1×09 — Move Along Home — This is my least favorite episode of the series. Anytime I think of how bad DS9 was this is always the episode that comes to mind. First contact with the first race from the Gamma quadrant comes with a price when a race of Gamblers puts four members of the crew into a game of peril. But one of those perils is properly singing a nursery rhyme while they jump on a number of tiles. “Allamaraine, count to four…” Ugh. Then they must learn to drink a drink which is offered to them in order to not choke on gas and finally walk across a falling cave. The whole episode is just dreadful including Bashir screaming to try and “wake himself up.”
Trivia: Ronald D. Moore before joining the writing staff apparently saw this episode and “wondered if everyone had lost their minds.” The only person to state that actually like this episode is Armin Shimmerman. Which does sort of make sense since Quark is likely the only redeeming quality to this episode.
Rating: D-
1×10 — The Nagus — Going from one of the worst episodes into a really fantastic episode. For those that don’t know Armin Shimmerman wasn’t just Quark, he was also the first Ferengi ever in an episode of The Next Generation. During The Next Generation the Ferengi were much more savage and one sided. This episode really sets up the future of one of the most entertaining races in the show. This is the first episode of any Star Trek in which The Rules of Acquisition are brought up and the Nagus makes his first appearance. Wallace Shawn was a perfect person to choose to be Nagus Zek, unfortunately he only has seven appearances but each one is a golden one.
Since this is a Ferengi centric episode the B story is of Jake and Nog. Nog becomes one of my favorite characters in later seasons, but at the moment he’s just the son of Rom. Jake teaches Nog school assignments even though Nog is grounded from school. It has a humorous idea with a little bit of heart.
The episode is still a little rough but it’s like the first book of a great series.
Rating: B+