The Nagus DS9:1-10

Horrifying. but perhaps illuminating.

Synopsis

Excitement comes to Quark's bar, along with several Ferengi businessmen as the Ferengi leader, the Grand Nagus, calls a meeting to discuss business opportunities in the Gamma quadrant.  During the meeting, the Nagus unexpectedly appoints Quark as the new Grand Nagus while he enjoys his retirement, much to the dismay of his son, Krax, who had hoped to inherit the position.

However, his retirement is short-lived as he unexpectedly dies while talking to Quark about the dangers of being the supreme Ferengi leader.  Quark begins to settle into his role as Nagus but is troubled by assassination attempts.  It is revealed to the audience that his own brother Rom and the former Nagus's son were behind these attempts. The plot between the two culminates in an plan to push Quark out an airlock, which is only foiled when Odo shows up, leading the not-really-dead original Grand Nagus.

The Nagus revealed that he staged his death in an effort to find out if his son was ready for the job, and concludes that the murder plot of Quark was too clumsy and overt.  Quark, however, is delighted with the initiative that Rom showed in wishing to commit murder to obtain profit and all is forgiven between them.

In a sub-plot, Rom removes his son Nog from Keiko's school in an effort to please the Grand Nagus.  In a heartwarming moment, Sisko discovers that rather than sneaking out to get into trouble with the Ferengi boy, Jake has instead been teaching Nog to read.

Analysis

Throughout TNG, the Ferengi were treated as a joke.  In DS9, Quark, Rom and especially Nog represent an opportunity for them to be something more, something nobler. With this episode, we firmly established that the Ferengi are the cosmic whipping boys once again.

It's obviously a light-hearted episode, but from one perspective it gives us insight into Ferengi culture.  To obtain that insight, though, we have to take this story seriously, and unfortunately this episode just doesn't rise to that level.

I want to hope that we are establishing a baseline.  We need to see just how bad the Ferengi culture has gotten, so we can appreciate when Quark grows beyond it, and cheer on Rom as he struggles free from it.  We need to know how difficult a journey it is for both of them.

At the same time, we need to see them as the Federation sees them.  O'Brien and Sisko both see Nog as a bad influence on Jake.  Odo sees Quark as an unrepentant criminal.  In these comic episodes, we explore the roots and reasons and even justification for this cultural bias.  And with Cmdr Sisko, we begin to see the Ferengi through Jake's eyes.

On the other hand, the series still fundamentally lacks a rudder.  "Comic moments on the promenade" is just not enough to power this show.  I see that we are moving pieces into place:  the Cardassians, the Bajorans, the Bajoran resistance, the Federation, Gamma quadrant randomness, and now the Ferengi.  Each of these story elements are introduced, placed on the board, given time to develop. And DS9 was the first of the Star Trek series to embrace mytharc storytelling over static anthologies. In this first season, we are seeing that transition, and I am impatient with it.