Rules of Acquisition

For the episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, see Rules of Acquisition (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine).

The Rules of Acquisition, in the fictional Star Trek universe, are a set of guidelines intended to ensure the profitability of businesses owned by members of the ultra-capitalist alien species known as Ferengi.

In the Deep Space Nine episode titled "The Maquis: Part 1", Sakonna, a Vulcan, asked Quark to explain what a Rule of Acquisition was. He stated: "Every Ferengi business transaction is governed by 285 rules of acquisition to ensure a fair and honest deal for all parties concerned... well most of them anyway."[1]

Background

The first rule was made by Gint, the first Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance, a role with political, economic, and even quasi-religious duties. The title of "Rules of Acquisition" was chosen as a clever marketing ploy (since the rules are merely guidelines) and Gint numbered his first rule as #162, to create a demand for the other 161 Rules that had yet to be written. The Rules were said to be divinely inspired and sacred (thus furthering the original marketing ploy).[2]

Although it has been stated within Star Trek that there are 285 rules,[1][3] not all of them have been stated in canon. Most of the rules were written by Ira Steven Behr and he published many of them in a book The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition (ISBN 0-671-52936-6), the cover of which credits authorship as being "By Quark as told to Ira Steven Behr." Additional rules were published in Legends of the Ferengi (ISBN 0-671-00728-9), by Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe. Behr and Wolfe were both writers for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with Behr being the Executive Producer of the series.[4]

In the Voyager episode False Profits is mentioned about the book: "Unabridged and fully annotated with all 47 commentaries, all 900 major and minor judgments, all 10,000 considered opinions. There's a rule for every conceivable situation". There is also a note about The Unwritten Rule: "When no appropriate rule applies... make one up."

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Maquis: Part 1 (Television production). Season 2, Episode 20. 23 minutes in.
  2. ↑ Kraemer, Ross Shepard; Ross Kraemer; William Cassidy; Susan L. Schwartz (2003). Religions of Star Trek. Westview Press. pp. 3, 180. ISBN 9780813341156.
  3. ↑ Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Rules of Acquisition (Television production). Season 2, Episode 7. 3 minutes in.
  4. ↑ Taylor, Mary P. (2002). Adventures in Time and Space. Simon and Schuster. p. 483. ISBN 9780743455930.

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