Quark (1977– )

The misadventures of an outer space garbage collector and his crew.

Creator:

Buck Henry

Stars:

Richard Benjamin, Tim Thomerson, Patricia Barnstable

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Richard Benjamin	...	Adam Quark (8 episodes, 1977-1978)
Tim Thomerson	...	Gene (8 episodes, 1977-1978)
Patricia Barnstable	...	Betty (8 episodes, 1977-1978)
Cyb Barnstable	...	Betty (8 episodes, 1977-1978)
Conrad Janis	...	Palindrome (8 episodes, 1977-1978)
Alan Caillou	...	The Head (8 episodes, 1977-1978)
Bobby Porter	...	Andy (8 episodes, 1977-1978)
Richard Kelton	...	Ficus (7 episodes, 1978)

Storyline

A spoof of Science Fiction films and television series, "Quark" chronicled the adventures of Adam Quark, captain of a United Galactic Sanitation Patrol ship. His cohorts included Gene/Jean, a "transmute" with male and female characteristics; a Vegeton (a highly-evolved plant-man) named Ficus; Andy the Android and Betty and Betty (who were always arguing over who was the clone of the other). Based at Space Station Perma One were Otto Palindrome and The Head. Though Quark was supposed to stick to his sanitization patrols, he and his crew often met adventure with such colorful space denizens as the evil High Gorgon (the Gorgons were the villains), Zoltar the Magnificent, and Zargon the Malevolent.

---

Plot Keywords:

outer space | clone | spoof | garbage | plant | 

---

Taglines:

May The Source Be With You.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

---

Details

Official Sites:

Fan page with message board

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 May 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

La escoba espacial

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Television, David Gerber Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (9 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Patricia Barnstable and Cyb Barnstable live in their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky and host one of the biggest celebrity-filled parties just prior to the running of the Kentucky Derby.

---

Connections

Referenced in Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Mork & Mindy' (2005)

User Reviews

Small comedy gem, seemingly forgotten

I was very sorry when "Quark" was taken off the air. The writing was brilliant, and ahead of its time. This is no wonder, with Buck Henry in charge. After all, Henry is the man that brought us "Get Smart", among others.

Richard Benjamin was very good as the idealistic galactic sanitation worker, Adam Quark, and Tim Thomerson, often seen as a heavy, was hilarious as "Gene/Jean", the male-female crewperson. Patricia and Cyb Barnstable carried on ably as the brainless blonds, Bettys I and II, arguing the question of which was the clone and which was the original. Bobby Porter as "Andy the Android", Conrad Janis as "Otto Palindrome", and Alan Caillou as "The Head" were very good in their roles. My favorite was Richard Kelton as "Ficus Panderata", the highly evolved plant man, a Vegaton. I would swear that his was the character in mind when they created the character of Data for Star Trek:TNG.

This show was witty, bright, and more than a bit sarcastic and cheesy. I have read in another comment that a winter storm that knocked out power in the Midwest was responsible for the demise of "Quark", but in my never-to-be-humble opinion, it was that the majority of viewers simply couldn't deal with the fact that it was so different from anything else on TV at that time.

Considering some of the stuff out on DVD today, I don't see why Rhino can't put "Quark" out for us, "Quark"'s small, loyal fan following.