Ferengi
Encyclopedia : F : FE : FER : Ferengi
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.
Star Trek
|
|---|
| TV series |
| · |
| · |
| · |
| · |
| · |
| · |
| Films |
| · |
| · · XI |
| Major planetary nations |
| United Federation of Planets |
| Romulans · Klingons · Tholians |
| Gorn · Q · Ferengi · Borg · Kazon |
| Cardassians · Bajorans · Trill · Hirogen |
| Dominion · Breen · Xindi · Vulcans |
| Expanded universe |
| Novels · Other storylines · Games |
| CCG · RPG · TOS TrekMUSE |
| Fan fiction projects |
| Chronological lists of stories |
| Distant past-22nd century |
| 2201-TMP · TMP-2300 |
| 2301-2370 · 2371-distant future |
| Reference |
| Characters · Races |
| Timeline · Telepathy · Physics |
| All Ships · Lost Ships |
| Starships classes · Further reading |
| Cultural influence |
| Society · Trekkies · Trekdom |
On Star Trek
The name "Ferengi" is an Arabic name for European traders, or for Westerners in general. It is also pronounced feringhee and similarly. 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 Catalan. The Star Trek usage was taken from the above usage.
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 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 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.
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). 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.
Physiology
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. 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"). Ferengi teeth resemble jagged spikes, and 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. 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.
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 or not 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 implanted Universal Translators malfunction, one of the few alien races whose language have been thus heard by the home viewer. 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.
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.
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.' Damon 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".