Within the wonderful universe of Star Trek, there are countless alien races that stretch far and wide from the Federation controlled alpha quadrant, to the far reaches of the Gamma quadrant. And of course, these are just the species known to audiences. Among these are the mighty, ever-changing Klingons, warriors of the galaxy, whose power lies within their physical strength and hardiness; and the logic-based Vulcans, whose power lies not only with their superior physical strength and telepathic abilities, but their devotion to logic, intelligence, and order. Humans in the utopian vision Gene Roddenberry created in the late 1960s were not left out either, being portrayed as ethically higher beings with superior technological and political power. But what about the often misjudged and ostracized Ferengi?

The Ferengi are an interesting race of small, large-eared, money-obsessed beings. Throughout their various portrayals in the franchise, it is not only easy, but also common, to misjudge them. They do not fulfill the stereotypical picture of a mighty race of beings like the Vulcans, Klingons, Humans, or even the Romulans. They are portrayed, often problematically, as scurrying ratlike creatures who have no sense of honor or empathy towards others, greedily tricking and manipulating their way into gathering as much capital as possible. They are constantly judged as inferior, even by the Federation, despite potentially being the most powerful race in the entire franchise.

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This takes a bit to unpack, as the Ferengi do not possess superior strength, or have any other superpower that would give them an advantage over a race like the Klingons, for example. If placed in a room, even a human could take on multiple Ferengi in a physical altercation and come out victorious. The thing about power, however, is that it is not all about physical strength. The Ferengi know this, investing their time into procuring a more valuable form of power and control: money (or Latinum). They are not conquerors, having never battled for land or planets, never annihilated a culture to steal their wealth. Instead, they are traders. They procure items, sell them, and make a profit, and they are incredibly good at it, to the point where their entire culture and pseudo-religion is based entirely on gaining capital.

Star Trek: ferengi ship

The great thing about money is that it can buy things, unless one is in Starfleet and has ‘evolved’ past the need for currency. With their massive wealth, the Ferengi are able to purchase, trade, and sometimes con their way into possessing the best technology available in the Galaxy. These include highly advanced shield systems, rugged ships, and some of the most powerful weapons around. Their ships are on par with the very best the Federation has to offer, and their eclectic array of mismatched technology can hold countess tactical surprises. They are a force to be reckoned with in not only the Alpha Quadrant, but also the Beta, investing in these things that make them more powerful than they may naturally appear. Even in moments where they are forced to face off against an aggressive foe, they can use their deep pockets to hire mercenaries, or bribe their way to a resolution.

This taps into their second-greatest asset, one which is often overlooked. The Ferengi are very intelligent beings. Whether they use this intellect for good or bad is another question entirely, as their devotion to the art of the con is shown multiple times. However, they still can figure their way out of many tricky situations. They have very smartly placed themselves in a position where it would be foolish to challenge them on a large scale. Even if they could be wiped out entirely or conquered by another race, it would only be disadvantageous for any race to do so. The Ferengi act as one of the biggest trade hubs for two entire quadrants of space, and to destroy them would most likely only damage the attackers' economy. Like it or not, many races, cultures, and organizations rely on the Ferengi. This would also mean that to pick a fight with the large-eared money launderers would most likely result in them calling in multiple debts or obligations from various powerful others, putting them in an untouchable position.

Star Trek: ferengi and money

The appearance of power is something Star Trek has toyed with ever since its creation, enjoying the deeply philosophical debates around what it means to be the top dog of a large area of space. They have never shied away from the difficult topics, having always been fairly political, dealing with various topical and sensitive issues of the time. The apparent utopian vision portrayed throughout the franchise, though it may vary in the new iterations, is one that strongly believes that power is not in a person's physical strength, but their intellect — a powerful lesson for modern day audiences.

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