In the eleventh episode of the first season of Deep Space Nine, OH MY GOD, HE WAS THE VOICE OF REX IN TOY STORY. I KNEW HE SOUNDED FAMILIAR. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
I thought this was a pretty cool episode! I preferred one of these stories over the other, but I’m glad that the show got to rewrite the canon here. The Ferengi were largely a terrible antagonist on The Next Generation, then they got turned into a running gag, and now? I think “The Nagus” combines humor and worldbuilding to give us a culture that can be both entertaining and illuminating. And that’s a pretty cool feat, if you ask me.
The Grand Nagus
Wallace Shawn is a delight here as the oddly charming Grand Nagus Zek, who arrives at DS9 in order to host a conference concerning the Gamma Quadrant and Ferengi business interests. I enjoyed the chance to get to know more of the inner workings of the Ferengi because, until this point, they never seemed like an organized force at all. They were always portrayed more like independent businessmen who cheat and steal their way through the Alpha Quadrant. But there is a governmental organization (sort of) and a system in place that regulates how people achieve profits (kind of?). And at the head of them is the Grand Nagus, who more or less acts to dole out “lucrative opportunities” to others. I get the sense that Ferengi are allowed to act within their current business ventures to seek out profit as they see fit, but starting new ventures? The Nagus decides that.
Thus, through a bizarre twist of fate, Zek gives Quark the role of Grand Nagus, and then HE PROMPTLY DIES IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONVERSATION. Admittedly, this is not the most serious plot in the world, but I kind of like that. It’s ridiculous and absurd, at least until a procession of Ferengi attempt to kill Quark to get him out of the way. It wasn’t until the end of the episode that I understood that Zek should have passed along rule to his son, Krax, and that part of the upset came from the random choice to have Quark rule the Ferengi Alliance. But hey, Quark wasn’t exactly bad at the job! Hell, he was good enough that he actually became popular. In terms of characterization, that was a neat detail. Quark would excel at this job!
Unfortunately, it was never meant as a permanent thing. After Rom nearly murders his brother to help Krax ascend to power (WHAT THE FUCK), Zek reveals it was all a test, one that Krax “failed miserably,” which sort of deflates the tension of the story. It’s possible Zek may return (which I would like), and at least Quark knows he’s pretty good at being the Nagus. But it’s a self-contained story that’s pretty silly, so it’s not my favorite thing in the world.
That’s reserved for something else.
Jake
I JUST LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SUBPLOT. I’ve already spoken highly about the Jake/Sisko relationship, and I think this episode does wonders in developing it further. “The Nagus” introduces a realistic conflict, but doesn’t let it consume the story so much that we can’t still have a loving relationship in the forefront. Jake’s reaching an age where he’s got to be allowed to make decisions for himself, and sometimes, those decisions won’t be something that his father agrees with.
But on top of this, Jake directly challenges the narrative that he can’t be friends with Nog because he’s a Ferengi. This has a much more long-lasting effect on this universe than the Nagus plotline, especially since it shows us that the youth in a community often are willing to change their ideals more than the adults. That’s not to say we should ignore the fact that Nog does things to influence Jake poorly. But why does that happen? As we see over the course of “The Nagus,” Nog doesn’t have any support to go to school. On top of that, he was never taught to read, either, and that makes it easier for him to be left out of the experience. He’s bored. He has no reason to stay engaged in anything that O’Brien is saying. So he acts out. He lies, he entertains himself, he refuses to do his homework…it’s all part of the experience for him.
Therefore, it shatters my heart into a million pieces knowing that Jake rejected all attempts to split him from Nog and instead, used all of his free time to TEACH NOG TO READ. I am but a shell of a human right now, you may find my spirit in the atmosphere, I AM DONE.
The video for “The Nagus” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– I am now on Patreon!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME.
– IÂ will be at numerous conventions in 2016! Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates / Appearances page.
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be seasons 1 & 2 of The 100, Death Note, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series will replace the Emelan books.
- Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook! I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!
