Published Sep 22, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT
Shaun Corley has been with ScreenRant for over 5 years, and is currently the Coordinator for PR and Outreach for the Comics Team.
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Star Trek has officially introduced Quark’s replacement. Played by Armin Shimmerman, the Ferengi Quark owned the bar on Deep Space Nine, making him one of the first regular, non-Starfleet characters in Star Trek history. Shimmerman endowed Quark with both a gray morality and a sense of compassion. These contradictions made Quark one of Star Trek’s most endearing characters.
Prior to playing Quark, Shimmerman had also played various other Ferengi in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The Ferengi were introduced early in Star Trek: The Next Generation’s run, with the intention that they would serve as the new “bad guys,” replacing the Klingons, who were now Federation allies. However, the Ferengi’s flimsy motivations, as well as their less than intimidating appearance, failed to go over with audiences. By the show’s third season, the Ferengi had been reduced to just another race in the grand tapestry that was Star Trek, with the Borg having taken their place as the franchise’s new “big bads.”
Then, in 1993, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine premiered, and introduced Quark to the franchise. Over the next seven seasons, the saga of Quark and his family, including his brother Rom and nephew Nog, played out against the backdrop of one of the most turbulent phases in the Star Trek universe, namely the buildup to the war with the Dominion. Now in the spotlight, the Ferengi finally got their due, and it was in part thanks to Quark. Now, his replacement has arrived, and ironically, they are not even Ferengi.
Stardate 47988.1 · Crew Assessment
The Final Frontier
Trivia Challenge
🚀ShipsEnterprise!
⭐CrewMake it so
☠EnemiesResistance is…
⚡TechWarp speed!
📖LoreLive long…
ENGAGE →
01
The USS Enterprise is the most iconic starship in science fiction. What is the registry number of Captain Kirk’s original Enterprise from The Original Series?
ANCC-1701-D BNX-01 CNCC-1701 DNCC-74656
✓ Correct! NCC-1701 is the registry of Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise. The “-D” suffix belongs to Picard’s Galaxy-class ship, NX-01 is Archer’s Enterprise, and NCC-74656 is Voyager.
✗ Red alert! The answer is NCC-1701. Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise carried this now-legendary registry. NCC-1701-D is Picard’s Enterprise from TNG, NX-01 is Captain Archer’s, and NCC-74656 belongs to Voyager.
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02
Kirk’s most trusted officer is a half-human, half-Vulcan science officer famous for his logic and iconic salute. Who is this legendary character?
AData BSpock CTuvok DSarek
✓ Correct! Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, is the half-Vulcan science officer whose “Live long and prosper” salute became a cultural icon. His struggle between logic and emotion defines the heart of the Original Series.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Spock. Data is an android from TNG, Tuvok is Voyager’s Vulcan tactical officer, and Sarek is Spock’s Vulcan father. Only Spock is the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer of Kirk’s Enterprise.
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03
Starfleet’s most important regulation forbids interference with the natural development of alien civilizations. What is this guiding principle called?
AThe Temporal Accord BGeneral Order One CThe Omega Directive DThe Prime Directive
✓ Correct! The Prime Directive (also known as General Order 1) is Starfleet’s most sacred law. It prohibits interfering with less-developed civilizations — though Kirk, Picard, and Janeway have all famously bent or broken it when lives were at stake.
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Prime Directive. While “General Order One” is technically another name for it, the Prime Directive is the universally known term. The Omega Directive and Temporal Accord are separate, more specialized Starfleet protocols.
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04
“Resistance is futile.” This chilling declaration belongs to a cybernetic collective that assimilates entire civilizations into its hive mind. What is this fearsome species called?
AThe Borg BThe Dominion CThe Romulans DSpecies 8472
✓ Correct! The Borg are Star Trek’s most terrifying villains — a hive-mind collective that forcibly assimilates species and technology. Captain Picard was famously assimilated and transformed into Locutus in the landmark TNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds.”
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Borg. The Dominion is the Gamma Quadrant empire from DS9, the Romulans are a rival empire, and Species 8472 is actually one of the few species that the Borg themselves fear. Only the Borg declare “Resistance is futile.”
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05
Captain Jean-Luc Picard commands the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation and later received his own series, Star Trek: Picard. Which acclaimed actor portrays him?
AWilliam Shatner BAvery Brooks CPatrick Stewart DScott Bakula
✓ Correct! Sir Patrick Stewart brought gravitas, Shakespeare, and Earl Grey tea to the captain’s chair for seven seasons of TNG, four films, and three seasons of Star Trek: Picard. His “Make it so” is one of TV’s most iconic catchphrases.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Patrick Stewart. William Shatner plays Captain Kirk, Avery Brooks is Captain Sisko on Deep Space Nine, and Scott Bakula captains the NX-01 Enterprise. Only Sir Patrick Stewart portrays the legendary Jean-Luc Picard.
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06
Starfleet vessels travel faster than light by bending space around them using a matter-antimatter reaction. What is this propulsion system called?
ATranswarp Drive BWarp Drive CSlipstream Drive DSpore Drive
✓ Correct! Warp Drive is the standard faster-than-light propulsion in Star Trek, powered by dilithium-regulated matter-antimatter reactions. Zefram Cochrane invented it in 2063, which led to humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Warp Drive. Transwarp is an advanced Borg technology, Slipstream is an experimental quantum drive, and the Spore Drive uses mycelial network navigation (from Discovery). Standard Starfleet vessels use Warp Drive.
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07
At Starfleet Academy, cadets face a notorious no-win scenario designed to test their character under impossible circumstances. James Kirk is the only cadet who ever beat it — by cheating. What is this test called?
AThe Prometheus Trial BThe Omega Simulation CThe Corbomite Maneuver DThe Kobayashi Maru
✓ Correct! The Kobayashi Maru is an unwinnable rescue simulation that tests how cadets handle certain death. Kirk reprogrammed it so he could win — earning a commendation for original thinking. It was memorably featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Kobayashi Maru. The Corbomite Maneuver is a TOS episode, not an Academy test. The Kobayashi Maru is the famous no-win scenario that Kirk defeated by reprogramming the simulation — because he doesn’t believe in the no-win scenario.
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08
In the widely regarded greatest Star Trek film, a genetically enhanced superhuman from Earth’s past seeks revenge against Captain Kirk. “KHAAAAN!” Who is this iconic villain?
AKhan Noonien Singh BGeneral Chang CQ DGul Dukat
✓ Correct! Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalbán, is Star Trek’s greatest villain. First appearing in the TOS episode “Space Seed,” he returned in The Wrath of Khan (1982) for a devastating revenge plot that cost Spock his life.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Khan Noonien Singh. General Chang is a Klingon from Star Trek VI, Q is TNG’s omnipotent trickster, and Gul Dukat is DS9’s Cardassian antagonist. Only Khan inspired Kirk’s legendary scream across the cosmos.
REVEAL MY SCORE →
Mission Complete Your Starfleet Record
/ 8
Are you an Admiral — or still a cadet on deck-scrubbing duty?
↻ RE-ENGAGE
Star Trek Fans, Meet Your New Favorite Starfleet Crewmember: Derrill Zaf
A Caitian Raised By The Ferengi, Zaf Must Save The Ship In Star Trek: Zero Point #3
In the forthcoming Star Trek: Zero Point, Captain Raffi Musiker is given her own ship, the Endeavour, and a new mission: use an advanced AI to predict threats to the Federation, and neutralize them before they become too big. Raffi is also given a crew of her own, one that skews heavily towards non-human members. Among the ranks are a disgraced Tzenkethi, as well as Quark’s replacement.
In Star Trek: Zero Point #3, written by Charlie Jane Anders and drawn by Isaac Sánchez González, another non-human member of Endeavour’s crew takes the center stage: Derrill Zaf, described in IDW’s solicitation for the issue as a “Caitian raised by the Ferengi.” The full solicitation reads as follows:
The Endeavour is in orbit around an M-class planet, Orridior IV, with a single massive continent surrounded by a toxic ocean. The Orridiorans are distrusting of humanoids but desperately need their deflector replaced before a devastating storm makes landfall. All that stands between them and total annihilation is Derril Zaf—a Caitian raised by Ferengi. It’s up to him, as well as the other nonhuman members of the crew, to solve this debacle diplomatically.
Meanwhile, Tendi follows Captain Raffi Musiker down the rabbit hole of her addiction to the answers the AI superintelligence, Sybil, is feeding her. What would it be like…to never make a mistake again?
In addition, IDW has shared the various covers for Star Trek: Zero Point #3. Derrill Zaf can be seen on one in particular, by artist Niclas Mortensen.
Who Are the Caitians? Star Trek's Feline Aliens Explained
The Caitians are another major race in the Star Trek canon. Felinoid in nature, the Caitians first appeared in Star Trek: The Animated Series. Unencumbered by makeup budgets, the show’s producers would create two non-human Enterprise crew members, one of whom was the Caitian M’Ress. The Caitians appeared in the background of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and Lower Decks’ Doctor T'Ana was one of them as well. Not much has been revealed about their culture, largely making them a blank slate for Star Trek writers and producers.
Unfortunately, Derrill Zaf, having been raised by Ferengi, may not be the best character to give insight into Caitian culture. At the same time, the contradictions inside Zaf will make him a compelling character. In many ways, Zaf is the next in a long line of Star Trek characters with mixed heritage. The half-human, half-Vulcan Spock is the most obvious example, as is Counselor Deanna Troi. All of this puts Derrill Zaf in good company.
How Zaf ended up with the Ferengi has not been revealed, and issue three may be where this comes to light.
Where Zaf departs from them, however, is that he is not a true hybrid, instead having internalized Ferengi values as a result of his upbringing. Once again, Zaf is not the first Star Trek alien to be raised by another species: the Klingon Worf spent most of his life with his adoptive parents, who rescued him in the aftermath of a massacre that killed his real family. How Zaf ended up with the Ferengi has not been revealed, and issue three may be where this comes to light.
Derrill Zaf Can Be Quark's Star Trek Replacement
Derrill Zaf is the bridge between two vastly different cultures in the Star Trek universe, making him the franchise’s replacement for Quark. Quark straddled the line between many cultures on Deep Space Nine white tending his bar. Yet when Starfleet arrived, and the Bajoran Wormhole was discovered, the number of species and cultures he encountered exploded. Some species were meeting the Ferengi for the first time, making Quark something of an ambassador for his people.
And now Derrill Zaf is in a position to fulfill a similar function, although the path he will take in doing so looks to be radically different from Quark’s. While both are outsiders, Zaf takes it to another level: his felinoid appearance already sets him apart from humanoids, and his Ferengi upbringing only compounds the confusion. Zaf will no doubt be forced to confront his dual nature at some point in Star Trek: Zero Point, and if successful, he can take Quark’s place as an unofficial ambassador from the Ferengi.
English (US) ·