The Nagus

"The Nagus" is the 11th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures on Deep Space Nine, a space station located adjacent to a stable wormhole between the Alpha and Gamma quadrants of the Milky Way Galaxy, near the planet Bajor. This is the first of several episodes in the series focusing on the Ferengi, an alien race distinguished by their emphasis on earning profit as the highest goal. In this episode, Grand Nagus Zek, the leader of the Ferengi people, names Deep Space Nine's bartender Quark as his successor; meanwhile Benjamin Sisko, the human station commander, frets over his son Jake's friendship with Quark's nephew Nog, a known troublemaker.

Plot[]

Zek, the Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance, arrives at Deep Space Nine and seems to take an interest in Quark. He tells Quark that he wants to use Quark's bar for a conference, where he announces that Quark will be his successor. The Nagus then dies, apparently making Quark's appointment permanent.

Quark has a hard time adjusting to his new position, but he becomes popular among the Ferengi entrepreneurs by giving away lucrative business opportunities. Zek's son Krax and Quark's brother Rom attempt to kill Quark and are stopped by Zek, who appears before them still very much alive. Quark's appointment was a test to see how his son would respond in his absence, and as Zek says, "You failed! Miserably!" Quark congratulates Rom for having the "lobes" to try to kill him.

Meanwhile, Commander Sisko is trying to cope with the friendship between his son Jake and Rom's son Nog. His problem is seemingly solved when Rom orders Nog not to attend school; however, Jake and Nog begin spending even more time together. Jake will only tell Sisko that what they are doing is "private." In the end, Sisko finds he has nothing to worry about when he finds Jake teaching Nog how to read.

Arc significance[]

• This episode is the first of several episodes of Deep Space Nine following developments in Ferengi politics. In this episode, Zek announces plans to expand Ferengi business into the Gamma Quadrant; in future episodes, these attempts lead to the introduction of the Dominion, a powerful Gamma Quadrant empire that will become a major political force in the narrative of the series.

Notes[]

• In this episode, there is an homage shot to The Godfather.^{[citation needed]} Shortly after Quark is "Made" Grand Nagus, the shot of the following scene is a near-exact duplicate of the opening of the movie, with a client coming to seek a favor. Quark is even reclining in a chair as did Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone and petting an alien creature the way the Don held his cat. In his following line as well he paraphrased Brando: "And now you call me [Nagus]...".

Reception[]

In 2018, CBR ranked Grand Nagus Zek, the character introduced in this episode, as the 13th best recurring character of all Star Trek.^[1]

References[]

• Phil Farrand, Nitpicker's Guide for Deep Space Nine Trekkers New York: Dell (1996): 48 - 51 ISBN 978-0440507628

External links[]

Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Nagus

• The Nagus at IMDb
• The Nagus at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• The Nagus at StarTrek.com