Ferengi history

This page details the history of the Ferengi and the Ferengi Alliance.

Early History
Ferengi civilization arouse circa 8000 BC when the Ferengi discovery the concepts of currency and profit. (DS9 episode: Little Green Men)

Around the turn of the first millennium the Frengi politics and business were merged with the appointment of the Ferengi Gint as the first Grand Nagus. Gint also authored the Rules of Acquisition. (DS9 episode: Body Parts)

Greko was one of the first Ferengi to conduct business away from Ferenginar, working on a Ridorian merchant ship. In the course of his service Greko saved his captain's life when their vessel was attacked by a Klingon Bird-of-Prey and as a reward he was given a substantial fortune. With his profits Greko purchased a warp drive from the Breen and returned to Ferenginar to usher in the beginning of the Ferengi's exploits as interstellar tradesmen. (ST short story: "A Dry Day on Ferenginar")

The Ferengi have an unusually low Borg designation for an Alpha Quadrant race, Species 180. This is likely because at least one Ferengi fell victim to the race that became the Borg, being one of the very first individuals to be assimilated. (VOY episode: Infinite Regress; TOS manga: "Side Effects")
 * This early assimilation could have happened any time in the three thousands years up to the 23rd century when the race that became the Borg were seeking individuals to try and find a cure for a disease. As they became the Borg the race escaped through a wormhole which sent them back in time and space to the Borg's birthplace in the Delta Quadrant.

22nd Century
The Ferengi spread far and wide with lone traders getting as far the space near Earth by the 22nd century; The Ferengi had made contact with the Valakian by 2151 and in later that year a Ferengi vessel attacked the Earth starship Enterprise (NX-01), though the Human crew never learnt the identity of thier assailents. (ENT episodes: Dear Doctor, Acquisition)

24th century
In 2355 a Ferengi vessel engaged the Federation starship USS Stargazer in the Battle of Maxia. The Stargazer was sucessful in destroying the Ferengi vessel but was also damaged it's self and was adandoned. This incident once more was not recorded by the Federation as first contact as the Ferengi did not identify themselves. (TNG episode: The Battle)

Over the next two decade the ferengi managed to build a, somewhat inaccurate, fersume reputation amongst the Federation until offical first contact was fially made between a Ferengi vessel and the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) in the Delphi Ardu system in 2364. Following this encounter an Andorian diplomate was sent to Ferenginar to establish formal relations with the Alliance. (TNG episodes: Encounter at Farpoint, The Last Outpost; ST short story: "A Dry Day on Ferenginar")

The Ferengi Alliance was amongst the first Alpha Quadrant powers to move into the Gamma Quadrant after the discovery of the Bajoran Wormhole. Forging close economic ties with a number of Gamma Quadrant worlds, the Ferengi were the first to gather relevent intelligence on the quadrant, including information on the existence of one of its dominant powers, the Dominion. During the Dominion War, the Ferengi Alliance remained nominally neutral, though it is known to have aided the Federation on several occasions. In 2374, the Ferengi Alliance hired several mercenaries to rescue Grand Nagus Zek's consort, Ishka, from the Dominion after she was kidnapped on her way from Vulcan; the mercenaries ended up engaging in successful hostilities, and even captured a Vorta official who was then turned over to the Federation. (DS9 episodes: Rules of Acquisition, The Magnificent Ferengi)

Despite its traditional neutrality, the Ferengi Alliance briefly found itself at war with the Republic of Bajor over a cultural conflict in 2372; the conflict was quickly resolved. (DS9 novel: The 34th Rule)

Following Bajor's admittance into the Federation in 2376 Quark's on Deep Space 9 was designating the Ferengi embassy to Bajor by the Grand Nagus, Rom, allowing his brother Quark to continueing trading in pocket of Ferengi territory within the moneyless economy of the Federation. (DS9 novel: Unity)

In 2379, the Ferengi Ambassador to the Federation was a man named Derro, who had a pet theory for "modernizing" the Federation economy. (TNG novel: A Time to Heal)