History Series / Quark

* ActorAllusion The episode "Goodbye Polumbus" was a reference to ''Literature/GoodbyeColumbus'' which actor Richard Benjamin [Quark] played the lead

* FridayNightDeathSlot

'''Ficus''': Well, commander, there are three possibilities. Either they are the dreaded Gorgons, in which we'll probably all be killed, or they're the allies of the dreaded Gorgons-\\

'''Ficus''': -in which case we'll probably also be killed.\\

* GeekyTurnOn: Ficus is unaffected by the LotusEaterMachine in "Goodbye Polumbus", until he sees a beautiful woman in NerdGlasses with whom he can discuss EEqualsMCHammer. She gets ''extremely'' turned on by this, [[BeautifulAllAlong taking off her glasses and letting down her hair]] until she's on the verge of a {{Nerdgasm}}. Cut to her lying next to each Fiscus, [[SmokingHotSex puffing on a cigarette]]. And he hasn't even got to calculus.

* CanNotTellALie: Ficus

* EvilOverlord Zorgon the Malevolent, Most Vicious Gorgon Space Pirate and Half-Brother to the High Gorgon Himself
* EvilTwin The whole cast except for Ficus got them when they passed through a black hole, in a parody of the ''Series/{{Star Trek|the Original Series}}'' episodes "The Enemy Within" and "Mirror, Mirror"

* TheForce Parodied, along with ''StarWars'', in "May the Source Be With You."

* GenderBlenderName Gene/Jean both ''sound'' the same.

* LotusEaterMachine In "Goodbye Polumbus," the Gorgons' machine designed to drain the minds of brilliant scientists traps the crew in their own fantasies, in a parody of the ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'' episode "Shore Leave"
* MacGuffin In "All the Emperor's Quasi-Norms," Zorgon demands Quark tell him where "it" is. Quark, having no idea what "it" is, lies. We never find out exactly what "it" is, but Quark ends up with a worthless rock necklace.
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Princess Libido, daughter of Zorgon, who wants to marry Ficus.
* MeaningfulName Parodied - Ficus is a plant, Palindrome's first name is one, Gene/Jean has male and female chromosomes in their genes, Andy is an android, etc.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous In the pilot there was Interface, a four-armed alien woman who controlled communications between ships.

* SingleMindedTwins The Bettys often said the same thing at the same time.

* '''The Head''': The BadBoss crossed with a giant [[RubberForeheadAliens Rubber Forehead Alien]], Otto answered to him, and he frequently assigned Quark to bizarre jobs.

* GenderBlenderName Gene/Jean both ''sound'' the same

* FoodPills:

* CloningBlues The Bettys are both in love with Quark and don't know (or won’t say) which of them is the original .

* DeathTrap Zorgon ''loves'' these and Ficus ends one episode in one

----

* '''The Bettys''': The BridgeBunnies, navigators and pilots of the ship. One of them is a clone of the other, but neither one will admit which. Both of them lust after Quark. Notably played by a pair of Doublemint gum twins.
* '''Gene/Jean''': NumberTwo, with the twist that he's a "transmute," with both male and female chromosomes and both sets of hormones . Thus, as Gene, he's a {{Jerkass}}, but as Jean complete with a [[CrossDressingVoices female voice]] , she's a TechnicalPacifist.

Not a [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Ferengi bartender]], nor a [[UsefulNotes/QuantumPhysics subatomic particle]], nor a [[Franchise/RatchetAndClank galactic president]], but a 1970s sci-fi [[ParodyTropes parody]] of ''Franchise/StarTrek'' from ''Series/GetSmart'' co-creator Buck Henry. It was basically the US-version of ''Series/RedDwarf'', but with only [[TooGoodToLast eight episodes]].

* '''Gene/Jean''': NumberTwo, with the twist that he's a "transmute," with both male and female chromosomes (and both sets of hormones). Thus, as Gene, he's a {{Jerkass}}, but as Jean (complete with a [[CrossDressingVoices female voice]]), she's a TechnicalPacifist.

* ActorAllusion (the episode "Goodbye Polumbus" was a reference to ''Literature/GoodbyeColumbus'' which actor Richard Benjamin [Quark] played the lead)

* AIIsACrapshoot (in the last episode, their ship gets a new computer called Vanessa, while proceeds to turn crazy and try to kill them in a parody of ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' and the ''Series/{{Star Trek|the Original Series}}'' episode "The Ultimate Computer")
* AllHailTheGreatGodMickey: "My ancestors were from a tribe called 'the Americans'. Archeological digs in [california] indicate they worshipped, and were ruled by, a fully clothed, giant mouse."
* CaptainsLog (as a parody of ''Franchise/StarTrek'', Quark had one every few minutes, often LampshadeHanging whatever was happening)
* CloningBlues (the Bettys are both in love with Quark and don't know which is the original)
* CoolStarship (subverted: they travel on a ''garbage scow'')
* DeathTrap (Zorgon ''loves'' these and Ficus ends one episode in one)
* EvilOverlord (Zorgon the Malevolent, Most Vicious Gorgon Space Pirate and Half-Brother to the High Gorgon Himself)
* EvilTwin (the whole cast except for Ficus got them when they passed through a black hole, in a parody of the ''Series/{{Star Trek|the Original Series}}'' episodes "The Enemy Within" and "Mirror, Mirror")

* {{Fanservice}} (The Bettys)
* TheForce (parodied, along with ''StarWars'', in "May the Source Be With You.")

* GenderBlenderName (Gene/Jean both ''sound'' the same)
* LotusEaterMachine (in "Goodbye Polumbus," the Gorgons' machine designed to drain the minds of brilliant scientists traps the crew in their own fantasies, in a parody of the ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'' episode "Shore Leave")
* MacGuffin (in "All the Emperor's Quasi-Norms," Zorgon demands Quark tell him where "it" is. Quark, having no idea what "it" is, lies. We never find out exactly what "it" is, but Quark ends up with a worthless rock necklace.)
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter (Princess Libido, daughter of Zorgon, who wants to marry Ficus)
* MeaningfulName (parodied - Ficus is a plant, Palindrome's first name is one, Gene/Jean has male and female chromosomes in their genes, Andy is an android, etc.)
* MultiArmedAndDangerous (in the pilot there was Interface, a four-armed alien woman who controlled communications between ships)
* NegativeSpaceWedgie (couldn't avoid 'em as it parodied ''Franchise/StarTrek'')
* OvernightAgeUp (in a parody of the ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'' episode "The Deadly Years," Quark due to some AppliedPhlebotinum starts aging two years for every hour)
* [[OwMyBodyPart Oh My Aching Head]]: Dealing with Quark gave 'the Head' migraines 'the size of a super-nova!'
* PerpetualPoverty (when Palindrome and the Head have to send a [[ScienceMarchesOn telegram]] to Quark in the pilot, they end up spending the entire episode arguing about the cost of sending it and trying to reduce the number of words)

* PlanetOfHats (The Gorgons are all sort of a [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy proud warrior race]] that's evil, too. For example:

* {{Technobabble}} (satirizes it)

* TwinThreesomeFantasy (both Bettys love Captain Quark, but there's a stigma against sleeping with a clone, so since he never knew which one was a clone, he couldn't sleep with either)
* ScienceMarchesOn (see above, re: sending a telegram. In the 23rd century.)

* SingleMindedTwins (the Bettys often said the same thing at the same time)
* SmallAnnoyingCreature (Ergo, Quark's pet, a one-eyed blob)

* SplitPersonality (Gene/Jean)
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Ficus wasn't in the pilot - a Dr. O.B. Mudd, a crotchety one-eyed man, was. He was never seen or mentioned afterwards, though.

'''Leader of the Spartans''': ''(pause)'' Just give us a few minutes to move our things out of the palace.
* TheUnintelligible (Dink spoke only with xylophone beeps)
* TinCanRobot (Andy)

----

Not a [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Ferengi bartender]], nor a [[UsefulNotes/QuantumPhysics subatomic particle]], but a 1970s sci-fi [[ParodyTropes parody]] of ''Franchise/StarTrek'' from ''Series/GetSmart'' co-creator Buck Henry. It was basically the US-version of ''Series/RedDwarf'', but with only [[TooGoodToLast eight episodes]].