The Nagus
| "The Nagus" | |
|---|---|
David Livingston | |
| Teleplay by | Ira Steven Behr |
| Featured music | John Debney |
| Production code | 411 |
| Original air date | March 22, 1993 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Nagus" is the 11th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures on
Plot
Zek, the Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance, arrives at Deep Space Nine and seems to take an interest in Quark. He tells Quark that he wants to use Quark's bar for a conference, where he announces that Quark will be his successor. The Nagus then dies, apparently making Quark's appointment permanent.
Quark has a hard time adjusting to his new position, but he becomes popular among the Ferengi
Meanwhile, Commander Sisko is trying to cope with the friendship between his son Jake and Rom's son Nog. His problem is seemingly solved when Rom orders Nog not to attend school; however, Jake and Nog begin spending even more time together. Jake will only tell Sisko that what they are doing is "private." In the end, Sisko finds he has nothing to worry about when he finds Jake teaching Nog how to read.
Production
The initial story concept came from director
The episode includes a very deliberate homage shot to
Casting director Ron Surma found out that Wallace Shawn was interested in doing an episode of Star Trek and writer
Shawn described the makeup process as "a little bit disturbing and uncomfortable and exhausting". It took three hours to put on the makeup, and an hour to take it off, and he would be wearing it for at least twelve hours. Although the process was arduous, and he wouldn't have wanted to do it more than once a year, he appreciated the results. "To be in that world and to be in that makeup really liberated me in a way that I never experienced before — or since. I felt completely free, so it was a joyful experience."
Reception
Zach Handlen of The A.V. Club, bemoaned the fact that the Ferengi are essentially a horrible cultural stereotype and that it provides a very limited platform on which to base a story. He called it a clever story about the limits of power, praised the casting of Shawn and the character work of Shimerman. "Without Shimerman, this would've been intolerable. With him, it’s surprisingly not bad. It's still not good, though." Handlen said the subplot with Jake and Nog was the most successful part of the story. "It's a simple story, and effectively finds the best out of two characters we've been given reason to doubt."[8]
Keith DeCandido of
In 2018, CBR ranked Grand Nagus Zek, the character introduced in this episode, as the 13th best recurring character of all Star Trek.[9]
References
- ^ a b David Livingston (July 2, 2012). "David Livingston On Directing Star Trek Episodes, Part 1". StarTrek.com (Interview).
- ^ Erdmann & Block 2000, p. 39.
- ^ Tor.com.
- ^ Darren Mooney (10 September 2013). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – The Nagus (Review)". the m0vie blog.
- ^ Erdmann & Block 2000, pp. 39–40.
- ^ STARTREK.COM STAFF (January 31, 2011). "Did Ron Surma Cast Your Favorite Trek Star? - Part 1". StarTrek.com.
Wally wanted to do one, he was available and that worked out brilliantly.
- ^ a b Wallace Shawn (July 7, 2019). "Getting into it With the Grand Nagus, Wallace Shawn". StarTrek.com (Interview).
- ^ Zach Handlen (2012). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "The Nagus"/"Vortex"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
- ^ Michael Weyer (2018-12-28). "Star Trek: Ranking the 20 Best Recurring Characters". CBR. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
Works cited
- Erdmann, Terry J.; Block, Paula M. (2000). Deep Space Nine Companion. Simon and Schuster. pp. 39–40. ISBN 978-0671501068.
External links
- "The Nagus" at IMDb
- The Nagus at Memory Alpha
- "The Nagus" at Wayback Machine (archived from the original at StarTrek.com)
