Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Little Green Men (1995) User Reviews

A delightful and funny episode!

[RickSkyboy · 9/10 · 12 April 2007]

The title of this episode is a tongue in cheek joke in itself. The jokes fly fast and furious in the tale, as the Ferengis meet the hoo-mans, and the rest is history.

The twists that this story plays with the Roswell legend are terrific...kudos to the writers. The anti-smoking message is timely, as EVERY hoo-man in this show smokes, much to the disgust of the Ferengi.

If you've got an hour to spare, you won't mind spending it on this show! Make some popcorn, sit back, and smile as it all unfolds for you in living color!

A definite nine out of ten for me.

A clever and witty episode

[Paularoc · 9/10 · 4 November 2012]

I like time travel shows; sometimes they're just dumb but this one is a real winner. Quark, Rom and Nog are on their way to earth to take Nog to Starfleet. They're traveling in a ship that a relative of theirs gave them to repay a loan. Unfortunately, the ship has been sabotaged and in trying to save it, Rom inadvertently sends them back to Roswell in 1947. It's all great fun and the Ferengi observations about 20th century human behavior are both pertinent and funny. Quark sees wonderful business opportunities as humans are crude and greedy but his plans go awry. Rightly suspecting that Quark was using the trip to smuggle contraband, Odo hid himself aboard the ship. Fortunately, a couple of the humans come to their aid when one of the soldiers resorts to torture (this was the one distressing bit of the episode). Interesting that Rom who in an early episode Odo referred to as being so dumb that he couldn't unbend a straw now has become quite the rocket scientist. But that's okay as he's more fun when he's smart. A witty, laugh-out loud episode.

Ferengis in 1947 New Mexico

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 21 May 2010]

Often the Ferengi led episodes try to be funny and fail when we are meant to laugh at their greedy ways, here we are invited to laugh at ourselves... or ourselves fifty years before the episode was made. Quark has acquired a new ship and thinks Nog's trip to Earth to attend Star Fleet Academy will be the ideal time to test it, especially if he can sell some contraband on the way back. Unfortunately the ship has been sabotaged and Rom's attempt to stop them being destroyed throws them in to the past. When they wake up they find themselves captive in a US air base in Roswell in 1947. At first they can't communicate with their captors as their universal translators are malfunctioning due to radiation from recent A-bomb tests. Once they have fixed the translators Quark tries to make a fast buck selling 24th Century equipment to the US military, they however are very suspicious of the three Ferengis' motives. It turns out the Ferengis aren't the only ones there from the 24th Century; Odo was on their ship too as he was sure Quark was up to no good.

This episode was a lot of fun, Quark's reaction to everybody smoking was great, "If these people will pay to poison themselves they'll buy anything". It think this was a better than average Ferengi episode as it only featured the regular characters rather than having characters like the Grand Negus feature. Interestingly the paranoid military personnel of 1947 seemed more alien than the Ferengis, although the keenness of one of the military to resort to torture seemed to predict behaviour that was unthinkable when the episode was made but happened less than ten years later.

The funniest episode of all "Trek" *** Minor Spoilers ***

[Ms_Belladonna · 10/10 · 2 January 2015]

In my opinion this is the funniest episode of all the incarnations of Star Trek. Sure, there are "better" episodes with meaning or a message or something profound, but this is just so much fun.

This is a time travel involving the Ferengi. The Ferengi had a rather uninspiring debut in Trek, the TNG Episode "The Last Outpost" and I doubt much would have been mentioned if that was their last episode also. In DS9 however they really come to life Quark and Nog being two of my favourite characters.

I do not wish to give too much away other than recommending watching the episode, even if you are not a DS9 fan, the only thing I would say is prepare for the line "We're helpless, we're harmless we just wanna sell you things!".

Take 45 minutes out your life, you will never get it back...not even if someone offered you 100 bars of gold-pressed latinum for it!

A terrific Ferengi episode...and filled with laughs.

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 28 December 2014]

I really appreciate the Ferengi episodes on "Star Trek: Deep Space 9". All too often the show was deadly serious or stuck aboard the station--and so the Ferengi shows were a welcome addition. And, of all the Ferengi shows, I think "Little Green Men" might just be the best.

Nog is ready to go to Earth in order to go to Starfleet Academy. However, instead of just sending him on a transport, Quark volunteers to take him in his new space craft. Is this some sort of big-hearted gesture on Quark's part? Nah...he just wants to use this as an opportunity to do some good old fashioned smuggling! However, the plan goes awry when the ship turns out to be booby-trapped and the only reason they aren't killed is due to Rom's quick thinking. However, while the ship DOES make it back to Earth, it's Earth circa 1947! And, it just so happens to be at Roswell!! Yep...these Ferengi are the mythical 'little green men' that supposedly were taken into military custody back in the day!

This show is jam-packed full of laughs from start to finish. It also FINALLY explained how everyone knows what the others are saying, as the folks in the future apparently have universal translators installed in their ears. Well worth seeing and among the very best of the series. Don't miss this one!

The best Ferengi episode so far in the series

[jerry-648 · 10/10 · 31 October 2019]

I love these Ferengi espisodes but this one is the best. I was laughing out loud while Rom was yelling out "I want my Moogie!" while being threatened by 20th century Air Force personell. Nog telling the Air Force about a make believe invasion about to happen and Rom keeps calling out, "Moogie !" I guess even the Ferengi needs his mother!

One of the best...

[aazell1 · 18 June 2010]

I've often despaired a little at Deep Space Nine. It often maintained a fairly bland story without enough key episodes to get your blood going but I have to admit I've always enjoyed the Ferengi episodes.

Its a very old story of wily cop (Odo) vs lovable rogue (quark) and both actors clearly enjoy playing it to the full. Its Armin Shimmerman as Quark who raises the.bar on character acting though. He plays Quark as a floored career swindler who is cursed with a moral centre. He hates the fact he can't be as ruthless as other Ferengi and we love him for it.

Throwing these characters up against 1950 America really brings home some resonant messages. The Ferengi as a race are vile profiteers who'll stop at nothing for some gold pressed latinum but even Quark is horrified when he realises "they irradiated they're own atmosphere!! They're insane!".

Time travel plots can be very clunky. See "times arrow" in TNG for how not to do it but get the right characters and set them against the right time period and your onto a winner.

This is also an episode that will please trekies and non-trekies alike. Highly recommended watching.

Great fun

[phenomynouss · 10/10 · 29 June 2010]

The concept sounds like something that would lead to really really bad Star Trek, especially if it involved an over reliance on Ferengi antics, but the actors here are incredible on their own without much else of the DS9 cast to support them.

So one of Quark's relatives who hates him gives him a spiffy new transport that has been sabotaged, causing yet another plot device that sends the three of them back into the past...

...and revealing that Quark, Rom, and Nog are the "aliens" found at Roswell in 1947.

At first, their universal translators break, leading to misunderstandings in a typical way, with attempts at communication and the like. Then Quark fixes them, and despite Nog's warnings, proceeds to screw around, looking for business opportunities in selling technology to the Americans.

But then Odo appears~! Turns out he hid on their ship, then morphed into a dog before ambushing Quark and placing him under arrest for smuggling stuff on his transport. Quark and his Ferengi antics lead to far more problems than them simply returning easily, as he seeks to financially dominate Earth and bring Warp technology to the Ferengi centuries before any other species.

Humor and spiffy character development ensues.

As an added bit of continuity nodding, a special treat that serves no real purpose except to show how much smarter and witty the DS9 crew is compared to the Voyager crew; While looking through Earth history briefly, Nog finds a picture of Gabriel Bell, famous for the Bell Riots, and shows Quark, noting how Gabriel Bell looks exactly like Captain Sisko, which is exactly who it is---a nod to a previous DS9 episode where Sisko ended up forced to take Bell's place in 2024 to instigate the Bell Riots.

Earth Vs The Used Car Salesman

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 22 July 2022]

Quark, Rom and Nog inadvertently time travel back to 1947.

This is a lighthearted episode and very enjoyable if you appreciate the comedy and do not take too seriously.

It is one of the best Ferengi episodes, as it makes good use of Nog's journey to Earth to generate adventure and humour. It's similar in tone to the original series episode 'Tomorrow is Yesterday' and pays homage to the sci-fi B movie genre of the 1950s.

It opens well with an inspired idea for a Ferengi coming of age ceremony that has some great character moments. When the Ferengi crew go on their adventure they have great banter with each other and the hoo-man characters. The Roswell connection is also a great idea.

Armin Shimerman, Aaron Eisenberg, and Max Grodénchik are on great form along with the guest actors. It's great to see Charles Napier and his line about his brother-in-law is outstanding.

Probably the best Ferenghi episode

[beanslegit · 8/10 · 6 April 2022]

This is a charming episode over all. The 3 Main Ferenghi get sent back in time to area 51 in 1947, and hilarity ensues. The Air Force general really puts the generic into general, he's every US Military cliche ever and it's hilarious. Cigar chomping no nonsense square jawed military dude cos ooh rah! XD

Definitely worth the watch.

Area 51 revisited in a humorous way

[cashbacher · 10/10 · 18 February 2021]

This episode starts simple enough, Quark has received payment for an old debt in the form of a shuttle. His nephew Nog has been accepted into Starfleet Academy, so Quark agrees to the use of his new ship to transport his brother Rom and Nog to Earth. While it may appear that Quark is demonstrating familial loyalty, he is in fact planning on smuggling a load of illegal kemocite to Earth.

There is a failure of the shuttle and when the kemocite reacts with the warp exhaust, a temporal rift is created, and the ship is sent back in time to 1947 on Earth. To make things even better, the ship crash lands near Roswell, New Mexico.

The three Ferengi are taken to a facility for interrogation and at first their universal translators are not working. In an attempt to get them active again, they clap their open hands to the sides of their heads, generating an amusing moment. Rom is able to repair their translators and in true Ferengi fashion, Quark immediately tries to make lucrative business deals with the humans.

However, he underestimates the military mentality, and it appears that the three Ferengi are stuck in 1947 and will essentially be prisoners in a military base. Fortunately, the ever suspicious Odo has used his shape-shifting powers to stow away aboard the ship and he manages to help free the Ferengi and allow them to board their ship and return home with the help of a nuclear explosion.

This is a fun episode for it combines the science fiction of the series with one of the most persistent rumors/myths/secrets of the federal government. Area 51 is the reference constantly used to claim that Earth has been visited by aliens, specifically a crash by an alien ship. Combining this rumor with the science fiction series was a stroke of genius.

Quark, galactic ruler.

[thevacinstaller · 8/10 · 27 June 2021]

Trek has an excellent track record when it comes to time traveling into earth's past. I am one of those boomers who prefers when star trek has an actual message or mind bending concept to get out of an episodes but I can also appreciate a 'fun' detour like this. In fairness to Quark ---- If a modern human could travel back in time, I can totally buy into the idea of them exploiting it like Bif from back to the future.

I was cracking up at Rom's explanation for how they will time travel back to the 24th century ---- I had flashbacks to how Discovery S2's insane technobabble. I would have been delighted if they just flew around a sun.

This is one of those episodes where you just enjoy the ride and not get tied down in realism.

Sweet

[drbarbarabaker · 9/10 · 14 October 2020]

This is excellent. It gives the Ferenghi characters more dimension to their personalities.

Ferengis in the Desert

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 21 October 2018]

Quark, his brother, and Nog decide to take a new spaceship Quark has been given, to Earth. The get caught in your garden variety warp inversion and end up in 1947, post World War II, during the Red Scare. There is a hilarious scene where Quark and the gang are striking themselves in the head, trying to get their translators to work. The U. S. soldiers start to hit themselves in the head, thinking this is some kind of communications effort. Quark is at his best. Profit motive takes over everything. He believes they should stay, despite the fact that the military could just shoot them and be done. It's a great episode, focusing on a single element of the show.

Good episode

[anthonylesley · 8/10 · 2 May 2020]

This is a good episode it was some good moments with rom, nog, and quark as they are sent back to 1947

So, it was the Ferengis!

[tomsly-40015 · 9/10 · 30 October 2023]

This episode should not be taken too serious. It is a fun episode that puts our beloved Ferengis (Quark, Rom and Nog) in Roswell of 1947. So, instead of a weather balloon Quark's new shuttlecraft crashed in Roswell.

This episode features some funny moments. Like when the universal translator is not working due to high radiation in the atmosphere from all the atomic bomb tests and the Ferengi hit their heads to make the translators work. The humans think this is some kind of greeting ritual and also bang their heads.

Or when Nog points to the map on the wall and shows the humans where the Ferengi fleet is about to invade. Cleveland!

And Rom is quite the technician. He could be Chief of Ops, too.