To see Clint Howard finally get to shine in a role where he doesn't look nearly so...exotic... as he does in movie and TV roles of the past. And then to put the other 3 crewman in such elaborate makeup, all just to match Clint's more "...unique" characteristics; well, it shows more empathy and heart than I thought Hollywood was capable of displaying.
XD xD In all seriousness, if was fun getting to watch Ethan Phillips return to the Trek Universe, playing the Ferengi raid party leader. He was previously on Star Trek:Voyager as the delta quadrant scavenger turned ship's cook Neelix.
There isn't much more to the episode than a handful of ship's crew vs the 4 ferengi raiders. Feels like the producers were trying to keep costs low. Although it didn't feel quite like a true bottle episode, they DID manage to wring a cute and decent story from a rather... "wash cloth" sized idea.
All in all, This is a fun episode that never quite shifts into second gear, it tries to get the audience "invested" (😉) in the story, but often it feels like it is not quite sure which way to turn, and thus stalls out.
Decent, nothing special, top line of the episode: "my lobes...stroke my lobes." 🤢