Of all the wonderful alien races created by theStar Trekfranchise, there is perhaps none which give audiences as much development whiplash asthe unintentionally antisemitic Ferengi. This race of aliens changed dramatically between their introduction inThe Next Generationand their more prominent role withinDeep Space 9. One of the best things to happen from their increased screen time and narrative development was an enrichment of their culture,akin to whatTNGdid to the Klingons afterTOS. One easily-missed detail involves the doorways into a Ferengi home. Here’s how such a small, seemingly insignificant detail perfectly sums up their culture and way of life.
At first glance, there seems to have been a design error with the Ferengi doors and archways. Even withtheir small stature, the Ferengipeople having to crouch or hunch to get in. Perhaps it was the result of a miscommunication between the writers and the set builders, and by the time everything was made, it was too late. This was, of course, their home world. The Ferengi should have designed and built their homes for their own comfort, so why are they so small? It would make sense if these were Ferengi on another home world, with doors much larger or smaller to accommodate aliens of a different stature, but to purposefully build them in this inconvenient size seems like an odd choice. However, there might be a good explanation.
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While nothing is stated within the canon, there are a few fan theories. The first is that the Ferengi are not necessarily great creators of things, as creation and innovation take a backseat to trade and business. They likely import a lot of things, since their culture is built from trades and acquired items. Theirpowerful ships are a prime example, having paid for top-tier weaponry.It might be possible that upon building homes within the capital (where audiences see the majority of Ferengi houses) the Ferengi traded or ordered doors/doorways from another culture in bulk. Maybe they got a great deal on them at a size too small, but the inconvenience was insignificant in comparison to the great deal. While it seems far-fetched, it does go a long way towards summarizing the Ferengi attitude. They prioritize oney saved over comfort, and making things work because it saved them a few bars of latinum.
The second theory is that the doors were designed this way. The idea of someone entering a home and being forced to basically bow would inadvertently be a great sign of respect towards the homeowner. Assuming that the homeowner is already in the house, the guest enters hunched, forced to bow towards their host. The Ferengi are obsessed with appearances, and how they are perceived by others. Social standing and respect within and outside their own culture is important to them. The idea of their architecture mirroring this makes perfect sense, creating situations where they come out on top, even in the architecture of their homes.
The last theory comes with the notable difference between how the aliens looked betweenTNGandDS9. Like many other moments between series, there was a design change. It wasnot as noticeable as the Klingons, but different enough. The Ferengi went from cat-like, hissing creatures, hunched of back and monkey-like in movement, to straight-backed, pride-filled creatures of appearance. This change can, like many thingsStar Trek,be attributed to the writers and design teams wanting to do something different. The creators wanted likable Ferengi characters inDS9, and realized that their initial portrayal would not do them any favors. They got rid of a lot of animalistic qualities and degrading design choices, and it did wonders for their characters.
This change can be attributed to a behind-the-scenes alteration, done with no intention of mentioning it or canonizing their difference. However, there is also a strong possibility that the Ferengi intentionally changed their posture en masse. When they were introduced, they lived and traded mostly outside Federation territory, a little microcosm of their own making. Things changed, however, as more and more doors opened. Their presence in the Alpha Quadrant and Federation space grew until they became an important part of its infrastructure. More trades and business opportunities occurred with humans and Vulcans, two cultures that pair pride and superiority with good posture and height. It’s possible that the Ferengi chose to adopt this (though getting rid of money altogether was a step too far). They might have done it to big themselves up for the plethora of new clients, mirroring their cultural norms to work their way into the business dealings of this new Quadrant. They might also have adopted it simply because they liked it. Either way this, would explain change.
Bringing this back to doors, this would go a long way into explaining the need to crouch upon entering their own homes. The new Ferengi posture makes them a lot taller than they were when they were hunched, and thus the doors of old no longer work for them. This change is still new, if it happened at all, so the likelihood of all Ferengi changing a major part of their home is slim. Maybe future Ferengi homes, new builds for their home world, will feature larger doors and entryways. However, it does seem unlikely that audiences will get another glimpse at their planet anytime soon, even withthe brief appearance of a Ferengi in the new season ofPicard.
