Ferengi

The Ferengi are a fictional group of space people on Star Trek.  They first appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987.  They are also in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Enterprise.

Appearance

The Ferengi are shorter than humans.  They have bald heads, large ears and small teeth.  They have noses with deep ridges in them.  Most Ferengi are played by short actors in heavy makeup.

Many male Ferengi characters wear colorful clothes and some have hats that cover the backs of their heads but not the tops of their heads.

Culture

The Ferengi have a very Capitalist culture.  Ferengi think greed is good.  In the Ferengi culture, men are supposed to gain wealth. There is a saying: "A Ferengi without profit is no Ferengi at all." Money, payment, and contracts are a big part of life.  For example, a guest in a house can be charged admission.

The Ferengi home planet is called Ferenginar.  The capital city has a Tower of Commerce that holds the leader's office.  The leader of the Ferengi is called the Grand Nagus.  The Ferengi call themselves "The Ferengi Alliance," not "Empire" or "Federation."

Ferengi culture is very male-dominated.  Women are not supposed to wear clothes or appear in public.  During the Deep Space Nine run, a Ferengi feminist named Ishka becomes the Grand Nagus's chief financial advisor.  She helps Ferengi women gain more rights.

In the Deep Space Nine episode "Little Green Men," three characters talk about the Ferengi afterlife.  It has reincarnation.  Ferengi believe that if they have lived well, they will bid on new lives, like in an auction.  If they have lived badly, they will go to the Vault of Eternal Destitution.

Rules of Acquisition
Ferengi characters on Star Trek often say the Rules of Acquisition.  They are similar to proverbs.  They are about how to get (acquire) wealth.  Some of the Rules are "War is good for business," "Peace is good for business," "Never have sex with the boss' sister," and "Greed is eternal." There are 285 Rules of Acquisition.

Origin

The word "Ferengi" comes from the Persian word for "foreigner," usually a Westerner.  The Star Trek writers wanted a race of people they could use to tell stories about capitalism and 20th and 21st century Western culture.

The first idea for the Ferengi was that they would be the main enemy aliens in Star Trek: The Next Generation, but they were not scary enough.  After that, the writers used the Ferengi for comic relief, to tell the funny parts of their stories.

Criticism

Some critics have said the Ferengi are too much like stereotypes of Jews.

Important characters

There are five very important Ferengi characters in Star Trek, and all of them appear in Deep Space Nine:

Quark runs a bar on the Deep Space Nine space station.  Actor Armin Shimerman played Quark.
Rom is Quark's brother.  He is not good at getting wealth, so other Ferengi think he is a failure. Actor Max Grodénchik played Rom.
Nog is Rom's son.  He decides to join Starfleet because he knows he is not good at business. Actor Aron Eisenberg played Nog.
Grand Nagus Zek was played by Wallace Shawn.
Ishka is Quark and Rom's mother.  She was played by more than one actor during the show.
Liquidator Brunt, an agent of the Ferengi Alliance government who hates Quark.
Gala, Quark and Rom's cousin who sells weapons.

References

Fictional races
 Star Trek