Quark

Quark was a 24th century Ferengi and the eponymous proprietor of Quark's Bar, Grill, Gaming House and Holosuite Arcade on space station Deep Space 9 (previously known as Terok Nor); in 2369, he also served as Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance for a few days. He was a constant thorn in the side, sometimes adversary, sometimes confidante of station Security Chief Odo. Even though he engaged in numerous shady ventures, by Ferengi standards, Quark was a compassionate and generous man who proved his worth and loyalty to nearly all DS9 crew members throughout the years, gaining their well-earned respect. 
==Early history==
=== Childhood ===
Quark was born on Ferenginar to Keldar and Ishka; he had one younger brother, Rom. 
As children, Quark and Rom roomed together, much to his own and Rom's annoyance, particularly because, Quark used to "stay up late every night, plotting and scheming. And," Rom recalled years later to his brother, "when you think, you mumble. And if there's anything I can't stand, it's listening to you mumble." () 
Like all good Ferengi children, Quark idolized his father who tended to blame all his financial failures on his domineering wife. Quark himself grew up being teased by other children because his mother did not behave like other Ferengi females and, for example, wouldn't chew his food for him and she talked to strangers. Quark grew to resent his mother, while his brother Rom, always a more compassionate sort, tended to take her side and always seemed in her good graces. Quark complained once that while Rom got a latinum tooth sharpener, he had to make do with wooden chew sticks. ()
Ishka later recalled that when Quark was a lobeling, he used to be "such a miserable child." ()
===Leaving home===
Quark left his home quickly upon achieving the Age of Ascension in 2351, while Rom stayed on for ten more years. () His father advised him against leaving Ferenginar, noting that he could make a profit at home, but Quark ignored his advice, opting instead to follow the 75th Rule of Acquisition – "Home is where the heart is, but the stars are made of latinum" – and left Ferenginar. ()
When forced many years later to confront his mother over her illegal business dealings, Quark learned that his father's failures were due to his own failings as a businessman and that if it hadn't been for his mother's prudence and business sense, the family would have gone bankrupt a long time ago. Despite Keldar's shortcomings with respect to profits, Ishka nonetheless stood by him as he was a wonderful husband and father. 
Despite their mutual animosity, Ishka noted that Quark was very much like her, both personality-wise as well as with respect to having a keen eye for business, whereas Rom was more like his father: a goodhearted man without the "lobes" for business. ()
=== Early career ===
As a young man, and in accordance with the Ferengi By-Laws, section 105, subparagraph ten, Quark purchased an apprentice position with the District Sub-Nagus. True to the 33rd Rule of Acquisition, Quark "licked his [boss'] boots like you couldn't believe," and for his effort he was doted by the Sub-Nagus, becoming his "golden boy." While Quark earned himself away "on the high road to the top of the Ferengi business world." 
Unfortunately, he forgot the 112th Rule of Acquisition: "Never have with the boss's sister." Disgraced, Quark was fired and broke, and his world fell apart, later admitting "you only get one shot at the latinum stairway. If you miss it, you miss it." () 
During the mid-2350s, Quark served for eight years aboard a Ferengi freighter. A fact he shared with Odo when Odo was surprised to learn Quark knew how to operate transporter controls. Quark admitted that "I must have witnessed the procedure hundreds of times." () 
As the ship's cook, Quark commonly carried a disruptor pistol with him at all times, because (in Quark's words) "every member of the freighter's crew thought himself a food critic." () 
It was also during this period that Ferenginar was hit by the Great Monetary Collapse, where he was "hundreds of light years away", and during which time, he suffered great heartbreak "knowing that rampant inflation and currency devaluation were burning like wildfires through the lush financial landscapes of my home. It still depresses me even today. I remember thinking my accounts needed me, and there was nothing I could do. I felt so, so helpless." ()
One of Quark's early business ventures was a plot, where he, along with his cousin Barbo, sold defective warp drives to the Tarahongian government. Following the discovery, Barbo was betrayed by Quark to the authorities, and Barbo was left to rot behind the bars of a detention center while Quark kept all the profits. ()
In 2362, Quark and his business partner Fallit Kot together schemed to hijack a shipment of Romulan ale. Not entirely successful, Quark gave up Kot to the Romulans to avoid serving prison time, while Kot was arrested and sentenced to eight years in a Romulan prison. () 
The same year, Quark loaned his cousin an amount of latinum to start up a munitions consortium. Gaila promised Quark to pay him back in a shuttle should he become a success. ()
== Quark's Bar ==
=== Cardassian Occupation ===
Never able to fully recover from his failed apprenticeship, Quark's most lucrative opportunity came along around early 2363 when he became the proprietor and bartender of Quark's Bar, Grill, Gaming House and Holosuite Arcade – better known simply as "Quark's" – located on the Promenade of the Cardassian space station Terok Nor in orbit of Bajor. ()
Shortly after his arrival, Quark began selling food illegally to the Bajorans. () He later justified his actions, stating that "I ran a black market for anyone who could pay. Never exactly thought of myself as kind." That included adding a "little extra ginger tea" to a package he once gave Vaatrik Pallra. () It was also during this time he became romantically involved with Natima Lang, an agent of the Cardassian Communication Service. Taking advantage of her position, he stole her personal access codes to steal money from the Cardassian government. () He also had good "business" relations with a Cardassian Military officer named Boheeka whose career Quark accidentally ruined. () 
In 2364, Morn walked into the bar and sat down at Quark's bar for the very first time. Though Quark thought that "he was just another customer passing through," years later, he reminisced that "Little did I know he'd become such an important figure in my life," as he "was always someone we could count on for a cheerful smile and an entertaining story." ()
In 2365, Kira Nerys, a member of the Bajoran underground, paid Quark to cover her with an alibi. While Odo was investigating Vaatrik's murder, he entered Quark's. Despite trying to be casual and discreet, he was unable to hide his role and connection to Dukat. Asked about Kira, Quark insinuated that she was performing a sexual favor for him as an added "incentive" for him to hire her. Odo however knew more about Kira and realized that Quark was lying. Years later, when confronted with the truth, Quark admitted that Kira paid him to provide her with an alibi. ()
In 2366, Quark picked three Bajoran laborers to work at his bar, offering "Twelve hours of work, two five-minute breaks, one slip of latinum each." ()
The same year, Quark was visited by Livara, a known smuggler and Romulan spy who posed as the captain of a Talavian freighter, who started to work in the Cardassian occupied Bajoran sector. Quark was uneasy about the prospect of Livara's co-conspirators being brought in for "questioning", since Livara had offered to sell Quark maraji crystals. ()
=== Federation-control ===
Quark was considering closing his bar and leaving the station following the departure of the Cardassians and the station's occupation by the Federation. However, the station's new commander, Benjamin Sisko, coerced him into staying and keeping his bar establishment open, essentially blackmailing him with the fact that his nephew, Nog, was incarcerated aboard the station at that time. ()
He later became involved with Rao Vantika who had taken over Bashir's body in a smuggling operation. ()
Quark helped Verad and his cohorts to board the station illegally because he thought he was buying contraband goods. In reality, Verad wished to steal the symbiont, with Quark helping the crew stop Verad and thus saving Jadzia's life by faking an injury so that he could be taken to sickbay and allow Bashir to immobilize one of Verad's team, subsequently releasing Odo from the container he'd been trapped in. Quark also ran a crooked racquetball game between O'Brien and Bashir to steal customers from a rival bar. He tried to make a sexual holoprogram of Kira without her permission in order to sell it to one of his best customers, named Tiron. This plan was foiled when Kira substituted Quark's head onto the image of her body. Quark also tried to cheat the Wadi, the first race that made contact from the Gamma Quadrant. When they visited his bar, he cheated them at dabo. When the Wadi found out, they made Quark play the Wadi game chula with some of the station's personnel used as game pieces. Quark believed that it was a life-and-death game, but in the end, it turned out to be harmless. () 
In 2369, Quark became involved with Vash. She had returned from the Gamma Quadrant where she had spent time with Q. He arranged an auction to sell off some of the items she brought back with her. One of the items was a crystal that caused a gravimetric power drain on the station. It was beamed out into space before it destroyed the station. ()
Also in 2369, Quark became Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance after the apparent retirement of Grand Nagus Zek. Unfortunately for him, this was only a temporary position, as Zek had faked his death to test his son Krax. ()
When Quark's former business partner Fallit Kot returned to the station in 2370, he attempted to kill Quark but instead entered into a business deal with him. The deal turned bad when Fallit Kot killed one of the partners and kidnapped Melora Pazlar and Jadzia Dax, holding them as hostages. () 
When Major Kira asked Quark to hire the Bajoran musician Varani in the hope that Varani's music would help her people recuperate in the wake of the Cardassian Occupation, profits declined sharply. Mesmerized by Varani's beautiful playing, the customers in Quark's Bar stopped gambling, eating, and drinking as they enjoyed the soothing melodies. Quark panicked and got hold of Kira as soon as possible; although she made him keep his promise to hire Varani for a full month, Kira asked the man to play something livelier, which met with Quark's approval. ()
That same year, the Skrreea refugees came aboard Deep Space 9 in droves, which Quark found thoroughly distasteful. On top of not buying anything, the former residents of the Gamma Quadrant flaked and left dead skin all over his bar; tensions came to a head when his nephew Nog provoked a Skrreean boy into a fight. Quark was more than happy to see the Skrreea leave the station several days later. ()
This year also marked Quark's first trade negotiation with the Dominion, when he was designated as Zek's chief negotiator in talks with the Dosi. With the help of , a female Ferengi disguised as a male, he tried to buy wine from the Dosi. At the time, it was illegal for Ferengi females to do business, and Quark almost got into trouble with the Grand Nagus. He briefly became romantically involved with Pel. ()
Quark was almost murdered after he retrieved a list of collaborators from the station for a Bajoran woman named Pallra. This incident reopened a five-year-old murder case. ()
In 2370, Quark, via a communication from Deep Space 9 to the , provided Commander William T. Riker with the location of the Duras sisters, Lursa and B'Etor. While communicating with Riker, Quark voided his winnings from playing dabo at his bar. ()
Not only was Quark the first to deal with the Dominion via the wine sale with the Dosi, but he, along with Benjamin Sisko, was one of the first to meet the soldiers of the Dominion. During a camping trip in the Gamma Quadrant, he and Sisko were captured by the Jem'Hadar. They were rescued along with an alien named Eris. After returning to the station, it was Quark who found out that Eris, a Vorta, was an agent of the Dominion (albeit because he had been studying a device that she claimed had been blocking her telekinetic abilities in the hopes of duplicating and selling it only to determine that the device didn't do anything). () Quark also tried to con Ensign Harry Kim into buying worthless Lobi crystals when he visited Quark's in 2371 - nearly blackmailing him into buying the entire set by threatening diplomatic consequences when the ensign mentioned having been warned about Ferengi as a Starfleet Academy cadet - but Kim was saved from his scam by Tom Paris, who, once the two were out of earshot, expressed surprise that Kim had apparently failed to heed the warnings about Ferengi issued at the Academy. ()
Quark had many dealings with Grand Nagus Zek and Brunt, the Ferengi Commerce Authority's chief liquidator. Quark helped Zek regain his senses after he was affected by the Prophets and re-wrote the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition. The new rules were in direct contrast to the old ones that emphasized greed. Quark was able to convince the Prophets to change Zek back. Later that year, he met Brunt, who was investigating Ishka, Quark's mother, who violated Ferengi law by earning profit. Quark got his mother out of trouble when she agreed to give back the profits, or so Quark and Brunt thought, for she kept two-thirds. ()
He later helped disarm a Jem'Hadar torpedo that was stuck in the hull of the , saving the ship from destruction. ()
Brunt showed up to make Quark's life miserable in 2372 when Quark's employees, led by Rom, formed a labor union. The employees refused to dissolve the union even after Brunt threatened them. As a result, Brunt had his Nausicaan thugs beat Quark to show the employees what could happen to them. Quark secretly conceded to the demands of the workers and they in turn dissolved the union. Later that year, Quark was told he had a fatal illness. He auctioned off his body parts to the highest bidder, not knowing that it was Brunt. When he found out that it was a mistake and he did not have the illness, Brunt still insisted that he keep the contract by killing himself or Brunt would revoke Quark's business license for breaking the contract and a supreme Ferengi law and he would not be allowed to earn profits. Quark ultimately broke the contract and Brunt confiscated everything in his bar. Quark was able to reopen with the help of his friends on the station. ()
In return for restoring his license, Quark tried to break up his mother and Zek, who had fallen in love. He later learned that Zek was becoming forgetful, and Ishka had been helping him. Brunt wanted the relationship over with so that Zek could not function, and Brunt could become Nagus. Once again, Quark foiled Brunt's grab at power, but he kept his license. In 2374, Brunt again tried to become Nagus. He had Zek deposed because Zek was promoting female rights. Quark was surgically altered to temporarily become female and as Lumba, she convinced Nilva, one of the most influential Ferengi, to support Zek, and was returned to power. ()
As the resident bartender, Quark concocted new beverages from time to time. One of his less successful creations was "Quarktajino", a self-named decaffeinated version of raktajino. He created the drink at the request of Chief O'Brien, who wanted Major Kira to stop drinking caffeinated beverages while she carried his child. Both the chief and the major thought the drink tasted horrible, and O'Brien refused to pay for it. ()
Quark, his brother Rom, and his nephew Nog were once transported in time to Earth of 1947. This became known in Earth history as the Roswell Incident. ()
Quark became involved with an arms dealer named Hagath when his cousin offered him a job with Hagath when Gaila retired from the business. Although Quark's new role helped him cope with his recent financial issues, he eventually helped break up the arms ring when he was horrified to realize that money was being made by people's deaths, coupled with the realization that he had lost many of his allies among the station's crew due to their disgust at his new role. Quark risked his life to intentionally sabotage an arms deal for the Regent of Palamar, which ended up getting him killed, thereby saving approximately 28 million lives. ()
Quark also visited the mirror universe. His there had been killed by the Alliance. He and Rom were able to rescue the Nagus from the Alliance and help the rebels capture the leader of the Alliance. ()
At some point, Quark became acquainted with Beckett Mariner, a Starfleet officer who served aboard Deep Space 9, where she acquired a sizable debt with the Ferengi's establishment that equated to a "stack on latinum". Unbeknownst to Quark, however, Beckett eventually acquired a chip containing a copy of a "hologram with his head on Kira's body" that Kira Nerys had altered to Quark's embarrassment, all copies of which Quark believed he had deleted in 2373. The two continued their acquaintanceship during the Dominion War, where both collected their share of "war stories". ()
==== Dominion War ====
After the Dominion captured Deep Space 9, Quark remained on the station and continued to run the bar, pleased at the flow of income that the Dominion occupation of DS9 had brought his business. When Kira challenged him on this point, Quark, showing a rarely seen softer side to his personality, responded honestly that he missed the Starfleet personnel just like she did but, at least the Dominion occupation was nowhere near as brutal as the previous Cardassian occupation had been. Quark was instrumental in turning the tide against the Dominion. Quark cunningly obtained secret information from Damar by sharing a bottle of Kanar with him. Quark learned that Damar was bringing down the minefield. He also discovered how and when it was coming down, which he quickly informed the Deep Space 9 resistance cell.
It was Quark who suggested they get a message out to Starfleet. Together, they figured out a way to get a secret message to Captain Sisko by using Morn as the carrier. Sisko then formulated Operation Return, thereby saving the Alpha Quadrant. ()
He also aided in helping the Defiant retake the station, when he freed Kira and Rom from the holding cells during the attack and they were able to deactivate the weapons on the station. ()
Later, he led a group of Ferengi in rescuing Ishka from the Dominion, for an exchange at Empok Nor. ()
Quark got involved with Morn's former associates, thinking Morn was dead, and went looking for the latinum they had stolen in a heist with Morn. He also participated on Sisko's baseball team when they played against Sisko's Vulcan in the holosuite. ()
He later accompanied Worf on a mission to destroy the Dominion shipyards so that Jadzia could enter Sto-vo-kor. ()
Quark's moment of truth came in 2375 during the siege of AR-558. During a savage Jem'Hadar attack, he saved Nog, who was wounded, by killing a Jem'Hadar who had entered into the infirmary. ()
Later that year, Quark was visited by Grand Nagus Zek on Deep Space 9, thinking he would be named his successor. Instead, Rom became Nagus. ()
At the end of the war, he remained on the station. Colonel Kira, who assumed command, told Quark she would watch his every move. Quark stated that the more things change, the more they stay the same. ()
=== Later life ===
By 2380, Quark had diversified into working model kits of Starfleet ships and installations. On the top of the box, the packaging featured 'QUARK' on the top left corner, the 'A' replaced with a simplified Starfleet insignia, and an "Authentic Kit" claimer on the bottom left corner, along with the Starfleet insignia. One kit available was the with parts to create functional lights, a computer system (with verbal output), phaser banks, and warp nacelles capable of propulsion. These were powered by a miniature warp core that could be ejected and destroyed by a warp core breach; the nacelles were known to be hot to the touch after operation, as was the warp core. At least some of the ship's past and present crew were also included as miniatures at the time the kit was released, such as Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler. Another available kit was Deep Space 9, which included miniatures of both Ezri and Jadzia Dax. ()
By 2381, Quark had a franchise chain of his original bar called 'Quark's Bar', such as an establishment on Qualor II, another on Starbase 25 and had a total of 21 such franchises across the Alpha Quadrant at the time. In 2399 there was one on Freecloud. (; )
He also had a Quark's Express line of smaller establishments. As part of his growing renown, he had a gift shop added to his bar on DS9 that offered Quark memorabilia for sale. A system of 'Quark Bucks' could be used for the gift shop instead of gold-pressed latinum. ()
In 2381, a Karemma delegate came onboard Deep Space 9 with the intent of reopening post-war trade negotiations with the Federation. When it was discovered a brand-new replicator Quark used, the Quark 2000, used Karemma technology, the Karemma disabled both the station and the and captured Quark in the confusion. The Karemma were stopped by Ensign D'Vana Tendi, who unwittingly stowed away on their ship with fellow ensigns Sam Rutherford and Mesk. Upon learning that the Karemma intended to arrest Quark for his theft, Captain Carol Freeman negotiated for Quark's freedom in exchange for 76% of all his franchises' profits, a deal everyone was happy with, except for Quark. ()
In 2399, Cristóbal Rios' fabricated interfacer legend also contained a reference from Quark – referred to as "Mr. Quark of Ferenginar", according to which Rios had helped him in some trouble with the Breen to Quark's satisfaction. According to Rios, it had been quite a foofaraw. ()
In 2401, Quark was identified as a known associate of the Ferengi Sneed in his Starfleet Criminal Record. ()
According to an extremely unreliable, unverified and likely fictitious account, on the bridge of the ; when a Post Mainframe Acid-Cardassian Ten Forwardcore band was playing a song, Quark was shown in a playback on the main viewer that showed him holding a key chain with a heart shape on it. ()
== Values ==
While being a typical Ferengi who zealously adheres to the Rules of Acquisition, Quark is more intelligent and crafty than many of his race in addition to being an extremely irritable and cynical individual, especially when comes to his complicated relationships with his family. Unlike his mother, Ishka, brother Rom, and nephew Nog, who fully embraced Federation values of equality and generosity, Quark saw himself as a bastion of traditional Ferengi business practices. He relished flouting the law, held his mother in contempt for daring to wear clothes and perform business deals, and was a firm believer in the fundamental law of Ferengi culture: once you have their money, you never give it back. He threatened to dock his brother's pay when he nearly died of an ear infection. ()
He particularly loathed the Federation, which he expressed in his hatred for root beer, a cloying, bubbly, sickly sweet force bent on corrupting the core of Ferengi culture. ()
Nonetheless, by Ferengi standards, Quark was a compassionate and generous man who was occasionally open to business deals with highly favorable terms even up to being willing to sell needed supplies at cost to parties in difficult circumstances. () Quark also negotiated and gave into many of the demands of the union formed by his brother Rom at his bar. () This behavior was considered anathema to the Ferengi authorities, especially to Brunt, an agent of the Ferengi Commerce Authority who persecuted Quark numerous times and inflicted severe punishments on him for his deviance. His time in destitution and the aid offered him by his Starfleet friends, made Quark realize the nature of his conscience and the value of friendship. ()
== Personal relationships ==
=== Friendships ===
==== Morn ====
Morn was perhaps Quark's oldest friend and patron. Morn first entered Quark's in 2364 during the Occupation. When he first saw him, he thought he was just another customer, but Quark didn't realize how important he'd be. In many ways, Morn was a mascot for the bar, and sales often dipped when he was away on business trips, prompting Quark to buy a holographic representation of the barfly. Morn thought highly of Quark and named him his sole heir (at least when he faked his death). When Quark first met Morn, he had a full head of hair, but after the Lissepian Mother's Day Heist, Morn lost his hair because he stored his latinum in his second stomach. Quark did obtain a hair growth formula for his patron but was skeptical of his desire to grow his hair back. Morn was known for being quite chatty, which occasionally annoyed Quark. There was one minor hiccup in their relationship: Quark repeated a rumor that the Dominion was planning to attack the station, causing Morn to break a bar stool over his head and then run naked across the Promenade yelling "We're all doomed!" Then Morn ran into the Bajoran temple and prayed for deliverance. Quark trusted Morn enough to allow him to run the bar while he, Rom, and Nog took a trip to Earth. In an alternate timeline, Quark eventually sold his bar to Morn. ()
==== Jadzia Dax ====
Quark and Dax had a long-term friendship while together on the station. She understood and liked Ferengi. She spent long hours with Quark playing tongo and dabo. Quark often confided in Jadzia and asked her advice. Quark was infatuated with Jadzia, but she thought of him as a friend and did not return his romantic feelings. () When she was killed, Quark was extremely upset. He participated in attacking a Dominion shipyard to honor her and help her gain entrance to Sto-vo-kor. () The only major interruption in their friendship occurred when Quark became business partners with Gaila and Hagath in their arms dealing operation. Dax was utterly disgusted to discover that Quark participated in that industry and refused to even speak to him. However, once Quark managed to double-cross Hagath and Gaila and leave the business they resumed their friendship. ()
==== Ezri Dax ====
When Ezri Dax came aboard the station Quark was immediately attracted to her. However, he faced both Worf and Julian Bashir as rivals for her affection. He even attempted to enlist divine help in eliminating Bashir as a romantic rival. Quark's feelings were not totally unrequited, and Ezri maintained a friendly relationship with the Ferengi. ()
==== Kira Nerys ====
Kira Nerys had a cool relationship with Quark that was initially hostile based on her considering him to have "collaborated" with the Cardassians during the occupation of Bajor. () This antagonism was also influenced by the sexist attitude of Ferengi toward females. () She was not beyond taking advantage of his connections and unique skills, however, and even asked him to hack into the Vedek Assembly database on one occasion. ()
When Quark became aware of important information about how the Dominion would bring down the minefield, he decided to help Kira before Operation Return. Her attitude towards him further softened when he rescued her (as well as Rom, Leeta, and Jake) out of Terok Nor's holding cells. () This act influenced her to recommend the Federation aid him by providing a Vorta POW to exchange for his mother when she was taken hostage by the Dominion later that year. ()
It was thanks to Quark that Kira would come to her senses and realize the true nature of when he was planning to steal a Bajoran Orb. Specifically, Quark commented that he had noticed Bareil was spending a lot of time at the Bajoran shrine and that it looked to Quark as though Bareil were "casing" it to find the best way to break into it. ()
==== Julian Bashir ====
When Julian Bashir met Quark, they had little, if any, interaction. However, over time Quark and Bashir got on more friendly terms, which usually involved Quark offering Bashir a new holosuite program, which Bashir would occasionally deny. Although Quark was known to deal with illegal substances, he found it awkward to ask Bashir for bio-mimetic gel at the request of Altovar, and when Bashir refused, Quark apologized for interrupting his lunch with Garak. Another sign of the doctor and Ferengi's friendship was when Quark's business license was taken away, Bashir gave him some brandy to keep the bar running. ()
Other signs of friendship included the fact that Quark allowed Bashir to keep his dart board in his bar, where Bashir played darts with Chief Miles O'Brien. In addition, both become jealous of Jadzia and Worf's marriage, and even more jealous and upset after they announced that they wanted to have a baby. ()
After Jadzia died, both Quark and Bashir (and O'Brien) decided to help her get into Sto-Vo-Kor, to Worf's disapproval. ()
Quark later became increasingly jealous of Bashir and Ezri's blossoming friendship, going as far as to bribe his god to get Bashir off the station for a while so he could impress Ezri. ()
==== Jake Sisko ====
Quark was opposed to the fact that Jake and Nog became fast friends on the station. That said, as Jake grew, he learned to tolerate the boy. As Jake grew older, he could sometimes be found in Quark's, offering observations or giving the Ferengi some advice. Jake once attempted to use Quark for character research to better understand the criminal mind. ()
=== Romance ===
==== Natima Lang ====
Quark had had a one-month love affair with Natima Lang in 2363, which ended when he stole Cardassian Communication Service money using her access codes. She admired him for selling food to the Bajorans before she realized he was doing it just for profit. When she returned to the station with some of her students in 2370, Natima was still very upset at him for betraying her, but she eventually forgave him due to Quark's advances and they attempted to rekindle their relationship. Unfortunately, Lang was forced to leave Quark again to flee the Cardassian authorities with her students for being political dissenters. Even though he initially resisted the idea of losing her again, Quark reluctantly helped them escape by giving them a cloaking device to get them past a Cardassian warship. ()
==== Grilka ====
Quark had his next romantic fling with Grilka, a Klingon, whose husband Kozak, Quark had killed accidentally. In danger of losing her house and property, she kidnapped Quark and married him. D'Ghor, brother to Kozak, wanted to inherit his brother's property. Quark proved that D'Ghor was trying to bring down the House of Kozak by financial means. Grilka was given her house back, divorced Quark, and gave him a passionate kiss for his help. Two years later, Grilka returned to the station to ask Quark's help in the financial aspects of her house. They spent a great deal of time together – so much so that one of her bodyguards challenged Quark to combat. Using a special device, Worf was able to control Quark's body and help him win the combat. Grilka and Quark resumed their affair. ()
After the incident of exposing D'Ghor's crimes at considerable personal risk, Quark gained considerable respect in the Klingon community as a Ferengi of unusual bravery. ()
=== Adversaries ===
==== Odo ====
From the time they met aboard Terok Nor, Odo, and Quark were bitter adversaries. When Odo came to Quark's looking for the proprietor, the fact that Odo was asking questions related to a murder alerted Quark that this was the shapeshifter conducting an investigation for Gul Dukat. When Quark identified Odo as the one he heard could do a Cardassian neck trick – one that would be very popular at the bar – Odo was annoyed. In their initial meeting, it was obvious that the two would not get along. As time went on, Odo was the only person among the station's security force whose vigilance Quark did not believe he could overcome when conducting criminal activities, due in part to Odo's status as a Changeling. On one occasion during a dream sequence, Odo has the satisfaction of seeing Quark trapped in a security cell...and unable to get out!
Through the years, though, they gained mutual respect for each other. They enjoyed insulting each other, and Quark felt that Odo was the closest he could get to a best friend. Their relationship fluctuated as much as a love/hate one would. Quark was also one of the few people who suspected Odo's feelings toward Kira and encouraged him to reveal them to Kira. Quark was also one of the few people who believed that Odo was innocent when an old enemy of Odo's, Ibudan, was found murdered (). 
Quark engaged in numerous shady ventures that Constable Odo routinely interrupted. 
For instance, in 2369, Quark attempted to buy a stolen crystal through a pair of Miradorn, Ah-Kel, and Ro-Kel, but he was suspiciously honest and would not pursue the deal without a bill of sale. When Croden, a visitor from the Gamma Quadrant interrupted the transaction to steal the crystal, it was revealed that Odo had been posing as a glass and was in the room; though Quark went free due to his "legal" behavior, he had in fact hired Croden to steal the jewel. ()
In 2371, Odo caught Quark, along with Morn, attempting to stage a Vole fight, which was illegal on the station. () Despite incidents such as these, Odo let the Ferengi "get away" with a transaction now and then. ()
When they were both marooned on an inhospitable planet, they saved each other's lives and eventually were able to send out a distress call, saving them both. ()
As Odo left the station to join the Great Link, Quark found him to say goodbye. He stated that Odo loved him, which he probably did. Odo later admitted to Kira before entering the Great Link that he would miss everyone aboard DS9, even Quark. ()
==== Brunt ====
Quark's greatest rival was FCA Liquidator Brunt. Brunt almost seemed to delight in making Quark's life miserable. This included blackmailing Quark into trying to stop his mother's business activities and having Nausicaan goons physically assault Quark in retaliation for allowing a strike to linger. Perhaps Brunt's greatest "triumph" over Quark involved revoking his FCA business license for violating the terms of the contract that would have allowed Brunt to legally kill Quark. Because of Ishka's influence with Grand Nagus Zek, Brunt was terminated from his position as an FCA liquidator. When Brunt walked into the bar when Quark was preparing a rescue team to rescue Ishka, Brunt called them "a child, a moron, a failure, and a psychopath." He eventually rose to become acting Grand Nagus after a coup led by Zek's political enemies, but thanks to Quark soon lost his job. When Brunt believed that Quark was going to succeed Zek, he immediately attempted to get on Quark's good side and did his best to suck up to him. (, )
==== Benjamin Sisko ====
Benjamin Sisko was not especially fond of Quark, but he tolerated the Ferengi entrepreneur. Sisko essentially blackmailed Quark to remain on the station, threatening to send Nog to prison for an attempted break-in and theft of ore samples. In exchange for the boy's freedom, Quark agreed to become a community leader, and would not face any Starfleet interference if he ran fair games. () Sisko used Quark when he needed to, such as in making first contact with the Founders through the Karemma or in bribing Quark to drop assault charges against Grathon Tolar so that there would be no record of his presence on the station. ()
However, Sisko did not grant Quark a blank check and could punish Quark as he needed. For example, he threatened to collect back rent if Quark did not settle the strike crippling his bar. () Furthermore, when the Bajoran Provisional Government instructed Odo to drop arms dealing charges against Quark (presumably on the behest of Hagath), Sisko gave Quark a very stern warning that any minor infraction would be met with harsh punishment. Later, when he dressed down Quark's charges and accusations, Sisko was happy (deep down) that he severed all business ties with Hagath, and forgave the Ferengi. But he didn't let him go without punishment, citing that certain repairs in a cargo bay would have been substantial. When Quark offered to pay "in installments", Sisko agreed. ()
If it wasn't for Quark, Sisko would not be alive for the Federation's conflict against the Dominion, something for which even Sisko was grateful. Both the Ferengi and Sisko essentially uncovered the first Vorta encountered as a Dominion spy. ()
When Quark's business license was revoked, Sisko was kind enough to be among those who helped Quark reopen his bar. ()
==== Worf ====
In general, Quark was a "shade of gray" aboard the station, something to which Worf did not easily become accustomed. Just as Odo let Quark get away with things, Quark gave Odo tip-offs occasionally, if only because the Rules of Acquisition stated, "Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies." Worf, who was unaccustomed to Quark's nature, became frustrated that Odo did nothing while Quark was conducting a black-market deal with a Markalian criminal. The Klingon interrupted the deal to arrest them, only to find that the bag in which Quark had been holding his latinum was Odo, who had wanted to use Quark to infiltrate a larger smuggling ring and now had to settle for the middle-man due to Worf's interference. () 
In the words of Julian Bashir, Quark was not exactly Worf's "favorite person." Possibly stemming from Klingon prejudice about Ferengi, that they were dishonorable and obsessed with money, Worf tried to keep his contact with Quark to a minimum. A few run-ins occurred, such as when Quark modified the replicators on the Defiant to dispense Quark's theme merchandise. Worf was insulted when Jadzia Dax proposed to get married in Quark's Bar. Furthermore, Worf was not very happy when Quark attempted to join on Worf's quest to have Jadzia's soul sent to Sto-vo-kor. However, Worf did help Quark from time to time, such as teaching him about Klingon courtship rituals, and even apologized to Quark for acting rude to him. ()
=== Family ===
==== Rom ====
Quark loved his brother, but like a good Ferengi, treated him like a servant. Quark often swindled Rom out of his share of the profits. Rom's contract for Quark's Bar stated that everything that went wrong in the bar was Rom's fault. () Sometimes though, Quark would watch over Rom and take care of him. When Rom was arrested by the Dominion, Quark swore he would do whatever it took to save Rom from execution. () He made Rom his partner in many business adventures and provided latinum for Rom.
On Rom's naming day, Quark substituted Rom's presents with old vegetables and sold them for more than their father had paid for them. ()
Quark was pleased to find out that Rom had embezzled money from the Ferengi Benevolent Association and noted that their father Keldar would have been too. ()
Rom was a technical genius and progressed from Quark's servant to part of DS9's maintenance crew; on one occasion, when Quark found out Rom was a spy for the United Federation of Planets, his only comment was "The Federation must be really desperate!" ()
==== Nog ====
Nog was Quark's nephew, and as such he initially treated him similarly to Rom. When Starfleet first took over control of the station, Quark used Nog in an attempt to steal ore samples that the Cardassians left behind. () Quark was very much opposed to allowing Nog to have contact with the "hew-mons" on the station (especially his friendship with Jake Sisko), fearing that they were a corrupting influence on the boy. This further intensified when Nog decided to apply to Starfleet Academy, () even going so far as to attempt to sabotage one of Nog's entry examinations. () When Starfleet permanently posted Nog to Deep Space 9, Quark was not above expressing his disapproval of Nog's career choice. However, Quark also had no problem taking advantage of the boy either. For example, he once used the fact that Jake Sisko and Nog were taking a school field trip to the Gamma Quadrant to attempt to manipulate Benjamin Sisko. He did, however, genuinely care enough about him to the point of risking his life to protect him during a Jem'Hadar attack while on an expedition to resupply a Federation outpost during the Dominion War. ()
==== Ishka ====
Ishka was Quark's mother. She drove him crazy. She was not a typical Ferengi woman: she liked to earn profit, she wore clothes, and she became an adviser and lover of the Grand Nagus Zek. This caused Quark many problems, especially with Brunt. But Quark loved her very much and supported her with a generous stipend. In 2371, upon the discovery that Ishka was earning profit, he went to Ferenginar to get her to confess to her crimes so she would not be sold into indentured servitude and degrade Quark's reputation. He was successful, although she only admitted to having about a third of what she had earned. ()
==== Leeta ====
Leeta was Quark's Bajoran sister-in-law. Initially, they knew each other because Leeta worked as a dabo girl for Quark. Quark was skeptical of Leeta's professed attraction to his brother () and did not do much to help the couple get together, and actively attempted to dissuade Rom from marrying her. When the couple did tie the knot, Quark did not seem to believe that the marriage would last long. ()
==== Gaila ====
Gaila was Quark's cousin and a weapons trafficker. As a result of his highly risky business, he made much more profit than Quark did running a bar and was rich enough to afford his own moon (property that made Quark very jealous). For repayment of a loan that helped Gaila get started in the business he gave Quark a Ferengi shuttlecraft known as Quark's Treasure. However, Galia had hoped that the sabotage that he had done to it would kill Quark. Gaila allowed Quark to become involved in his weapons dealing with the known trafficker Hagath. However, Quark soon developed moral reservations about working in this industry and managed to double-cross Gaila and Hagath. The result was that General Nassuc dispatched a "Purification Squad" against the two. Gaila managed to escape them but was eventually arrested for vagrancy on Thalos VI. Quark paid his fine and the two became partners in Quark's rescue attempt of his mother. When he discovered that Quark was trying to cheat him out of reward money, Gaila attempted to kill Quark but instead killed the Ferengi's bargaining chip: the Vorta Keevan. ()
==== Others ====
* Father - Keldar (deceased)
* Grandfather - Adred
* Uncles
** Frin
** Gorad
** Pax
*Cousins
**Barbo
**
**Kono
**Stol
*In-law - Prinadora
==Alternate timelines==
*In a timeline in which Harry Kim was never assigned to the , Quark instead tried his Lobi crystal scam on Tom Paris - the much more intemperate Paris attacked him, was arrested by Odo, and was therefore still sitting in a holding cell when Voyager was thrown into the Delta Quadrant. ()
*In one alternate timeline, Quark abandoned Deep Space 9 when the Federation relinquished control of it to the Klingon Empire. He later bought a moon with Rom. Nog told Jake Sisko that Rom "stops it falling out of orbit." Morn stayed on Deep Space 9 and took over Quark's Bar in that timeline. ()
*Another alternate timeline took place on Gaia, where the crew of the crashed two hundred years in the past. Jadzia Dax programmed a simulation of Quark from the ship's security files to teach math to the children born there. Yedrin Dax noted "Quark was always good with numbers." ()
== Holograms ==
Quark was holographically duplicated on several occasions. 
*In 2372, during the strike of the employees of his bar Quark created several holographic versions of himself, although they did not function well. When Constable Odo came into the bar he thought one of the holographic waiters was Quark and was surprised when the program broke down and the tray with glasses it carried hit the ground. Quark told Odo that he bought this program from a Lissepian, who unfortunately forgot to inform him that certain energy sources can interfere with the imaging system. ()
*A hologram of Quark was used by Garak to show Quark which ways he could assassinate him when Quark was considering killing himself. Garak broke the neck and the hologram's head fell into a meal. Quark considered this method and then refused it. ()
*A holographic recreation of Quark was used by Luther Sloan of Section 31 in 2374 when Sloan tried to recruit Bashir into the organization. ()
*According to a malfunctioning holoprogram, Quark sold Garak a fake propaganda holo to get the Romulans into the Dominion War. He even gave him a key chain and half-price root beer floaties. ()
== Memorable quotes ==
"It's good to want things."
"Even things you can't have?"
"Especially things I can't have."
: - Quark and Odo ()
"The way I see it, Humans used to be a lot like Ferengi. Greedy, acquisitive, interested only in profit. We're a constant reminder of a part of your past you'd like to forget. [...] But you're overlooking something. Humans used to be a lot worse than the Ferengi. Slavery, concentration camps, interstellar wars. We have nothing in our past that approaches that kind of barbarism. You see? We're nothing like you. We're better."
: - Quark to Sisko ()
"Rom only has a son to think about. I have a business."
: - Quark trying to convince Sisko to take Quark's brother Rom instead of him on an away mission to look for the Dominion Founders ()
"I have a dream. A dream that one day all people, Human, Jem'Hadar, Ferengi, Cardassians, will stand together in peace around my dabo tables."
: - Quark ()
"I am Quark, son of Keldar, and I have come to answer the challenge of D'Ghor, son of whatever."
: - Quark ()
"Respect is good, but latinum's better."
: - Quark ()
"Of course it's your fault. Everything that goes wrong here is your fault. It says so in your contract."
: - Quark to Rom ()
"...this is my disruptor pistol. The one I used to carry in the old days when I was serving on that Ferengi freighter."
"I thought you were the ship's cook."
"That's right, and every member of that crew thought he was a food critic."
: - Quark and Odo ()
"I did expand my simple bar in 21 franchises across the Alpha Quadrant, and somehow, I remain humble."
:- Quark ()
"I thought you said your plan would make us both happy."
"Well, you're happier being poor than in prison, aren't you?"
"NO!!!"
:- Quark and Freeman ()
[When Rom tells Quark he is a Federation Spy against the Dominion]
"The Federation must be really desperate!."
:- Quark
== Appendices ==
=== Appearances ===
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=== Background information ===
====Character creation====
Quark was played by Armin Shimerman in all of his appearances.
The Joan Pearce Research Associates noted in their initial report on the names and terms used in the DS9 pilot script that the word "Quark" was coined by "to denote a theoretical particle." Gell-Mann borrowed the word from James Joyce's 1939 novel : "Three quarks for Muster Mark." (The Making of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
According to Michael Piller, one of the main inspirations for Quark's character was the bartender played by in the 1939 film , which also starred . (New Frontiers: The Story of Deep Space Nine, DS9 Season 2 DVD special features) Piller also once stated that "Quark was probably the most fun, the most easily definable character we had. We knew exactly the role he was going to play." (Crew Dossier: Quark, DS9 Season 6 DVD special features) 
The original, Writers' Bible for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine described the character thus:
:"Quark is the Ferengi bartender [....] Quark runs many of the entertainment concessions on DS9, including the bar, restaurant, gambling house, and the holo-suites upstairs where your every fantasy can be played out. He spends most of his time behind the bar. If there is some scam being run in the sector it often involves him. But beyond the malevolence, he is a charming host, in a Ferengi sort of way, and forges an interesting relationship with Sisko. They actually enjoy sparring together now and then. The Ferengi lends a hand to dissolve a problem for the commander – as long as there's something in it for him. His completely sexist attitude makes Kira an obvious adversary, and he is consumed with passion for Dax."
Armin Shimerman initially appeared as Quark in with the prosthetic nose designed for Max Grodénchik's Rom, as his nose was still being created. The prosthetic nose designed specially for Shimerman first appeared in . ()
Speaking in 1992, shortly after filming had begun on , Armin Shimerman said of Quark, "I get along with most of the occupants of the station fairly well, but the Federation has this problem with me; they think of me as repugnant, although I think of myself as charming, they think of me as reprehensible, although I know I have a code of ethics, but they need to deal with because I'm a leader of the community. I'm a capitalist. The Federation is in the process of maintaining peace and stability in this sector of space. I'm only interested in that as much as it can make a profit for me. If prosperity and stability are unprofitable, then I'm going to the Cardassians, who are waiting on the edge, ready to leap in and take over if the Federation should leave." (Quark's Story, DS9 Season 2 DVD special features)
====Character development====
Speaking in , shortly before filming finished on , Shimerman said of Quark, "He started out as a rather greedy, insidious Ferengi character, much like the Ferengi from Next Generation. And as he resided on Deep Space 9, with a small community and other cultures, primarily the Human culture and the Bajoran culture, he began to assimilate into their ways, and his behavior became more and more Human, more and more empathetic, more and more congenial, and that was the growing arc for Quark." (Quark's Story, DS9 Season 2 DVD special features)
Speaking in , Shimerman pointed out, "One of the great misunderstandings about Quark is that he was constantly cheating people of things and dealing in black market goods. This is absolutely true in the first two seasons. But the truth of the matter is, Quark became very domesticated after about the second season, and yet the characters on the show, and the audience, continued to believe he was always a scoundrel. I came to realize that after a time, he really wasn't stealing anymore. Yes, he was worried about his bottom line, but he was no longer actually doing nefarious things, he was no longer cheating, yet because he had started out that way, the characters in the show never really forgave him for a past life, a past life that he needed to do in order to survive under two oppressive regimes. Under the new regime, the regime of the Federation and the Bajorans, he became more domesticated and learned to take on the principles of the new society. And that's what happened over the seven years; he mellows out, and becomes more a part of the society he's living in, but it's the sort of subtle a normal Human being might go through if they found themselves surrounded by a new society." (Crew Dossier: Quark, DS9 Season 6 DVD special features)
Shimerman would have liked to have seen Quark marry, stating, "I wonder, having been married for 34 years, how marriage would have tamed Quark one way or another. It would also be fascinating to know what kind of woman my character would have fallen in love with. I tend to think, from his past relationships, he would like a sort of a woman who was her own person. A little bit domineering, intellectual, and quite beautiful and I guess I am describing all the elements of my true wife, Kitty, but I think I would like to see that for Quark as well." 
====Star Trek Insurrection====
A scene featuring Quark in was devised by Michael Piller and Rick Berman while Piller was writing the film's first draft script. He later recalled, "We thought the discovery of a fountain of youth would suggest all sorts of profitable possibilities to him." (Fade In: The Making of Star Trek Insurrection ) Armin Shimerman subsequently filmed Quark's cameo appearance for Star Trek: Insurrection, but his scenes were deleted before the film's release. Additionally, Quark was originally intended to make an appearance in , but due to the pilot for DS9 being scheduled to air weeks after that episode, Quark was rewritten as DaiMon . ()
====Trivia====
Quark's relationship with Odo is a clear homage to the classic 1942 Michael Curtiz film , with Quark in 's role of Rick Blaine and Odo as ' Captain Louis Renault.
Along with Q, Morn, and Evek, Quark is one of only four characters to appear in all of the first three Star Trek series based in the 24th century: , , and . Quark, Julian Bashir, Morn, Admiral Chekote, and Gul Evek are the only characters to appear in Deep Space Nine before appearing in The Next Generation. Quark is one of five characters to appear in two live-action episodes intended as series premieres.
===Apocrypha===
In the DS9 relaunch novels, Quark laments that his bar is likely going to have to close when Bajor joins the Federation and converts to the Federation's moneyless economy because it will put him out of business. Just as Quark prepares to close the bar down, he finds out that Rom has opened diplomatic relations between Ferenginar and Bajor, and that Rom has also arranged to have Quark's Bar be the official Ferengi Embassy to Bajor. This officially makes Quark the Ferengi Ambassador to Bajor and his bar sovereign Ferengi territory, allowing him to maintain it and still charge latinum for all his services.
In the novel The 34th Rule, Quark, Rom, and several Ferengi were interned at the Gallitep labor camp in 2372 when war was briefly declared between Ferenginar and Bajor. During their stay, they endured hideous treatment at the hands of the camp's insane warden, Colonel Mitra. After they escaped, Quark and Rom traveled to Ferenginar with Captain Sisko aboard the Defiant and successfully aided him in defusing the tense situation between the two worlds.
By the setting of Star Trek Online (2409/10), Quark appears to have become a successful businessman, as evidenced by the fact that he no longer runs his own bar and that a dabo hologram of Leeta is produced by Quark Enterprises (which could, in theory, be a business connected to Rom, as it was his wife being recreated by Quark). He makes his official appearance in the game with the release of the "Victory is Life" expansion in June 2018, voiced once more by Armin Shimerman, and once again appearing in his bar on DS9. Much like his cousin Gaila had at one point, Quark mentions he now owns his own moon and has debated turning his bar into a franchise, having "a Quark's in every quadrant." In the mission "Quark's Lucky Seven," a sequel of sorts to , Quark leads another commando team to reclaim the Sword of Kahless from the Iconians and ensures its delivery to his ex-wife Grilka (now married to Worf), as part of a plan to bring the Klingon Empire fully into the conflict with the Hur'q.
The alternate reality version of Quark appears in the Star Trek: Ongoing story arc The Q Gambit where he is a merchant hired by his old friend Julian Bashir to smuggle and Dr. off Bajor in cargo containers and get them back to the . Aboard Quark's ship, Spock and McCoy meet Kira Nerys, who makes plans to take a shuttle to the hidden base of the Free Federation Resistance and supply them when she asks Quark to wrap up the Reckoning Tablet and bring it aboard, but Quark reveals he will not be helping them. Opening the cargo bay doors to reveal Cardassian soldiers, he explains to them that the Dominion made him a better offer than the Resistance and won his loyalty.
===External links===
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