The Ferengi were a warp-capable humanoid species from the planet Ferenginar. Ferengi civilization was built on free enterprise, where earning profit was the sole meaningful goal in life, superseding all other endeavors.
History
It took around 10,000 years to build the Ferengi Alliance. Gint became the first Grand Nagus and was the original author of the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition. While this cemented their greedy and materialistic society, atrocities such as slavery and interstellar wars were notably absent from Ferengi history.
A temporal incident caused a quasi-first contact with Humans in 1947. After they had purchased warp drive technology, the Ferengi encountered spacefaring Humans as early as 2151, albeit in a covert manner without disclosing their identity. Despite the Battle of Maxia in 2355, official first contact with the Federation did not occur until 2364.
Notwithstanding a few aggressive incursions against Starfleet over the following years, both sides maintained sufficient relations for Ferengi representatives to participate in Federation-hosted events or for Starfleet ships to answer Ferengi distress calls.
Upon the (re-)discovery of the Bajoran wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant in 2369, the Ferengi Alliance under Grand Nagus Zek was the first Alpha Quadrant power to learn of the existence of the Dominion via its aggressive pursuit of new business opportunities beyond the wormhole.
Biology
On average, Ferengi were shorter than Humans. Externally, they had orange-brown colored skin, blue fingernails and long blue toenails, enlarged skulls, wrinkled noses, and sharp teeth.
Internally, they had ascending ribs and upper and lower lungs, as well as an unusual four-lobed brain that could not be read by telepathic species such as Betazoid.
The Ferengi's most distinguishing features were their large outer ears (called "lobes"), which gave them extremely acute hearing, sensitive enough to tell a person's species and gender, even through electronic distortion, atmospheric/altitude changes, and the decibel level of a sound. The lobes of the Ferengi male were larger than those of females. The sensitivity of the ears, while providing great sensual pleasure, also made them vulnerable to pain and other problems, including severe infections of the tympanic membrane which, if left untreated, could become fatal. Ferengi ears were partially made of bone, unlike other species where the ears are largely composed of cartilage and skin.
The Ferengi also had a particularly strong immune system and have been known to be unphased by diseases and contagions that cripple other species.
Society & Culture
Despite their misogynistic views, small stature, lack of shame, and extreme obsession with profit, the Ferengi are one of the most underestimated species in all of the Alpha quadrant. They are usually extremely intelligent, can possess great cunning, and can sometimes hide that fact very convincingly. They can also possess a great aptitude for economics, sciences, and engineering, and they are the among the best negotiators in the galaxy in regards to earning profits and deals without resorting to armed conflict.
The Ferengi culture was centralized around the concept of greed and earning profit. Ferengi society most notably was based on a list of rules for business ventures with other Ferengi known as "The Rules of Acquisition". By the late 24th century, this list encompassed 285 rules that Ferengi males were to memorize and follow as part of business ventures with other Ferengi. As Quark once put it, "There is nothing beyond greed. Greed is the purest, most noble of emotions." Consequently, the 10th Rule of Acquisition stated that "greed is eternal." However, there was a time in their history before the founding of the Ferengi Alliance that the Ferengi were an extremely generous people who were not greedy.
However, the Ferengi managed to avoid many of the worst aspects of an evolving culture and their social history was notable for the absence of atrocities such as slavery or genocide, a distinction the Ferengi felt made them morally superior (though their definition of "slavery" clearly did not extend to their treatment of women). Ferengi culture slowly grew out of its early stages by introducing a remarkable economic system that developed from early bartering systems to become one of the leading cultures in interstellar commerce.
Unlike most other cultures who frequently idolized warriors or politicians, businessmen were the pillars of Ferengi society for millennia. This tendency led to the slow merging of business and political fields in Ferengi culture and that influence was evident in the near-universal application of the Rules of Acquisition, as both a personal and financial code of ethics.
The Rules of Acquisition provided advice that all good Ferengi followed, in order to lead a profitable life. For example, the first Rule of Acquisition was "Once you have their money, you never give it back."
In addition to the Rules, the Ferengi also recognized the Five Stages of Acquisition: infatuation, justification, appropriation, obsession, and resale. They also recognized these traits in other species; Earth's Wall Street was regarded with near-religious reverence by Ferengi.
The drive for individual gain in Ferengi society led to inventions that spread across many species of the galaxy. Examples included such diverse items as holosuites, synthehol and the popular drink Slug-o-Cola.
Ferengi society and culture was highly misogynistic and patriarchical however in the late 24th century a reform movement was pushed through finally allowing women to wear clothing, conduct business and keep profits.
