The Ferengi were initially conceived by the early writers of Star Trek: The Next Generation to become a real threat to the Federation, as the Klingons were in The Original Series. For example, in "The Last Outpost", the Ferengi have technology on par with that of the Federation, but by the time of "Little Green Men" it is revealed that they are not that technologically advanced, and have bought a good share of their technology. They would take the place of the Klingons, who could not be used as enemies any longer. It was soon realized however that nothing about them was threatening at all.
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