Quark
Overview
Quark is an American science fiction situation comedy starring Richard Benjamin broadcast on NBC. The pilot first aired on May 7, 1977, and the series followed as a mid-season replacement in February 1978. The series was cancelled in April 1978. Quark was created by Buck Henry, co-creator of the spy spoof Get Smart.
The show was set on a United Galaxy Sanitation Patrol Cruiser, an interstellar garbage scow operating out of United Galaxies Space Station Perma One in the year 2226. Adam Quark, the main character, works to clean up trash in space by collecting "space baggies" with his trusted and highly unusual crew.
In its short run, Quark satirized such science fiction as Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Flash Gordon. Three of the episodes were direct satires of Star Trek episodes.
The series won one Emmy Award nomination, for costume designer Grady Hunt's work in the episode "All the Emperor's Quasi-Norms, Part 2".
The complete series was released on DVD on October 14, 2008.
Episodes
S01E02 May the Source Be with You
Perma One is in a state of emergency as Gorgon has created the ultimate weapon to defeat the United Galaxy. Quark is given the secret weapon (The Source) by Palindrome. Quark must believe completely in...
S01E03 The Old and the Beautiful
Expecting his usual garbage assignment, Quark is excited to hear that The Head has given an ""extended romantic interlude"" with Princess Carna of Kamamor. Troubles ensue when the crew encounters a stray space baggy carrying...
S01E04 The Good, the Bad and the Ficus
While on a routine mission, the ship is accidentally pulled into a black hole, which splits the crew into ""good"" and ""evil"" counterparts, with the exception of Ficus, who remains the same because ""there are...
S01E05 Goodbye Polumbus
Quark and his crew are sent on a suicidal mission to Polumbus to discover why no one has returned alive. Quark and his crew fall prey to their fantasies as part of a feindish plot...
S01E06 All the Emperor's Quasi-Norms (1)
On a typical mission Quark is captured by Zargon the Malevolent, who tries to learn from Quark what ""it"" is and where to find ""it"". Meanwhile, the Zargon's daughter, Princess Libido, has fallen in love...
S01E07 All the Emperor's Quasi-Norms (2)
Ficus sacrifices himself and marries Princess Libido to save his crew. Meanwhile, Quark and the Bettys are sent down to the planet to be eaten by a Lizigoth, but are saved by The Baron. Quark...
S01E08 Vanessa 38-24-36
For Holiday Number 11 Quark is given a new ship computer (Vanessa) by Palindrome, which will have complete control over the ship. Vanessa tries to destroy Quark and his crew to prove her superior to...
Cast
Richard Benjamin
Adam Quark
Tim Thomerson
Gene
Conrad Janis
Palindrome
Richard Kelton
Ficus Pandorata
Patricia Barnstable
Betty
Cyb Barnstable
Betty
Alan Caillou
The Head
Bobby Porter
Andy
