Episode title: “The Last Outpost”
Season: 1
Importance: 3 (for the introduction of the Ferengi)
Crisis point(s) if any: Enterprise is without power and everyone on board will die if it’s not restored. That sort of thing can really put a crimp in your day.
Original transmission date: October 19 1987
Writer(s): Richard Krzemien (teleplay by Herbert Wright)
Director: Richard A. Colla
Stardate:* 41386.4
Destination: Delphi Ardu IV (not actually the destination, just where they catch up with the Ferengi ship)
Mission (if any): Recover stolen energy monitor from Ferengi ship
Main character(s) in Plot: Riker
Main character(s) in Subplot (if any):
Not Appearing: O’Brien, Wesley
Villain/Monster (if any): Ferengi and then the Guardian
Deaths: 0
Lives saved (episode): 0
Lives saved (cumulative): 1
Locations:
Shipboard:
Bridge
Observation Lounge
Space:
Other:
Delphi Ardu IV
Ships/vessels: 1 (unnamed Ferengi ship)
Space battles: 0
Bodycount
Historical
0
Incidental
0
Direct
0
Total: 0
Running total: 83
Make it so: 1
Engage! 0
Combat factor: 0
Mysteries: The force field holding the
Enterprise and the Ferengi vessel captive
Patients in sickbay: 0
Data v humanity: The Chinese finger puzzle eludes Data. Chortle.
Data 1 - Humanity 2
Character scores:
Picard 10
Riker 190
Troi 10
Bev 10
Geordi 20
Data 20
Worf 20
Wesley 0
O’Brien 0
Yar 10
Earl Grey: 0
Shuttlecraft: 0
Admirals: 0
Starbases: 0
First contact: 2 Ferengi, the Guardian of Forever sorry the T’Kon outpost guy
Humour: 3
Episode rating: 3/10
Episode score: 140
Correct me if I’m wrong - and I may very well be - but doesn’t that Ferengi ship look a lot like the later biological life form Tin Man, in the episode of the same name? Kind of like a shell? Okay, well, from behind anyway. This is the first we actually meet a Ferengi, and while they were still a work in progress - made to seem more cunning and nasty than what we came to know them as - it’s still good to see them, as they will of course form a major part of the entire Star Trek universe, and provide some of the best, or at least funniest episodes in at least two of the series in the franchise. The episode is another bit of a damp squib, but I’ll do what I can to inject a little interest into it.
Why is it that Picard thinks that blue, white and red is a better combination in a flag than red, white and blue? Is it merely because this is how the French flag was arranged? Or was he subtly hinting that there really is no reason for Americans to have red, white and blue on their flag? We know that on the French flag, blue represents the royalty, white peace and red the blood that was spilled to attain that peace, but the USA? Okay that's wrong, how embarrassing. Apparently blue and red were the colours of Paris. Well that's no fun. My idea is better. Well, I can still have fun at the Americans' expense, can't I? Here goes. While yes you have red states and blue states, why? Not sure if that’s the point he’s making but it could be. Data’s childish petulance, when Picard says that’s enough and he says “It was you who started it” is quite funny in its way.
"Hah! Look how small and puny these hyoo-mans are! I could eat them in one bite!"
This is the first time we get to see the ship’s warp core, and the second time that Picard is ready to surrender! Also the first time he calls Riker by his first name, Will. This doesn’t happen too often of course; usually he’s Riker or more usually Number One, sometimes Commander. Of course, from what we later know of the Ferengi, they would certainly not “fight to the last man”. In fact, in a hopeless situation they would be more than willing to bargain their way out of trouble. Interesting that the first Ferengi we ever see is played by the man who will make us love them, the man who will play Quark, Armin Shimerman, though here he is not Quark but Damon Tar. Okay I’m wrong there: always pays to read ahead before you write, Trollheart. Shimerman plays one of the Ferengi all right, but not the first one we see. Boo.
"Mr. Data, would you please tell Number One that when he is ready to apologise for calling me a bald excuse for Kirk I will be in my ready room? "
"Data, tell the captain please that I'll eat a plate of fresh ga'akh before I'll apologise."
Humour in Data’s getting somehow trapped in a Chinese finger puzzle and seeming quite at a loss, until Picard sorts it for him in irritation. You would certainly have to give Picard points for his diplomacy in dealing with the Ferengi; again you can see he’s really holding his temper back. Look at Riker! Has to be the big man. The other two - including Data - go down with one shot from the Ferengi energy whips, he has to be hit a second time. He’s so hard! I do like that the idea Ferengi have that to “force women to wear clothes” is unethical, as it encourages the males to undress them. I mean, yeah, there’s a certain sick sense about this, and it is something that ends up being perpetuated through the Ferengi culture, where women are all naked.
I think we’re possibly supposed to think these are either the first Ferengi to travel outside their star system (on the face of it, unlikely) or that at least these ones have not travelled before (slightly more likely, though stealing from the Feds as your first off-world action is neither very clever nor in any way representative of the Ferengi) but it’s odd how they classify all the Away Team as “hyoo-mahns”, given that there is a Klingon present. Data they could be forgiven for thinking is just a very pale human, but Worf? Surely they know of the Klingons? And of all the races, are not his the closest in superficial outside resemblance to the Ferengi?
"All together, boys, now: just like we rehearsed it - Oh, Fer-en-gen-ar, the mud and the rain..."
It will be some time before Riker gets that stick removed from his ass, and he is standing ramrod straight and defiant as a good officer should, but my god does he look pompous! Give him his due, he’s had the odd smile break through, but overall the sense of being up themselves was strong with these ones for almost a season, wasn’t it? Again you have to say, Kirk would never take that stance. Yeah but the episode just fizzles out doesn’t it? “Oh, fear is the enemy, is it? Okay then, let’s you and I discuss Tsun Tzu.” Sigh.