Star Trek The Next Generation: Every Season One Episode Ranked From Worst To Best

The Ferengi had originally been envisiaged as the big baddies of the Next Generation, designed to be akin to the Romulans or Klingons of the Original series. Their introduction here manages, in forty minutes, to do damage to their depiction that would not truly be undone until Quark became a main character on Deep Space Nine.

While the D'Kora Class Marauder is a formidable ship, there is simply no menace to the Ferengi. They are written as unbearable and they were directed to jump about like crazed gerbils. This episode also marks one of only two times they use their laser whips and express a love for gold, something that Quark later derides in Who Mourns For Morn?

Armin Shimmerman makes his first appearance as a Ferengi here and is a far cry from the lovable rogue that he would later portray. He has said that he would later take the role to Quark as a means of making amends for the damage done to Ferengi here.

This episode also was the victim of tampering by Maizlish, though this was the first time he was found adding notes to a script that he had no part in creating. He was caught red-handed and it was brought to Rick Berman's attention, though of course it would not be the last time he attempted to have his own writing included on the sly.

The episode was an unfortunate disaster in terms of introducing the new villains to the series and would lead to some retconning a little later on.