The Last Outpost (TNG episode)
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| Star Trek: TNG episode | |
| "The Last Outpost" | |
 The Enterprise makes first contact with the Ferengi, in The Last Outpost. |
|
| Episode no. | 5 |
|---|---|
| Prod. code | 107 |
| Airdate | October 19, 1987 |
| Writer(s) | Herbert Wright Richard Krzemien |
| Director | Richard Colla |
| Guest star(s) | Armin Shimerman, Jake Dengel, Tracey Walter, Darryl Henriques, Mike Gomez |
| Year | 2363 |
| Stardate | 41386.4 |
| Episode chronology | |
| Previous | "Code of Honor" |
| Next | "Where No One Has Gone Before" |
"The Last Outpost" is a first season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It is episode #5, production #107, first broadcast October 19, 1987. It was written by Herbert Wright, based on a story by Richard Krzemien, and directed by Richard Colla. It is the first on-screen appearance of the Ferengi.
Guest cast is Armin Shimerman, Jake Dengel and Tracey Walter.
Overview: An unknown force immobilizes the Enterprise while encountering a new alien threat.
[edit] Plot
On stardate 41194.6, the USS Enterprise is in pursuit of a Ferengi vessel that is suspected in the theft of a T-9 energy converter from an unmanned Federation outpost. The ship enters the unexplored Delphi Ardu system and stops above a cloudy planet and the Enterprise closes in. Captain Picard is wary of the fact that little is known about their new adversary. The crescent-shaped Ferengi ship comes into view while Mr. Data and Lt. La Forge pore over sensor information. They conclude that the Ferengi are on an equal technological footing with the Federation. Suddenly, the Ferengi ship turns about and attacks, but Picard does not return fire and instead tries to establish communications.
The Enterprise then experiences a sudden loss in power and is involuntarily pulled into orbit of the planet. Fearing the power loss is caused by a secret weapon aboard the Ferengi ship, Picard asks for assessments from his bridge crew. Counselor Troi reports feeling nothing from the captain of the enemy ship and Data states third hand accounts that indicate the Ferengi are traders, reminiscent of "Yankee Traders" of eighteenth and nineteenth century America. They search for mercantile and territorial opportunity with a more nefarious, capitalist manner. Down in engineering, La Forge and Commander Riker try to regain control of the ship. Geordi reports that any attempt to increase power is drained away by equal compensation. However, Geordi believes a slow decrease in power, then a quick burst to full, will allow the Enterprise to break free. Picard approves the plan and Geordi initiates the "surprise" escape, but to everyone's dismay, nothing changes and the Enterprise remains stationary with their enemy looming before them.
With no response from the aliens, Deanna believes they should focus attention on the planet below, suggesting the Ferengi aren't behind the immobilization. Picard takes Riker aside and orders a full annihilation of the Enterprise as a final alternative to capture. Picard then attempts another contact with the aliens requesting a peaceful surrender. The Ferengi finally respond, with their captain identifying himself as Dai Mon Taar. A video channel is eventually established, and the bridge crew get a first look at their opponent's bright orange skin, goblin-like faces and oversized ears. Picard discusses surrender, which the Ferengi misinterpret as meaning "their own" surrender. Taar declares any talk of surrender unacceptable, announcing they will fight to the death. Picard realizes Deanna's hunch was correct, the Ferengi think the immobilization effect is a weapon used by the Enterprise and that they too are in the same predicament.
Picard orders a probe down to the planet while Data goes over planetary information he has uncovered. He reviews the ancient star charts of the "Tkon Empire" which has been extinct for 600,000 years, the victims of an apparent supernova explosion of their homeworld's star. The charts indicate the planet below, Gamma Tauri IV, was one of their outposts, which formed a defensive ring around their territory. During his discussion, Data humorously becomes stuck in a Chinese finger trap he has been playing with and Picard helps him remove the trap.
Information from the probe arrives, showing that both the Enterprise and the Ferengi ship are being held in a force beam projected from the surface of the planet. Picard decides to send an away team down to investigate while Riker contemplates on the possibility of the Ferengi discovering the true nature of the situation and how they will react. Picard suggests they may have to "team up" with them, an idea which unnerves the others.
Picard contacts the Ferengi to confess the truth of the situation, that both ships are being held by an outside force under neither ship's control. The Ferengi have already figured it out on their own and promptly withdraw their surrender, however Taar agrees to assist in getting the situation resolved. Picard and Taar's discussion leads to argument over the theft of the energy converter, to which Taar claims the device was placed on one of their worlds. Picard decides to argue territorial claims later. In the meantime, Taar agrees to send a party down to assist in the release of the ships.
A party consisting of Riker, Data, Geordi, Worf and Yar, beam to the planet's surface but the party materializes in scattered locations. Riker runs around to look for the others and soon finds Data who believes the force field has scrambled their arrival coordinates. The two look for the others, finding Geordi stuck upside down in a tree. As they try to free him, the group is attacked by a Ferengi wielding an energy whip. Meanwhile, six hours have gone by since the away team was sent and the Enterprise is now operating on dwindling power reserves.
On the planet, Riker awakens next to his companions who find themselves surrounded by three stunted Ferengi. Letek, the dominant Ferengi, accuses the away team of planning an ambush. Riker retorts stating the Ferengi have broken their agreement to peacefully assist in freeing the ships. Data and Worf observe that the Ferengi's enormous ears are sensitive to loud noise. Every thunderclap from the sky disorients the aliens, giving the away team a chance to overpower them. Back on the Enterprise, the situation grows dim with life support rapidly failing and the crew slowly freezing to death on all decks.
On the planet, the away team jumps the disoriented Ferengi, but two manage to flee. Yar gives chase firing her phaser but her beam arcs in the air and is absorbed by a crystalline "tree" nearby. The Ferengi reacts with his energy whip, but is dumbfounded when its energy diverts to the tree as well. Data is inquisitive, believing the crystal trees are energy collectors and possibly work on the same principals that hold the ships.
Suddenly, a humanoid entity appears and responds in a booming voice identifying itself as "The Guardian". It indicates that the group has activated "Portal Six-Three" and asks if they wish to petition entry into the Tkon Empire. Data informs the guardian that the Tkon Empire is extinct, destroyed during the Age of Makto when their central star destabilized. The Guardian, having been asleep for hundreds of thousands of years, seems unaware of this. Letak takes the opportunity to step forward and announces that the humans are known for their treachery and encourage the portal to not believe them. He offers his petition to serve the Empire in exchange for the release of their Ferengi ship (at no profit, of course). The Ferengi go on making claims that the humans are destroyers of legal commerce, selfishly keeping advanced technology from backward worlds and despicably clothe their females (a perverted act in the Ferengis' eyes). The rest of the away team await Riker's defense, but to the bewilderment of all present, he claims "guilty" to all the outlandish charges. Riker admits that the Federation has allowed planets to fall to their enemies, letting the violent and strong dominate, and willingly held back the advancement of lesser worlds. Despite a clear upper hand, Letak goes on, pointing out the proof of human barbarianism, gesturing to the away team's communicators, stating they even adorn themselves with gold, a despicable use of such a rare and valuable metal.
The Guardian forms into a hooded figure wielding a bladed weapon and approaches Riker, calling him a "barbarian". It takes a fighting stance, and Worf tries to defend Riker but is forcefully thrown back. The portal decides to test Riker's moral wisdom and demands an answer to its challenge. Riker finally answers, "Fear is the true enemy, the only enemy". Seemingly satisfied with Riker's response, the entity turns rather friendly and responds, "Know your enemy and know yourself and victory will always be yours." which it gathered as words of Sun Tzu from Riker's mind. Riker explains Sun Tzu was a philosopher from Earth's past. The being claims he would have destroyed both battling vessels on first sight, but sensed something different from them when it realized the two were eventually willing to work together. Riker requests the entity to free the Enterprise, which it does. Then it offers to destroy the Ferengi. Riker declines, saying that by destroying them they will have learned nothing.
The portal vanishes and the away team returns to the Enterprise. Before leaving, the Ferengi return the energy converter and Riker makes a request to send a box of Data's Chinese finger traps over to the Ferengi vessel as "thanks" for what they tried to do.
[edit] Continuity
- This episode marks the first appearance of the Ferengi as a new menace to the Federation since peace was established with the Klingons. The Ferengi were indeed initially intended to replace the Klingon empire as the "enemy" race of the Federation in TNG. However, viewers found their comic behavior and appearance underwhelming. As a result, Paramount negated these plans; throughout TNG the Ferengi shared the role of menacing alien with a wide variety of enemies, most notably the Borg, the Romulans, and the Cardassians.
[edit] Trivia
- Riker's decision to annoy the Ferengi by sending them a box of Chinese finger traps may have been inspired by Scotty's decision in the original series to beam a load of Tribbles over to annoy the Klingons on their ship in "The Trouble with Tribbles".
[edit] Casting
The role of Letek was played by Armin Shimerman. Shimerman has since become famous for playing the role of Quark on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Shimerman also appeared in other roles in the Star Trek franchise. He appeared as the Wedding Gift Box on the episode "Haven" and as DaiMon Bractor in the episode "Peak Performance". Shimerman eventually became one of eight actors to appear in three different Star Trek series, those being Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager.
