FERENGI: Cultural Index (Edited)

[@refulgent_fanta]

Even though he was a starfleet officer, Nog was still very much Ferengi in the way he acted. He was in fact one of the few Starfleet cadets that passed the Kobayashi Maru test without cheating. In some comics there are two strategies that Nog used to beat the test: - He transports all his crew to the Maru and he uses a tractor beam to slingshot the civilian ship towards safety and then engages the Cardassians (in that version of the test) in battle. At some point he surrenders, shuts down his shields and allows the Cardassians to board the ship. He then engages the self destruct with only 5 seconds on the clock and destroys his ship, hoping that would damage the attack ships and give the Kobayashi Maru enough time to escape. - a 2nd strategy involved this time the Romulans. Instead of fighting the Romulans, he starts to argue and bargain with the Romulan commander. Since the AI controlling the test was not programmed to handle Ferengi negotiation tactics, the entire simulation crashed.

[@elijahcaudle7365]

Good on him. Fuck em and their unbeatable shit wallet ball

[@hellomoron]

Oh I looooooove the argument one. Quark probably denies it but if this is how he did it I bet he framed that notice somewhere.

[@vexile1239]

What about when Rom? (Quark's brother) ripped off the grand nagus?

[@shamancredible8632]

Nah

[@lle.5583]

Another interesting aspect of ferengi is how culturally aware they are. whether it's the ferengi in vogageur using the prime directive, or quark celebrating a bajoran festival, they seem to learn enough about other cultures to do business.

[@QuarkGamingLLC]

Lieutenant Locust Estralati that’s just a business thing. Irl you wouldn’t sell a Muslim ham or a Christian a condom. You wouldn’t sell an American Football to a British person and you would have a hard time selling mild hot sauce to a Mexican or Indian.

[@faustinosamayoa3348]

@@QuarkGamingLLC I'm catholic were actually not against that anymore but yes in everything you said, still true especially hot sauce growing up in large Hispanic family

[@averongodoffire8098]

It’s good for business to be aware of who your buying/ selling from

[@averongodoffire8098]

@@faustinosamayoa3348 Hello pasty white guy here, mild is usually as low as I go for hot sauce, luv me some kick😋

[@rexarrow4133]

Rule of acquisition #194: It's always good business to know about new customers before they walk in your door

[@Gothic7876]

The Ferengi actually consider Wall Street to be a Holy Site.

[@thomastakesatollforthedark2231]

Stellvia Hoenheim oh wow. Never thought I’d see a nazi in real life

[@lispmachine9687]

@Stellvia Hoenheim +1 Rich Evans

[@jmp01a24]

@Stellvia Hoenheim I thought the exact same, but you beat me to the punchline ;D

[@joshuamcclung8362]

How the F did talking about a fun StarTrek fact become so political?

[@a.morphous66]

​@@joshuamcclung8362 Because the Ferengi culture is a satire of capitalism, especially of the American brand. It's impossible to escape politicizing them because they are inherently political. No, they're not Jews, nor are they supposed to be. I would perhaps be inclined to believe you that they are antisemitic caricatures if they had large protrusive noses and the aspects of their culture that weren't capitalistic in nature vaguely resembled Jewish culture at all, but that isn't the case.

[@weefishy9129]

I'm convinced my former boss is a Ferengi.

[@MandalorV7]

I had an economics teacher who I thought the same about.

[@MikeGarcia-lf2rt]

Trumps are with apologies to them ferengid

[@Ezio999Auditore]

A jew?

[@LionKing-ox1dr]

Wow😭😭😭

[@lamebubblesflysohigh]

My former boss would have been a walking joke to them, no sense for business whatsoever.

[@daveassanowicz186]

Rule if Acquisition # 284. Deep down, everyone's a Ferengi.

[@MKDumas1981]

The Great Material Continuum isn't about their afterlife; as Nog describes it: "There are millions upon millions of worlds in the universe -- each filled with too much of one thing, and not enough of another -- and the Great Continuum flows through them all, like a mighty river, from Have to Want, and back again." Or like Janeway unintentionally described it: "No matter the differences, someone has something someone else wants, and trade is born." I trade you That for This, you trade That for The Other Thing, and then trade The Other Thing for Something Else. Their afterlife is simply called the afterlife. It may be worth noting that Quark, Rom, and Nog briefly considered that 1940's Earth might have been the Vault of Eternal Destitution.

[@ShiftyMcGoggles]

Before you know it, a small case of self-sealing stem bolts turns into a couple of acres of very, very valuable land.

[@TheChronboy420]

@@ShiftyMcGoggles 100 gross is hardly a small case

[@tilasole3252]

@@ShiftyMcGoggles like buying a hammer by trading your wife. The difference is huge

[@ShiftyMcGoggles]

@@TheChronboy420 it's bolts. 17k of bolts is just enough to be worth trading, hence why they had so much issue.

[@ShiftyMcGoggles]

@@tilasole3252 I'm sorry but I really don't follow you on that one.

[@livedandletdie]

Ferengi Rules of Acquisition number 35, In Peace there is profit. However one should not forget Ferengi Rules of Acquisition number 34, In War there is profit.

[@MKDumas1981]

The Major "...is good for business"*

[@williamsmedley8173]

As both trade of goods in peace time is profitable as well as weapons and supplys during a war

[@samiamrg7]

Of course, as long as YOU are not the one fighting.

[@nikkovalidor4890]

true businessmen make profit in any situation

[@nobodyimportant2470]

@@samiamrg7 No. It is "As long as your not an arms dealer." For someone specializing in weapons peace is bad for business.

[@brianoconnell6459]

Since there haven't been many posts recently, RIP Nog, Aron Eisenberg.

[@justinidiot7161]

The only thing I didn't like about Nog was... Jake Sisko. Nog's character development was nicely done by the writers, and Eisenberg wore it well. When I heard about Voyager starting, my lobes tingled with actual expectation that Nog would've been on the crew. Nog could have easily fit the Ensign role of Harry Kim and probably could have pulled-off Chief Engineer. Fitting, for him to transition from DS9 to VOY like his mentor, O'Brien transitioned to DS9 from Next Generation... oh well, 'coulda-shoulda-woulda"

[@YongyoonKim]

RIP Steve Jobs

[@spartanx9293]

Nog is dead

[@dakkenblah1450]

Been kinda hard since voyager was sent to the delta quadrant shortly after first contact with the dominion and before nog joined star fleet

[@LeahBouley]

He Will be missed

[@stanmcserr8576]

I find the Ferengi the most fascinating species. That is one reason I liked DS9 so much.

[@jonsnor4313]

They are human capitalism over the top. Or on the stereotype of jews that i hope no one takes seriously.

[@jonsnor4313]

@Leo Jansen Or conservative christians, look at the bible where is written that a wife, or daughter is the property of the husband

[@ctrouble2309]

@@jonsnor4313 an incorrect statement.

[@gregmccauley1687]

Same. I thought it would be fun to look up all the rules and experiment with living that way. Then I saw all the stuff about backstabbing and betraying others. For that reason I'm not sure if the Ferengi could have survived as a species against others. It would just create far too much conflict.

[@mrspeigle1]

@@gregmccauley1687 thing is the Ferengi aren't exactly afraid to throw down when it is called for and their industrial base would be terrifyingly large. Frankly I think the Federation would be far more likely to be destroyed by others, no purpose built warships even in the face of long standing threats like the romulans, kardasians,and klingons, agreeing to idiotic treaties like not developing cloaking technology?

[@CAP198462]

I fear I must correct you on one thing. Ferengi currency is gold-pressed latinum. It is manufactured on Feringinar and is a gold shell filled with a metal called latinum, which like Mercury is a liquid at room temperature. This makes it impossible to replicate.

[@i9incher]

@Baron Von Grijffenbourg we don't know the freezing point of latinum so it may be a difficult feet. and I imagine the process is illegal. Not to mention there is most likely a parameter within replicators that doesn't allow for it's replication, and software that would detect if somone tried to by pass these parameters which would then make the machine malfunction and/or alert the proper authorities.

[@nullpoint3346]

@@cloud4an Exactly.

[@kennethkellogg6556]

Doesn't stand to reason. We know that liquids can be replicated, as in: "Tea, Earl Grey, hot."

[@PyroJohn19]

Latnium is made from nebulas. So, it's more of a gas than a liquid. Or plasma.

[@Monochromicornicopia]

Its made of atoms and therefore should be replicatable

[@jonsnowight9510]

I got my children to call their stepmother "Moogie." I love DS9 and the Ferengi feature prominently in many episodes. Hearing Rom affectionately refer to Ishka as, "Moogie" made me want to hear my children refer to my wife the same way.

[@melanietoth1376]

That's ridiculously and super nerdy cute. ♡

[@jongaulthero]

That's pretty sick. Like the just as moronic nickname my father wanted us to call his wife-du-jour one time. I compromised, however, and decided to call her Number 6, because that's what she was, and the just as appropriate, "I'm not calling you anything, because I graduate in less than a year and then neither one of you psychos will ever see me again, God willing.".

[@Janine.Najarian]

Wow.

[@Mephilis78]

@@jongaulthero very mature approach to life.

[@tilasole3252]

Mooooogggiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

[@TheLunacyofOurTimes]

I'm surprised that you didn't mention that when the TNG Enterprise met the Ferengi, the ship the Ferengi were in was a tactical equal of the Enterprise. They are often portrayed as a bit goofy, but they were not stupid.

[@eol6632]

Yeah all that trading for tech has made ferngi ship building pretty good. The Da'kora class and it's varients are a good example. Easy to customize, lots of space for cargo, high levels of automation so no need for a big crew. Fast and sturdy frame.

[@davidhunt1350]

it's a good practice not to talk about the Ferengi either because they look, like they hear whispering from a long way away, they are certainly not the worst race of star trek, but legend has it that their favourite human being is donald trump for his business deal skills.

[@tilasole3252]

In Bridge Commander the Ferengi ship was weak compared to the Galaxy class. Maybe on par with the Ambassador class?

[@Qardo]

"...Spending 5 minutes with them..." Yeah. Well, last time I did. It cost me six terraformers, two replicators, ten bars of Latium, my left kidney, and for some reason. The jerk is the captain of my ship! Captain Nog: Who are you talking to, Lieutenant? No one, Captain! It was a malfunction....*turns off coms. All the while wearing a yellow uniform*

[@cathaloriordan271]

Smart culture. Don't go around conquering and killing, just focus on trade and commerce.

[@fduranthesee]

Only death!

[@billlupin8345]

Eh. It's true of modern trade and commerce. Back in the day, though, commerce was the drive behind imperialism. That's why the Brits expanded their empire so much, so they could get first access to all those foreign goods.

[@primary2630]

Need a strong military to protect your empire's assets.

[@alexc3504]

@@primary2630 yeah but ferengi ships are really powerful when they want to be. They use the best weapons and best shields money can buy. Federation ships on the other hand are mostly the same and it's space communism. Ferengi Capitalism would allow a wealthy captain to make a better ship.

[@rightfulfuture4]

Capitalism ftw

[@JackgarPrime]

Honestly, from a storytelling perspective, I think the idea of a species who follow a religion based on material wealth as a direct method to a reward in the afterlife, and not one based on any sort of altruism, piousness, worship of a particular figure, or detachment from the material, has such a huge amount of possibilities. Probably part of the reason why the Ferengi became so much more interesting in DS9 as those aspects got further expanded. That and Quark&Co just being super fun characters.

[@gianthat3550]

nice video. I was a little disappointed that they Ferengi scientist from TNG who invented metaphasic shielding was not mentioned, as that character was meant to show that the Ferengi can be a little more diverse than initially presented. But still, overall a good introduction to them. I vote Kazon. I don't think they were conceived very well on Voyager, so I would be interested to see what one of your videos could glean.

[@billlupin8345]

The Ferengi are meant to represent 20th century humans. This gradually shifted in DS9 to focus a bit harder on intellectual conservative American values. Mind you, when I say "conservative," I mean it in the 90's sense. The conservative in modern times is a wholly different animal. Quark is practically the epitome of Reagan era republicans.

[@billlupin8345]

...Not really. Around then, the democrats were the conservative party, while the republicans were progressive. Yes, I know. History is weird.

[@billlupin8345]

No shit. Point is, GOP talking points at the time were suffrage and civil rights. Free market, deregulation, and trickle down economics were big in the 80's and 90's. (You still see traces of it today.)

[@jerrywatson1958]

@@billlupin8345 Yep, weren't afraid to go to war, but diplomacy worked for them too. Today's Trumpican is cowardly, corrupt, and inept at any job. Old school social conservatives are retired or dead today. When you let racist into your party. You get slimmed with their hate and bad reputations.

[@clintonsmith1114]

The exceptions are not a representation of a culture. Nobody wants to hear a documentary about an emotionally unstable Vulcan or a pakled surgeon.

[@christophervanoster]

A ferengi is what you get when you put all your levels into speech and barter

[@Mephilis78]

Luck and barter. They aren't the best speakers. It's usually too much on the talking that ruins their deals.

[@cesaw70]

I've watched your video, now I want my three slips of Gold pressed Latinum.

[@desertflower3996]

You forgot to include the interest rate. 👂

[@OldF1000]

But the human rules state' And there are only two, Never give a sucker an even break , And there is one born every minute.

[@nathanieldaiken1064]

Um, you don't get paid to watch this video; you are charged for the unique privilege of watching it!

[@39Chevy]

You know, knowing you need to auction off body parts is damn good incentive for taking care of yourself.

[@tilasole3252]

Not always. I think it was Brunt who wanted to buy Quark, not because it was a good piece, but that he would simply own a piece of Quark. I could be mistaken though.

[@Xeinok]

I watched DS9 before TNG and man is it rough as a Ferengi fan, lol...

[@Kyrieru]

I feel like the sexism thing was a bit of a plot derived cop out. If it really was a loss of profit, they would have sorted out long ago, otherwise it kind of diminishes their traits.

[@QuarkGamingLLC]

Kyrieru Ferengi would’ve bought half the galaxy if they let women earn profit. Too OP, had to nerf

[@jasonseipler2665]

Unless, treating women as property, made acquiring and owning one a great monetary pursuit. Think of wives as a luxury item--its a drain on your bottom line, but having one increases your status and fulfills other personal needs.

[@mikesully110]

yeah they were penned into it though, the 1st season of TNG introduced the "savage" ferengi who were intended to be the main villain. Just like Picard mentions the ferengi finding their enemies "tasty" in the first episode, the Ferengi were to be savage at first. But obviously they were seen as comedy once the Borg came around. So they had the unclothed females they had to work around later on. They should have worked around it with a religious thing IMO - females being servants would be an ancient religious rite which conservative ferengi adhere to. But you have athiest reformers who say "When are we going to get rid of this superstitious nonsense, allow females to trade, and double our profits?". Then it could have parallels to our society with people arguing wether to pray in schools / churches being tax exempt etc

[@Awestefeld6612]

@@jasonseipler2665 a good accountant is a necessity, a wife is a luxury. Forget which rule that is.

[@zaxelbraxel9667]

I'd like to thank you as I've been waiting on this one for a while, and you did a great job! Quark has got to be my favorite Trek character, and I find the Ferengi rather endearing in an odd way (not to mention some of the best makeup/prosthetic work and costuming found in the Trekverse imo). I really enjoy the humor they bring into Star Trek so I'm wondering if we'll be lucky enough to get more Ferengi high-jinks in the upcoming series. Cheers.

[@zaxelbraxel9667]

I almost forgot to vote. Even though the actor who played Nog also played a Kazon, I'm going to vote for the Rakka because I really enjoyed that short film and still have it on my brain.

[@deathstrike]

It is a good video, but it has a few discrepancies. One is that you imply they "purchased" their ships. They did purchase warp drive from the Breen. But the Ferengi Marauder and other classes of ships are entirely their own design. They are an advanced race and do indeed have scientists. One was credited for introducing the Federation to metaphasic shields and Rom was credited for his replicator minefield among other achievements. The holodeck is actually a controversy, in TOS Dr. Simon Van Gelder, a staff member at the detention facility that the insane former Federation Fleet Captain Garth of Izar was kept, had a daughter named Lucy Van Gelder, who is actually credited for inventing the holodeck. Ironically her father Simon had also invented a critical technology which for a brief time did cure Garth of Izar.

[@ElmerCat]

The Ferengi advanced holodeck technology into "Holo-Suites", which could be marketed to generate profit.

[@linkeffect82]

Good points, though the one for Rom's accomplishment with the replicator minefield is amusing to me for how weird it is, I don't think they ever really gave a good explanation in show for how it's meant to break the conservation of mass rules for how each mine replicated would have less energy to replicate itself, else wise it's a very cool idea for the show, and I'm glad Rom had the idea for his own character growth and contribution to Deep Space 9's defense.

[@MrKeserian]

@@linkeffect82 probably wireless power transmission from a base station, or a shared wireless power network amongst the mines with some sort of solar power collection.

[@ghosturiel]

Lol, Loved the comment at the end how you don't charge people for these videos. Rule of Acquisition 144. - There's nothing wrong with charity ... as long as it winds up in your pocket

[@thatryeguy6145]

Did Trump write this Rule?

[@theomnissiah-9120]

@@thatryeguy6145 I thought it was the church

[@gizmofrompizmo2177]

I've always kind of liked the ferengi. Probably wouldn't want to be one but I like them.

[@thetreblerebel]

Rule of Aquisition #1 Once you have their money, you never give it back! I love these lil guys

[@JackgarPrime]

A case of turning a very, very bad idea from Roddenbury's original concept into something actually very interesting and engaging by the time of DS9.

[@chemicalmike646]

7:24 Trekkie factiod; Those are bars of gold pressed latinum. You can only see the gold surrounding the latinum in these pics. Latinum is liquid and resembles mercury. (ref; DS9 its also why Morn lost his hair!)

[@quoniam426]

Yeah to preserve his money from thieves, he keeps the latinum inside one of his nummerous stomachs... poor guy, that must give him cancer... imagine having mercury inside your body for twenty years...

[@AgnosticProle]

Wasn't latinum a liquid inside of the metal?

[@insertanynameyouwant5311]

yes, inside of gold, to be precisely

[@gianthat3550]

however, they make a specific point of mentioning "gold-pressed", at times, so it's possible that non-"gold-pressed" is encased in some other kind of metal.

[@AgnosticProle]

Giant Hat In an episode of ds9 morn regurgitated some latinum in a glass and gave it to quark, to me it looked like maybe 8 ounces but quark says something to the effect that it's bricks worth of latinum. If that is true how much latinum is in a slip?

[@g00gleminus96]

Very little but it's never been actually said on-screen exactly, in standard units of measurement used here in the real world, how much latinum is in any of the "gold-pressed" units. What's more, it is mentioned once in DS9 that some very unscrupulous traders have been known to "shave" the latinum. This doesn't mean that they took a knife and shaved some of the gold off the outside of the unit of currency but rather that they somehow removed some of the latinum from the inside of said unit.

[@5thHouse]

You can see Quark holding strips of latinum up to his ear in some episodes, as if listening for how much liquid is inside

[@World_Theory]

I doubt they get a lot of tourism on their planet. It would be terribly stressful to always keep your guard up around an entire population of salespeople. Though I wonder what a Ferengi's idea of a vacation to a foreign planet, is.

[@nytrodioxide]

Hot babes and gold infused meals

[@ColonelMetus]

Ferengi probably vacation in Israel

[@ayylmao2190]

@@ColonelMetus Man we really do live rent free in the minds of anti-Semites huh?

[@franktodaro8484]

I love your style, man! Great vid! Your visual aids (especially the one about Ferengi afterlife) took me back to watching the 1981 Hitchhiker's Guide. Thanks for putting this together!

[@LydiaSalem]

1:55 Incorrect.Females may conduct business all they want.They however,may not earn profit.Nevertheless i applaud your observance of Rule of acquisition #239. Never be afraid to mislabel a product.[DS9: "Body Parts"]

[@ribbitgoesthedoglastnamehe4681]

In the defence of the Ferengi, they are not actually misogynistic. The -mis- part means hate, and the ferengi are far too busy acquiring wealth to hate. Besides, hate is bad for business. They are, however, awfully set in their ways and never have time to think that anything could be different or be done differently. In the Ferengi mindset, they are awfully kind for taking care of the females and probably even hate themselves for it. This is because they think females "do not have the lobes for business" and thefore cannot take care of themselves. This is why they are so ready to change their ways. They dont want to keep things as they are, and they are not against change, they are just incredibly thickheaded and never really thought their old ways could be wrong. This is why the change is also so rapid. They are businessmen, not philosophers. They would rather buy a philosophy than invent it. New ideas come to them very, very slowly, but once they are there, the ideas are meant to be grabbed and used before others do.

[@afavouritething]

Good point. Lobe size is considered important; They definitely have an instinctive sense that large ears helps to perceive a good opportunity in business. Females have naturally smaller ears, feeding into the idea they're not cut out for business. I'm guessing in the early days males did more grub hunting whilst the female kept house & cared for offspring, hence the makes larger ears.

[@ribbitgoesthedoglastnamehe4681]

afavouritething Quite likely. I like the grub hunting hypothesis. Then again, it could be possible that ear size has nothing to do with hearing capability, and it's mostly about inner ear and brain processing capability which is not different. It could be just a saying, like having balls to take risks, and for ferengis ear size is about looks. Big ears are masculine, small ears are feminine, and difference is preferred in a mate. It can also explain why ferengi are so into human women.... Those tiny, tiny ears... In comparison for humans, it would be like an alien race with every female having breasts like beach balls. It's like, trying not to look, trying not to care but it's just so ridiculously.... Drooooollllll..... Stare....

[@Nico-nr8jm]

Ribbitgoesthedog Lastnamehereyeah 034 War is good for business

[@rtek5]

They changed a lot between NG and DS9, especially the first appearance of them. As Armin said they were ferocious and feral int the first appearance. On DS9 they were a comedy relief.

[@primary2630]

They're culturally stagnant for the most part it seems.

[@shibolinemress8913]

In the "Enterprise" episode "Unexpected", we learn that the Xyrillians first introduced holodeck technology to Humans and Klingons. Maybe they got it from the Ferengi, though? 😁

[@BM-is5ei]

I refuse to concider that pile of shit tv show to be canon

[@anornpath1587]

B M discovery? Maybe but definitely not enterprise

[@BM-is5ei]

@@anornpath1587 both

[@newdirectdemocracy]

I'd like to know the answer to whether the Ferengi or the Xyrillians invented holodeck technology.

[@TotalyRandomUsername]

The relation of Ferengi to their women is a bit more complex then just powerless property. Ishka says at one point with love in her voice that her dead husband was a good father and a wonderful husband. Also it is noticed that pregnancy is considered a rental contract and so is marriage. Roms wife left him with all his money. Quark pays his mother good sustentation wich is a normal thing for a Ferengi. So it seems that women in the Ferengi culture can't make money with own business deals, but they can make profit from their marriage. It is moraly questionable from a human perspective, but since Ferengi hate it to spend even a tiny bit of latinum there is never a single complaint about giving it to their females. So this indicates a very loving relationship between male and female Ferengi.

[@scottmcintosh4397]

The Ferengi are the Daffy Ducks of the universe. "Mine! Mine!! Mine!!! Everything's MINE!!!!"

[@landenherteux2350]

as Leo Wong from Futurama once said "this all a finely tuned machine to seperate suckers from their money"

[@Sly88Frye]

I'd love to see a look at the personnel file of that one Ferengi in TNG that was a scientist and made that amazing new Shield technology. He was killed in the only person who believed in his new Shield technology was dr. Beverly Crusher.

[@JE-western-rider]

Probably the only respectable action by Dr. Crusher.

[@jjpe306]

Love these videos. Ferengi make me think of Armin Shimerman, which makes me think of the Nox from Stargate. I would love to see a Cultural Index about them. For the next vid I vote Kazon.

[@jessicamoreno5639]

RIP Aron Eisenberg, one of my favourite Ferengi and also loved him in Voyager as Kar a Kazon from the Oglamar sect.

[@retando8653]

My father gave me a small loan of 1000000 bars of gold pressed latinum

[@leliofirefly]

HA

[@pimptom8704]

Btw I want to say thats like a billion in USD now that I think about it.

[@jshavon8924]

Lmfaoooo 😂😂😭😭😭

[@Leviathis_Krade]

Exactly 2 billion dollars being that 1 slip is 1-1 for dollars 100 slips = 1 strip, and 20 strips = 1 bar; now if it were to be bricks you would have to just guess so it could be 50 bars or 100 bars worth of material so it could be 100 billion dollars for one brick or 200 billion dollars, in effect 1 brick could set family spanning several generations in the lap of luxury and still have a lot to spare; also quark ended up with one hundred bricks and six hundred bars, so his family would never need to work again... but they are ferengi and they just can't stop their greed for gold pressed latinum.

[@PyroJohn19]

As hilarious as your comment is. Donald Trump would make a terrible Ferengi, with as many failed business ventures as he's had. He would be destined for the Vault of Destitution.

[@DblOSmith]

Thanks for this. I never picked up on the sloped architecture and flooding thing. Very interesting!

[@WatcherPrime]

The way I understood it, the Ferengi first thought the Federation utterly insane for disregarding profit and hence why they acted the way they did early on. It wasn't until the Grand Negus saw there was an economy of "favors" to exploit did relations normalize.

[@kles44]

Notice how the Ferengi are peaceful compared to the federation. .. the federation violates the space of other powers while they're 'exploring ' and are somehow not a military. Then you have Sisko laying waste to entire planets, killing high ranking officials, section 31 committing genocide, etc... but when we see the Ferengi, man they're greedy, they aren't as lofty as federation standards. The writers of this show only show the federation to be just like other powers, willing to act in its own interests and while they try to trash the pursuitv of profit one thing they can't replace is the demand for peace in order to ensure trade continues and as a result the Ferengi are a peaceful civilization pursuing profit. I'd say in the balance the Ferengi are superior to the federation.

[@dswrabkln4900]

On the other hand, there is zero poverty or slavery in the Federation, which certainly wasn't true on Ferenginar, considering the status of women. So at the very least they treat their own people better. As for the Federation being more belligerant militarily, that is debatable. They don't tend to actively look for conflicts, or intentionally violate the space of other powers. They notably respect Romulan space despite their clear hostility. The Prime Directive highlights just how comitted they are to non-intervention 99% of the time, and if they really were expansionist they could have colonised thousands of defenseless worlds by now, like that planet of proto-Vulcans. Hell, sometimes their appetite for peace at any cost is so great that it causes problems; look at their treaty with the Cardassians. The only time I can think of where they knowingly violated another power's space was in the Gamma Quadrant, but the Dominion's attempt to claim the entire quadrant as theirs was pretty dubious to begin with. What IS probably fair to say is that the Federation will go further to defend its ideals if threatened. The Ferengi would probably have accepted Dominion rule without a fight, whereas the Federation was willing to stand up for itself, even if that meant a war which ended billions of lives. I don't think the latter approach is "worse", however. The Dominion needed to be opposed. It was a genocidal, expansionist power which would have probably also killed billions if it had gained a foothold in the Alpha Quadrant, and plunged the entire region into dictatorship. The Federation really, really, didn't want to fight, but was pushed into a war with a truly evil power once all attempts at negotiation failed; that's perfectly fair on their part. The Dominion War probably even improved life in the Gamma Quadrant in the long run, as Odo influenced the Link. Ferengi attempts to appease them would have been myopic and self-serving in comparison, and I doubt whether they really could have pursued peace as Quark claims when their Dominion masters started curtailing economic freedom. As for Sisko, Section 31, and other bad admirals we see throughout the series, okay yeah, there are a lot of cowboys and "bad apples" in Starfleet lol. But they are most certainly the exception, and usually punished. Section 31 was a rogue extremist organisation, and the vast majority of Federation citizens would be horrified by even the idea of attempting genocide. It was certainly never approved by the Federation Council. And if we're bringing up rogue actors, it only seems fair to mention the abundance of Ferengi pirates, raiders, and assassins we see throughout the series, who murder, pillage, and terrorise space travelers with impunity. Tl;dr the Federation is flawed, but I'd take living there in luxury and abundance over being a Ferengi wage slave- or property if I'm a woman- any day. For all its failings and missteps, the Federation is still mostly a pacifist power which is occasionally dragged into reluctant conflicts of self-defence with dictators, and prefers cooperation where possible. To say they're worse than the slave-owning Ferengi because they're willing to protect their way of life, and because of a few rogue agents, seems very ungenerous.

[@bigk8210]

Remember the TNG episode "The Neutral Zone"? According to Memory Alpha about Ralph Offenhouse, "Offenhouse also appears in the novel Debtors' Planet, where he has parlayed his financial expertise - all but obsolete within the Federation - into a new career as an ambassador to the Ferengi Alliance"

[@legowoshi]

I just noticed how the ferengi symbol looks like a man swimming into a tidal wave.

[@Sketch1ish]

My favorite Star Trek species, possibly my favorite alien species ever.

[@NyanHomeschoolGirl17]

Klingons are my fave but Ferengi are a close second ❤️

[@steadyjumper3547]

If you dust of the Book of the Laws it'll actually just be the Art of the Deal

[@ELECTR0HERMIT]

This is impeccably done, much appreciated.

[@lyxandrast0ttr0n1x8]

Love the Ferengi; Quark, Rom and Nog are some of the best characters in the entirety of Star Trek canon.

[@TheClintonio]

I love how DS9 dealt with the Ferengi. As a (seemingly) rare capitalist that likes Star Trek I appreciate the Ferengi business acumen and the fact they still have currency and wealth. The Federation isn't something I would actually like in reality.

[@Crusader1815]

The big conundrum floating in the faces of the chosen: To object to the Ferengi as obvious caricatures of themselves, they would have to draw attention to this uncomfortable fact.

[@bigevil1001]

I often wonder how the Ferengi would have turned out if the writers never gave up on trying to make them a threat. Like a less silly and more competent version of what they were in early TNG. It is said that the Ferengi are a metaphor for Jews. Some people say (and I’m not endorsing it) that Jewish people control everything in the Western world. It would have been interesting if the Ferengi had a similar dynamic in the Star Trek world. It would make them unique. An alien empire as powerful as the Klingons or the Romulans but conquer economically rather than through warfare. You might say “But that’s racist!” Well the Ferengi are already racist, aren’t they? The only difference is they are comic relief. I’m only proposing making them more competent and cunning.

[@NolanHawkeyeAnthony]

I HATE the change DS9 gave to Ferangi at the end. 1. In other cultures (Even when we disagree with practices) the federation accepts who they are for the most part 2. How are we to know if ALL Ferangi women feel the same way as moogie? 3. In general individuals like Quark are amazing and who the ferangi are. By changing that, this shows human eyes or lense of the writers believing their way is the best way therefore the fernagi must change. So silly

[@ninjawannabe87]

I would say that the Xyrillians, from the Enterprise episode: Unexpected, had Holosuites before ferengi, but star trek has changed its lore around so many times, it's hard to take anything said in any related media as gospel. Still nice video

[@nytrodioxide]

Also their ears are their erogenous zones, that's always a fun fact

[@NyanHomeschoolGirl17]

🤢🤢🤢

[@somarriba333]

Their first appearance made them look like savage trolls all hunched over with laser whips. I kind of wish they still showed those Ferengis. Quark had their action figures. It makes me think that those guys are the warrior class. They are trained to fight in savage ways. Those would be the grunts that the Damons to send first into battle. Maybe those Ferengi don't have the lobes for business and have no choice but to enlist.

[@losoyo]

Now you got me curious about the differing details :)

[@vsgfilmgroup]

"My house is my house." "As are its contents." You've got to love a society so devoted to economics that it has to build in direct cultural restrictions against theft.

[@andrewjohnson6716]

That might have been the best take on the Ferengi I’ve ever seen.

[@kylehazachode]

Love these episodes. Kazon for sure

[@IIGrayfoxII]

A Ferengi will follow through a contract at all costs.

[@tmcgrenere]

Hello Rik! I learned a lot I didn't know about Ferengi. Big fan of Capt. Nog.

[@PoweredbyRobots]

Heavily stereotyped space jews, at first. So glad Rom and Nog smashed that to bits.

[@mrsteel9026]

Really enjoying these wee vids. Thanks.

[@HunhowsShadowStalker]

Rule 239. Never be afraid to mislabel a product. I will take this video with a grain of salt.

[@killerpeech]

Before I quit my last job I emailed the CEO ( who I worked directly under ) the full list of ferengi rules of acquisition with my 2 weeks. He was a star trek fan but a grade A jerk. He knew I insulted him without ever speaking a word.

[@horseenthusiast9903]

Oh, that is the BEST insult!! I hope that taught him a little bit about being a better boss, but...well, rule 217, "You can't free a fish from water," lol. I hope your current work is much more pleasant!

[@xscar10]

I think people are missing something about the patriarchal Ferengi society. It wasn't purely misogynistic even by our standards when you consider the Ferengi afterlife. Women were considered property. When you die, you take all your property with you. The Ferengi, who thought of their women as being non-business minded would be in that respect, essentially trying to smuggle their wives into the afterlife. Otherwise the women would have to compete with the men whom were considered better at business and in the mind of a Ferengi, dooming most of their women to eternal destitution. Which I imagine would also be a reason why they didn't allow slavery, because it would bring potentially dozens or hundreds of slaves for every Ferengi, and slaves having no wealth would most certainly not deserve to be in their version of the afterlife.

[@flibbernodgets7018]

I like the ferengi. All the best DS9 episodes are with Quark, Rom, and Nog

[@AckzaTV]

"those sneaky medical professionals"

[@tech83studio38]

Thank DS9 for the intricate details of ( in a Damon Bok's voice) "The Ferengi "

[@Skwisgar2322]

Finally an analysis of the Ferengi that isn't a treatise on the evils of capitalism.

[@gary3561]

Ferengi played by actors from countries such as India or pakistan. See how it stereotypes prople. We all know apart from certain African individuals, trading scams and such mainly over the internet are done by people from this region.

[@dunnono00]

A planet where it rains a lot... lol, sounds like my kinda place. Never knew this.

[@igorivanov299]

dunnono00 I love the rain to.

[@melanietoth1376]

I live in the Pacific northwest...that's basically home

[@fthat8780]

My lawyer is a Ferengi.

[@serbubogdan3284]

In mindset, they are basically The Mob, Cosa Nostra, Mafia, call them whatever, but the parallels are there

[@richy1606]

As described in description , the ferengi are a PROFIT seeking race not a prophet seeking race ,they have nothing to do with the bajorans

[@DangerIncFilms]

I'd like to know more about the Kazon, specifically their jailing system which seems to consist of putting a line on the floor and telling you not to cross it...

[@SnowyRVulpix]

Gabutyra just making a random appearance at 4:54!

[@irflashrex]

You have a high pitch beep in your audio track.

[@fduranthesee]

Ferengi = Quintessons of the Star Trek universe

[@paulnewhouse5126]

"Our word will be our bond!"

[@Tylerpierre99]

One thing I've learned over the years about the Ferengi is that they build some bad ass battle ships, they're actually pretty respectful of other cultures, they can make a joke and they're actually pretty caring towards each other when there's no profit involved. I'd imagine the Ferengi actual, that being the seriously major Ferengi corporations are pretty tight morally in order to bankroll other species and do business. We see sneaky ferengi and duplicitous characters. But the Ferengi are seemingly held in some high regard by some species and it would seem that although greed is a core element of their way of life, they're not cruel, war-like or xenophobic to name a few negative qualities. I don't think, aside from the federation, there's any mono-culture species that actually despise the Ferengi above and beyond a few personal opinions of their business practices or code of ethics and morals. Most negative opinions of Ferengi almost seem like passive aggressive dark thread in the collective social consciousness of other species, like humans that remind them what, they used to be like before they adopted lofty ideals and pushed a post scarcity agenda. As far as we know, the Ferengi never came close to wiping themselves out with war, disease, famine or hatred. Instead they very cohesive, agreeable, flexible, diplomatic, cunning, shrewd, clever and when all said and done, peaceable and fair, which they must maintain in order to do business.

[@pickeljarsforhillary102]

Mooogieeee!

[@TTTristan1]

Take your damn clothes off!

[@leliofirefly]

Wow while not trolling Hb your learning about Aliens . I like it lol

[@goshen574]

You should do a segment on the Ferengi game so we can learn it

[@Eldoradoll7]

Can you have the option of the ice warriors in the next video.

[@DragonGateDesign]

Huge difference from the first time they appeared in next gen

[@berner]

If someone crosses a Ferengi with a Klingon, things would be really shaken up.

[@thomasn3882]

Moogie is horrifying looking. I could see that face in my nightmares.

[@Ghastly_Grinner]

I would have had the Farangi emulate the merchant Republic of Venice and Decent fleet liberal use of Mercenaries and assassins

[@zz3718]

"Ferenghi" is a word used by Persian speakers to describe Europeans. It comes from the word "Frank" ("Frankie" = "Ferenghi" in various Central and South Asian countries). The Franks were the German tribe who settled in France during the Fall of the Western Roman Empire.

[@olderthandadirt]

Thanks, this should help me deal with my landlord!

[@Elliandr]

4:34 - That's actually a realistic fear. Here on earth, in the early days of medicine, criminals were often more distraught over their bodies being donated to science than the execution themselves and for high profile cases body parts of the condemned were actually stolen by the medical students to be kept. If even humans would do this of course they would.

[@MekoUnknown]

Ferengi have it right. Humanity needs to take this philosophy.

[@SC-zq6cu]

This was quite profitable.

[@lovewenwin]

Latnum is liquid pressed in Gold (gold is vertualy worthless)

[@sonicninja3434]

Didnt we see that episode of "Commander tucker and the wayward box of pebbles" show an alien race trade the klingons their holodeck tech, and give the schematics to Starfleet?

[@NoahSpurrier]

Favorite Star Trek species. Also, the best dressed in Star Trek.

[@williammerkel1410]

"I don't charge you to watch these videos" *angry Patreon noises*

[@smistgoman]

can we get a xindi episode or 6? lol