Series: Star Trek: Voyager
Season 3, Episode 5
Original Air Date: October 2, 1996
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| via Memory Alpha |
Our friends stumble upon a pair of Ferengi who have taken over the economy of a primitive planet. We've met these guys before. In NextGen's "The Price," Arridor and Kol were lost in an unstable wormhole to the Delta Quadrant. Apparently, they found a nice spot to make the best of things. And here again is the same wormhole. Could it be a quick route home for Voyager?
The idea for "False Profits" is fantastic. It provides an interesting test of the Prime Directive, too. How does non-interference jive with the colonialist enterprises of other warp-capable civilizations? We want our heroes to be the good guys here but are they bending their own rules to do so? Probably. So be it.
The entire Ferengi narrative concept had come a long way since "The Price," seven years and 266 episodes ago. When first introduced in TNG, the plan was for the Ferengi to become Starfleet's primary antagonist, a pretty clear message from the producers: free enterprise (pun intended) is the real enemy. Hell, I can get on board with that. The older I get, the more convinced I become that capitalism is total bullshit.
But it didn't work out. They came across as silly. No subtlety at all - just greed. The Klingons and Romulans had always been portrayed as respectable enemies. There was nothing admirable about the Ferengi.
But then we got to know a few of them in Deep Space Nine. Quark is a swindler, to be sure, but a swindler with dimension and vulnerability. Nog is obnoxious but we get to watch him grow into decency and perspective. Then there's Rom, the Ferengi with a heart of gold.
Unfortunately, "False Profits" feels like a slide back. No more charm. They're just greedy little gremlins again.
The best part of the story comes at the very end when the wormhole shortcut is snatched away from the Voyager crew. In just a few seconds, we watch a wordless drama play out on Captain Janeway's face: devastation, then recovering only partway to resignation but enough to gain her composure and lead on. Beautifully done.
Acting Notes
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| via TRON Wiki |
Dan Shor reprised his role as Arridor from "The Price" whereas Kol was recast - J.R. Quinonez originally, Leslie Jordan in "False Profits." Shor was born in Brooklyn, November 16, 1956. He studied at the City College of New York and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. His films include Wise Blood, Strange Behavior and Tron. He will always be best remembered by my generation as Billy the Kid in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.
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