The Ferengi phenomenon originally started with TNG before being picked up by DS9. Originally introduced as a new threat for the TNG crew to face, the Ferengi were quickly relegated to comic relief status and paired with another phenomenon that has plagued fans, appearances by Lwaxana Troi, in "Menage a Troi". However, the TNG crew have gone on record as stating that they felt the introduction of the Ferengi was a mistake, and they were later removed from the plot lines. It is worth noting that Quark did have a scene in Star Trek: Insurrection, which was removed. DS9 attempted to reinvent the Ferengi, although with mixed success.