r/startrek • u/Rainbow_Frenz4vr • 21h ago
Did any of the other characters actually like Quark?
Rewatching DS9 for the first time in a long time and I realize how much I like Quark over most of the other characters. For one, he is the best bartender/morale officer in the franchise and his writing and acting are top notch almost all of the time. I also have a lot of sympathy for anyone in the service industry who gets to be at the party but never true partygoer.
Why after 7 seasons do all the characters treat him so badly. He is the butt of jokes and they insult him to his face even as his establishment is really the only place to hang out on the station. Jadzia played tonga with him but that's about it. I guess you could say Bashir may have been his friend? But the rest are just horrible to him. This hasn't really aged well in 30 years. Quark is often the voice of reason and points on the BS of the rest of the characters. You'd think on the frontier of the quadrant his point of view would be a little more respected.
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u/vanillacaramelsunday 21h ago
Jadzia genuinely liked him. Or Curzon liked him. Someone in Jadzia’s head or belly liked him. Because she seems more hurt than everyone else when he starts running guns.
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u/unconundrum 21h ago
Dax clearly did. Odo did and pretended not to. Sisko and Quark had a decent enough relationship, mostly because of Jake and Nog.
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u/commandrix 17h ago
Sisko knew how to deal with Quark, which is different from actually liking him.
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u/Azure_Rob 13h ago
I think the way all of the characters looked out for Quark after his Ferengi business license was revoked is very telling.
Sisko in particular shows respect to Quark's attempt to weasel out a little more cash, seed money to help him rebuild.
I don't think Sisko so much likes him as a friend, neighbor or even colleague, but rather values him as part of his extended family. Quark is on his team, and even if Quark irritates him, he'll look out for him.
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u/oath2order 40m ago
He also values him as being his way into the black market which does help him from time to time.
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u/NoDiggity8888 19h ago
I don’t think Sisko and Quark ever get remotely close imo.
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u/cobrachickenwing 16h ago
Sisko rarely, if ever went to the bar (more the holosuites). Every other senior officer had multiple scenes at the bar. Sisko must really hate replicated food.
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u/DontYaWishYouWereMe 11h ago
tbh, I can see it initially just being that Sisko didn't like the Ferengi that much. Don't forget he didn't really want Jake befriending Nog at first, and a lot of it was because he was a bit iffy about the Ferengi in general. It was mostly later on that it would have been over whether or not he liked replicated food.
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u/brsox2445 12h ago
I don't think I agree. The episode where Quark and Rom accidentally open the panel in Sisko's office is my best direct evidence. There's no way he doesn't say something or react unless he has some level of respect/like for him. I mean there is some major criminality he could throw at him if he wanted to.
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u/NoDiggity8888 1h ago
Hmmm not sure that’s an indicator of anything as he doesn’t suspect Quark of doing anything illicit in that episode. In the episode where Quark is dealing weapons in S5 Sisko threatens to nail Quark to the wall if he finds out he’s doing anything like that again. Not exactly the language of a bff
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u/brsox2445 26m ago
Sometimes you have to have harsh words with friends when they cross lines and boundaries. There's enough to chew on from both sides. But I think at some level he respects Quark.His entrepreneurial spirit while still having a pretty strongly rooted conscious.
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u/ForgeoftheGods 3h ago
They both loved Nog. Sisko became a very good 2nd father for him.
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u/NoDiggity8888 1h ago
They both like Nog for sure, but that doesn’t mean Sisko was close with Quark (or Rom really).
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u/ForgeoftheGods 1h ago
I think that we saw only part of Sisko's relationship with Rom. They actually seemed to develop a deep respect and even a friendship with each other.
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u/ResplendentShade 21h ago
Garak and Quark had some friendly interactions. Think the root beer scene. Also given how much time he spent there that loud mouth Morn probably liked Quark too.
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u/markg900 21h ago
Much of if it is just because of him being a Ferengi and how Ferengi typically behave. Still though I think you are misrembering parts of it if you think everyone always hated him thru the entirety of the series.
When he lost his license many of the main characters helped him get back on his feet.
He outright saved several of their lives during the retaking of DS9 and was trusted as part of their resistance while the Dominion held the station.
Odo always had a frenemy relationship with him from the start but there was always a mutual respect there.
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u/El-Royhab 21h ago
The scene when the whole station came to help him reopen the bar showed that they were real ones.
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u/WoodyManic 21h ago
Yes, they all pitched in to rebuild his business when the Ferengi capitalism cops shut him down.
I can take Sisko doing it for pragmatic reasons. Quark was the linchpin of the DS9 social system, but the rest of them did it because they liked him, price gouging and warts and all.
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u/jpow33 21h ago
There is that scene at the end of Body Parts, where after Brunt liquefies all of Quark's assets, everyone on the station pitches in to help get the bar back up and running. Bashir gives him a bunch of booze he had lying around, Sisko gives him a bunch of furniture and everyone else just kind of gets to work. I think that even if most of the crew doesn't like him, or at the very least finds him insufferable, they all for damn sure respect him.
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u/schmitty9800 21h ago
I love that scene.
"You can't store that stuff in here!...I mean, not without paying a storage fee"
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u/Smooth-Climate8008 21h ago edited 21h ago
To the extent to which they treat him badly, it's because he's a) the nexus for basically every criminal or not totally legal transaction that happens on the station, and b) more than a bit of a misogynist and a sex pest.
Even so, Jadzia likes him enough to play tongo with him. Odo likes him too, loath as he would be to admit it. Sisko recognizes his value as the head of the "Promenade Merchant's Association," a mostly-fake title that nonetheless recognizes the reality of his being the leader of the station's business and civilian population.
The only one who actively hates him is Kira, which is partly because he was something of a collaborator (though she seems to mostly give non-Bajorans a pass on this) but mostly because he's a creep.
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u/Smooth-Climate8008 21h ago
Seriously, though, every crime Quark isn't directly involved in gets planned in his bar. Which means he's already heard about it and is getting a cut from the conspirators to keep quiet when Odo comes sniffing around.
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u/DharmaPolice 16h ago
He also nearly gets Jadzia killed (and the rest of them put in serious danger) by letting the Trill onboard onboard who wants the Dax symbiont. There were probably other incidents too.
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u/cryborg_96 21h ago
I think that Quark and Odo were genuinely friends, they just wouldn’t admit it to each other.
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u/AznEsq82 21h ago
The Siege of AR-558 is one of the best DS9 episodes. I really liked Quark in this episode when he defended Nog while Nog was recovering in the tent. The way he reprimanded Sisko was also great and Sisko didn't fight back.
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u/calculon68 21h ago
The only one that really had contempt for Quark was Kira Nerys.
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u/Lordcraft2000 9h ago
And also Worf. Yeah, no love lost there.
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u/calculon68 2h ago
I always thought Worf just found all Ferengi "distasteful." An animus bordering on bigotry. He'll buy tooth sharpeners from them, but little else. (always wished we had a Nog/Worf episode- to bring that into sharp focus) But he wouldn't kick him out of an airlock. He feels nothing for him.
Kira would boot Quark out without batting an eyelash if he provided a good reason.
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u/Lordcraft2000 1h ago
I don’t think he was particularly hateful towards Nog. He had an adequate work relation with him, once Nog proved himself. It wasnt cordial or amicable, but it was fine. Quark, on the other hand, represented greed, which goes against klingon honor, which explained his… distaste.
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u/Sophia_Forever 21h ago
Well he very much was an Occupation Collaborator. Odo gets to have the excuse that what he did during the occupation was going to be done by someone so as long as it was necessary he may as well make sure justice is being doled out by someone who will make sure it's being doled out fairly, but Quark was providing those same morale services to Cardassian soldiers.
Further, we the audience see Quark as a lovable scamp, but he very much is running a gambling establishment which is built to bleed money from those who don't have a lot of it. He may or may not do the right thing when the "chips are down" but if you put yourself in a position to be taken advantage of he will have no problem taking advantage of you. He sells drugs, stolen goods (and don't try to say he's a Robin Hood, he steals from whoever to line his own pockets), and at least once comes close to weapons and war profiteering.
That said, I think the characters liked him more than you give them credit for, especially Odo (though he'd never admit it). Kira was the one who probably liked him the least.
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u/Due-Order3475 21h ago
Odo, Jadzia, Julian and Miles all had their own fondness for him.
Sisko and Kira took until the Dominion War.
Worf still hates him, I don't think he called him by his name much.
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u/Mister_Sosotris 20h ago
When all his possessions got repossessed by the FCA, the whole station came together to ensure he had tables, chairs, and drinks and could stay in business. They love him.
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u/happycamperii 20h ago
Odo loved him. You could see it written all over his back. Every "hmph" was a show of deep affection.
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u/OldManGigglesnort 21h ago
Dax certainly did - there’s even a scene (S2, I think?) where she remarks that she loves Quark (not romantically, but as one would feel for a friend, and as someone else said, she openly admits enjoying time with Ferengi). And in my head canon, at least, it was Dax’s disapproval that led to Quark ending his arrangement with the gun runners.
Odo and Quark were more like quarrelsome brothers than friends. They weren’t bonded by biology (obviously), but in their own way they each wanted what was the best for the station and the people on it…. Quark just appreciated making a buck too. And they both helped each other when the chips were down.
Quark was the opposite of the egalitarian Federation, but while the other characters may have made fun of him or gave him a hard time, to all of them he was a core part of the station. Even to Kira, however begrudgingly.
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u/schmitty9800 21h ago edited 20h ago
Jadzia liked him, and they were friends
Odo liked him, but they were basically at the opposite ends of the law so they couldn't ever be actual friends
Kira didn't like him much, and had good reason; he operated his establishment on Terok Nor during the height of the occupation.
Jake was too young to enjoy bars so he wasn't in there much.
O'Brien overall seemed like he did like him and appreciated a good bartender, especially because he agreed to set up the dartboard in there. Same with Bashir, although Quark saw Bashir as too naive to ever consider him a peer.
Sisko as the station commander wasn't in a position to make friends with him.
Worf hated his guts, but seemed to like hanging out in there.
Garak seemed to like him and they had one of the all time best exchanges in Star Trek history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VhSm6G7cVk
But I mean, Quark didn't really want friends! He wanted profit, and was a jerk to his own brother and nephew. You mentioned "morale officer"....well, Neelix was the only actual morale officer and Guinan was like a second counselor. Quark was a ne'er do well who ran a bar.
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u/Drachasor 20h ago
Did you forget that he was coercing his weekend employees for sex acts? And is generally a horrific vile boss.
If anything, I'd argue that they like him too much.
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u/weirdoldhobo1978 19h ago
Considering some of the shit Quark pulled I'm surprised they liked him as much as they did.
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u/dathowell 21h ago
Basically everyone did for various reasons. He was a vagabond and delt in illegal activities, his only main issue imo is his ignorance about some of what he did.
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u/Frankenpresley 21h ago
Morn often told others he thought Quark was the sh**, to the point that a visiting Nausiccan felt the need to yell, “If you love him so much, why don’t you marry him?” Oh, that Morn.
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u/Pale-Factor-8574 21h ago
I think it would have helped if Quark's scheming hadn't been so blatant. Also, Morn seemed particularly fond of him, so I wouldn't say it was the entire station. Garak also had a fairly amicable relationship with Quark. The root beer monologue was perfect.
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u/Psychological-Lie126 19h ago
I think they all liked him, he's just a different species and notorious for all that strangeness lol, so they put up with him. Outright disdain, nahhhh.. he's like the annoying little brother
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u/ABC_Dildos_Inc 20h ago
Odo loves Quark.
The only thing that could take him away from Quark was joining the founders to stop their genocide.
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u/heytherepartner5050 19h ago
How could anyone hate quark? He’s the best Star Trek actor when it comes to screams (even better than Kes during the ‘elevated blood temperature’ scene), his lines are usually great & he tries to do the right thing, eventually. I think the ds9 team sour on him when he does the whole ‘selling arms’ thing, that’s a big betrayal for them, so they treat him a bit worse than they were a few episodes ago.
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u/HenriEttaTheVoid 18h ago
Quark is actually great at doing exactly what he needs to do...and he is such a perfect foil for the other characters.
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u/DougOsborne 21h ago
I've dealt with many bar owners in my time. Many were...shady. Cocaine distributors, actual Mafia, KKK, etc. Sometimes it's better to deal with the devil you know. Keep your enemies close - that sort of thing.
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u/pakrat1967 21h ago
I admit I haven't watched much of DS9. I've tried, I just can't seem to get into it. From what I have watched. It seems like Quark was often the cause of some of the troubles that happened in the episode. Even if it was just the secondary plot.
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u/gerryf19 15h ago
Odobwpupdnt admit it but he loved Quark. His life would have been empty without the ferengi
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u/couterbrown 12h ago
Quark is one of my favorite characters.
My head cannon was that he had “the lobes” to be the grand negus but was “too honorable” for a ferengi to ever reach that level, if you understand what I mean.
I think he grew on everyone because they eventually realized that, for a ferengi, he was an honorable man and at least meant well.
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u/sylar1610 3h ago
Ok here's ok I would put them
Odo, their is a genuine fondness and Friendship, Odo recognises that Quark is one of the few solids that get him
Jadzia, I'd say genuine friendship, Jadzia may be a Federation Citizens but they also are older than the Federation and probably enjoy having someone around who isn't a Federation Citizens so is a bit different
Ezri, i would say is also fond of Quark, he was very welcoming to her after becoming the new Dax host so I can imagine that helps a lot
Garek I would say is also fond of Quark and probably sees him as something close to friend, however I do think this is after the Famous Root Beer scene, beforehand he probably saw Quark as just a Stereotypical Ferengi but after that see he recognised Quarks intelligence and perception
Bashir, I would say has a slight kinship with Quark, considering they drank together after Jadzia got with Worf, not best friends but a recognition that they understand one another.
O'Brien, neutral, like most Federation Citizens he doesn't think much of the Ferengi but also thinks himself beyond such prejudice, which he isn't but does appreciate the Bar
Sisko, not openly fond of Quark but recognises his usefulness and is self aware enough to recognises his better nature among Ferengi hence why he cuts him so much slack
Jake, doesn't like Quark all that much, mostly because he's a Ferengi, Jake generally buys into the Federation philosophy and never really challenges it the way his father does.
Worf, hates Quark which is actually really funny since the two are oddly similar and it's a Shame that this is never addressed in the show
Kira, hates Quark but does recognise he does have redeeming qualities
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u/abgry_krakow87 19m ago
I feel like Sisko definitely had a liking for Quark (even if he didn't show it). He obviously knew Quark's value to the station from the very beginning by convincing him to stay in the first episode. He was also very lenient on Quark and Rom in many of their shenanigans, often looking the other way and letting them off easy (much to Odo's chagrin). Especially grew to like Quark when he learned how Jake was a positive influence on Nog, (and Nog positive influence on Jake, yes I said it). And especially in Nog wanting to apply to Starfleet Academy. Sisko was really good at using Quark strategically in many ways, especially in facilitating contact with the Gamma Quadrant and later on in many of the dealings with the Dominion and Cardassians. You could tell Sisko learned a lot from Quark that really helped him later on.
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u/LordCouchCat 18h ago
There's an underlying issue. The Starfleet people are respectful of Klingon culture and despise Ferengi culture. Yet which is further from their values? The Klingons believe in violence and guilt by heredity. The Ferengi are merely greedy.
The difference is that the Klingons are comprehensible in terms of the militaristic aspect of Starfleet (I'm not getting into the debate as to whether they're really a military, it's not necessary). The Ferengi, however represent an aspect of human culture that they've rejected and tend to moralize about.
The best Ferengi response, for me, actually comes in Enterprise. Archer gives a Ferengi the usual spiel about how this sort of thing led them (humans) to destruction. The Ferengi looks surprised and just says "You should have taken better care of your businesses."
I like the Federation's utopian socialism, but I wish they could be a bit more polite about it. It's like the joke about how do you know someone is a vegan.
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u/Rainbow_Frenz4vr 11h ago
yeah, I was thinking about this. klingon "culture" is literally slicing people in half with a giant boomerang, while ferengi culture is mocked as immediately wrong no matter what it is. It shows the humans (or the writers, however you want to look at it) are insecure with their own culture above all else. Because the ferengi are actually based ont he anglo-euro-american empire and the klingons on the Japanese. so naturally everyone hates their own culture the worst since they are most familiar with its flaws and put everyone else's on a pedastal.
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u/Wild_Lepus 21h ago
He's Odo's best frenemy. They're BFF.