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Ferengi Alliance logo, 3190

The logo of the Ferengi Alliance in 3190

"Five thousand, ten thousand [years], what's the difference? The speed of technological advancement isn't nearly as important as short-term quarterly gains."
– Quark, 2372 ("Little Green Men")

Ferengi history was the history of the Ferengi from the planet Ferenginar, whose development can be described with its 10th Rule of Acquisition: "Greed is eternal". (DS9: "Prophet Motive")

Early history[]

Gint

Gint, the first Grand Nagus, as he appeared in a vision to Quark

Ferengi history reached back at least ten thousand years before the 24th century, which was the time span needed to establish the Ferengi Alliance, the governing body of the Ferengi. (DS9: "Little Green Men") There was a time when the Ferengi's acquiring nature was not so pronounced and was less adversarial - a time, in fact, when the Ferengi were not greedy but were extremely generous. (DS9: "Prophet Motive")

At some point in the distant past, Ferengi and Dopterians diverged from each other. (DS9: "The Forsaken"; TNG: "Firstborn")

Compared to Human history, the Ferengi developed many features of a modern economy earlier, already having currency, banking, speculative investments, and a unified global economy by around 2700 BC. An important event of early Ferengi history was the creation of the Rules of Acquisition by the first Grand Nagus, Gint. (DS9: "Little Green Men", "Body Parts")

Gint's lifetime or when the Rules of Acquisition were first created was never mentioned on-screen. However, if he is considered the founder of the Alliance, this might imply Gint lived at least ten thousand years before the 24th century.

While the Rules of Acquisition enshrined fundamental principles of Ferengi society, such as greed and materialism, Ferengi history avoided atrocities such as slavery, concentration camps, and interstellar wars. However, their social evolution created a society that was far from being liberal, with an extremely misogynistic attitude that denied females their most fundamental rights. (DS9: "Rules of Acquisition", "Family Business") Furthermore, violence was not a complete stranger to Ferengi society, as evidenced by the Battle of Prexnak, during which all ten involved Ferengi were slaughtered by 273 attacking Lytasians. (DS9: "The Magnificent Ferengi") Moreover, Smeet became the only Grand Nagus ever to be assassinated while in office after a dramatic drop in the Ferengi Market Exchange during his reign. (DS9: "The Jem'Hadar", "Ferengi Love Songs")

20th century[]

Quark's Treasure photographs

Photograph of the Ferengi vessel that crash-landed on Earth in 1947

A temporal incident known on Earth as Roswell Incident caused the unofficial first contact between three Ferengi from the future and Humans of the mid-20th century. The Ferengi's shuttle had accidentally performed a time warp en route to Earth and crashed on the planet in the year 1947. The United States of America, one of the Human nation-states of that era, treated the visitors with suspicion and would keep this incident a secret after the Ferengi managed to re-acquire their shuttle and return to their own time. (DS9: "Little Green Men")

In "Little Green Men", Quark specifically stated that the Ferengi would have had warp drive before the "Klingons and even the Vulcans", had he delivered warp technology to Ferenginar in 1947. However, this remark has been subject to controversy. See Little Green Men - Trivia for more information.

22nd century[]

By the mid-22nd century, the Ferengi had purchased warp drive technology and, by 2150, begun using it to pursue business opportunities in the galaxy. Even at this point, however, the Ferengi remained a mysterious race who were often only known through rumor. (ENT: "Acquisition"; DS9: "Little Green Men"; VOY: "False Profits")

By 2150, the Ferengi had visited Valakis, the homeworld of the Menk and the Valakians, the latter of which sought help to fight a medical crisis on their homeworld. As of 2151, Ferengi had encountered Bolians, but T'Pol of the Vulcan High Command was unfamiliar with the name "Ferengi." (ENT: "Dear Doctor", "Acquisition")

Prior to meeting the Humans, the Valakians were visited by two warp-capable species, the Ferengi and the M'klexa. Nothing is known about these encounters, but apparently, neither species was able or willing to help the Valakians.
Krem and Muk wearing gas masks

Ferengi pirates boarding Enterprise in 2151

In 2151, Starfleet had its first, unofficial encounter with the Ferengi. This initial encounter took place when four Ferengi marauders boarded Enterprise NX-01 after rendering its crew unconscious using a "Trojan Horse" device. The pirates attempted to plunder the starship of items they believed held value, but their plans were ultimately foiled by the Enterprise crew and the Ferengi's own greed. With Enterprise back under Starfleet control, the pirates, who never disclosed their species or allegiance, were allowed to leave with a warning not to plunder any more ships in the area. (ENT: "Acquisition")

One of the Ferengi marauders in "Acquisition" rhetorically asked "Do I look like a Menk to you?" This might suggest that the Ferengi marauder ship was the same vessel that had previously visited Valakis, the homeworld of the Menk, as mentioned in "Dear Doctor".

24th century[]

Around the mid-24th century, the Great Monetary Collapse occurred on Ferenginar. It was described as "rampant inflation and currency devaluation that were burning like wildfires through the lush financial foliage of Ferenginar". (DS9: "Homefront") In 2381, the Ferengi were considered for Federation membership (LD: "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place")

Contact with the Federation[]

Battle of Maxia[]

In 2355, while Captain Jean-Luc Picard was in command of the USS Stargazer, Starfleet had another encounter with the Ferengi, although the latter's identity would not be realized until nine years later. While traveling through the Maxia Zeta system, the USS Stargazer's shields were damaged by an unidentified starship – a Ferengi vessel commanded by the son of a DaiMon named Bok. This forced Captain Picard to perform a maneuver in which the Stargazer jumped into high warp, making it appear to the attackers that the ship was in two places at once. This tactic was so highly regarded by Starfleet that it was given the designation "the Picard Maneuver". During the ensuing confusion, the Stargazer was able to destroy the enemy vessel, but the damage to the Stargazer was substantial and the crew were forced to abandon the ship. (TNG: "The Battle")

Delphi Ardu system[]

Tarr

"The ugliness of the Human was not an exaggeration." – First official, visual Ferengi-Federation contact in 2364

By 2364, the United Federation of Planets was aware of the Ferengi, but had yet to make official first contact. For this reason, Federation scholars had to rely on rumors and hearsay, likening the Ferengi to "Yankee traders", American sailors of the 18th and 19th centuries who traveled Earth's oceans "in search of mercantile and territorial opportunity." Official first contact between the Federation and the Ferengi eventually occurred in 2364 in the Delphi Ardu system, where a Ferengi vessel and the USS Enterprise-D were trapped in orbit by a derelict outpost of the ancient Tkon Empire. The ship had originally stolen a Federation-owned T-9 energy converter from Gamma Tauri IV and the Enterprise was sent in pursuit. Despite some hostilities, the situation could be resolved peacefully and the Ferengi returned the converter. (TNG: "The Last Outpost")

Post-first contact[]

Upon first official contact with the Ferengi, Starfleet personnel observed the species to speak broken English, often gasping and hissing, and moving in a cat-like "slinking" manner. Within the space of two years, however, the Ferengi had adapted their mannerisms and later encounters saw the Ferengi speaking and moving in much less peculiar ways. A carry-over which was common among all Ferengi is to call Humans by the name "Hew-mons" instead of the correct pronunciation. (TNG: "The Price"; DS9: "Emissary")

Kreechta

The Kreechta, a D'Kora class Ferengi marauder commanded by Bractor in 2365

In general, Ferengi values were fundamentally incompatible with those of the Federation and a few aggressive incursions against Starfleet occurred over the years following 2364. In most cases these were provoked by overambitious DaiMons, e.g., Bractor, Nunk, and Prak, who acted without sanction by the Ferengi Alliance and who did not shy away from aggressive moves against the Federation in their pursuits for profit or, in Bok's case, personal revenge for the death of his son back in 2355. (TNG: "The Battle", "Peak Performance", "Rascals", "Force of Nature"; VOY: "Inside Man")

Despite such incursions, both sides maintained sufficient relations for Ferengi representatives to participate in Federation-hosted events, e.g., the negotiations for the Barzan wormhole and the biennial Trade Agreements Conference on Betazed in 2366, or for Starfleet ships to answer Ferengi distress calls. (TNG: "The Price", "Ménage à Troi", "The Perfect Mate")

Contact with the Borg[]

The Borg designation for the Ferengi was "Species 180". Under the Borg species designations, this number was lower than most Delta Quadrant races in the Borg's native space. The Borg had assimilated Ferengi prior to 2375, including at least one individual known as DaiMon Torrot. (VOY: "Infinite Regress")

The Ferengi holding such a low Borg designation seems to imply very early contact with the Borg, perhaps as a result of the Ferengi's trade and mercantile activities throughout the galaxy. In the novel "Vendetta", a Ferengi equivalent of Locutus of Borg acts as a new Borg spokesmen and offers to broker a deal with the Federation, claiming the Borg had assimilated the ability to trade from the Ferengi.

Developments under Grand Nagus Zek[]

Business ventures in the Gamma Quadrant[]

Ferengi conference on DS9 in 2369

Grand Nagus Zek convenes a conference on business opportunities in the Gamma Quadrant on Deep Space 9 in 2369

A few months after the re-discovery of the Bajoran wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant in early 2369, Grand Nagus Zek convened a conference at Quark's Bar on Deep Space 9 in order to discuss how the Ferengi Alliance could exploit the wormhole. He pointed out that their reputation had suffered in the Alpha Quadrant, but in the Gamma Quadrant the Ferengis' word would still be trusted. Surprisingly, Zek declined to lead the new venture himself due to his advanced age and instead appointed Quark as the new Nagus. However, this move turned out to be but a ploy to reveal that Zek's son was unsuited as a successor, which prompted him to remain in office. (DS9: "The Nagus")

Contact with the Dosi[]

Soon after this, Zek made contact with a species from the Gamma Quadrant, the Dosi. In early 2370, he invited them to Deep Space 9 for a business meeting in order to discuss the purchase of large quantities of tulaberry wine. Although he claimed this to be the "greatest deal in Ferengi history" as it would help the Ferengi Alliance to get a foot in the Gamma Quadrant, Zek's plans reached beyond that. As Zek's chief negotiator, Quark was able to purchase ten thousand vats of wine, only to be subsequently dispatched to the Dosi homeworld in order to procure ten times that quantity. By artificially exaggerating the demanded volume, Zek accomplished his goal of making the Dosi refer the Ferengi to an even more powerful business partner in the Gamma Quadrant, the Karemma. They were described as an important member of something called the Dominion, thereby making the Ferengi the first Alpha Quadrant power to have ever learned of its existence. (DS9: "Rules of Acquisition")

32nd century[]

Ferengi Starfleet Captain

A Ferengi Starfleet captain

By the 32nd century, a number of Ferengi served in Starfleet, up to the rank of captain. (DIS: "Anomaly (DIS)")

In 3190, the Ferengi sent delegates to the Multilateral DMA Strategy Assembly. (DIS: "...But to Connect") One of the delegates later embarked on USS Discovery on a mission beyond the galactic barrier to contact Unknown Species 10-C. (DIS: "Rosetta", "Coming Home")

Timeline[]

Appendices[]

See also[]

Background information[]

The Borg identified the Ferengi as Species 180 – the fourth-lowest, canon Borg designation. Interestingly, the three lower designations, as well as the next higher number, species 218 (Talaxians), were all species from the Delta Quadrant. Other than the Ferengi, the lowest Alpha/Beta Quadrant species designation by the Borg that was ever given on screen is 3259 (Vulcans). (VOY: "The Raven", "Infinite Regress")

Some fans of Star Trek were (at least initially) disgruntled about the Ferengi being encountered by Starfleet as early as the 22nd century in Star Trek: Enterprise, as the earlier-produced TNG: "The Last Outpost" seemed to involve the first contact between the two groups occurring later. Michael Sussman characterized the encounter in "Acquisition" as "probably one of the more controversial choices" in ENT Season 1. Responding to the fan complaints, Brannon Braga stated, "The crew [of Enterprise] never finds out what this species is called. We may even deal with that as we go along. But I think the [upset fans] perceived it as a 'screw you.'" Sussman concurred, "I think we structured the show in a way that preserves Picard's first contact with [the Ferengi] [....] Besides, every Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fan knows Earth's real first contact with the Ferengi was in Roswell in 1947!" (Star Trek: Communicator issue 139, pp. 27 & 50)

Quark actor Armin Shimerman commented, "What I found really interesting [....] was that it was the Ferengi who made the first contact with the major power in the Gamma Quadrant. It was the Ferengi who discovered the Dominion, which I think is wonderful." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (p. 97))

External link[]

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