Deep Space Nine’s first season continues to struggle with “The Nagus” – an episode which is meant to provide some backstory and depth to the Ferengi (and, more specifically, Quark). But the Ferengi plot is annoying at best and, at worst, cringeworthy. What value there is to the episode comes from the interpersonal relationships explored by Sisko’s disapproval of his son’s friendship with Quark’s nephew, Nog. But even here, the narrative is presented haltingly, with an uneven pace and uneven performances.

The Ferengi plot begins with the arrival of The Nagus who is, for lack of a better term, The Godfather of Ferengi business dealings. Put simply, The Nagus holds all the power and doles out business opportunities to his lieutenants. The Nagus, whose name is actually Zek, is portrayed by Wallace Shawn (perhaps best known as Vizzini in The Princess Bride). His performance here, however, is handicapped by poor writing and a caricature-like prosthetic for his head, making him look embarrassingly laughable, rather than venerable or imposing.

The plot here is for The Nagus to fake his death in order to test whether or not his son is ready to assume such an esteemed position. As part of the test, Zek appoints Quark to be the next Nagus and what follows are a series of scenes in which Quark is little more than a preening, obnoxious character who ends up nearly being tossed out an airlock by his own brother and Zek’s son. As a story, it just isn’t very interesting. The only value to it is the more detailed look at Ferengi hierarchy and business dealings.

The other plot comes courtesy of Jake, Nog and Sisko. Nog certainly hasn’t been the best of influences on Jake, much to his father’s displeasure. But Sisko is reluctant to intervene too much into Jake’s affairs. Perhaps the best scene comes from a brief conversation between O’Brien and Sisko in which Sisko humorously points out the difference in dealing with children who are fourteen, as opposed to three.

To Sisko’s credit, his hands-off approach allows Jake to not only strengthen his bond with Nog, but also to teach Nog – both ethics and reading and writing. It’s a fulfilling culmination to this subplot which, unfortunately, was never given the time or attention to fully develop. The result is that even the best element of this episode is less-than-perfect.

“The Nagus” isn’t a failure. But it’ll likely only appeal to fans who are dedicated to the series. There really isn’t much worth praising about the episode – despite its exploration of the Ferengi and Sisko’s parenting.

Filed under: Deep Space Nine