Quark actor Armin Shimmerman once pitched an animated Ferengi series

By: H&I Staff     Posted: September 24, 2021, 3:13PM   

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Quark changed the audience's perception of the Ferengi. First introduced in the early seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Ferengi weren't meant to be set up as a new side villain for Starfleet. Greedy and misogynistic, these new baddies were seen as more of a punchline than a threat in the series.

Then we were given our first Ferengi main characters in DS9 with Quark, Rom, and Nog. While they still carried the typical traits of the Ferengi we met in TNG, these new characters offered a different and more humanistic approach to their stories and motivations.

The Ferengi family of Quark, Rom, and Nog would quickly become favorites amongst Star Trek fans. The trio would become so popular that the idea of an animated Ferengi series was at one time discussed and partially developed. 

Put together by Quark actor Armin Shimmerman, the series would have been an animated Deep Space Nine prequel. Taking place before Nog was born, the show would be about Quark and Rom’s initial exploits that would lead them to run Quark’s gaming house in DS9.

Unfortunately, the series did not advance further than negotiations and concept design.

"We got pretty far with that, but in the end, when we got to the last pitch session with MTV, they said they didn't want a space cartoon show. But everyone was very happy with the ideas that we had come up with,” recalled Shimmerman on the Quark series rejection.

Needless to say, seeing a Quark and Rom origin story would have been both awesome and hilarious at the same time. While the series was put on ice initially, maybe there’s hope in the future with new animated Trek series already in development to give us a glimpse of what this series could’ve been.

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