Star Trek - Terok Nor (The Cardassian name for DS9)

Ferengi

The Ferengi built their entire culture on pursuit of wealth. They are always looking for ways of earning money and rarely turn down a business opportunity - legal or otherwise. Contact with the Ferengi was first made about twenty years ago, and culminated in a battle between a Ferengi ship and the USS Stargazer, under the command of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard.However, they remained a mystery until regular contact was established a little less than a decade ago. In that short time, they have stopped being an enigma and have become a regular feature wherever money is to be made in the Federation.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 judgement 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. Almost any technological advancement that Ferengi have benefitted from has been bought or traded for from other cultures. Ferengi have an odd honor system. They feel that cheating and stealing are acts of cunning, and that anyone who was a victim of their scams was not smart enough to protect themselves from them. The Ferengi are considered ugly by almost all cultures in the Federation, but these traits give them many advantages. Their oversized ears give them very acute hearing, and their four- lobed brains are non-psionic enough to give them psionic resistance. This gives them protection against mental attacks, especially telepathic attacks. This is a definate advantage for Ferengi, especially when cutting business deals with telepathic races such as Betazoids. No Ferengi can ever possess psionic abilities. Also, the higher gravity of their homeworld affords them a higher base strength. Even with this added strength, the Ferengi believe it is easier to run away from a fight than to risk injury. A Ferengi who is or has been in the Ferengi military service will have a forehead tattoo.

THE FERENGI RULES OF ACQUISITION

(taken from STinSV)

1	Once you have their money, you never give it back.	221KB
3	Never spend more for an acquisition than you have to.	126KB
6	Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity.	134KB
7	Keep your ears open.	97KB
9	Opportunity plus instinct equals profit.	142KB
10	Greed is eternal.	51KB
16	A deal is a deal.	67KB
17	A contract is a contract is a contract. But only between Ferengi.	102KB
18	A Ferengi without profit is no Ferengi at all.	116KB
19	Satisfaction is not guaranteed. (Number not stated)	103KB
21	Never place friendship above profit.	124KB
22	A wise man can hear profit in the wind.	89KB
31	Never make fun of a Ferengi's mother.	107KB
33	It never hurts to suck up to the boss.	162KB
34	War is good for business. Only from a distance. The closer you are to the frontlines the less profitable it gets.	208KB
35	Peace is good for business.	128KB
47	Don't trust a man wearing a suit better than your own.	102KB
48	The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife.	97KB
57	Good customers are as rare as latinum. Treasure them.	197KB
59	Free advice is seldom cheap.	95KB
62	The riskier the road, the greater the profit.	71KB
75	Home is where the heart is, but the stars are made of latinum.	137KB
76	Every once in a while, declare peace; it confuses the hell out of your enemies.	162KB
94	Females and finances don't mix.	54KB
95	Expand or die.	83KB
102	Nature decays, but latinum lasts forever.	137KB
103	Sleep can interfere with [unfinished; profit?].	153KB
109	Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack.	88KB
111	Treat people in your debt like family...exploit them.	135KB
112	Never have sex with the boss's sister.	109KB
125	You can't make a deal if you're dead.	85KB
139	Wives serve. Brothers inherit.	124KB
139	Whisper your way to success.	82KB
190	Hear all, trust nothing.	107KB
194	It's always good business to know about new customers before they walk in your door.	219KB
203	New customers are like razor-toothed Greeworms. They can be succulent but sometimes they bite back.	199KB
208	Sometimes the only thing more dangerous than a question is an answer.	188KB
211	Employees are the rungs on the ladder of success - don't hesitate to step on them.	213KB
214	Never begin a business negotiation on an empty stomach.	103KB
217	You can't free a fish from water.	108KB
229	Latinum lasts longer than lust.	66KB
239	Never be afraid to mislabel a product.	96KB
263	Never allow doubt to tarnish your lust for latinum.	118KB
285	No good deed ever goes unpunished.	239KB


	The Unwritten Rule: When no appropriate Rule applies, make one up.	183KB
1	If they want their money back, give it to them. (As revised by Grand Nagus Zek)	196KB
10	Greed is dead. (Revised by Grand Nagus Zek)	127KB
21	Never place profit before friendship(Revised by Grand Nagus Zek)	130KB
22	Latinum tarnishes, but family is forever. (Revised by Grand Nagus Zek)	130KB
23	Money can never replace dignity. (Revised by Grand Nagus Zek)	93KB
285	A good deed is its own reward. (Revised by Grand Nagus Zek)	126KB
286	When Morn leaves it's all over. (Invented by Quark)	243KB
299	Whenever you exploit someone it never hurts to thank them. That way it's easier to exploit them the next time. (invented by Neelix)

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"Rule Of Acquistion 286... When Morn leaves, it's all over" - Quark