing to compromise on his ideals in ways that Kira or Bashir would never fathom, whether selling arms in Business as Usual or making peace with the Dominion Occupation in A Time to Stand .

“We’re all ears here.”

However, this flawed nature makes the Ferengi more heroic in a way. The other characters might be skeptical of Quark, but the character has his own moral compass. Rom is perhaps the most innocent character in the entire cast. As The Magnificent Ferengi points out, it was Quark who freed the captive resistance in Sacrifice of Angels , which allowed Sisko to retake the station. It was Rom who set up the minefield in Call to Arms and who sabotaged the weapons in Sacrifice of Angels . It is Nog who joins Starfleet in Heart of Stone .

From their unique vantage point, the Ferengi seem to see truths about the universe. Quark explains the Federation as intergalactic root beer in The Way of the Warrior . Quark understands (and is entirely comfortable with) the kinds of moral compromises that Sisko has to make in In the Pale Moonlight . Quark can recognise the erosion of Federation ideals under pressure in The Siege of AR-558 . The Ferengi make first contact with the Dominion in Rules of Acquisition and The Jem’Hadar . They even get the first hints of the forthcoming Breen alliance in The Magnificent Ferengi .

Infirm opposition.

However, the Ferengi have never been heroes. They have generally been tricksters, characters who offer a wry commentary on the grand narrative arcs of the larger Star Trek franchise. Even in their most influential moments, whether suggesting minefield blockades or springing rebels from prison, the Ferengi are wild cards. They are not the unsung heroes of these stories. They are simply the clever twist in the tale, the most unexpected cavalry, the joker dealt from the bottom of the deck.

And so The Magnificent Ferengi feels like an attempt to correct this. It is an attempt to construct a story in which the Ferengi are unequivocal heroes. The name naturally evokes the classic western The Magnificent Seven , an adaptation of The Seven Samurai that finds a rag-tag bunch of cowboys assembled for one last heroic hurrah. In The Magnificent Ferengi , Quark is tasked with putting together a crack team of Ferengi to rescue his mother from the sinister clutches of the Dominion on Empok Nor.

Crack-up commandos.

Of course, it’s best not to worry too much about the ridiculous contrivances of the plot. Why did the Dominion kidnap Ishka in the first place? After all, the Ferengi have repeatedly been identified as non-combatants in this conflict, and the Dominion has worked hard to prove to non-combatants likes Bajor that it can be trusted? Even if they did kidnap her, why wouldn’t they immediately try to leverage her over Grand Negus Zek? Even if they don’t know about the relationship, they know she had “special dispensation” for a cosmetic operation?

More than that, why would Zek instruct Quark to embark upon a rescue mission to save Ishka? It seems like Zek genuinely cares about Ishka, but episodes like  The Nagus and Rules of Acquisition suggest that he doesn’t really have that much faith in Quark. Why wouldn’t Zek just hire a gang of Klingons or Nausicaans? Why wouldn’t Zek reach out to the Dominion himself? The plot for The Magnificent Ferengi hinges upon any number of ridiculous contrivances. But it doesn’t matter. They are not important.

“Yep, it’s a plot hole alright.”

The Magnificent Ferengi is both funny enough and focused enough that these logical leaps feel incidental. This is really about getting the Ferengi their moment in the sun, their opportunity to be heroes of their own Star Trek narrative. The Magnificent Ferengi hammers this theme heavily and repeatedly, from the teaser of Quark’s heroic negotiation story getting up-staged by the Defiant’s more conventional heroism through to the closing exchange between Quark and Rom. “So, brother,” Rom asks, “how does it feel to be a hero?”

Indeed, assembling this dirty half-dozen becomes a point of patriotic pride for Quark. “We could put together a commando team,” Rom suggests. “Gather the toughest mercenaries we can find. Nausicaans, Breen, Klingons.” Quark objects. “We don’t need Nausicaans, Breen or Klingons,” he states. “We’ll just use Ferengi.” He insists, “Ferengi can be just as tough as Klingons.” Even Rom seems unconvinced by this assertion. “They can?” he asks. Quark responds, “Of course they can.”

Surrendering their ambitions.

The first couple of acts of the episode loosely evoke the tone and style of House of Quark , a charming juxtaposition as Quark is thrown into a situation that he is ill-equipped to handle. After one disastrous training session, Quark confesses, “We’re wasting our time, Rom. We couldn’t get anywhere near Moogie, let alone rescue her.” Rom acknowledges, “I guess we’re not cut out to be heroes after all.” However, The Magnificent Ferengi pivots around this point. The problem is not that the Ferengi can’t be heroes, it is that they need to set their own narrative terms.

Sitting at the bar, reflecting on their situation, Rom has an epiphany. “Brother, I think we’ve been going about this the wrong way. We’re not commandos, we’re negotiators. We make deals. That’s what we’re good at. The Dominion has something we want, so we need to find something they want…” Quark finishes the thought. “And then we make a trade.” The Ferengi will not succeed by playing by the same rules as the Klingons or the Jem’Hadar. They will succeed by finding a way to shift the engagement to terms on which they can compete.

Cutting retorts.

Although there are certainly action beats in The Magnificent Ferengi , the episode suggests that the Ferengi succeed because they eschew traditional combat. The team only needs to kill two Jem’Hadar rather than an entire platoon, thanks to Quark’s shrewd negotiating. The team gets around the accidental death of Keevan through good old-fashioned hustle and false advertising. “Your people have a reputation for cunning,” Yelgrun acknowledges. “I see that it’s well earned.” It certainly is.

Indeed, The Magnificent Ferengi is a celebration of the failed antagonists in more than just its willingness to cede them the spotlight. It is also an acknowledgement of just how meticulously and carefully Ira Steven Behr has expanded and developed the Ferengi as a species. The Magnificent Ferengi features seven major Ferengi characters (Quark, Rom, Nog, Brunt, Gaila, Leck, and Ishka) and each of those seven characters has their own unique voice and characterisation. It is too much to say that they are all fully-formed, but they are all distinct.

Keeping them in the dark.

This is a remarkable demonstration of just how much energy Deep Space Nine has invested in the Ferengi. After all, it is hard to recall seven distinct Ferengi characters from the entirety of the run of The Next Generation . What is the difference between Letek in The Last Outpost and Bractor in Peak Performance , two early Ferengi played by Armin Shimerman? How might one distinguish Sovak in Captain’s Holiday from Par Lenor in The Perfect Mate, two slightly later Ferengi played by Max Grodénchik? However, the characters in The Magnificent Ferengi are all unique.

Quark is the leader of the bunch. Rom is his well-meaning idiot brother. Nog is a trained Starfleet officer. Brunt is a cowardly bureaucrat. Gaila is a convicted criminal and former arms’ dealer. Leck is a kill-crazy sociopath. Ishka refuses to be ignored, even in the middle of her own hostage exchange. To be fair, there is some slight redundancy there; both Brunt and Gaila are characterised as inept cowards. However, even then, there are shades to the characterisation; Brunt is just a bureaucrat out of his depth, while Gaila simply doesn’t really want to be there.

Bearing the Brunt of his animosity.

Even more impressive, none of these characters are entirely new. All seven major Ferengi guest stars were established in earlier episodes, although Leck was only fleetingly referenced in Ferengi Love Songs and might as well be a wholly original character. Still, Deep Space Nine has a deep enough bench of supporting characters that it can pluck five recurring Ferengi characters out of the ether without using Grand Negus Zek. It is an impressive testament to how carefully and meticulously the production team have built this world.

Indeed, The Magnificent Ferengi is populated with callbacks and references to earlier episodes, a reminder that the Deep Space Nine writing staff have embraced serialisation and long-form storytelling even beyond the season’s epic six-episode opening arc. The Magnificent Ferengi picks up with Brunt from Ferengi Love Songs and Gaila from Business as Usual . Keevan returns from Rocks and Shoals , and gets a pitch black comeuppance. Kira references the events of Sacrifice of Angels . There is a sense that even in a comedy episode, the past still has weight to it.

Hidden Jems.

The Magnificent Ferengi feels true to its characters. Keevan is the same slimy self-centred jackass who made his debut in Rocks and Shoals , just as creepy and manipulative. Yelgrun is played relatively straight, cut from the same clothe as Weyoun or Keevan. Even in the middle of a hostage negotiation, Yelgrun is still working on his sales pitch. “Perhaps one day the Ferengi will take their place as valued members of the Dominion,” he suggests to Quark. He also hints at negotiations with the Breen, which will pay off in Strange Bedfellows .

However, there is also the simple fact that The Magnificent Ferengi works so well because it is funny. This is the funniest episode of the sixth season, a season built around a horrific and brutal war that still finds time for no fewer than four separate comedy episodes. It is at least as funny as In the Cards . It is the funniest Ferengi episode since Little Green Men , if not since House of Quark . The episode is relatively cohesive in terms of internal logic, but it is also abundantly clear that the audience is never meant to take things too seriously.

One fer(angi) all..

The Magnificent Ferengi looks and feels like an episode that was great fun to produce. Jeffrey Combs conceded as much in an interview with Cinefantastique , citing it as one of his favourite episodes:

Recalled Combs, “As far as behind the scenes, I would say that one was the most fun, because you had seven character actors in this Ferengi makeup. Some of the things that we were doing just sitting around, or waiting for the camera to roll, some of the dialogue was really cool. It was great fun. I made some friends on that show, Josh Pais, and Hamilton Camp. I thought those guys would come back. They just ran out of time in terms of doing everything they wanted to do. I’m sure they would have loved to have The Magnificent Ferengi return.”

Of course, one suspects that a sequel episode might have undercut the charm significantly. After all, the mirror universe had become a source of diminishing returns. Still, it is hard to imagine a sequel being worse than Profit and Lace or The Emperor’s New Cloak .

This plan went down the tubes.

The jokes in The Magnificent Ferengi come thick and fast. There are all manner of great jokes from the outset, from the sly gag about a Ferengi travelling to Vulcan “to have her ears raised” through to the confusion of Quark and Rom arriving in Sisko’s office. The Magnificent Ferengi is packed with jokes that work on various levels, offering a very broad selection of humour that hits with surprising frequency. If an audience member doesn’t like an individual joke, there will be a different type of joke momentarily.

There is great banter. After a failed rescue simulation, Quark criticises Leck in particular. “This is the eighth run through and you haven’t been able to hit a single Jem’Hadar. And you shot Moogie.” Leck shrugs, “I saw we weren’t going to rescue her so I put her out of her misery.” Boarding the Ferengi shuttle that will take him to Empok Nor, Keevan warns his fellow travelers, “The moment we leave this station, you’ll have signed your death warrants.” His point made, he deadpans, “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to take a nap.”

“… you realize that there is such a thing as truly funny.”

There is well-observed character-driven comedy. When Quark is assembling his team, he understands exactly which buttons to push to get Nog to sign up. When Nog declines the first invitation, Quark reflects, “Too bad, though. We were going to make you Strategic Operations officer.” Nog pauses. “You mean like Commander Worf?” Quark agrees, “Exactly like Commander Worf.” It is an exaggeration of Nog’s anxieties and ambitions, the same characteristics that drive Valiant , but it is very much in character and well-observed.

There is even some great physical comedy, from the repeated sequences of the Ferengi scurrying like panicked mice through to the extremely dark fate of Keevan in the final act. Improvising after accidentally killing him, the Ferengi improvise a twenty-fourth century version of Weekend at Bernie’s . As zombie! Keevan staggers through the corridor, Yelgrun seems genuinely horrified. “What have they done to him?” he asks, perhaps all the better for not knowing.

Keevan’s career could use a shot in the arm.

The episode leaves zombie! Keevan stuck in a perpetual loop, like a really bad robot. Keevan is stuck forever, constantly walking into the same bulkhead, taking a step back, and trying again. It is an incredibly black piece of humour for a Star Trek episode, one that could easily feel like a monstrous violation of Keevan’s body. However, the image is just absurd enough that it works and Christopher Shea ensures that Keevan is so wonderfully skeevy that this feels like a fitting end, even if the audience missed his brutal betrayal of the Jem’Hadar in Rocks and Shoals .

It helps that the episode’s sense of reality is already heightened by the presence of a very special and very eccentric guest star. The Star Trek franchise has a long and interesting list of celebrity guest stars, from Mick Fleetwood in Manhunt to Christian Slater in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country to the Rock in Tsunkatse . Even Deep Space Nine has its own long list of memorable guest stars, including the all-time great guest cast of Steven Berkoff, Josh Pais and Lawrence Tierney in Business as Usual .

He forgot one Kee(van) detail.

Still, Iggy Pop is a very memorable guest star. He is a beloved musician, but not a veteran actor. His role in The Magnificent Ferengi is not a cameo, but he is hardly a featured player. Keevan is featured more prominently than Yelgrun, who plays a major role in three scenes over the course of the episode. However, Iggy Pop is never sidelined or maginalised. No attempt is made to disguise his presence or to write around his relative lack of experience as a film and television actor. Iggy Pop is right there. Yelgrun is even introduced through his distinctive voice.

It is a very weird guest appearance, but one that fits the tone of the episode around it. There is something very surreal in seeing Iggy Pop’s face on a fairly standard  Star Trek alien, the prosthetics pronounced without obscuring his distinctive features. Unlike his frequently collaborator David Bowie, Iggy Pop never quite mastered a perfect screen persona. Iggy Pop is nowhere near as convincing as a manipulative Vorta as Jeffrey Combs or Christopher Shea. The Magnificent Ferengi would be a different episode if Combs pulled double duty as Weyoun.

And yet, it works. There is something ever so slightly “off” about Pop’s performance, in the same way that there is something ever so slightly “off” about his very presence in a Star Trek episode. Yelgrun seems curiously detached from the drama unfolding around him, never launching the same insincere charm offensive as Weyoun or Keevan. Iggy Pop delivers compliments and platitudes, but he never seems invested in them. It is almost as though Yelgrun has turned down his inner “diplomacy” setting because he is dealing with the Ferengi.

Instead, Pop’s performance works best when Yelgrun seems bemused or confused, aloof somewhere between genuine curious at the contours of his situation and bored out of his skull with what should have been a routine assignment. Pop plays Yelgrun as the straight man to the chaos around him, somebody who is game enough (and willing enough) to go along with the eccentricities of the Ferengi without feeling particularly invested in any of this.

Dis(Yel)gruntled.

There are points at which Yelgrun seems almost inscrutable. As Ishka and Nog fight over which one might be a Founder, Quark apologises, “Family. You understand.” Yelgrun responds, “Not really. I was cloned.” Pop delivers the line as a statement of fact, suggesting no real angst or curiosity, but some sense ambivalence. Rom wonders, “No parents? That explains a lot.” Ishka clarifies, “No parents, no sweetheart, no investment portfolio…” Yelgrun cuts her off, “And no patience.” It’s not a threat. It’s not especially rude. But it does suggest an edge to him.

Yelgrun’s final scene opens with Ishka raving about her latest skincare products. Yelgrun listens politely. He even runs his hand along her lobes to feel how smooth they are, acknowledging that they are pretty smooth. Once Ishka has made her pitch, he responds, “Fascinating. I’d love to hear more, but if your son doesn’t show up soon I’m afraid I’m going to have to kill you.” Pop’s delivery is delightfully deadpan. It is not campy. It is not sarcastic. It is not playful. It is not angry. It is just a statement of how things are. It’s a beautiful scene.

Cutting commentary.

The Magnificent Ferengi feels very much like the perfect place to leave the Ferengi, barring maybe the coda that plays out as a subplot to The Dogs of War . It is a celebration of all the work that Ira Steven Behr has done in fleshing out the Ferengi and instilling them with a weird sense of dignity that was so sorely lacking during their appearances on The Next Generation . It is confirmation that Behr has fashioned the Ferengi into a multifaceted species that can produce seven unique characters and stand at the centre of a (slightly warped) heroic narrative.

More than that, The Magnificent Ferengi is just fun. It is packed to the brim with clever jokes and wry observations, built into a straightforward plot that balances very carefully between having enough substance to sustain an hour without ever suffocating the jokes. The Magnificent Ferengi is… well, magnificent.

You might be interested in our reviews of the sixth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine :

• A Time to Stand
• Rocks and Shoals
• Sons and Daughters
• Behind the Lines
• Favour the Bold
• Sacrifice of Angels
• You Are Cordially Invited…
• Resurrection
• Statistical Probabilities
• The Magnificent Ferengi
• Who Mourns for Morn?
• Far Beyond the Stars
• One Little Ship
• Honour Among Thieves
• Change of Heart
• Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
• Inquisition
• In the Pale Moonlight
• The Reckoning
• Profit and Lace
• Time’s Orphan
• The Sound of Her Voice
• Tears of the Prophets

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Filed under: Deep Space Nine | Tagged: comedy , Ferengi , funny , Ira Steven Behr , Quark , star trek , star trek: deep space nine , the magnificent ferengi , vorta |

14 Responses

This was one of the episodes that I watched expecting disappointment, and then was pleasantly surprised that they pulled it off pretty well. Loved the scene with Keevan – it’s rare that Star Trek will actually make me laugh out loud but that scene cracked me up.

I wouldn’t recognize Iggy Pop if I saw him on the street, but I thought Yelgrun was a nice difference from other Vorta simply because he wasn’t being an ingratiating creep so much as deadpan serious.

Keegan is a fantastic character, delightfully wry and deadpan.

Do you mean Keevan, Yelgrun or both Darren?

Both! Sure, why not?

Both Vorta and Ferengi in this episode are priceless. The stark comparison in the matter of their nature makes an impossibly absurd frontal clash. Although it’s not really that frontal for Ferengis; they basically hide behind Keevan’s dead-walking body. And we’ve got to see a rather different kind of Vorta; not necessarily good, but still different.

It’s a great episode – great for laugh, great as in consistent characteristics, great to provide a much-needed diversity. I remember the first time i watched it, I was seriously considering what it would be if the Ferengis were the main decision-making force in the confront with the Domanion. Like Quark once pointed out, it would be totally different and perhaps less deadly.

Have watched this episode many times, always can’t help laughing at Keevan’s last words “I hate Ferengi” and Yelgurn’s confusion at Keevan’s odd-style walking. It is horrifying but such a suitable end for that selfish and cunning bastard, and feels like a prophet of the Founders’ fate.

It is a fantastic little episode. If Waltz should have been the last Dukat episode, then The Magnificent Ferengi should have been the last Ferengi episode.

Rewatching it, I noticed that both Quark and Nog were laughing right at the end of the ep, when they were trying to “turn Keevan off”. I doubt that was in the script, but I’ll bet there’s some behind-the-scenes story there.

Also, when Quark and Rom accidentally enter Sisco’s office at the beginning, I really like that Sisco was kind of sitting there silently, as if awaiting them. He wasn’t doing paperwork or engaging in negotiations via viewscreen.

“Wrong turn.”

“Looks that way.”

Great gag in a great episode.

For a long time, The Magnificent Ferengi topped my personal list of best episodes of DS9. It no longer occupies that position but it’s definitely near the top of the tree when it comes to Ferengi episodes, only nudged into second place by Little Green Men.

Being a Ferengi episode you know beforehand it will be a comedic one, not a genre blessed with glittering examples, but unlike its S6 stablemate Profit and Lace, The Magnificent Ferengi is a howlingly funny success (the other was just howling).

It’s all the more welcome at this time in DS9’s history but in spite of the risk of becoming too broad and farcical, it never becomes either (Profit and Lace on the other hand…). The joy of it is the way it takes disparate Ferengi from a lot of disparate episodes and brings them together to form one classic episode.

The plot is no great shakes – an inept group of losers are forced to team up and we watch them bumble they’re way towards a happy ending, complete with all of the obligatory cliches of the genre. But in spite of that, The Magnificent Ferengi is remarkably successful.

Like you said Darren, all the Ferengi are clearly defined and each one brings something, even relative newcomers like Josh Pais and Hamilton Camp. But the veteran Ferengi anchor the story so that it never loses sight of what is at heart a rather risky endeavour – rescuing Ishka from the Dominion (it was to be the Nagus but Wallace Shawn’s unavailability shot that idea in the head).

The episode overcomes the bumps in the screenplay by several inspired ideas. One is the use of Empok Nor, the Cardassian space station that was the setting of such misery and mayhem last year, put towards a very different use this time. It forms the second part of a trilogy (the final one Covenant is next year) where Empok Nor is used as the backdrop for whatever the writers need it to be, from horror to comedy and back again.

But the most inspired touch is the casting of rock god Iggy Pop as Yelgrun, the Vorta the Dominion send to trade Ishka for Keevan (last seen in Rocks and Shoals). Usually when singers and pop stars get it into they’re heads that they can be actors too, the results are cringeworthy. Just look at Madonna’s failed attempts at an acting career. One rare exception was David Bowie, who did possess acting ability (which was no different from taking on different personas in his heyday). Bowie played aliens Ziggy Stardust and The Man Who Fell to Earth and Iggy Pop does equally great work here as Yelgrun.

Pop lacks Bowie’s charisma but his flat delivery works rather well as a Vorta. Yelgrun freely admits he’s a clone, one that hasn’t been programmed with Weyoun or Kilana’s diplomatic skills. Its clear he regards this whole assignment as something beneath him and he doesn’t care who knows it. I especially liked the way the episode plays into Pop’s rock persona when he starts throwing a strop at Quark’s feet-dragging (Vorta have always seemed divas at heart).

The Magnificent Ferengi takes what could have been an eminently predictable episode and through the use of some truly inspired ideas and twists (Keevan’s sudden death and reanimation is the height of hilarity), it becomes a comedy classic. Ferengi episodes are in a very different place now from where they first started in The Last Outpost. If only they had known when to stop.

It really is fantastic, isn’t it?

Could that have been an alternate title – The Fantastic Ferengi?

I know you, Darren, feel not so positive about Season 6, but aside from the almost perfect start I always liked the middle stretch of it so much that it can compensate for some garbage in its last third. “Statistical probabilities” (thanks for the great review/discussion which mirrored a lot of my thoughts) and this one are so perfect in their own account. So many of those mid-season-6-episodes are personal, very nuanced, feeling very “alive” and vibrant, light-hearted against the background of the war. I am very fond of this and it might not be as consistent or seamless like the most part of season 5, but it is more memorable to me. DS9 is always best represented by Season 6 to me. It felt like it really hit its peak here and continued it until the end of the series. And yes, I admit it: I also like the first half of season 7…

PS: This episode reminded me a lot about “One little ship” in the way it shows some heroes in a very unlikely tale. It seems almost like the writers invite the audience to doubt the narrator (beyond the “sane” doubting of a work of fiction) somehow. Still, the irony never diminishes the appeal of the story.

I’d agree with a lot of this. I’m less fond of season six than most, and more fond of season seven than most. I think a large part of that is what you said, season six has no idea where it’s going after they retake the station, which means that the quality of individual episodes is a bit of a crapshoot. Season seven at least has the looming finale to impose a sense of structure on the season.

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

The Magnificent Ferengi

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Recap / Star Trek Deep Space Nine S 06 E 10 The Magnificent Ferengi

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Quark is happy to receive a shipment of syrup of squill. He relates to the bar how he managed to acquire this rare ingredient, but he's annoyed to be overshadowed by the arrival of Dax, O'Brien, and Bashir, who have just returned from a dangerous mission as heroes. Quark then receives terrible news: his mother has been kidnapped by the Dominion, and the Grand Nagus has enlisted him to bring her back! It's time for Quark to be a real hero!

Quark enlists Rom, who suggests that they use the 50-bar reward that the Nagus has offered to recruit mercenaries . Quark insists on principle to hire only Ferengi, but they both agree to only split 20 bars of the reward and keep the rest for themselves. First up is Nog, who initially declines but allows himself to be persuaded when Quark says he'll be their strategic operations officer, like Worf. Next is Leck, a Ferengi assassin, who joins for the challenge. Then comes Quark's cousin Gaila, who has fallen on hard times since his arms business collapsed. Then Brunt arrives and volunteers in hopes of reconciling with Zek, offering his ship as an asset.

The six Ferengi train in the holosuite but prove hopeless in a tactical encounter. Rom suggests that they instead play to their strengths and negotiate for Ishka's freedom. All they need to do is find something the Dominion want. With a good word put in from Kira, who owes Quark for rescuing her, they get the captured Vorta Keevan remanded to their custody. The Ferengi and their hostage fly to their selected meeting spot on Empok Nor , where they make preparations to fortify their position and await the Dominon's arrival. Keevan is not happy to be returned to the Dominion, since he was supposed to commit suicide upon capture. When Gaila falls asleep while on guard duty, Keevan makes a break for it, but Quark had already locked out the ship's impulse engines, so he's recaptured.

The Dominion arrives, a full squad of Jem'Hadar with weapons trained on their position. The Ferengi cower in fear until Rom reminds them that they asked the Dominion to come, and this is all part of the plan. Rom, Quark and Nog walk out to negotiate with the Vorta negotiator, Yelgrun. Quark knows how valuable Keevan still is, so he drives a hard bargain, insisting that all the Dominion troops leave except Yelgrun and two bodyguards before the exchange is made. Impressed, Yelgrun agrees. When the trio return, Rom accidentally lets slip that the reward is actually 50 bars, prompting outrage from the mercenary Ferengi. In the ensuing brawl, Keevan gets hit with a phaser blast.

Nog uses some nearby medical equipment to confirm that Keevan has died, but they realize that they can use some scavenged neural stimulators to puppet Keevan's corpse just long enough to make the hostage exchange. Quark stalls for time until Nog is ready. During the hostage exchange, Nog walks Keevan down the hall by remote control as Ishka walks toward them from her side. But Nog accidentally pilots Keevan into a wall and gets him stuck, blowing the illusion. The rest of the Ferengi ambush the distracted Dominion troops, killing both Jem'Hadar and taking Yelgrun captive.

They decide to hand Yelgrun over to Starfleet as payment for Keevan. Before leaving, Rom asks Quark if it feels good to be a hero, and Quark confirms, " You bet it does! " They leave Empok Nor with Keevan still robotically bumping into the wall.

• Although Yelgrun isn't nearly as obsequious as the other Vorta we've seen, he's still quite polite to Ishka.
• Leck is an Ax-Crazy Blood Knight and is described by Brunt as a psychopath, but he's a pretty jolly fellow, all things considered.
• Air-Vent Passageway : Quark and Rom do a Crawl And Talk through the jefferies tubes, but take a wrong turn and open the hatch in Sisko's office. As they slowly shut the door, you can just see Sisko decide "I do not want to know."
• Analogy Backfire : Quark brings up a battle that the Ferengi fought in as part of his Rousing Speech , and Gaila points out that the Ferengi in that battle got their asses kicked. Then again, it could be their version of the Alamo .
• Answer Cut : Quark: Now, the only question is, who's our first recruit? (cut to...) Nog: Not me.
• Arson, Murder, and Admiration : Leck's summation of the mission: Leck : This is the sloppiest, most amateurish operation I've ever seen... If you ever do something like this again, count me in.
• Asshole Victim : Let's face it, nobody liked Keevan.
• A-Team Firing : The Ferengi are absolutely terrible shots during their holosuite training (other than Leck, who decides to Mercy Kill the hostage after the others all get themselves shot). Brunt suggests something easier, like ambushing some Bolians. Nog replies "You couldn't ambush a Bolian if he was blindfolded and tied to a tree!" The first time any of them actually hits something is when Gaila shoots Keevan , and even then, he was aiming at Quark.
• Badass Boast : Kira warns Quark to not turn his back on Keevan, as he's not to be trusted. Quark's response is "Neither am I."
• Beware the Silly Ones : Rom is the only Ferengi other than Leck to get a deliberate kill during the mission, managing to gun down a Jem'Hadar.
• Black Comedy : No other way to describe Keevan's corpse being driven around. And left to endlessly walk into the wall.
• Blood Knight : Leck is enticed to join the mission by the possibility of testing his talents against the Dominion.
• Call-Back : The devices Nog uses to pilot Keevan's corpse around are explicitly the same technology McCoy once used to pilot Spock's body around when his brain was temporarily stolen by aliens. McCoy was apparently a much better driver than Nog, though.
• Captain Obvious : Nog's tricorder confirms that the Vorta with a smoking hole in his heart is dead. Quark: Thank you, Doctor Nog.
• Chekhov's Gun : The still-functional medical equipment, which Nog uses on Keevan's corpse.
• Cold-Blooded Torture : Keevan predicts that the Dominion will condemn him to a very painful death for his failure to commit suicide.
• Comically Missing the Point : After Nog cuts Ishka's hand to see if she's a changeling, and Ishka administers her own "test" by slapping him repeatedly on the forehead: Rom : That's no way to tell if he's a changeling!
• The return of both Empok Nor and Keevan .
• Every one of the Ferengi has shown up in past episodes, with Gaila and Brunt shown as having paid the price for their actions in their previous appearances (though Leck, who only was momentarily seen in "Ferengi Love Songs" and indicated in a deleted line to be an oyster farmer, is now retconned into being an assassin for hire).
• The way Keevan's body gets remote-controlled is somewhat similar to what was done with Spock in the infamous TOS episode " Spock's Brain ."
• Crazy-Prepared : Upon arriving at Empok Nor, Quark anticipated that Keevan would get away. So, he has Rom disable their ship's engines to ensure Keevan couldn't use it to escape. Keevan is naturally puzzled as to why Quark even bothered to chase him, and Quark points out that Rom is a screw up.
• Curb-Stomp Battle : The Battle of Prexnak, the "most important battle in Ferengi history." Ten Ferengi stood alone against 273 heavily armed Lytasians... and were promptly slaughtered.
• Deadpan Snarker : Sisko's completely nonchalant reaction to Quark and Rom popping out of a hatch in his office. Sisko : May I help you, gentlemen? Rom : [To Quark] I was following you! Quark : We must have taken a wrong turn. Sisko : It looks that way.
• Did You Just Scam Cthulhu? : After Keevan got shot, Quark had to change his plans on the fly . As a result, Ishka is rescued, Starfleet gets a new Vorta prisoner and the Dominion are left empty-handed.
• Brunt tries to surrender to the Jem'Hadar in the training simulation. He's promptly blasted. Also Gaila, who runs away when the Jem'Hadar start shooting in the same simulation.
• Though depending on how they would commit suicide, Yelgrun may not have had chance before being caught, whereas Keevan definitely had the chance and just didnt.
• Don't Call Me "Sir" : Played With : Leck: How can we be sure these schematics are accurate? Nog: Sir! Leck: No need to stand on formalities here. Just call me Leck. Nog: No, I meant you should call me "sir." Leck: Don't be ridiculous. Nog: You mean, "Don't be ridiculous, sir ." (Quark moves to prevent an altercation) Quark: Gentlemen, please! Let's not squabble. We're a team, Nog. Rom: "We're a team, sir !" Quark: Stay out of this.
• Dying Declaration of Hate : "I hate Ferengi."
• Enemy Mine : There's no love lost between Brunt and Quark, but Brunt wants in on the mission to get back into the Nagus' good graces, and Quark has to let him join because Brunt is the only one of the Ferengi with access to a ship.
• Epic Fail : The simulated mission: Quark is quickly shot by the Jem'Hadar, Rom panics and runs into a cliff wall, Gaila runs away screaming (and probably gets shot doing so), Brunt tries to surrender (and is shot anyway), and Leck shoots Ishka (the hostage they were trying to rescue to begin with), and this was their eighth attempt to complete it. Small wonder that Quark rethinks his approach after that.
• "Eureka!" Moment : After multiple failed rescue simulations, Quark reminisces with Rom about an Offscreen Moment of Awesome involving a business negotiation, and then Rom realizes... Rom: Brother, I think we've been going about this the wrong way. We're not commandos; we're negotiators. We make deals. That's what we're good at. The Dominion has something we want, so we need to find something they want... Quark: And then we make a trade! That way, everyone goes home happy. Rom: Happy and alive.
• Even Evil Has Standards : Yelgrun is horrified at ( the deceased ) Keevan's state, believing it to be the result of torture, even though the Dominion already planned an unpleasant and drawn-out fate for him.
• Leck may not care about latinum, but he's still angered on principle when he finds out that Quark is cheating his fellow Ferengi. He also hates Liquidators, like any Ferengi. And he doesn't trust the Dominion.
• Brunt is an all-round Jerkass and is dismissive of the team Quark assembles, but he is outright disturbed by Leck , calling him a psychopath.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good : Granted the Ferengi don't altogether toe the line on "good", but Yelgrun takes way longer than he should to figure out what's going on with Keevan, assuming that Keevan is dazed and injured and can barely walk due to torture - because it's what the Dominion would have done to a prisoner in a similar situation. Yelgrun: What have they done to him?
• Foreshadowing : After Keevan questions Quark on why he bothered running after him despite knowing that Rom had disabled the ship's engines, Quark says that Rom's prone to making screw-ups. Screw ups like, say, blabbering about how the reward is actually two-and-a-half times what Quark originally claimed it to be, right in front of all the other Ferengi.
• Friendly Enemy : Yelgrun and Ishka seem to have worked up quite the rapport. She even offers him some investment advice. Ishka : You see? A diversified financial portfolio can mean greater profits and healthier looking skin. Yelgrun : Fascinating. I'd love to hear more, but if your son doesn't show up soon, I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you .
• Get Out! : Quark after a round of failed simulator missions.
• Good Feels Good : The episode's final lines. Rom : How does it feel, brother, being a hero? Quark : You tell me. Rom : (brow furrows) It feels... good? Quark : (grins) You bet it does!
• Home Field Advantage : Quark picks Empok Nor as the meeting place for the exchange because it's identical to DS9 and so they'll at least be familiar with the layout.
• I Just Shot Marvin in the Face : Poor Keevan...
• Gaila gets into the act: "I'm a weapons dealer, not a soldier!"
• I Owe You My Life : Kira helps Quark set up the Prisoner Exchange as repayment for him rescuing her from the Dominion .
• Internal Reveal : Rom discovers how his mother and the Nagus are lovers. He doesn't take it well.
• I Work Alone : Leck says this word-for-word.
• Jerkass Has a Point : Brunt mocks Quark's team upon seeing them and, in particular, is disturbed by Leck, calling him a psychopath. Given the blunders the team makes in practice, he has a point, and his comments about Leck prove to be on point, given that in one of the practice simulations, he shoots Ishka.
• Karma Houdini Warranty : People who have seen " Rocks And Shoals " will be pleased at seeing Keevan taken hostage, killed by complete accident, having his corpse turned into a puppet and left continuously walking into a support beam .
• Knows a Guy Who Knows a Guy : Quark speaks of doing "business with the nephew of the cousin of the stepsister of a friend of the secretary to the [Balcanar] Consortium's chief accountant."
• Little "No" : This is Rom's horrified reaction when Quark finally tells him that Ishka and Zek are lovers.
• Mad Scientist : Nog, when he uses neural stimulators to make Keevan's corpse move (sort of). Nog: If you think about it, medicine isn't that different from engineering. It's all about keeping things running, fixing broken parts.
• The Magnificent Seven Samurai : There are six Ferengi rescuers, plus their hostage Keevan. Ultimately Ishka makes a seventh Ferengi.
• Major Injury Underreaction : Keevan just looks down at the smoldering hole in his chest and bitterly mutters "I hate Ferengi" before keeling over dead.
• Mandatory Line : Most of the main cast, except Worf (who doesn't appear) and Quark, who's the main character of the story.
• Mass "Oh, Crap!" : When Gaila shoots Keevan.
• Mercy Kill : When the simulated mission fails, Leck shoots Ishka instead of the Jem'Hadar. Afterward, he argues that the mission was already doomed, so he provided Ishka a quick death.
• The Millstone : Not that any of the Ferengi (barring Leck) are especially at home to begin with, but Gaila easily stands out as the worst of the group, firstly when he lets Keevan escape, and secondly when he accidentally blows a hole in Keevan's chest, killing their all-important hostage.
• Of Corpse He's Alive : After Gaila kills their hostage , Nog stumbles on the idea of reanimating Keevan's body with neural stimulators, using it as a puppet in the hopes of carrying out the prisoner exchange. Despite Keevan's corpse shambling like a zombie, it works well enough until the stimulators malfunction and leave Keevan's body walking into a bulkhead over and over.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome : The mission that the Defiant went on before the episode starts.
• Played for laughs when the Dominion arrive at the station. It takes a minute for the team to remember that they invited them, and that it just means everything is according to plan.
• Only in It for the Money : Of course, this is seen as a positive thing by Quark: Brunt : Let's do it for equal shares of fifty bars of gold-pressed latinum! Quark : It always comes down to profit with you people, doesn't it? Gaila : We're Ferengi. Quark : And that's why I love you!
• Only Sane Man : Insomuch as there is one among the Ferengi team, it's Nog. Quark is out to scam the others, Rom is prone to panicking and making mistakes, Brunt and Gaila are only in it for the money and ready to take revenge on Quark if the chance presents itself, and Leck, while definitely the most competent of the Ferengi there, is Ax-Crazy .
• On Three : When Quark and Yelgrun release Keevan (at least, his reanimated corpse) and Ishka, respectively.
• Palm Bloodletting : Nog does this to Ishka to prove that she's not a changeling. She is not happy about it.
• Parrot Exposition : Rom does this several times when Quark explains the situation to him.
• Phrase Catcher : Defied. Keevan's last words are "I hate Ferengi" after he is accidentally shot by one. Yelgrun, as he is taken prisoner, glares at Quark and says: "Ferengi...", to which Quark replies, calmly and smiling: "I know, I know. You hate us".
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse : Leck and Nog are by far the two shortest Ferengi in the team, and are also the only two Ferengi on the team with any legitimate combat skills.
• Pragmatic Villainy : Yelgrun is convinced not to just have the Jem'Hadar swarm in and kill the Ferengi by the fact that he needs to recover Keevan alive to find out what information he might have provided to the Federation.
• Prisoner Exchange : What Quark and his team go with when it becomes clear that they can't carry out an armed rescue.
• Psycho for Hire : Leck, and by extension all "Eliminators" in the Ferengi Alliance, are thought of this way. The Ferengi see assassination as merely the loss of potential customers, never mind that Eliminators enjoy the kill more than the profit.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits : Brunt sums it up nicely. Brunt: A child note  Nog , a moron note  Rom , a failure note  Gaila and a psychopath note  Leck . Quite a little team you've put together!
• Rock Bottom : Gaila, once a wealthy Arms Dealer , has been arrested for vagrancy. Although this is Quark's fault, he has no qualms about working for him to earn more latinum.
• Rousing Speech : Quark starts one for the other Ferengi when it looks like all is lost. Leck joins in.
• Sarcastic Clapping : Brunt, when he first shows up.
• Saying Too Much : As they celebrate the deal going off without a hitch, Rom lets it slip that the Grand Nagus offered a 50-bar reward for Ishka's recovery, not the 20 that Quark sold the others on.
• Screams Like a Little Girl : Brunt, as evidenced when Gaila tries to shoot Quark (but hits Keevan instead).
• Seen It All : After nearly 6 years of commanding DS9 and dealing with the weirder aspects and denizens of the Bajor Sector, Sisko is not in the least bit fazed when Quark and Rom suddenly and accidentally pop out of a hatch in his office.
• "Business as Usual": Gaila's fate after Quark sabotaged the weapons deal.
• "Ferengi Love Songs": Ishka having become Zek's paramour and Brunt being fired from the FCA.
• "Rocks and Shoals": Keevan's fate after becoming a POW.
• Shoot the Hostage : Leck shoots Ishka during a Virtual Training Simulation , much to Nog's annoyance. He considers it a Mercy Kill .
• Shout-Out : The episode includes many homages to The Magnificent Seven , starting with the title.
• Skewed Priorities : By Ferengi standards; Leck is one of the few Ferengi who cares little for latinum, joining in the mission for the opportunity to test himself against the Jem'Hadar . However, he still doesn't like to be cheated.
• Smug Snake : Brunt's in rare form, dismissing each member of Quark's team when he doesn't even currently have a job .
• Rom. "My son, the soldier."
• Ishka is proud of her sons.
• Spotting the Thread : In his story about how he got his hands on some syrup of squill, Quark figured out that the drought on Balancar was a lie when he heard that an accountant bought himself some rain slippers — which he wouldn't need during a drought.
• Stating the Simple Solution : After all their rescue simulations have ended in complete disaster, Rom asks why they don't just ransom Ishka.
• Status Quo Is God : Given the outcome, and the opening where Odo points out that Quark will never be lauded as a hero, Quark pulled off a result worthy of a brilliant mastermind. Everyone treats him like a money-grubbing coward from here on out... which is now only half-true.
• The Strategist : Nog. Nog: I'm a Starfleet officer. I can't go running off with you on some half baked rescue mission. I have duties to perform. Rom: But you know how to fire a phaser. Quark: Forget it, Rom. Don't beg. Too bad, though. We were going to make you Strategic Operations Officer. Nog: (suddenly interested) You mean like Commander Worf? Quark: Exactly like Commander Worf. Think of it, Nog. You'll devise the tactics, come up with a plan of action...
• Suicide Mission : Keevan believes the exchange to be one for the Ferengi, advising them to send final messages to their loved ones and ensure their wills are in order. Keevan: I'll advise you all to send final messages to your loved ones and make sure your wills are in order. Rom: Why? Keevan: Because the moment we leave this station, you'll have signed your death warrants.
• Surrounded by Idiots : How Nog feels about being with the other misfits, especially after a botched simulation. Rom: I think we're getting better. Nog: No, you're not. This is the eighth run through and you haven't been able to hit a single Jem'Hadar. (to Leck) And you shot Moogie! Leck: I saw we weren't going to rescue her so I put her out of her misery . Gaila: Who invited him along? Brunt: Maybe we should start off with something easier. Nog: Like what? Brunt: Like ambushing a couple of Bolians. Nog: You couldn't ambush a Bolian if he was blindfolded and tied to a tree!
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork : None of the Ferengi want to work with Brunt, but they're forced to bring him along because he's the only one with a ship.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech : Keevan, naturally. Every time he opens his mouth.
• There's No Kill like Overkill : Yelgrun brought dozens of Jem'Hadar to what was meant to be simple prisoner exchange.
• Too Dumb to Live : Gaila is ridiculously careless with the vitally important prisoner; first, he falls asleep while guarding Keevan, who nearly escapes, and later, he accidentally shoots and kills Keevan while trying to kill Quark in a fit of rage.
• The Triple : Rom saying "No" in surprise to what Quark tells him about Ishka and the Nagus (and rising in pitch each time): Quark: They're lovers. Rom: No... Quark: It's been going on for over a year now. Rom: No... Quark: She's his secret financial advisor. She helps him run the entire Ferengi Alliance. Rom: No... Quark: Would you quit saying that?
• Undignified Death : Keevan is shot dead by complete accident, and after his death, the Ferengi rig up his body to keep moving and eventually leave it walking into the same bulkhead over and over.
• Virtual Training Simulation : The Ferengi use Quark's holosuite to train for the upcoming operation.
• What Happened to the Mouse? : Keevan's corpse. By the time Dukat is seen living in Empok Nor in "Covenant" , Keevan is long gone and Dukat apparently thinks a Vorta's body endlessly walking into a bulkhead isn't interesting enough to mention to Kira.
• Worthy Opponent : Yelgrun genuinely respects Ferengi cunning and hopes that they can one day join the Dominion.
• Wrong Turn at Albuquerque : While crawling through the station's jefferies tubes, Quark and Rom accidentally pop out in Sisko's office instead of the main hallways they're looking for.
• You Have Failed Me : For failing to commit suicide upon capture, Keevan predicts (and Yelgrun confirms) that a most unpleasant reception awaits him upon his return to Dominion custody.
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine S06E09 "Statistical Probabilities"
• Recap/Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine S06E11 "Waltz"

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The Magnificent Ferengi

The magnificent ferengi #616667, user mini profile, tyberius_deangelo.

•  Posts: 678
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Re: The Magnificent Ferengi #616672

Bcswowbagger.

•  Rank: First Edition Rules Master
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•  Location: Twin Cities

Re: The Magnificent Ferengi #616676

BCSWowbagger wrote: ↑ Thu Mar 07, 2024 11:41 pm This is a wonderful episode and I strongly recommend replicating it in 1E, then playing (or winning) in a sanctioned First Edition tournament with it. If I may suggest certain elements that I would consider must-haves for a deck that wished to achieve this noble goal: Quark , Rom , Nog , Leck , Gaila , Brunt , Ishka , Empok Nor , Ferengi Infestation , Friendly Fire , Oops! , Assemble Rescue Team , Valuable Prisoner , Prisoner Exchange , Ferengi Disruptor Rifle , and Brunt's Shuttle . Those are my thoughts. If you did this, you would definitely get a gold star. Assemble Rescue Team is not the easiest card to get running, but I think the usual trick is to use Defend Homeworld to fetch Leck, 1st Rule for Zek, then Leck kills Zek and Zek downloads Valuable Prisoner to save himself (and take himself prisoner).

abargar7510

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Re: The Magnificent Ferengi #616677

•  Rank: Chief Programmer
•  Posts: 4235
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Re: The Magnificent Ferengi #616682

abargar7510 wrote: ↑ Fri Mar 08, 2024 12:25 am

Re: The Magnificent Ferengi #616686

BCSWowbagger wrote: ↑ Thu Mar 07, 2024 11:41 pm Assemble Rescue Team is not the easiest card to get running, but I think the usual trick is to use Defend Homeworld to fetch Leck, 1st Rule for Zek, then Leck kills Zek and Zek downloads Valuable Prisoner to save himself (and take himself prisoner).

•  Posts: 2673
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Re: The Magnificent Ferengi #616717

Rachmaninoff.

•  Posts: 492
•  Joined: Fri Jun 04, 2010 8:48 pm

Re: The Magnificent Ferengi #616736

Rachmaninoff wrote: ↑ Fri Mar 08, 2024 6:15 pm The main engine for such a deck absolutely must be a Modern version of Whale Infestation. For instance: -Seed Gold!, Cetacean Institute, and Empok Nor at a universal Nebula, where you've seeded A Fast Ship Would Be Nice and Ferengi Infestation. -Once play starts, get the whales in orbit of Earth, and get two ships to that Nebula, one of them empty. -Pass Gold! to your opponent, you encounter A Fast Ship and give your opponent the empty ship. -Do the Here by Invitation/Return Orb to Bajor trick to snag a Mysterious Orb and relocate one of your opponent's personnel to their ship. Ideally someone who can't staff the ship. -Beam Gorge and Greasy up or down, opponent encounters Ferengi Infestation, you get to download the whole Magnificent Ferengi crew. -Repeat each turn (or ad nauseam in Open!) It's a lot of setup, but once it's up and running you can download 6 male Ferengi of your choice each turn.

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•  Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 2:48 pm
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Re: The Magnificent Ferengi #616926

Re: The Magnificent Ferengi #616934

•  Rank: Shipping Manager
•  Posts: 8064
•  Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:32 pm
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•  Location: Carlsbad, CA

Re: The Magnificent Ferengi #616946

Re: The Magnificent Ferengi #616951

SirDan wrote: ↑ Tue Mar 12, 2024 4:38 am I have fallen victim to something similar. If I recall, MSD seeded Kobayashi Maru Scenario on the Nebula to add Computer Skill as a requirement. Then after your above listed shenanigans, I was left with a personnel on a ship there that faced Lack of Prep every time the whales beamed up or down. He kindly let me choose how many million points I wanted to lose.

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Re: The Magnificent Ferengi #616955

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•  Region: Cardassia

Re: The Magnificent Ferengi #616961

Armus wrote: ↑ Tue Mar 12, 2024 1:51 pm I think you got got, bro.

Re: The Magnificent Ferengi #616970

beam down to Bajor, acquire Mysterious Orb,

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•  Location: USS Constellation (orbiting Boston)
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Leck was a Ferengi entrepreneur and a professional eliminator . Unlike most Ferengi, however – he was more interested in honing his combat skills than in earning profit. Perhaps his best skill was knife-throwing.

In 2373 , Leck had the opportunity to receive business advice from Grand Nagus Zek . ( DS9 : " Ferengi Love Songs ")

Leck gave potential clients specific instructions to contact him only via a secure channel.

In 2374 , Leck was recruited by Quark to join a team of Ferengi commandos that were trying to rescue Quark's mother Ishka from the Dominion . Leck eagerly joined for the opportunity to test his skills against the Jem'Hadar . Even after their mission switched to a prisoner exchange, Quark was wary enough of the Dominion that he retained Leck and the others.

However, although he claimed he had no interest in gold-pressed latinum , he also hated being cheated – as Quark tried to do by telling the team that there was only a twenty-bar reward, when in fact Zek had promised 50 bars.

Although the prisoner exchange was botched when Gaila accidentally killed their prisoner Keevan , Leck managed to kill one of the two Jem'Hadar on board Empok Nor in their plan to rescue Ishka, and also helped capture Yelgrun , the Vorta overseer.

Upon the successful conclusion of the mission, Leck commented to Quark, " This is the sloppiest, most amateurish operation I've ever seen... If you ever do something like this again, count me in. " ( DS9 : " The Magnificent Ferengi ")

Later that year, Rom tried to contact him on Ferenginar , but couldn't reach him as the planetary com-system had collapsed. ( DS9 : " Profit and Lace ")

Memorable quotes [ ]

" I hope this is a secure channel? " " I followed your instructions to the letter. " " Very good. Who do you want eliminated? "

" I don't care about latinum. "

" I thought you said you didn't care about latinum! " " I don't! I just don't like to be cheated! "

" How do we know these schematics are accurate? " " Sir. " " No need to stand on formalities here - call me Leck. " " No, I meant you should call me 'sir.' " " Don't be ridiculous. " " You mean 'don't be ridiculous, sir' "

" This is the eighth run-through and you haven't even hit a single Jem'Hadar. And you shot Moogie! " " I could see that we weren't going to rescue her - so I put her out of her misery. "

" I've never seen a sloppier, more amateurish operation in my life... If you ever do something like this again -- count me in! "

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " Ferengi Love Songs "
• " The Magnificent Ferengi "

Background information [ ]

Leck was played by actor Hamilton Camp in his first of two Star Trek appearances.

The quote between Nog and Leck, when Leck shoots the holographic "Moogie", is featured in Jill Sherwin 's Quotable Star Trek (p. 346).

Apocrypha [ ]

Leck appears in the Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novella Satisfaction is Not Guaranteed , in which, in the year 2369 , he undertakes a mission that leads him to Terok Nor. It is there where he meets Quark, who happens to have a Deltan holosuite program that Leck has been after for years. Leck also successfully assassinates a Romulan Tal'Shiar operative and several Nausicaan guards. Furthermore, in late 2376 , Leck is hired to break into the Glat Archive and find evidence that a marriage contract between Grand Nagus Rom and Prinadora had not been dissolved. Leck found the mission extremely difficult, but also a great challenge. He managed to infiltrate the facility posing as a Torf and download the contract.

Leck also appears in the "Victory is Life" expansion to Star Trek Online . In the mission "Quark's Lucky Seven", something of a sequel to " The Magnificent Ferengi ", Leck joins Quark, Nog, and Brunt in a mission to infiltrate an Iconian dreadnought to reclaim the Sword of Kahless , in order to convince the Klingons to join the war against the Hur'q . Leck becomes annoyed as he overloads power conduits to eliminate the Iconian Herald crew, as there are no explosions; he finally creates one himself by overloading a phaser pistol and walking away from the explosion unfazed as he dons a pair of futuristic sunglasses, in reference to a popular film cliché. Leck's distinctive throwing knives are a weapon reward from the mission.

External links [ ]

• Leck at StarTrek.com
• Leck at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series)

The magnificent ferengi (1998), iggy pop: yelgrun, photos .

Quotes 

[Quark's mother Ishka has been squabbling with Nog] 

Quark : [to Yelgrun]  Family. You understand.

Yelgrun : Not really. I was cloned.

Quark : You're gonna tell your helmsman to head back to Dominion territory, warp 9.

Yelgrun : That would leave me stranded here.

Quark : For a few days.

Yelgrun : I see, and by the time they return, you'll be long gone.

Quark : That's the idea.

Yelgrun : On the other hand I could have my Jem'Hadar storm the infirmary and kill you all.

Rom : I like our plan better.

Yelgrun : Your people have a reputation for cunning. I see that it's well-earned. Perhaps one day, the Ferengi will take their place as valued members of the Dominion.

Quark : Anything's possible.

[trying to negotiate with a group of Ferengi] 

Yelgrun : And I thought the Breen were annoying.

Yelgrun : Ferengi!

Quark : I know, I know. You hate us.

Quark : Um... One... more... thing...

Yelgrun : Why am I not surprised?

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Star Trek: Discovery Hides DS9 Connections In Plain Sight

Posted: May 1, 2024 | Last updated: May 2, 2024

Star Trek: Discovery is in its fifth and final season, and the show has been making frequent messages to other shows in the franchise on its way out. For example, the season-long mystery about the Progenitors is building off of Captain Picard’s research in the TNG episode “The Chase,” and our characters recently discovered the ISS Enterprise from the TOS episode “Mirror, Mirror.” It turns out the Star Trek: Discovery episode “Mirrors” hid a Deep Space Nine reference in plain sight by referencing travels to the Gamma Quadrant, seemingly confirming how important Bajor has remained in the 32nd century.

Deep Space Nine’s Game-Changing Wormhole

To understand the importance of this Star Trek: Discovery reference, you need to cast your mind back to the first episode of Deep Space Nine and how much it changed the lives of everyone on the planet Bajor. That was when Sisko reluctantly took command of DS9 to help Bajor rebuild and recover after the brutal occupation by the Cardassians. He discovered a wormhole in Bajoran space that would allow quick and easy travel into the otherwise remote Gamma quadrant.

The Importance of Stable Wormholes

An earlier episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation underscored why the discovery of a stable wormhole near Bajor was so important. In the episode “The Price,” the Federation is so excited about the existence of a stable wormhole to the Delta Quadrant that they start bidding against other groups to manage the wormhole (I guess they forgot the whole “we don’t use money” idea that day). Eventually, Geordi La Forge learns that the exit for the wormhole is not stable and that anyone who goes through might not be able to come out, something two Ferengi discover the hard way.

Bajor Transformed Over Time

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Sisko is responsible for the discovery of a wormhole near Bajor that is stable on both sides, allowing travel to and from the Gamma Quadrant. This discovery is a game-changer for everyone involved. Bajor suddenly went from being a galactic backwater to being a hub of commerce and travel. Accordingly, Deep Space Nine went from being a relatively unimportant space station to the most important Starfleet base, especially during the Dominion War.

Background on Moll and L’ak

Of course, you’re probably wondering what this Star Trek history lesson has to do with either Discovery or Bajor. The episode “Mirrors” gives us more background on Moll and L’ak, the Bonnie and Clyde duo who always seem to stay one step ahead of Captain Burnham in the race to learn more about the Progenitors. Moll reveals that when she was younger, her father promised to take the family to some kind of colony in the Gamma Quadrant that he considered a safe haven.

Moll’s Motivation

As a now-grown courier and career criminal, one of Moll’s big motivations remains getting enough latinum to start a new life for herself in the Gamma Quadrant. To me, though, the most interesting thing about this Star Trek: Discovery episode was the casual confirmation that Bajor remains extremely important in the 32nd century. Vessels traveling all the way to the Gamma Quadrant would still have to use the Bajoran wormhole, and that phenomenon was likely all the more important during the Burn when dilithium was scarce and warp travel impossible.

Discovery’s Nod to Bajor’s Significance

While it doesn’t lean as hard into Deep Space Nine fan service as certain episodes of Lower Decks, I was quite happy to see Star Trek: Discovery quietly confirm that Bajor remains one of the most important places in the galaxy. Even in the far future of the 32nd century, this wormhole remains the only way to reliably access the Gamma Quadrant.

And since Star Trek has never followed up on that wild Deep Space Nine finale, it’s entirely possible that Benjamin Sisko is still in that wormhole, having non-linear conversations with the Prophets and, if they’re lucky, sharing his father’s jambalaya recipe. 

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