Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 6x10 — The Magnificent Ferengi

Aired 1998-01-01

SpaceOpera.com rating:10

Average reader rating:7.29

Synopsis

The Grand Nagus calls with news that Quark's mother, Ishka, has been captured by the Dominion.

Filler rating: partial filler

Outside of Keevan's ultimate fate, there is nothing significant here from a continuity standpoint. But I strongly recommend watching the episode anyway simply due to how hysterically entertaining it is.

Remarkable scenes

The Starfleet officers stealing Quark's audience. Poor baby...
Quark telling Rom about the Ishka's relationship with Zek.
Quark and Rom getting showing up in Sisko's office.
Leck: "I don't care about latinum." A surreal statement from a Ferengi.
Brunt to Quark: "A child, a moron, a failure, and a psychopath. Quite a little team you've put together."
The holosuite practice session.
Keevan's appearance.
The whole running scenes on Empok Nor when they thought they lost their prisoner, then running back to the infirmary when the Dominion ship arrived.
Quark, Rom, and Nog's first meeting with Yelgrun.
Keevan's final words just after being shot by Gaila: "I hate Ferengi."
Yulgrun: "And I thought the Breen were annoying."
Puppet Keevan with his tilted head.
Puppet Keevan walking into the wall.
The Ferengi ambushing the Jem'Hadar and capturing Yelgrun. I especially liked Leck throwing a knife into a Jem'Hadar's chest.
Morn Appearances; 1. Opening scene, listens to Quark's story. 2. Behind Rom in the bar when he talks to Quark about the holosuite practice session results.

Review

Marvelous; the best Ferengi episode yet. Good connections with DS9: Ferengi Love Songs, with regards to Ishka's relationship with Zek, good connections with DS9: Empok Nor since we get to see Empok Nor again, and good connections with DS9: Rocks and Shoals; we learn the true fate of Keevan. It's a shame we don't get to see Quark tell Sisko the story. I think Sisko would have said something like, "Keevan got exactly what he deserved." Iggy Pop's cameo as Yelgrun was fantastic; the musician makes one hell of a Vorta! The episode features good continuity all around and the team of the six "magnificent Ferengi" is wonderfully constructed and brilliantly played out. I couldn't be happier with this wonderful episode that mixes humor and danger so successfully. Bravo!

8 reader comments

Yelgrun has a barely tolerable lisp that annoys the hell out of me. It sounds like he's wearing a retainer.
by Pete Miller | 07/15/2006 at 3:16 am

The scene where Nogg checks his grandmas blood is just hilarious. Loved the whole episode, and I agree, great performance by Iggy Pop!
by onlinebroker | 11/15/2009 at 5:53 am

The laughing between Quark and Nog at the end of the episode seems to be an ad-lib. Out of character, but I always laugh with them when I see it.
I'd probably give it an 8. There's one part that I dislike. It's when Nog, Quark, and Rom first come out to greet Yelgrun. The three stare at each other with these bad-ass looks on their faces. Maybe it was a parody of some old movie, but I thought it was a stupid moment.
by Orion Pimpdaddy | 02/18/2010 at 9:40 pm

It's a great episode that manages to mix fun and suspense well. The references to westerns make it even better.
@Orion Pimpdaddy, Gene Roddenberry created star trek as a western in space: "Wagon Train to the Stars" was his description, so homages to the genre are entirely appropriate. It's tough if you don't understand them.
by Rob Herbert | 08/03/2010 at 7:20 am

This episode is absolutely fantastic! I've never laughed so much watching a ST episode. Watching those little Ferengi banging their heads to form a commando and confront the Dominion was simply amazing.
"Two slips of latinum to the first who makes it to the infirmary" - I couldn't believe my ears hearing that :)
A very nice relief episode during the Dominion war and a very very good reuse of characters! Bravos!
by Popescu | 09/22/2010 at 2:55 am

Well, both the Vorta may hate Ferengi, but I love them! Or rather, I love the Ferengi as they are portrayed in DS9, which did the same thing with the Ferengi that TNG did with the Klingons.
DS9 really made itself better and more rounded by expanding on the Ferengi through episodes like this. The Dominion War, the Maquis, Sisko's struggle with his wife's death, Odo's separation from his people, Kira's stories and the horrific history of the Bajoran persecution…all of these are very serious topics that deal with complex issues. How nice to have the comical Ferengi episodes enter the series every now and again!
My two favorite scenes in this episode are the bungled rescue operation in the holo suite, and the prisoner exchange at the end. I couldn't stop laughing…very well done!
by MJ | 01/26/2011 at 6:18 pm

I have to say, Keevan really made this episode for me. His constant disgust while being dragged around the station, his bored expressions while the Ferengi planned, his over-the-top predictions of doom, his dying words, and of course, the behaviour and expressions of puppet Keevan were all priceless. Christopher Shea (the actor who played Keevan) did a delightful job with puppet Keevan; I haven't laughed that hard in awhile. Plus, Iggy Pop made a delightful appearance, too.
As an old movie buff, I really appreciated the many references to the classic "Magnificent Seven" film, although I suspect that DS9's younger audience may miss a lot of them.
by Marie Douceur | 07/11/2011 at 6:59 am

DS9 really found a great crop of actors to play the recurring Ferengi characters. This episode is their crowning achievement. The ensemble works well together, each one bringing his own hilarity to the group. The return of cousin Gala, the assassin Leck, and of course Jeffrey Combs as ex-Liquidator Brunt combined with the usual trio made for a spectacularly humorous and adventurous episode. Close runner-up to "Little Green Men" as far as Ferengi episodes go. Not a dull moment in this one, and great continuity with other story arcs as well. One of my favorites.
by Axel | 08/17/2015 at 3:30 am