Ferengi
Class: Humanoid, traders
Home planet: Ferengenar
Values: Profit, financial gain, cunning, trickery, shrewdness.
Ferengi of note: Quark, Rom, Nog, The Grand Nagus, Moogie, Brunt
Feature in: TNG, DS9
The businessmen of the Trekverse, the Ferengi were originally presented as something of a warrior race but that never took so they quickly became comic relief. Ferengi are smaller than humans, with large, almost elephantine ears, but what they lack in size and strength and courage they make up for in cunning. A Ferengi’s life is centred around wealth: how much can he accumulate, what deals can he make, how can he get one over on his rivals etc, and they live by a creed they call “The Rules of Acquisition”, which contain such gems as “Treat your employees like family: exploit them!” and “Once you have their money you never give it back!” They will easily swindle you if they feel that they can get away with it, but will shy from actual physical confrontation, being quite small and not at all versed in combat, either with or without weapons. Their planet is a drab, dreary place where it seems to be always raining, which is probably why so many Ferengi strike out on their own, heading out to the great wide galaxy to make their fortune.
As you may have gleaned from one of the Rules of Acquisition above, family means very little to Ferengi, other than people they can exploit. Even so, there are strong ties between some Ferengi families. Women are not permitted to trade, or even wear clothes, in Ferengi society, leading to a lot of shock, revulsion and prudish disbelief when some of the younger ones got out to see other worlds. Everything in Ferengi society is governed by bargaining, bartering and manipulation, and bribes are as much a part of the fabric of their everyday lives as eating is to ours. Everything has a price, even lives, and while no Ferengi I’ve seen or heard about has ever actively indulged in slave trading, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were those who were prepared to risk it. Anything that can turn a profit is usually acceptable to the Ferengi, and they think money can buy everything.
The Ferengi are ruled by the Grand Nagus, an old Ferengi who at this point is going a little senile, and to gain his patronage is absolutely invaluable. No business venture proceeds without his getting a cut of the profits, and while getting on his right side is essential, those who anger him can consider themselves basically bankrupt. A Ferengi without profit is equivalent to a Klingon without honour. Because they are such good dealers Ferengi are also one of the most cunning races in the galaxy, usually able to turn any situation to their profit, either literal or metaphorical; this would probably make them master strategists, but Ferengi have no interest in the military, apart from perhaps selling arms to both sides in a war. As one Ferengi puts it: “Peace is good for business! Unless you happen to be an arms dealer!"