Star Trek Drops a Wild Lore Twist That Will Change How You See the Ferengi Forever

Star Trek just dropped a wild lore twist that will change how fans see the Ferengi forever. The hyper-capitalistic Ferengi have had quite the history in the Star Trek franchise, particularly behind the scenes. How the Ferengi have been portrayed on screen has changed considerably, and this gets a shout-out in Star Trek: Lower Decks #9.

Star Trek: Lower Decks #9 was written by Tim Sheridan and drawn by Vernon Smith. Tendi is in debt to a Ferengi, and is panicking. Mariner assures her the Ferengi are “easy,” but Boimler is not convinced.

He reasons that Mariner has only known Ferengi like Quark, and she does not know “the other types of Ferengi.”

The Ferengi, Star Trek's Ultra-Capitalist Trolls, Explained

The Ferengi Have Changed Considerably, Going from a Serious Contender to Comic Relief

The Ferengi were intended to replace the Klingons as the big bads in the Star Trek universe. Introduced in the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Ferengi were depicted as savage and cunning, and obsessed with profit. Instead of phasers, they carried whips that fired off energy bolts, which Boimler references in Star Trek: Lower Decks #9.

Despite the best efforts of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s producers and writers, the Ferengi failed to connect, at least as villains. They were relegated to comic relief by season three, a sad fate for a promising species. Yet as critics pointed out, a race obsessed with profit and material goods is useless when replicators exist.

Then came Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The show featured a gaggle of Ferengi in the primary and supporting cast, including the bartender Quark, who Boimler alludes to in Lower Decks #9. Through Quark and his family, Deep Space Nine salvaged the Ferengi, showing that while they could not compete with the Klingons, they had depth in their own right.

Star Trek Reminds Fans Not all Ferengi Are Like Quark or Nog

Glom Will Kill Tendi If She Does Not Pay Him Back

After multiple seasons of Quark, Rom and Nog’s antics, which seemingly “de-fanged” the Ferengi, seeing brutal and murderous members of the species can be jarring. Star Trek: Lower Decks #9 reminds fans that not all Ferengi are as easy-going as Quark or Rom. In fact, some will flat out kill a person for the slightest offense.

The Ferengi Tendi is in debt to fall firmly into the “mean” category. Glom, the Ferengi Tendi owes money to, plans to kill her if she does not pay him back. She knows the evil Glom is capable of, and it frightens her. Glom even dresses like the Ferengi did in The Next Generation’s first season, with the furry sash.

Star Trek Has Shown Darker Ferengi Since Deep Space Nine Ended

Tendi Will Learn About the Different Types of Ferengi, the Hard Way Aaron Stanford as Ferengi Sneed in Star Trek: Picard, "Disengage"

After Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended in 1999, the franchise has leaned into more sinister portrayals of the Ferengi. The species appeared during Enterprise’s first season, and that episode marked the first appearance of the energy whips since the early episodes of The Next Generation. There was also the criminal Sneed, who Worf killed in Picard season three.

After Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended in 1999, the franchise has leaned into more sinister portrayals of the Ferengi

And Star Trek: Lower Decks #9 keeps this trend going by introducing Glom to the mythos. Between his violent nature and throw-back outfit, it is clear Glom is an “old-school” Ferengi. Not every Ferengi is a bumbling idiot, and Tendi is about to get a rude, and brutal, reminder of this fact.

Star Trek: Lower Decks #9 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!