Summary

• Armin Shimerman found Quark's portrayal in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "The Homecoming" to be antithetical to his character's earlier peace-focused attitude.
• Quark's sense of greed is viewed as a moral obligation within Ferengi society, making him nuanced compared to typical stereotypes.
• Shimerman's insight challenges audiences to see Quark's actions from a Ferengi perspective, rather than judging based on human standards.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine actor Armin Shimerman says he hated playing Quark as an "ugly" character. In DS9 season 2, episode 1, "The Homecoming", a scene taking place in Quark's bar after hours sets the stage for the Ferengi bartender to be pulled into the episode's political plot. Quark divides a stack of gold-pressed latinum bars into a large portion for himself, and a smaller one for his brother Rom (Max Grodénchik), declaring, "One for you, six for me." The scene plays out as a not-quite comical moment, ostensibly designed to establish Quark's inherent greed, but something about it feels off.

The Ferengi are Star Trek's ultra-capitalists, hailing from a society built around the pursuit of profit, guided by the Rules of Acquisition as wisdom that good Ferengi should follow in order to be successful. Quark is a rigid adherent to Ferengi doctrine, so it makes sense for Quark to be proud of the bar's profits. Humans often find Ferengi customs to be insensitive, so Quark waves his bigger cut of the profits in Rom's face, to really show just how greedy Quark is by human standards. That should be perfectly in character for Quark, as a successful Ferengi entrepreneur. So why does Shimerman hate the scene?

Armin Shimerman Hated Playing Quark as a Stereotype on DS9

Quark is Inconsistent in "The Homecoming"

On The Delta Flyers podcast, Armin Shimerman joins Star Trek: Voyager's Robert Duncan McNeill and Garrett Wang for their coverage of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 1, "The Homecoming". As always, Shimerman offers valuable insights into his acting process as Quark, and zeroes in on the Ferengi's negative depiction in the payday scene. Particularly as it contrasts with Quark's attitude earlier in the same episode, when he quotes Ferengi Rule of Acquisition #76: "Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies." Read his quote below and listen to The Delta Flyers, starting at the 1:04:24 time stamp.

Armin Shimerman: "I hated this scene ... First of all, it has nothing to do with the themes of the episode. It's antithetical to the way Quark starts out in the episode, of declaring peace, of being somewhat of a Rick from Casablanca. All that sort of was there, and I loved going with that. This is just me being ugly. ... It hurts me, as Armin, to portray Quark that way. That's an old stereotype that I think has worn out by now."

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Made Quark a Different Kind of Ferengi

Quark Sees Acquisition as a Moral Obligation, Not Just a Personal Gain

Quark is abundantly moral by Ferengi standards.

Armin Shimerman changed the Ferengi in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, making Quark more nuanced than earlier Ferengi in Star Trek: The Next Generation, who were characterized by their stereotypical greed and pursuit of profit above all else. In The Delta Flyers, Shimerman points out that "the moral code of the Ferengi is acquisition," which explains that Quark's greed doesn't come from a place of malice, but a place of devotion. If acquisition is just the right thing to do in any given situation, then Quark is abundantly moral by Ferengi standards with his strict adherence to the laws of Ferengi society, and the Rules of Acquisition in particular.

Ferengi death rituals, first referenced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 1, episode 11, "The Nagus", involve selling the deceased's dessicated remains because there's comfort in turning tragedy into opportunity, not because the Ferengi value being crass.

Armin Shimerman's insight asks the audience to reconsider Quark from a different, less human-centric perspective. When Quark exploits Rom as an employee of the bar, it's because that results in more profit for the bar, so it's the right thing to do. It's not because Quark is a jerk. Making a grand show of his greater yield doesn't actually benefit Quark in any way, though, so Quark is just being mean to Rom for no reason. Quark isn't heartless, so it doesn't make sense, and Shimerman is right to hate the scene he calls "me being ugly," because it misses the point of Ferengi culture on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine entirely.

Source: The Delta Flyers, season 10, episode 1, "The Homecoming"

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is streaming on Paramount+.