History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS1E4TheLastOutpost

* CrystallineLandscape: The surface of Delphi Ardu IV is dotted with large clusters of quartz-like crystals, used as energy collectors by the ancient Tkon outpost.

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

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: The Ferengi accuse the human race of barbaric crimes such as wittholding valuable resources and technology from lesser civilizations, conquering and allowing other civilizations to fall, and most treacherously of all, forcing their women to wear clothes.

* DramaticThunder: Tasha, pulling off her BigDamnHeroes moment, actually weaponizes it--the large-eared Ferengi are debilitated by the thunder, and she chooses that moment to reveal herself.

* HeinousnessRetcon: The Ferengi are effectively caricatures of the worst parts of humanity (to contrast with how advanced and enlightened the crew of Enterprise is) and presented as manic, vicious greedy warriors, who are openly hostile and hell-bent on attacking the crew then looting the corpses. Following it being realised they were nowhere near intimidating enough to work in this role, later episodes switched to presenting them as, whilst still potentially dangerous and obsessed with greed, an overall cowardly race who only attacked when they clearly had the upper hand, and who's tactics leaned towards deception, subterfuge, and illegal activities.

** HarmlessVillain: Two guesses. When even ''Riker'' can't stop smirking at the Ferengi bouncing around like apes, how was the audience ''ever'' supposed to take them seriously?
** It is, however, worth noting that Ferengi continued to be used as villains on The Next Generation throughout its seven-year run, albeit of the 'scheming and plotting' low-tier kind of villainy more than the apparent military force seen here. Nevertheless, they were often shown to be a danger to the ship and crew when encountered. Only from Deep Space Nine on were the race rejigged as something closer to how the public see them now.

* SufficientlyAdvancedAliens: The Tkon Empire.
* WhiteVoidRoom: Apparently Ferengi bridges, judging by the background to the Ferengi captain. Either a blatant cost-cutting measure or the Ferengi [[BlindedByTheLight deliberately blanking it out]] to keep it secret? You decide!
** Data notes that the image is distorted in some way and Troi believes they are being deceptive. The implication seems to be that the Ferengi sent a very tight closeup so that his head would be enormous on the screen, belying that they are much smaller than humans.

** It is, however, worth noting that Ferengi continued to be used as villains on The Next Generation throughout its seven year run, albeit of the 'scheming and plotting' low-tier kind of villainy more than the apparent military force seen here. Nevertheless, they were often shown to be a danger to the ship and crew when encountered. Only from Deep Space Nine on were the race rejigged as something closer to how the public see them now.

* 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. He compares them to humans from the past and suggests that they could perhaps one day "grow up".

** On top of that, the Tkon could supposedly move entire planets, yet they didn't notice their home system's star was about to explode.
** ''Literature/TheQContinuum'' trilogy novels give 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.

** 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. Another oddity is that the Ferengi in this episode are shown to be rather physically strong, able to even hold their own against Worf, whereas they'd later be retconned into being rather physically weak with little incentive to even try to fight. [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS06E12WhoMournsForMorn That is until we see Quark once being able to snap a gold brick in half using nothing but his bare hands!]]

* WhiteVoidRoom: Apparently Ferengi bridges, judging by the background to the Ferengi captain. Either a blatant cost-cutting measure or the Ferengi deliberately blanking it out to keep it secret? You decide!

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Data describes the color of Germany's flag as "red-black-gold," rather than black-red-gold.

** 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. Another oddity is that the Ferengi in this episode are shown to be rather physically strong, able to even hold their own against Worf, whereas they'd later be retconned into being rather physically weak with little incentive to even try to fight. [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS06E12WhoMournsForMorn That is until we see Quark once being able to snap a gold brick in half using nothing but his bare hands!]]

** 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. Another oddity is that the Ferengi in this episode are shown to be rather physically strong, able to even hold their own against Worf, whereas they'd later be retconned into being rather physically weak with little incentive to even try to fight. [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS06E12WhoMournsForMorn Minus the whole Quark once being able to snap a gold brick in half using nothing but his bare hands!]]

** 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. Another oddity is that the Ferengi in this episode are shown to be rather physically strong, able to even hold their own against Worf, whereas they'd later be retconned into being rather physically weak with little incentive to even try to fight (Minus the whole Quark once being able to snap a gold brick in half using nothing but his bare hands!)

** 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. Another oddity is that the Ferengi in this episode are shown to be rather physically strong, able to even hold their own against Worf, whereas they'd later be retconned into being rather physically weak with little incentive to even try to fight.

** 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.

* HumansAreUgly: "The ugliness of the hu-man was not an exaggeration."