History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS1E4TheLastOutpost

* AbsenteeActor: Wesley is mentioned but does not appear.

* DramaticThunder: Tasha pulling of her BigDamnHeroes moment.

* HumansAreUgly: "The ugliness of the human was not an exaggeration."

* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: The Tkon empire, an interstellar state with a population in the trillions, was destroyed by a single supernova.

** Literature/TheQContinuum trilogy novels gave a possible explanation: there was a ''series'' of disasters and upheavals affecting the empire at once (all of which were done by a band of ultra-powerful beings not of the Q Continuum), reducing the previously powerful empire to one world. Furthermore, the reason the Tkon couldn't move their homeworld out of the way was because the ringleader of the powerful beings invoked RocksFallEveryoneDies, triggering (or accelerating) the supernova before the process could complete.

!'''This episode contains the following tropes:'''

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The only appearance of the Ferengi energy whip until ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''. Also, one of the VERY few times that the writers attempted to make the Ferengi a legitimate threat, before they were retooled into the comedic relief race of businessmen they became later.

** The Q Continuum trilogy novels gave a possible explanation: there was a ''series'' of disasters and upheavals affecting the empire at once (all of which were done by a band of ultra-powerful beings not of the Q Continuum), reducing the previously powerful empire to one world. Furthermore, the reason the Tkon couldn't move their homeworld out of the way was because the ringleader of the powerful beings invoked RocksFallEveryoneDies, triggering (or accelerating) the supernova before the process could complete.

* HeyItsThatGuy: One of the Ferengi is played by Armin Shimerman, who went on to play Quark in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' and was almost single-handedly responsible for [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap rescuing the Ferengi from the scrappy heap]].

* {{Squick}}: The Ferengi to Tasha being clothed and a warrior. Tasha to them when they act lecherous.

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The hologram projector in the conference lounge, which still looks quite impressive even today.

* UnfortunateImplications: Perhaps unintentional, but on the planet Riker talking to the Portal is depicted as physically attractive and standing tall, representing the Federation ideals and best of humanity. The Ferengi on the other hand are physically repulsive and hunched over, demonstrating cruelty and rampant paranoia. Guess which one the Tkon choose to accept?

* WhiteMansBurden: After being accepted as an equal by the Tkon, while the Ferengi are dismissed as primitive and worthless, Riker ends up having to intercede on their behalf and request that they be spared as well.

* HeyItsThatGuy: One of the Ferengi is played by Armin Shimerman, who went on to play Quark in ''StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' and was almost single-handedly responsible for [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap rescuing the Ferengi from the scrappy heap]].

* {{Precursors}}: The Tkon, one of many races in ''StarTrek'' to fit the bill.

* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: The Ferengi became this in the eyes of the audience in their '''first episode.'''

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The only appearance of the Ferengi energy whip until ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''.

* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: The Ferengi became this in the eyes of the audience in their ''''first episode.''''

* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: The Ferengi became this in the eyes of the audience in their ''first episode.''

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The only appearance of the Ferengi energy whip until ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The only appearance of the Ferengi energy whip until ''{{Enterprise}}''.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The only appearance of the Ferengi energy whip.

An unknown force immobilizes the Enterprise during the Federation's first encounter with a new alien threat—the Ferengi.