DS9 – The Nagus

Plot – The Ferengi episodes. They are such an acquired taste and I think I might have developed a theory as to why they seem to be much more palatable in the UK than they are in the US. Don’t mistake me, I’m sure there are US fans who love them and UK fans who hate them but generally speaking I hear a lot of positive stuff about this sub-genre in this corner of the world and I think it is worth figuring out why. British comedy is a very unique thing, certainly the sitcoms of the 70s and 80s (which are some of the more famous comedies in the UK); they feature larger than life performances, they tend to stick to stereotypes and deconstruct them by having them written and played so broadly, they feature tons of repeated slogans and phrases and they push physical comedy and witty wordplay to the fore. Sound familiar? The Ferengi comedy episodes are very mid-70s Brit-coms and I think they work for the same reason. They are focussed and intelligent, and sometimes they are embarrassing farces. The performances are so far over the top you either have to go with them or fight them. Usually in every Ferengi episode there is a straight man that the comedy derives from and that is often Quark, played brilliantly by Armin Shimmerman. He often holds them together (as he does here) with his perfectly judged performance. What’s fascinating is when the Ferengi episodes try and tackle something serious (Bar Association, Body Parts and Business As Usual tackle unions, suicide and mass murder respectively) with all the surrounding comedy, it makes the whole thing a much more discomforting experience. The Nagus is the first experimental step in this whole sub-genre and it brings an incredible amount of wit and humour (‘And the Andorian says…I thought it was your wife…’) to DS9 that was a little lacking in its first year. It stands out because it lets its hair down and it does so without falling flat on its face (move over Move Along Home).

The Nagus is one of those unique episodes of Star Trek (less so with DS9) that doesn’t give a damn about the politics of Starfleet and instead focuses squarely on an alien society and how they look at things. I find them very refreshing. To some this might not be at all what they watch Star Trek for, basking in the madness of a profit hungry race but as an alternative to the usual technobabble and red tape it is a luxurious ride. The scene where Rom is berated for sending his son to a human school run by a female whilst they are all ripping the heads off beetles for dinner is delightful – this is a society that is so different from our own with its own unique set of values. To a race of people who pride profit over all can you imagine a more lustful prospect than another quadrant of space rich with worlds to exploit? The only opportunity that rivals this is potentially conquering the market in the alternative universe, which the Nagus attempts to do in the final season of this show. The idea of people of important stature dying and being vacuum desiccated and sold as a prize collectable makes perfect sense to a society that priorities money. What use is a corpse in the ground? The idea is probably repugnant to them.

As early as series one, episode 10 we get our first mention of the Bajoran fire caves. Let it be noted because later down the line those caves become a very important feature of this show.

Character – One of the enduring friendships (amongst many) on this show is the unlikely pairing of a human (Jake) and a Ferengi (Nog). What’s wonderful about these early episodes is how well established that friendship becomes and how much it pays off later (in episodes like The Visitor, In the Cards, Valiant and It’s Only a Paper Moon). At this point Nog, who will later become the first Ferengi in Starfleet, cannot even read and Jake helps him to overcome that difficulty in a beautifully judged subplot. Watch the moment when they spot a Vulcan woman in a tight fitted catsuit walk the Promenade – they are transfixed as any boy reaching puberty would be. The only thing I ever saw Wesley Crusher get a hard on for was a warp coil.

At this stage Rom is still trying to behave like a normal Ferengi and is a bit of a bastard at times. Obviously, the writers haven’t decided to make him a real nice guy yet but that actually works in his favour because we learn over time that no matter how hard he tries he really isn’t an effective Ferengi, despite the fact that he tries so hard. Just before escorting him to his intended death, Rom asks Quark about the bar again and Quark pretty much signs his own death warrant by suggesting that he deserves so much and Rom deserves so little. The irony being he only had to display a moment of kindness and generosity here to prevent what is about to happen. The delight in this attempt on his life is that Quark isn’t angry at all, he promotes Rom to reward him for such brilliant deviousness.

Performance – Wallace Shawn gives one of the most distinctive performances of all time as The Grand Nagus. Effectively a character that has skipped straight out of The Simpsons, he is big, bold and broad. With a crazy infectious laugh, a squeaky voice and a penchant for booze, women and profit, the Nagus sticks with the show until the penultimate episode and provides some unforgettable laughs along the way. His ‘death’ scene has to be seen to believed.

This is the quiet, understated Sisko of season one. You know the one who doesn’t have the fate of the entire Alpha Quadrant on his shoulders. Avery Brooks gets to play up to the strengths of his early characterisation here; the family man navigating single parenthood with a son who knows his own mind.

Production – The make up for the Nagus is so outrageously overdone you can only admire the audacity of it. A wizened Ferengi with crazy ear hair sprouting out, he’s such a caricature of an old man that I howl every time he appears.

It’s another one of those rare Doctor Who/Star Trek crossovers. The music for this episode was scored by John Debney, who also provided the soundtrack for the Doctor Who TV Movie. Both scores are very effective and quite unusual for their respective shows. I particularly like the music at the climax here where Quark is being led to his death, it has a heavy piano influence that is very unusual in Star Trek.

Best moment – It’s one of the rarest kinds of twists in a Star Trek episode – the comic surprise. The Nagus is alive and this has all been a test for his son, rather than an opportunity for Quark. Again, if you have been paying attention to the culture this makes perfect sense of everything that has played out and the Nagus’ reveal proves to be a brilliant moment. ‘It’s like talking to a Klingon!’

I wish they hadn’t done that – I don’t know if I should applaud this episode for making such an obvious homage to The Godfather in the scene where Quark is handing out profitable assignments or not.

A reason to watch this episode again – The first venture into Ferengi culture on DS9 is an enormous success and was enough to convince the producers that this sub-genre of episodes was worth pursuing. Armin Shimmerman is such a positive presence on the show that he deserved this vehicle and with plenty of laughs and debauchery thrown in this is unlike anything we have seen in Trek before this. DS9 always did like to shine a light on the darker corners of life in the future and how ironic that the first out and out comedy episode should be the one to feature financial exploitation, masturbatory holodeck programmes, alcoholism, assassination attempts and fratricide. It’s a sleazy place at times, DS9, and that’s usually down to Quark.

****1/2 out of *****

Clue for tomorrow's episode: