Quark's Worst Crimes...

Quark committed multiple crimes throughout Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, from conning Ensign Harry Kim to selling weapons to a war criminal. Despite his criminal activities, Quark often found a way to redeem himself, either by fixing the situations he created or by bringing criminals to justice. While Quark's motivations may provide insight into his questionable ethics, they don't justify his reprehensible acts, though he always managed to avoid crossing the line into truly villainous behavior. Quark (Armin Shimerman) committed multiple felonies across seven seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and beyond, but some of these crimes were worse than others. A regular thorn in the side of Constable Odo (René Auberjonois), DS9's favorite Ferengi cheated, stole, and even risked lives from behind Quark's Bar. Despite Quark's many crimes during Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, he often found a way to redeem himself, either through fixing the situation he created, or by bringing larger criminal elements into the orbit of DS9's Chief of Security. It's because of this that Quark became a fan-favorite Star Trek: Deep Space Nine character, who would later appear elsewhere in the wider franchise. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Quark is guilty of multiple crimes, from questionable employment contracts all the way to potential war crimes. The fact that the audience can often see what motivated Quark's actions is proof of DS9's nuanced scripts and more complex morality. While the motivations don't justify some of the more reprehensible criminal acts, it does at least give audiences some insight into Quark's questionable code of ethics. However, despite all of Quark's crimes across multiple Star Trek shows, he always managed to narrowly avoid tipping into the truly villainous. 1. Quark makes a cameo in the Star Trek: Voyager pilot, "Caretaker", in which he tries to con Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) out of his credits... It's a small crime for Quark, not least because he's foiled by Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill). However, it was proof that Quark always had an eye for a gullible mark in his never-ending pursuit of profit. Harry Kim was a green young ensign who didn't pay attention to his Starfleet Academy lectures about untrustworthy Ferengi. With that in mind, nobody could blame Quark for trying to score a few credits off the Eternal Ensign. 2. Building a Business Empire From Stolen Karemma Technology Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3, Episode 6, "Hear All, Trust Nothing"... 3. Plagiarism is quite low down on the list of Quark's Star Trek crimes, but it got the Ferengi in hot water with the Karemma. In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3, episodes 6, "Hear All, Trust Nothing", the USS Cerritos was tasked with handling trade negotiations with the Gamma Quadrant in the wake of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Dominion War... Unfortunately, the negotiations were almost scuppered when it was revealed that Quark had stolen their advanced replicator technology to build an intergalactic business empire. As punishment, Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) ordered Quark to share his profits with the Karemma. 4. Cheating The Wadi And Forcing DS9's Crew To Play The Chula Game Star Trek: DS9 Season 1, Episode 10, "Move Along Home"... Ultimately, Quark cheating the Wadi led to minor irritation for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine crew, rather than life-threatening danger. In DS9 season 1, episode 10, "Move Along Home", the first official visit by delegates from the Gamma Quadrant is derailed by Quark, who cheats the Wadi delegation out of their winnings at the Dabo table. To alleviate tensions with the Wadi, he agrees to play the Chula game, which turns DS9's senior staff into game pieces. The stress that Quark endures when playing with the lives of Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and the others is deemed punishment enough for cheating the Wadi. 5. Attempted To Profit From The Evacuation Of Deep Space Nine Star Trek: DS9 Season 2, Episode 3, "The Siege"... When Deep Space Nine was evacuated during the military coup on Bajor, Quark predictably saw a way to profit from the chaos. Adopting a Ferengi transport policy that is also beloved of budget airlines, Quark oversold spaces on the shuttles that were evacuating the station. Sisko was furious with Quark for trying to profit from people in fear of their lives, and ensured that the Ferengi bartender was left behind on the station. As a result, Quark was an unwilling participant in Sisko's Starfleet insurrection, lugging his suitcase full of latinum as the DS9 crew fought back against the Bajoran militia. 6. Used Major Kira's LIkeness Without Consent Star Trek: DS9 Season 3, Episode 8, "Meridian"... In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 8, "Meridian", Quark was asked to create an erotic holonovel featuring the likeness of Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor). Quark then followed his subject around the station with a holographic imager, but Deep Space Nine's Major Kira turned the tables on him. When the Ferengi's client Tiron (Jeffrey Combs) entered the holosuite, he discovered a sexualized Quark/Kira hybrid waiting for him on the bed. Quark's creepiest crime was a comedy subplot in a larger DS9 episode, but the use of people's likenesses without their consent has become a serious concern in the 2020s. 7. Sexually Harrassing Dabo Girls... Star Trek: DS9 season 1, episode 6, "Captive Pursuit" An alien Dabo girl and Commander Sisko stand in his office An alien Dabo girl and Commander Sisko stand in his office © Provided by ScreenRant In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 1, episode 6, "Captive Pursuit" it's revealed that Quark included sexual favors in the contracts of his Dabo girls. This allowed him to sexually harass his employees because it was stipulated in their contracts under "page 21, subsection D, paragraph 12, up to and beyond oo-mox". When Commander Sisko learned of this stipulation, he assured Sarda (Kelly Curtis) that such contract stipulations would be outlawed on DS9 under Federation law. However, Quark would continue to be very hands-on with his employees, suggesting that he didn't completely bow to Sisko's demands. 8. Unfair Labor Practices At Quark's Bar... Star Trek: DS9 season 4, episode 16, "Bar Association" Quark treated his own brother Rom (Max Grodénchik) like a slave, so the other employees at Quark's Bar stood no chance of being treated fairly. Alongside the contractual sexual favors for Dabo girls, Quark also stipulated that anything that went wrong in the bar was squarely the fault of Rom. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, episode 16, "Bar Association", Rom and the staff of Quark's Bar finally fight back when their wages are slashed. Leading a revolt against the exhausting working conditions at Quark's Bar, Rom became a "union man" and finally held his brother to account for his actions. 9. Joining Rao Vantika's Deuridium Heist... Star Trek: DS9, Season 1, Episode 9, "The Passenger" In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 1, episode 9, "The Passenger", Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) is possessed by Kobliad criminal Rao Vantika. The convicted murderer and notorious criminal seeks Quark's aid in hijacking a shipment of deuridium ore. Quark sourced some trigger-happy mercenaries to conduct the heist, which led to the deaths of the freighter's bridge crew. While Quark never fired a shot, he was still complicit in the actions of Rao Vantika and his mercenaries, but he never faced punishment for his role in the fatal deuridium heist. 10. Enabled Verad To Steal The Dax Symbiont... Star Trek: DS9, Season 2, Episode 4, "Invasive Procedures" The Dax heist in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 4, "Invasive Procedures" is one of Quark's most unforgivable crimes because it nearly killed Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell). Quark sabotaged DS9's security grid to allow a group of criminals to access the station as part of a business deal. In Quark's defense, he was misled by the group's leader, Yeto (Steve Rankin). Quark did feel remorse for his role in facilitating the theft of the Dax symbiont and redeemed himself by helping Dr. Bashir to disarm Yeto and free Odo, stopping Verad Dax (John Glover) from leaving DS9 and saving Jadzia's life. 11. Selling Weapons To A War Criminal... Star Trek: DS9, Season 5, Episode 18, "Business as Usual" The worst of Quark's crimes was when he became an arms dealer to the tyrannical Regent of Palmar in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5, episode 18, "Business as Usual". By working with his cousin Gaila (Josh Pais) and Hagath (Steven Berkoff), Quark solved his money woes but alienated his friends on Deep Space Nine. Predictably, Quark got in over his head when he became part of a deal to sell biogenic weapons capable of murdering 28 million people. Quark had a crisis of conscience and a nightmarish vision of his former friends convinced him to do the right thing. 12. Quark sabotaged the weapons deal by inviting a rival party, triggering a firefight in one of Deep Space Nine's cargo bays... While Quark was responsible for the death of the Regent, he saved the lives of 28 million people. Happy that Quark had finally done the right thing, Captain Sisko dropped the criminal charges against the Ferengi and instead presented him with an extensive bill to fix the damage to the cargo bay. "Business as Usual" was the closest that Quark came to breaking bad in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but instead he proved that, despite being a criminal, he had a strong moral and ethical code. ~ From "Screenrant".