Star Trek: Deep Space Nine The Nagus (1993–1999) Online

This is the first Deep Space Nine episode where Quark threatens to toss Rom "Out of the nearest Airlock" - This joke was used and expanded upon for the whole seven-year run of the series.

The only difference is - In this episode, it almost happened.

This episode also introduces the internal government of The Ferengi and its Leader, Grand Nagus "Zek" played by Wallace Shawn, always accompanied by his personal servant/bodyguard(?) "Maihar'Du" - Who stayed in Character for seven years by never saying one line of Dialogue except in the episode "Prophet Motive" where one of the Prophets uses Maihar'Du's form to Speak to Quark.

It was only fitting to explore this in Deep Space Nine, where we had actual Ferengi as part of the inner workings of The Station. So it was proper here for us to really begin learning how The Ferengi government operated: In this episode, much like "The Three Stooges."

Initially, we want to attach racial/ethnic characteristics to Ferengi, but which race? What Ethnic group? Every people-group on Earth has members who act like Ferengi, sometimes they are even members of a Government body. So, rather than compare The Ferengi to any particular ETHNIC group, I want to make them into their own "ETHIC" group. The Ferengi have Strong ethics, which like The Klingons, they are proud of.

Seen in that light, they are less of a joke, which I think was the goal of having them on Deep Space Nine. They were no longer "Cardboard Cutouts" or "Comedy Relief" — Although comedy was built around certain characters.

In this episode, The Nagus stands down and gives his Title unexpectedly to Quark, and the Ferengi Leaders who have gathered at The Station immediately begin to jostle for position, either by sucking up to Quark, or trying to blow him into little bits with a Gravitic Mine.

In the end, The Grand Nagus was testing his son Krax, who failed to live up to the exacting standards of greed upheld by Zek. I guess it was a permanent disowning, as we never saw Krax ever again, or heard any mentioning of his name by the Nagus in the entire run of the series.

This episode almost guaranteed that we would see more of Grand Nagus Zek - And we did, he was a major part of the DS9 Universe. But it also guaranteed, that in every episode since, someone would be threatened with Airlock Ejection: Even The Cardassians used the gimmick.

When the Grand Nagus arrives on Deep Space Nine Quark is concerned as a visit from the Negus usually means a loss of funds for the person being visited. It turns out the Nagus has something else in mind; he is there to name a successor. At the meeting of senior Ferengis nobody is more surprised than Quark when he is named as successor. Rather suspiciously the Negus dies soon after and new Negus Quark is almost assassinated, the problem for Quark is that nobody wants him to be Negus so the list of suspects is rather long. When he learns just who was trying to kill him he is rather surprised as the assassin is the last person he'd expected it to be.

In a secondary plot Commander Sisko isn't pleased that his son Jake would rather hang around with his Ferengi friend Nog than visit Bajor with him. It seems the captain's concerns are over when Nog's father removes him from school. Jake still sees him after school though but the commander's concerns are somewhat allayed when he overhears Jake teaching Nog how to read.

This wasn't a bad episode but neither was a a great one; the Ferengis are best when they have a comparatively small role; Quark is a great character but the Nagus is rather annoying, stories involving children aren't the most thrilling either.

Ferengi are kind of like the oddball relatives or kooky neighbors that sometimes visit your home- they can be fun and amusing in small doses but can quickly wear out their welcome if they stay too long.

That starts to happen in "The Nagus", an amusing episode about Quark's sudden rise (and fall) from power in Ferengi affairs. The Ferengi, with their screechy over-the-top voices, wild appearance, and annoying mannerisms, are the "court jesters" of the Star Trek Universe, and usually pop up (and disappear just as fast)to provide quick comic relief in the middle of a serious storyline.

Here, however, we're treated to a full hour devoted almost exclusively to them, and their outrageous antics (especially the exaggerated voices) begin to grate on the nerves after a while, especially the voice of Zek, The Grand Negus, played by veteran character actor Wallace Shawn, a talented performer who specializes in portraying nerdy, whiny, over-the-top characters. I can only compare listening to his character talk to the sound of long fingernails screeching down a chalkboard (except the latter would be more tolerable).

For those who journey to Star Trek looking for serious dramatic content, action, and adventure, you won't find it here- this one is played strictly for laughs from the very beginning, with nary a hostile Klingon, menacing Borg, or angry Cardassion in sight. For those that enjoy broad farce and slapstick comedy, however, you might find a chuckle or two.

Fans of the talented Armin Shimermin have a real treat here, as Quark learns that "being the boss" is not always what it's cracked up to be. Shimermin, in the midst of outrageous comedy, manages to inject some thoughtful dramatic moments as he struggles with his new found power and the added responsibilities (and dangers) it brings.

Aside from the comedy involving the Ferengi, there is a kids oriented sub-plot involving Jake & Nog, which apparently was intended to make a point about children's relationships, but, unfortunately, only serves to slow down the plot and pacing of the episode. Part of the problem lies with the child actors, who are simply too wooden and 2-dimensional in their dialog & portrayals to be of any real interest. This is often a pitfall with child actors in a drama- unless they are really good (the Harry Potter kids, for example), scenes with kids can quickly become stilted, forced, and annoying, especially if the child actors are just not skilled enough/experienced enough to carry the scene. That's what happens here and the scenes with Jake & Nog come off as flat, dull, and uninteresting, especially when interspersed with scenes featuring the outrageous & amusing Ferengi.

In general, though, this is a fun and amusing episode, the highlight being a hilarious (and lovingly crafted) send-up to "The Godfather"(1972) during the scene where Quark meets with Nava to discuss a business opportunity. This scene alone makes the whole worth watching.

While I think the Ferengi are an interesting part of the Star Trek canon, too much of them wears a bit thin. Here, Quark is given tremendous power, when the Nagus passes his position on to him. Of course, now his head is on the line from his own people who thought they should get the title, including the son. It is a comic episode for the most part and Quark is his usual detestable (but cute) self. Wally Shawn plays the gnarled up old guy who is the Nagus and does it quite well. There is a sort of maudlin subplot having to do with Sisko and his son.

The first season of "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" was generally a deadly serious and tremendously under-emotive. So, "The Nagus" clearly stands out because it is so different in style.

The show begins with the Grand Nagus (Wallace Shawn) arriving on the station. This sends Quark into a dither because he assumes this Ferengi leader is out to steal his club. However, the venerable Grand Nagus actually has a more sinister plan--one that comes as a huge surprise to everyone. The first part of his plan is a total surprise, as he appoints Quark his successor! What's the second part? See the show to find out for yourself.

This is a light-hearted and rather silly episode but also one that is rather enjoyable--especially since it allows Quark, his brother and nephew an opportunity for character development.

Quark is distressed to learn that he is required by the Grand Nagus Zek to host a business conference of Ferengi politicians to discuss business opportunities in the Gamma Quadrant. It seems that hosts of such conferences always lose a lot of money. But the Grand Nagus has a surprise for Quark - he says he is too old and tired to lead the business endeavors in the Gamma Quadrant and appointments Quark to be his successor as Grand Nagus. After the announcement, Zek promptly keels over and Quark immediately becomes Grand Nagus. At first Quark is aglow with the possibility of all the money he will make but soon becomes a nervous wreck as he learns that there are some Ferengi who are very displeased with his appointment and are trying to kill him. There are some laugh out loud bits that make this episode worth watching but Wallace Shawn's performance as Zek was consistently annoying. Fortunately, Shimmerman's performance as Quark is right on target and fun to watch.

1.10 "The Nagus"

The leader of the Ferengi, Grand Nagus Zek, shows up on DS9 and holds a conference for exploring business opportunities in the Gamma Quadrant. But at the conference he suddenly retires and names Quark his successor--much to the consternation of his son and the Ferengi merchant lords--and then shortly afterwards dies unexpectedly. Now Quark must navigate the treacherous waters of Ferengi governance while dealing with attempts on his life by those jealous of his new prestige and power.

This is technically a terrarium episode, but you almost don't notice because of the sweeping galactic implications of it. Episodes like this really fulfill the core promise of DS9 as a show; no longer do we watch a crew going from place to place exploring the unknown, having adventures, and then leaving behind the mess for somebody else to clean up. Now we follow a crew that has the unknown come to them, and the consequences of those encounters are real and must be dealt with. This is more challenging to write because it's more restrictive, but restrictions breed creativity, and while the DS9 writers don't always adequately step up to the challenge, in this episode they definitely did.

This is a fascinating episode because prior to this, Star Trek had always glossed over how Ferengi society works; this is the first in what would become a long line of Ferengi-centered eps on the show. The Ferengi are essentially the exact opposite of the Federation. The Federation has abandoned all market-based activities, including commerce, acquisition of assets, and even money itself; while Ferengi society is entirely based around those things.

If you think about it, neither society is realistic. Both are extreme to the point where it's impossible that they could function as portrayed. The Federation's system implies several dark realities, most notably a denial of people's right to self-determination. If your society needs janitors to function and nobody wants to be a janitor, what happens? Since you can't pay people to be janitors, the only other option is coercing them into being ones. In essence, the Federation's market-less system implies that they resort to nothing less than slavery.

The Ferengi, meanwhile, have no values other than the acquisition of wealth. They treat contracts with the utmost reverence, but seem to have no laws outside of strict adherence to contracts. They treat charity with disgust and view government-run social programs as the ultimate evil. Who takes care of the sick, poor, old, and/or disabled? The implication is that millions of vulnerable Ferengi must be dying in the streets every day. For that matter, according to Ferengi values, why should a parent even feed their own child? There's no profit in it. Unless they are engaging in child slave labor. Shall I go on? Needless to say, no society could function like this. It's impossible; it would be virtual anarchy and inevitably result in the collapse of their civilization.

That all said, there is a deep and rich potential for storytelling when two such opposing societies (however unrealistic they may be) come into contact with each other. TNG never delivered on that potential, but DS9 does here, and will continue to do so in a big (though occasionally disappointing) ways through seven seasons.

THE GOOD

-Wallace Shawn is great as Zek. He was born to play a Ferengi. As I've noted before, the recurring guest stars are the best part of DS9, and episodes that feature them like this one are almost always very good.

-O'brien is back! I missed him but didn't realize just how much I missed him until he walked into that classroom. The show is significantly weaker without him, as the run of three mediocre episodes in his absence proved.

THE BAD

-The B plot is boring and has some bad acting from Cirroc Lofton and Aron Eisenberg. But they're kid actors so that's moderately understandable and expected. A better B plot or a more fleshed-out A plot and no B plot could have pushed this to a 9 or 10 rating.

THE UGLY

-This episode is the first time the Rules of Acquisition are mentioned. Rules quoted count: 2 (the 1st and 6th), 2 total for the series

-Rom's voice and mannerisms are much different from his first appearance and match his character for the remainder of the show's run.

-Rom trying to kill Quark was shocking. I forgot he did that and it shows how much his character changed/grew over the years.

-What happens to Zek's son after this? He never appears or is mentioned again, despite many more Zek-centric episodes.

-Odo Shapeshift count: 1 (turns into goo to pass through a locked door), 6 total for the series

In the preceding episode, we have Quark going through a spate of mock tears and horrendous sobbing...but in my mind THIS episode, the Nagus, was the start of using 'the little people' as little more than comic foils. It's not such a big deal now, i'm streaming and can either watch or skip the hijinks, but i remember waiting each week for an episode, sitting there with a couple of friends, and instead of watching an episode developing the upcoming conflict with Odo's lost people...poof! there would be an interregnum, and suddenly those little people were at it again...Deep Space Nine is largely a thoughtful show, replete with action, prophecies, tangled plots, larger-than-life characters, and ending with a dark, twisted denouement. These "throwaway" comic episodes only detract from the show's overall value.