Star Trek: What Happened to Quark After Deep Space 9?

There is no greater success story in Star Trek than the story of Quark, the Ferengi. Deep Space Nine struggled to garner the same popularity that The Next Generation and even Voyager achieved, which might be why so few of its characters have gone on to appear in other Star Trek projects. Star Trek: Picard revealed what Worf had been up to since he left Deep Space Nine, but fans have been left in the dark with every other character.

The most memorable character on Deep Space Nine was the charismatic and humorous Quark. While The Next Generation portrayed the Ferengi as villainous characters, Quark went on to show fans that they were more than that. Next to Captain Sisko, who disappeared into a wormhole, the one character fans want to see again is the Ferengi entrepreneur. So, what happened to Quark after Deep Space Nine rolled its last credits? Luckily, Star Trek: Lower Decks made a point of answering that.

What Happens to Quark After Deep Space 9?

After the Dominion War, many of the characters from the Deep Space Nine space station went different ways. Worf left to be a diplomat, Captain Sisko joined the Prophets in the wormhole, Nog went off to do Starfleet things, and Odo joined his people in the Great Link. Quark was one of the few who stayed on the space station to do what he did the entire series: he ran his bar. Not only did he run his bar, but Quark found mountains of success shortly after the Dominion War.

Thanks to some new technology that Quark acquired, dubbed the “Quark 2000,” he’s able to replicate food and drinks that taste significantly better than the average, run-of-the-mill replicator items. This technology allowed him to franchise Quark’s Bar and expand beyond the borders of the Cardassian-designed space station onto planets throughout the Alpha Quadrant. He’s no longer considered a simple entrepreneur. Instead, he’s a mogul, and is referred to as Mr. Quark of Ferenginar.

Who is Quark?

Deep Space Nine did a marvelous job putting the Ferengi front and center throughout the series, expanding on their culture and lifestyle. Quark easily became the most popular Ferengi in the Star Trek franchise. This was no easy feat when competing against the likes of his brother Rom, who became the Grand Nagus by the end of the series, or his nephew Nog, who was the first Ferengi to join Starfleet’s ranks. Quark was a criminal, yet not evil, entrepreneur on Deep Space Nine who only wanted to live in peace with the pitiful profits from his bar. Or, as Quark’s actor Armin Shimerman told ComicBook.com:

There’s a reason why Quark is still on Deep Space 9, because he is the soul of the station.

Quark might have been all about business on the surface, but he was more than that. He had complicated relationships with every character on the space station. With Odo, he had a kind of brotherly love that others on the station couldn’t see. There was a romantic interest in the Dax characters, despite Quark knowing they would never abide by Ferengi customs. And despite nickel-and-diming his brother every chance he got, Quark looked out for Rom in only a way that a brother could.

Does Quark Appear in Other Star Trek Series?

A third-season episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks, “Hear All, Trust Nothing,” returns to the Deep Space Nine station, showing fans what the Ferengi entrepreneur had been up to since the end of the Dominion War. Lower Decks shows that Quark was able to create the Quark 2000 because he used stolen technology from the Gamma Quadrant aliens, the Karemma. Quark had business dealings with them during Deep Space Nine. Once the Karemma found out Quark’s little secret, they arrested him and attempted to bring him back to the Gamma Quadrant for trial.

Colonel Kira Nerys, who also appeared in the episode, compromised with the Karemma and forced Quark to fork over 70% of his profits to them as compensation for using their technology. Despite this little setback, Quark still managed to turn a profit, evidenced in a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it moment in Picard. When Picard and his ragtag team of misfits visit Freecloud, they enter an upscale Quark’s Bar to handle some business.

It’s a shame that Quark didn’t return to a major Star Trek project sooner, as there’s plenty to do with his character. He, alone, could support an entire series that explores his dealings and struggles to keep his business afloat. Deep Space Nine did an outstanding job exploring that. In fact, the Quark-focused episodes were some of the best in the series. They were filled with humor and philosophical quandaries, unlike any other episodes, thanks to the backward thinking of the Ferengi culture at the time. Quark was a likable character, despite always looking out for his best interests first. Shimerman said it best when he told ComicBook.com:

The Lower Decks episode starts with Quark appeasing some fans, getting the sort of things we do at conventions, getting pictures taken, signing autographs, and he does that. Yes, he does it for a fee, which is typical of Quark, but he’s still trying to cater to people’s wishes, which I think is at the core of Quark’s character.