Lord Of The Rings Influenced Star Trek DS9’s Most Beloved Character
Over the course of Deep Space Nine, we thought we saw every possible side of the conniving bartender Quark. However, it turns out that a very early episode nearly showed us a side of this Ferengi that would change everything we know about him. According to the writer of the episode “The Passenger,” he originally wrote a song for Quark that would have made him into the space station’s resident Hobbit.
The Passenger
“The Passenger” story was developed by Morgan Gendel, and he went on to co-write the script. This was during the first season of Deep Space Nine and different writers were still exploring hidden facets of each character.
If Gendel had his way, one of the characteristics of Quark is that he wouldn’t be afraid to burst into the kind of song that would make Hobbits like Biblo and Frodo Baggins proud.
Quark, Lounge Singer
The writer revealed that at one point, he wrote a special song for everyone’s favorite bartender to sing. “I had [Quark] singing a whole little ditty, like a Hobbit. I took a day to write this ditty about making money while he’s serving people and shorting them on their drinks.”
We love the details about this Quark song so much because it really does channel the famous songs from The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Gendel didn’t want to just have the Ferengi spontaneously bursting into a song like in Strange New Worlds’ musical episode. Instead, like we see in Tolkien’s famous books, Quark would be singing a song that both describes what he is doing and what some of his motivations really are
Afraid Of Being Laughed Out Of The Room
Why, then, did Quark not end up singing this tune in “The Passenger” and take his rightful place as DS9’s Hobbit? The reason for this is simple: Gendel said that even though he “thought it was hysterical,” he also feared that if he “turned it in, they were going to laugh me out of the room.”
As Deep Space Nine superfans, it’s difficult for us to imagine how different the show might have been if Quark had made like a Hobbit in season one.
Would he have regularly started bursting into song, or would this be a one-time occurrence? And if he began singing in his own bar on a regular basis, how long would it be before characters like Bashir and O’Brien joined in?
It Could’ve Lightened Things Up
If such singing had become a regular thing, it might have kept Deep Space Nine from getting a reputation as Star Trek’s darkest show. It might have also cemented Armin Shimerman as a musical actor if his Ferengi was always leading off with a song.
This may not have exactly hurt his reputation, of course–if Spock actor Leonard Nimoy didn’t hurt his acting career by singing about a Hobbit, we doubt Quark actor Shimerman would hurt his career by simply singing like a Hobbit.
Quark Could Always Pick Up The Mic
It may be too much to hope for, but we might yet hear Quark burst out into song. The character already made a cameo on Lower Decks and his successful business has even appeared in Picard.
It seems like Quark has become an acclaimed businessman after all these years, and if the franchise keeps bringing him back, having all that latimum would certainly be something worth singing for.
