Salvaging the Ferengi

[Karha of Honor]

The Ferengi could have been a good exploration of the duel nature of capitalism. There are many ways you could do it. A simple way would be to have recurring characters who represent the different aspects of capitalism, good and bad.

Have one character is just a step down from a Cortez or a Ghangis Khan; representing how commercial interests can become strategic in nature and that after the merchants and traders, the soldiers are usually next to arrive.

On the other side you have a merchant/explorer, who travels the galaxy doing deals for profit but just uses the capital to go further into space. As a twist you could say that this is actually Zek, destined to become the new grand nages of the alliance and lead his people into a new era.

Cortez adn Genghis was not really capitalism when dudes with divine right handed down monopolies left and right.

[CharlesPhipps]

Cortez adn Genghis was not really capitalism when dudes with divine right handed down monopolies left and right.

Yeah, they're just old school invasion and genocide.

[phantom000]

Cortez adn Genghis was not really capitalism when dudes with divine right handed down monopolies left and right.

Yeah, they're just old school invasion and genocide.

Like the mercenary said in Robocop 3 "If you are just now realizing that the line between big business and war, is a little blurry, you're even further over the hill then they say you are" Capitalism can evolve into fascism if you are not careful. A merchant is not a warlord, but if they are having the same impact on the planet then what is the difference?

A ferengi lands on a planet that is just emerging from the stone age and live in a series of independent cities a crossed the surface. He goes to one of them and offers advanced weapons allow them to conquer the rest of the planet, enslave its people and have them mine resources the ferengi can sell on other worlds. He might call himself a merchant or a trader but what is the difference between him and a warlord who just took over the world?

That is what i mean by 'a step down from a Cortez or a Ghangis Khan.'

[CharlesPhipps]

OCP is actually a stand in for Nazi's handling of big business and the economic side of fascism.

But the difference is that Cortez and Khan were soldiers versus merchants.

It's the difference between an arms dealer and the guy who....buys the arms.