Quark: The Complete Series

I originally watched Quark when it was aired back in the late `70s and fondly remembered it as a funny, hip sci-fi spoof. When I found it had been released on DVD I had to get it, eagerly sat down to watch it with my teenage daughter having told her several times how much I enjoyed it at her age. YIKES! What was Buck Henry thinking? Was this thing a product of a lost weekend at studio 54? Exactly how much coke would one have to do to believe this was a good idea? I mean I was a stupid kid, they were entertainment professionals! Re-watching this drek has put in question all of my opinions and memories from back then. Do I need to rethink my old friends? Do I need to discard all my warmest high school memories as now suspect and unreliable? Luckily there are only eight episodes to get though and as another TV show once observed: "Eight is Enough". Thank you Sony Pictures for driving yet another nail into the coffin of my youth. PS - I am still glad I bought it and will watch it again and am glad I have it.

You have to know the shows and characters (OMG, the character names!!! ;-) being satirized, parodied, lampooned and otherwise skewered. There are many hysterical moments: * The Betty's blowing up an evil ship, then making hash-marks with a lipstick on their battle station. * Quark apologizing to Princess Libido in her guard disguise just before she decks him. * The enraged Betty's screaming "Plant!" at Ficus after he criticizes their dancing on Polumbus. * Ficus and Joan Van Ark pollinating together: "Was it good for you?" "I think so?!????!?" * An antique Quark falling face down onto Princess Carna's sleeping dais and having to be rolled over like a log by Carna's serving wenches. Yes, the EFX are hokey. Yes, the plots are questionable. Yes, the acting is a bit rough in spots. Yes, the female flesh is all too apparent. Get over it; so was the original Star Trek for the first 8 episodes (and if you doubt that, go back and compare the first 8 episodes when the writers and actors were also still struggling with the characters to the second season shows when everything had gelled). Alas, we got no more than the first draft of Quark. But it was hysterical while it lasted, if you know your pre-quark SF and enjoy a good harpooning. Four stars only because of a complete lack of any Quark-related content except the shows. We could easily have had a section of publicity stills or other material, but we got nothing.

Truly a bit of comic SF genius! It poked fun at every current SF blockbuster out there at the time...the take -off on Star Wars with Hans Conried as the voice of "The Source" is worth the price of the series by itself as it is one of the best of the early parodies of the movies. The series is hokey, it *knows* it's hokey and revels in it. Like the equally little-known "Wizards and Warriors", it mercilessly impales and lampoons an entire genre with a few well-written quips. If you enjoy good parody, buy this baby. We need to encourage the studios to both bring these gems out of the vaults and to create more.

I was pretty excited to hear this was coming out on dvd. I remember when this show first came out, and my brother and I in our early teens really enjoyed it and looked forward to it every week. We were completely bummed when it got cancelled after 8 episodes. And now....30 years or so later, it's back!!! And you what? It's borderline dreadful! I've watched the first 4 episodes and do not have the stomach to watch anymore. If you want to buy this for nostaligia reasons, do it but expect to be disappointed. It's just not remotely funny and while it may have been original at the time, it's one big cliche today. And the Jean/Gene thing is downright offensive.

QUARK This was aired in Queensland (Australia)on ABC TV back in the early 1980's. Reviewing the DVD, The show was a little slow to start but after the Pilot the crew change and interaction was done very well. This created an absolute amazing comedy with send ups of just about every Science Fiction show of the past. The characters are a real scream! I think it is funny and a well written , Thanks Buck! What a pity the CEO's canned this like they did to Star Trek! Enjoy it! Even if you only see it for a Millisecond! The price is right and that's no Garbage! Les

I loved this show when it first come on television. Sadly it vanished after I saw only three episodes. But all good things come to those who wait and now I own the series. It came out in a time several years after Star Trek went off the air and just as the scifi genre was returning with the first Star Wars movie and all that would come after. Don't expect comedy genius, its silly, but fun silly. If you were a Star Trek fan you'll love a ships captain who isn't brave or perfect, the clones who love him, the engineer with both male and female chromosones and the cowardly robot.

Very funny series from the late seventies about a space sanitation cruiser and its crew. Quarks (Richard Benjamin) job is to cruise the galaxy picking up garbage, but always longs for better assignments. He is aided by his crew of consisting of a Ficus (Richard Kelton)a humanoid plant life form who very logical and annoying. Twin engineers by the name of Betty of whom one is a clone and they don't know who the real one is(Tricia & Cyb Barnstable) and both have the hots for Quark. A transmute as first officer (Timothy Thomerson)who is half man and half woman bu the name of Gene/Jean. And all aided by a cowardly robot called Andy who hides at the first sign of danger. They receive their orders from Pallindrome on a space station (brilliantly played by Conrad James from Mork & Mindy) who works for the Giant Head who only appears on a screen and has no physical body and is their leader. Quark and his crew get various assignments from the worst jobs to saving the galaxy a few times, but always ends up back collecting garbage. The special effects are good for the time and all the sound effects are from the original star trek series. Many sci-fi shows today are not as good as this, but you can see where some may have got their ideas from Quark (Red Dwarf springs to mind).It is a parody of the shows and films of the time and works very well. ther is a pilot on the dvd which slightly differs as it features an absent minded scientist instead of Ficus, and the opening credits arn't the same, but all 8 episodes are a joy to watch over and over. The picture quality is fantastic for its age, the sound is good. Its is only available on region 1. Buy it you wont be sorry!

I can't believe I actually found this! A series that was before its time and still makes me laugh.

This show went on the air a year or two after the original Star Wars, and tries to cash in on the Star Wars craze. Unfortunately, the sets and effects are poor, and the writing isn't much better. I laughed a few times, but overall I have to say it kind of sucks.

It was a short lived TV series I remember for when I was young but could never find. Found it and it brought back memories.

I vaguely remembered this series from when it aired in the mid 70's. I was an ardent adolescent Star Trek fan, as well as a fan of comedy. I was apparently not a very good critic of television. The box talks about the series being created by Buck Henry who was involved with "Get Smart". It's not that good. There was a lot of comedic potential that was bypassed for cheap laughs. Good actors were also wasted on clichéd scripts and weak direction. In the end it was neither comedic, nor particularly good science fiction. The word would have to wait until "Red Dwarf" to get that combination right.