u.s.s. Lancelot NCC-74410

diplomatic/JAG dEPARTMENT

FERENGI

Ferenginar, the homeworld of the Ferengi, is a Class M planet with a much thinner atmosphere than most planets in this category.

Males are generally the only member of this species to be encountered, because Ferengi women are still in extremely subservient positions. Ferengi males are still shocked by the fact that Federation women wear clothing. They always prefer to deal with males while doing business. They do not live in the same place as their women.

They regard humanoid women as sex objects, and have an extreme lecherousness regarding beautiful women and sex. Often, they can be coerced to give up better judgment in return for the promise of sexual pleasure with a beautiful woman.

Though highly intelligent, there are almost no Ferengi scientists, and no formal schooling system in their culture. Lessons on handling business deals are handed down from father to son

Ferengi culture is entirely based on capitalism. Social standings, military ranks, and political status are determined by wealth and the influence it can buy. Latinum - everything else is irrelevant.

The tallest building on Ferenginar is the Tower of Commerce, which is the headquarters of the FCA - the Ferengi Commerce Authority.

The Ferengi live by a strict code of honor, though its ethics might be questionable from many other races' point of view. These guidelines are laid out in the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition. Its words are memorized by Ferengi children, who are expected to repeat them on command.

The Rules of Acquisition consist of the 285 guiding principles that form the basis of Ferengi business philosophy - a philosophy that has enabled the Ferengi people to become the most successful entrepreneurs in the galaxy, Although they appear simple, Ferengi business scholars have been interpreting and debating the rules for thousands of years. Every Ferengi business transaction is governed by the Rules of Acquisition, to ensure a fair and honest deal for all parties concerned. Well, most of them, anyway.

After first contact with the Federation at Delphu Ardu in 2364, the Ferengi Alliance see great economic opportunities and quickly assimilate themselves into Federation commerce. A good example is the Ferengi, Quark, who establishes a bar and intersteller trading operation on Deep Space Nine, a former Cardassian space station near the planet Bajor, and the gateway to the Bajoran Wormhole and the Gamma Quadrant. The Ferengi are not part of the Federation, and they obviously see contact with new races as an opportunity for profit.

Ferengi head covers, the Arabesque cloth seen on the back of some Ferengi heads, are a military designation and are not normally worn by civilians. Although they possess technology and weapons on a scale with most Federation races, the Ferengi are not a military threat as, say, the Klingons, because Ferengi leaders more often 'buy' their commands rather than earning them through deeds and abilities.

This is not to say that Ferengi cannot be dangerous opponents. Most adults are proficient in the use of the Ferengi Whip, a handheld weapon used to fire high-energy plasma discharges at a target. They also use locator bombs, a sophisticated anti-personnel weapon capable of seeking out a specific person, using sensors to lock onto the target's pheromones. These bombs detonate a fatal sorium argine explosive upon impact.

Profit in Ferengi society even reaches into death. Important Ferengi are turned into green powder and sold as a collector's item on the Ferengi Futures Exchange.

Ferengi death rituals strictly prohibit autopsies. The Ferengi believe one of two things happens to them when they die. They hope to go to the Divine Treasury, which is made of pure latinum, where the Blessed Executor and Celestial Auctioneers let them bib on their new life. But if they die before turning a profit in their business, they go to the Vault of Eternal Destitution.

Since the Ferengi are capitalists, virtually all their leaders are in place because of their cunning and wealth. The Grand Nagus can be considered such a leader. The Nagus is often identified as the Ferengi master of commerce. He wields extreme power over Ferengi business, controlling the status of trade territories and other commercial opportunities. The first Grand Nagus was named Glint. He committed the first Rules of Acquisition to parchment and labeled it number 162, as a marketing ploy to increase the value of the first 161.

The Grand Nagus is protected by Hupyrian bodyguards, members of a race of tall humanoids know for their absolute devotion to the masters they serve.

Ferengi Rules of Acquisition

Should you have any questions or comments please e-mail the Chief Diplomatic/JAG Officer at the Diplomatic/JAG Department aboard the U.S.S. Lancelot.