A Failed Star Trek Parody Sitcom From The '70s Should Have Become A Classic

Spoof movies and TV shows were once big business, and still see success every now and then. And few media franchises have been lampooned as much as "Star Trek." In fact, there are even parodies that have become nearly as beloved as "Trek" itself, with classics like "Galaxy's Quest" (one of the best spoof movies of all time) proving that even a comedic homage can carve out an identity of its own. But there's one "Trek" spoof show that rarely gets discussed, despite being arguably one of the best: The short-lived 1977 Buck Henry sitcom, "Quark."

Though not the first major sci-fi parodies to lampoon "Trek" (it had been spoofed previously by "Saturday Night Live," where Buck Henry was a staff writer, and a member of their 5-Timer's Club), "Quark" does so with more reverence, not exactly mocking the adventures of the Enterprise, but taking a lovingly laughable look at it, like "The Orville." The series centers on a 23rd-century interstellar garbage scow, and has a decidedly more adult sense of humor. The eccentric cast of colorful characters is led by Adam Quark (Richard Benjamin), whose crew includes humans and aliens like the bi-gendered Gene (sometimes Jean, played by Tim Thomerson), cloned beauties Betty I and Betty II (played by sisters Cyb and Patricia Barnstable), and an overly logical humanoid plant named Ficus Pandorata (Richard Kelton). 

Despite only lasting one season, "Quark" is among the funniest spoof shows you'll ever find. Why it didn't resonate at the time, of course, is anyone's guess, but it's a show worth checking out, and the good news is that you can find episodes on YouTube.

While "Quark" can be seen as a direct parody of "Star Trek" — thanks in part to the fact that multiple episodes are written as direct copies of classic "Trek" installments — the series parodies more than the final frontier. In fact, with its release just days after "Star Wars" blew the doors off the box office, it pays tribute to that series as well in later stories. But during its brief eight-episode run, the series also takes aim at other major sci-fi favorites, including "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Buck Rogers."

A blob-like alien character named Ergo, for example, is clearly inspired by "Alien" scribe Dan O'Bannon's earlier film "Dark Star," which featured a similar blob-like creature. Uptight robot character Andy seems like he could be influenced by C3PO, but his physical appearance draws instant comparisons to Robby the Robot from "Forbidden Planet" or B9 from "Lost in Space." The episode "All the Emperor's Quasi-Norms," meanwhile, features characters that pay tribute to the villains of "Flash Gordon," too, but the "Star Trek" influences are simply the most obvious. 

But the best "Trek" connection? The series marks the screen debut of actress Kirstie Alley, who has an uncredited role in the episode "The Old and the Beautiful." A few years later, Alley would play the Vulcan Saavik in the 1982 classic, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan."