Warning: contains spoilers forStar Trek: Lower Decks#9!
Star Trekjust dropped a wild lore twist that will change how fans see the Ferengi forever. The hyper-capitalistic Ferengi have had quite the history in theStar Trekfranchise, particularly behind the scenes.How the Ferengi have been portrayed on screen has changed considerably, and this gets a shout-out inStar Trek: Lower Decks#9.
Tim Sheridan recently wrote theAlan Scott: Green Lanternmini for DC Comics.
Star Trek: Lower Decks#9 was written by Tim Sheridan and drawn by Vernon Smith. Tendi is in debt to a Ferengi, and is panicking. Mariner assures her the Ferengi are “easy,” but Boimler is not convinced.
He reasons that Mariner has only known Ferengi like Quark, and she does not know “the other types of Ferengi.”
The Ferengi,Star Trek’sUltra-Capitalist Trolls, Explained
The Ferengi Have Changed Considerably, Going from a Serious Contender to Comic Relief
The Ferengi were intended to replace the Klingons as the big bads in theStar Trekuniverse. Introduced in the first season ofStar Trek: The Next Generation, the Ferengi were depicted as savage and cunning, and obsessed with profit. Instead of phasers, they carried whips that fired off energy bolts, which Boimler references inStar Trek: Lower Decks#9.
Despite the best efforts ofStar Trek: The Next Generation’sproducers and writers, the Ferengi failed to connect, at least as villains.
Despite the best efforts ofStar Trek: The Next Generation’sproducers and writers, the Ferengi failed to connect, at least as villains. They were relegated to comic relief by season three, a sad fate for a promising species. Yet as critics pointed out, a race obsessed with profit and material goods is useless when replicators exist.
Armin Shimmerman, who brought Quark to life onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine,also played Ferengi in various episodes ofThe Next Generation.
Then cameStar Trek: Deep Space Nine. The show featured a gaggle of Ferengi in the primary and supporting cast, including the bartender Quark, who Boimler alludes to inLower Decks#9. Through Quark and his family,Deep Space Ninesalvaged the Ferengi, showing that while theycould not compete with the Klingons, they had depth in their own right.
Star TrekReminds Fans Not all Ferengi Are Like Quark or Nog
Glom Will Kill Tendi If She Does Not Pay Him Back
After multiple seasons of Quark, Rom and Nog’s antics, which seemingly “de-fanged” the Ferengi, seeing brutal and murderous members of the species can be jarring.Star Trek: Lower Decks#9 reminds fans that not all Ferengi are as easy-going as Quark or Rom. In fact, some will flat out kill a person for the slightest offense.
The Ferengi Tendi is in debt to fall firmly into the “mean” category. Glom, the Ferengi Tendi owes money to, plans to kill her if she does not pay him back. She knows the evil Glom is capable of, and it frightens her. Glom even dresses like the Ferengi did inThe Next Generation’sfirst season, with the furry sash.
Star TrekHas Shown Darker Ferengi SinceDeep Space NineEnded
Tendi Will Learn About the Different Types of Ferengi, the Hard Way
AfterStar Trek: Deep Space Nineended in 1999, the franchise has leaned intomore sinister portrayals of the Ferengi. The species appeared duringEnterprise’sfirst season, and that episode marked the first appearance of the energy whips since the early episodes ofThe Next Generation. There was also the criminal Sneed, who Worf killed inPicardseason three.
AfterStar Trek: Deep Space Nineended in 1999, the franchise has leaned into more sinister portrayals of the Ferengi
AndStar Trek: Lower Decks#9 keeps this trend going by introducing Glom to the mythos. Between his violent nature and throw-back outfit, it is clear Glom is an “old-school” Ferengi. Not every Ferengi is a bumbling idiot, and Tendi is about to get a rude, and brutal, reminder of this fact.
Star Trek: Lower Decks#9 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!
