From: det@bigbootay.sw.stratus.com (David Toland)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Re: Ferengi History question
Date: 13 Dec 92 23:45:59 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Software Engineering
NNTP-Posting-Host: bigbootay.sw.stratus.com

In article <Bz5xBy.6p7@unix.amherst.edu> aewright@unix.amherst.edu (Anthony E. Wright) writes:
>A question about the Federation's history with the Ferengi, especially
>the first contact.

Haven't we already seen this posting recently?

>One episode actually shows the first visual contact with Ferengi. The show
>was in the first season, and it was there that Data was talking about all the
>conflicitng information they had on the Ferengi, and the only thing they
>really knew was their motto was "Let the Buyer Beware." They claim to know
>nothing of their technology, they seem to know nothing of the ship until they
>first sighted it.

The episode referred to is "The Last Outpost", and it was the fourth program
aired in the first season (considering "Encounter at Farpoint" as a single
program.  This was indeed the first face-to-face encounter between the
Federation and the Ferengi, although EaF referred to the Ferengi.  The
Ferengi at that point had been encountered by worlds visited by the
Federation, but not by any Federation member.

>However, later episodes call this episode into question. Apparently, Picard had
>had first contact with the Ferengi previously, when commanding the Stargazer.
>Apparently, this is when the "Picard Manuever" was created, and Picard blew
>up the Ferengi ship, since it started firing on the Stargazer first. Picard was
>supposedly court-martialed for this action, but let go.

The incident referred to was chronicled in "The Battle", the eighth episode
aired in the first season.  Although the contact had occurred years before,
the craft and the race that launched it *WERE NEVER IDENTIFIED* until the
Ferengi returned the Stargazer during the episode.  By the way, Picard
went before a Board of Inquiry, which would be standard whenever a
command was lost, *not* a court-martial.  He was of course cleared of
any charges of negligence.

>This would seem to be a fairly serious continuity problem. When does the
>Federation have first contact with the Ferengi? When does Picard? How did
>Picard blow up a ship that he didn't even see? And finally, if we just got
>introduced to this race, how come they are all over the place now? Anybody
>got any definitive answers?

Ships change.  Even if Picard had seen the ship in considerable detail
before destroying it, it may not have looked like any Ferengi ship seen
and recognized by the Federation by that time.

The Ferengi are expanding like mad, to open new markets.  The Federation
is also in an expansionist phase, so of course they'll be seeing Ferengi
much more often.

So, to quote (misquote?) an earlier Trek adversary,
"Your facts are not coordinated."



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