I was wondering about the Ferengi last night. Specifically, about the Rules of Acquisition. Were there any shout outs to the Rules in Acquisition? I have a vague memory of Quark or Zek telling us when the Rules were first written down (in Prophet Motive maybe?) but I can't remember how long they had been in place. The Ferengi were always explained to be scavengers, and that's how they got warp ability. I guess I'm just curious about how well the Acquisition Ferengi fit into the timeline of what we already know from (mostly) DS9.

Rule 109: Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack.

Where did it say they scavenged warp drive? That sounds more like Pakleds to me.

From keckler's recap of Acquisition



Belsum, yes, there was a shout-out. I'm really bored at work today...

Nowhere, but it's a possibility. The closest we get to an explanation is in "Little Green Men" when Quark is thinking to give 20th-(Hew-mon)-century Ferengi his warp drive, so they can "have" warp drive sooner. That doesn't really say where they got it from.

Personally, I think it's more likely a Ferengi scientist invented it. Hey, Zefram Cochrane thought Warp Drive could be profitable. I bet a Ferengi did, too.

How many rules were there in DS9?

This list of 'em looks pretty good because the episodes are identified as well as when they're non-cannon rules.

Regarding warp drive, I swear I remember Riker or someone talking about how the Ferengi didn't invent warp but traded for it. Or I could be on crack.

I do think you're thinking of the Pakleds. In the Pakled episode of TNG, they either know or figure that the Pakleds didn't invent their own warp drive. Possibly they cite the Ferengi as a potentially responsible party.

The Best Buy bonus disc on DS9's season 6 (I think) has a neat featurette where they edit together clips of the show to have the characters recite all the established Rules in numerical order.

There are 285 rules, I think. Because I recall somewhere Rom saying something along the lines of "Wait ... there isn't a 286th rule of acquisition!"

"House of Quark", I think. The rule Quark cited is as 286th involved Morn going home.

I think it's Riker or Data that mentions how the Ferengi get warp drive in The Last Outpost just before they rendezvous with them, but I can't remember what was actually said. It was in the context of why they hadn't run into them before and the usual "they achieved warp capability x amount of time ago". Can anyone who has the TNG 1st season box set verify that?

No, as far as I could tell there's no mention of Ferengi warp technology in that donkey of an episode. I found my old 1st season tape and ended up wondering out loud why I hadn't simply erased the episode. The only redeeming factor is Data's chinese finger toys.

I actually got half my question answered in Little Green Men. Nog mentions that the Ferengi bought warp technology but gets cut off by Quark before he says who sold it to them. Then later on, when Quark is making his plans to conquer the universe, he mentions that by selling his ship to the past-Ferengi, he would give them warp before the Humans, Vulcans, and Klingons. I thought the Vulcans had warp for waaaay longer but apparently they didn't have it yet in 1947. Now I'm wondering just who the Ferengi bought warp drive from (I'm guessing pirates like Nausicaans) and when.

I to remeber Riker or someone saying that they had traded for it ages ago.
But then again some Ferengi could have invented it but they always seem so dumb to me. so ive ruled that one out all togther.
the Ferengi only think of themselves, so they could have killed someone for it.

I disagree about them being stupid. Certainly narrow minded & focussed, but you have to be smarter than those around you, in order to keep the money coming in. :)

Maybe a bunch of technically minded Ferengi, much like Rom & Nog, got together & invented it. Or at least reverse engineered the one they bought, and worked out how to mass produce it.

Well, I imagine quite a few Ferengi earn their keep in honest ways.

Do we ever hear about or meet any other than Dr. Reyga in Suspicions? I can't think of any. I guess Nog and Rom sorta count maybe.

Well, any civilization needs doctors and cops and street cleaners and the like, I'd think.

Quark had a doctor that told him he was dying and then later reported that he wasn't. Quark said he was going to sue the doctor for malpractice (I would not want to pay Ferengi malpractice insurance!). I imagine most of the non-FCA law enforcement is done by rent-a-cops and bounty hunters and the like, and street cleaning is good grunt work.