Question: Do the writers have any future plans to give Quark more of a personal life? I.E. Wife, kids, etc.
Marc

AS: I'm not a writer, so I wouldn't know.

Q: How do you feel about your character not being part of the Ferengi society any more. How is Quark going to deal with this problem?

AS: The character is distraught, but it seems to be thematic to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that we have characters who are exiles from their cultures.

Q: Will Quark have anymore romantic interests on the show this season? Say for instance with Pel, the Ferengi female or Natima, the Cardassian dissident?

AS: Yes. He will be having a fling with his ex-wife, Grilka. And anybody out on the Internet who cares to have a fling with Quark!

Q: Will there be any Quark/Odo co-operations in the future Say You help Odo become a changeling again in exchange for his enabling you to participate in Ferengi society again or something like that.

AS: Tomorrow we're just about to start an episode where I save his life? For no latinum whatsoever!

Q: Hi Armin. What can you tell us about the upcoming season and the 30th Anniversary episode?

AS: I haven't seen Trials and Tribble-ations yet, but from everyone who has seen it, it's going to be one of those episodes that everyone is going to love for the next thirty years!

Q: Do you aside from your role on Deep Space Nine, apply the Rules of Acquisition in your own life?

AS: Yes. Anytime you deal with Paramount you're reminded of Rule Number One.

Q: When are you going to acquire the greatest single business deal of your career, your dream of Quark's Ferengi Rules of Acquisition - The Movie?

AS: No, actually, Quark will acquire the biggest single business deal in my upcoming book, "Wheels Within Wheels" - which comes out early next year.

Q: read somewhere that your wife is an actress. What was her reaction the first time she saw you in full Ferengi makeup?
Phil

AS: "If he wears it, I will come." Nice to see you, Phil. You owe me a lunch.

Q: Have you recently done any work besides Star Trek: Deep Space Nine?

AS: Besides Star Trek, in the last two years I've done "Eye for an Eye" for Paramount. I also appeared on "Seinfeld" and with Robert Urich in "Lazarus Man". I'm also very close to finishing a sci-fi novel for Baen Books, "The Merchant Prince", and I'm also active in teaching Shakespeare.

Q: Over the past 4 years, you've grown the character to be much more than a Ferengi profiteer. Endearing attributes such as generosity, compassion, morals, and more.....and all introduced over time in a subtle manner. Will Quark demonstrate any other special character traits during the upcoming season?

AS: No.

Q: I would love to have a fling with Quark!
Quarks_Lady

AS: Take a ticket, darling...

Q: How do you feel about the presence of Michael Dorn on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine?

AS: I feel that Michael's character of Worf has brought a lot of people who weren't watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine into the fold. His presence has also allowed us to do more Klingon stories. Our show is about people dealing with each other, not so much about technology... and it's good to have a good friend in the makeup trailer early in the morning.

Q: Did you know any of the cast prior to your work on Star Trek?

AS: Primarily, I had worked with Renee Auberjonois at the L.A. Theater Center. Jonathan Frakes and I had done off-off-Broadway in NY in the mid-70s. Brent and I had met prior to both of us working on Star Trek and Tim Russ had been a guest on our show. So I met a lot of them before they got involved.

Q: How does it feel to be part of what now, at age 30, can truly be called a cultural phenomenon? Is it "just a job" or do you feel you're part of a larger whole?
gleknar

AS: Truth of the matter is, I do feel that it's just a job. I don't feel a part of a larger whole. I did get a sense of that at the Huntsville convention, when I saw the original series cast, who had been idols of mine. And I realized that I was a part of that.

Q: In the original series of Star Trek the actors had a fair amount of say in how their character and it's race developed, have you had an opportunity to do the same and if so, what have you contributed to the development of the Ferengi?
Signate

AS: I've had as much input as those original members had, which is to say... absolutely nothing!

Q: Armin, I caught your cameo on Seinfeld. Are you planning to make any others in the future (not necessarily on Seinfeld)?
Chad_vTrek

AS: I hope to.

Q: Armin, what do they really keep in those bottles that surround the bar?
Chad_vTrek

AS: Actors who didn't get the parts.

Q: Are you looking forward to possibly a movie career as Quark like the original and now Next Generation cast?
Jon

AS: Absolutely not! When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is over I want to get as far away from it as possible. I don't want Quark to overshadow the rest of my career.

Q: What's it like being an anonymous celebrity?

AS: Playing Quark is a little like being in the witness protection program.

Q: I really enjoyed "Little Green Men." Are there any episodes this season that focus on Quark or the Ferengi?
Chad_vTrek

AS: Certainly. "Ascent" with Odo. For the most part, Quark only gets about five large episodes per season. As we all do.

Q: Do you think the greed of the Ferengi race, with it's focus on money, money, and money, is stereotypical of any real-life social groups? Sometimes I get offended.
gleknar

AS: I've heard this comment before, and I've done some research. To the best of my knowledge, it is not based on anything. People can make their own suppositions.

Q: Are you going to have any adventures with Garak (me)
Garak_

AS: Yes. In Garak's back room I'm on "pins and needles."

Q: Armin, what do you foresee as a possible ending to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine? How long on the air do you think it will run?
486133

AS: Our original contract was for six seasons. I believe we will fulfill our contract but go no further.

Q: Do you think Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is properly marketed by Paramount? It sometimes seems as though it plays 2nd fiddle to Voyager. That also has seemed true online on the Paramount site.
rick_engle_ms

AS: I don't know about the Paramount online site, but I do agree with you that the studio has kept us second fiddle to Voyager on one hand, and Next Generation in the beginning.

Q: Have you seen any stars while working on the Paramount lot who truly left you star struck?
Craig

AS: The truth is, we spend so much time in the sound stages, that thousands of days go by that we don't see anybody but each other. I've missed the presence of a lot of people on the lot, but I do remember being thrilled by seeing Raul Julia.

Q: Who were/are your greatest influences as an actor growing up?
gleknar

AS: Jimmy Cagney, Spencer Tracy, and Phil Bosco.

Q: Would you eventually like to direct or write any Star Trek episodes?
BoB

AS: I've submitted several story ideas for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. All have been rejected. However, my Star Trek novel is an outgrowth of one of those ideas.

And I have desires to direct, yes.

Q: Will we see your nephew NOG this season?
486133

AS: He starts work tomorrow! Aaron Eisenberg, that is.

Q: What plans do you have for "life after Star Trek"?
BRINSTERS

AS: Classical theater.

Q: If the series does go further, will you continue with the show or go on to other things?
Signate

AS: If I don't get skin cancer.

Q: Was the 30th anniversary in Huntsville the first time you'd been united with the majority of the Trek franchise cast members?
rick_engle_ms

AS: Yes, absolutely. It was quite impressive. And as I said, it made me feel part of something larger.

Q: Do you believe in the Ferengi Rule of Acquisition number 89, "Ask not what your profits can do for you, but what you can do for your profits"?
Anders

AS: I believe that this in an apocryphal rule of acquisition, and is not part of the original rules.

Q: As an actor, how do you feel that your character on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is often ancillary to the core plot lines, often used as comic relief? Are you cool with this, or do you yearn, yes yearn, to see Quark take a greater role center stage (e.g., become a starfleet officer)?
DCNUPE

AS: For the first four years of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, I yearned. Now (sigh), I just sigh. I am resigned to my fate. No!

Q: Is Quark the best role you have ever played?
Garak_

AS: The best role I ever played was Cyrano de Bergerac! Let's be real!

Q: Is the stage your first love?
BoB

AS: The stage is my first, second, and third love.

Q: Armin, where are you right this minute?
Quarks_Lady

AS: I'm in a runabout, five light-years away from Bajor.

Right this minute.

Q: Are you happy with your paycheck? :-)
Anders

AS: Like all the actors on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, I'm very unhappy with my paycheck.

Please write Paramount, 5555 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, 90038.

Q: Have you ever directed on stage?

AS: I have directed two plays on the stage, as well as dramaturging three or four Shakespeare productions

Q: Where did you/do you study Shakespeare?

AS: I studied in New York with a phenomenal teacher, Ada Mather. As well as performing around the country.

Q: Who came up with the term hew-man? I love the way you say that word. The humans on the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine think they are so great and you seem to bring them down a notch or two.

AS: The pronunciation "hew-man" was one of the few contributions that I liked that I gave in the first Ferengi appearance, in the TNG episode "The Last Outpost". Unfortunately, a lot of the other contributions I made I'd like to forget.

Q: Do you believe the Government, federal or any other level, is currently, or has in the past, withheld information about the existence of, or contact with extra terrestrials? What possible reasons would the people involved have for doing this? Is knowledge truly that dangerous? Why fear the truth?
PYoung1

AS: Dear, PYoung, let me remind you -- I'm an actor. I'm not an alien. I only play one on TV.

Q: What would be your ultimate stage role?
Andrew

AS: I'd like to play Malvolio and Richard III.

Q: Armin, are you involved in any theatrical productions at the moment? If so, what and where can we get more information?
Chad_vTrek

AS: That's very apropos. I had a chance this very afternoon to audition for Tom Stoppard's "Arcadia". However my work schedule on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine makes doing a stage production impossible, much to my deep regret.

Q: Armin, are your ears large like Quark's?
Anders

AS: Armin's ears are larger than Quark's, and much more sensitive.

Q: Do you beleive there are UFO's and other life forms?
JOHNNIEZ

AS: I believe that there must be life elsewhere in the universe. So, yes, I do believe there are other life forms. Whether or not there are UFOs - that I haven't decided.

Q: Any thought on the recent possible discovery of life on Mars?

AS: The Martian bacteria is indicative that life can spring up anywhere as long as the nutrient mix is correct. Again, pointing out that there MUST be life elsewhere in the cosmos. Although I'm not too sure there's any life at Paramount...

Q: What do you think of Kenneth Branaugh as a director/actor?
rick_engle_ms

AS: Unfortunately, I've never worked with Kenneth Branagh, but his productions of Henry V and Much Ado about Nothing will be the hallmarks that other productions will have to measure up to. He has brought Shakespeare to the masses for which I am eternally grateful. I think he did for this generation what Zeffirelli did for my generation when he showed two teenagers caught up in a fate worse than death and made it much more palatable and accessible.

Q: What did you think of the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet?

AS: I liked that too. I particularly liked the scenes and disliked the soliloquies. But there were people watching Hamlet for the first time because Mel Gibson was in it - and again, that's a good thing! Shakespeare's glory is his phenomenal artistry with language, a treasure that I feel our generation has lost. We're much more interested in pictures.

Q: Armin, Deep down, are you a Ferengi? (Romulan, Klingon or what?)
Anders

AS: I don't know. Let me get back to you on that.

Q: I'd really like to get into acting, and my friends think I should move to LA and try to get into TV. But there's some theater groups here in Pittsburgh that are closer to home. Do you think I'd be at a disadvantage starting here?
Alma

AS: Alma, I heartily recommend that you do as much theater in Pittsburgh and anywhere in New England that you can. Learn your craft first before shipwrecking on the shoals of Hollywood. With your theater background you might be able to survive.

Q: Quark always seems to be able to manipulate the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine computers to get what he needs. Are you as computer proficient as he is?

AS: What's a computer?

Q: Armin, What is your opinion of us Trekkers, do you view us as the stereotypical "live in our parents basement" type of people?

AS: No. I've met too many doctors, physicists, social workers, artists, who were inspired by Star Trek. There is no "one type" of stereotypical Trekker.

Q: Are you going to sign people urn's with John de Lancie.
BoB

AS: I have agreed to sign John de Lancie's urn, but as yet he hasn't died and provided me the opportunity.

Q: How many days out of the week do you work
486133

AS: I can have weeks where I work eight days. Out of eight days. But normally I work about a day and a half per episode.

Q: Armin, will we ever see a photo of you with your shirt off, either as yourself or Quark?
Quarks_Lady

AS: No, makeup would take five hours instead of two.

Q: I have read recently that there are some people think John Tesh is an alien invader from outer space, have you ever been faced with such idiocy yourself?
Signate

AS: Yes. Sometimes you do run into the "extreme" Trekker. That's a little scary.

Q: Just curious... If you knew then what you know now, would you have auditioned for Deep Space Nine?
Chad_vTrek

AS: Absolutely. I never regretted performing on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It has been the ride of a lifetime, and I was aware before I took the role of the enormous travails that a life on Star Trek, including the makeup, would provide. I just didn't think all the nightmares would come true.

Q: Are there any television shows - past or present - that you enjoy?
BRINSTERS

AS: Besides the joy that I've gotten out of working on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, I particularly enjoyed working for 2 1/2 years on Beauty and the Beast, and my seven episodes on Brooklyn Bridge.

Q: Do you have kids of your own Armin?
486133

AS: No, just children of other people.

Q: Armin, Cigar's are making a comeback to popularity. Do you smoke Cigars? If so, do you have a favorite?
hedgeh0gx

AS: No. Cigars stunt my growth.

Q: What do you do to relax. What helps you forget about Star Trek, and acting as a whole?
PYoung1

AS: Writing, recently, has been filling that void. I play a lot of tennis, chess, and again teaching is a personal joy of mine.

Q: Who are some of your favorite authors?
PYoung1

AS: Obviously Shakespeare. My wife says I don't read anything that isn't at least 300 years old. Not to mention David George and Michael P. Scott.

Q: How did you get so excited about Shakespeare? College?
PYoung1

AS: Before college. High School. Where I played Claudius in Hamlet. I suppose one day they'll have Quark playing Shylock, but only if Rene gets to play Antonio.

Q: Armin, in watching your comments, you much prefer the stage, the salary with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is not so good, and since you're under mounds of makeup, you get no face recognition. What then draws you to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine? Can it serve as a springboard to choice opportunities more to your liking?
rick_engle_ms

AS: I make a very nice living. And the writing on Star Trek is the best on television. What's not to like?

Q: Do you dislike the fact that some people today feel that Shakespeare is just a collection of fancy words?
AgentB

AS: I agree with them. It's a wonderful collection of fancy words.

Q: Armin, When you came to the show, did you want to be a human, Romulan, Klingon, or what?
Anders

AS: I wanted to be memorable.

Q: Since you clearly love the work of Shakespeare, have you or would you like to teach about him someday?
PYoung1

AS: Hello? Where have you been???

Q: If you were offered Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Movie would you do it.
Garak_

AS: Absolutely!!!!!! But most likely I would have very little to do in it.

Q: When filming episodes, has anyone called you Cork instead of Quark, Cork? :-)
Anders

AS: The closest to that is Siddig's pronunciation. He invariably leaves the "R" out... and makes it sound like the English version of "quack".

Q: Do you think that Star Trek makes bald men lucky (one wonders if that's why Avery shaved his hair)?
AgentB

AS: This is one lucky bald man. I presume Avery shaved his head because he prefers looking like that. But I think Patrick had no choice.

Q: Armin, as a boy, did other kids tease you or push you around?
Anders

AS: Not so much the boys as the girls...probably early childhood influences had very much to do with my becoming an actor. It's been said that actors become actors because they're trying to get away from themselves.

Q: What character did you play on Beauty and the Beast?
DCushman

AS: I was not Vincent. I was the Beauty, Pascal. The chief communicator.

Q: I hear they strapped Tim Russ to a chair last week, how are the folks at PDE treating you?
Chad_vTrek

AS: I'm still waiting for hot water for my tea. But it's coming.This century. There it is! But it's not very warm now...

Q: Did you do that waiter scene in the film blind date with Bruce Willis?
AgentB

AS: Bien sur j'etait ce personne. Merci.

Q: Armin, Do you feel that shows like Star Trek and The X Files are in a league above normal television?
AgentB

AS: No. I don't think that. I think it's apples and orange. I think we are one of many good shows on TV.

Q: We have 5 children ages 7, 5, 4, 2, and 1. What do you think would be the best way to introduce them to Shakespeare? (They love musicals, but that didn't seem to be Shakespeare's strength!)
BRINSTERS

AS: Not true! Introduce them to Do Your Own Thing, the operas of Macbeth, Othello, Falstaff. Not to mention Forbidden Planet.

Q: Armin, have you ever been seen on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine without your makeup? Do you think that it might happen before the series ends?
Chad_vTrek

AS: Yes. I almost got an opportunity to do that, but we didn't think of that in time. I'm now keeping an eye out for a place where Armin can order a drink at the bar. Of course, I would leave a big tip.

Q: I have heard a large number of people say that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is not a very good Trek series because everyone isn't flying around in a ship all of the time. What would you say to someone who said a similar opinion to you?
Signate

AS: If you grade Star Trek simply by its technology, then you are missing the larger, more meaningful contributions that the franchise makes. The best Star Trek deals with social issues, relationships, and the hope that the future will be a wonderful place. I think Star Trek: Deep Space Nine meets those criteria, not to mention that it is the best written of all the Star Treks.

Q: Will you come to Australia for a convention ,we would love you over here.
Garak_

AS: If they move the continent closer to Los Angeles, I will come.

Q: Did you do the voice for the Star Trek game Harbinger
Garak_

AS: Absolutely. I believe all of us worked on Harbinger except for Colm and Siddig.

Q: What do you think of the Internet? Also, Do you enjoy doing this chat?
JOHNNIEZ

AS: The Internet? What's that? I really enjoy doing this because it's a way of reaching out beyond the camera and communicating. And I don't have to wear makeup.

Q: If you didn't get into acting. What profession do you think you'd be in right now?
Chad_vTrek

AS: Probably a CPA.

Q: Armin, do you feel that Star Trek has been overworked? Too much of a good thing?
Chad_vTrek

AS: I do believe there is too much Star Trek existing right now. I do believe it is too much of a good thing.

Q: Do you like natural redheads (like me)?
Quarks_Lady

AS: My wife is a natural redhead. And I like her just fine.

Q: Armin, those Ferengi teeth look painful, how do they feel to wear them?
rick_engle_ms

AS: The teeth are the most painful part of the makeup. Not an episode goes by that I don't puncture the inner lining of my mouth. But it's a living.

Q: I hear Paramount sponsors some kind of internal director's school for the actors. Are you involved in that?
Chad_vTrek

AS: As far as I know, it's not Paramount that sponsors the director's school, it's Star Trek itself. And I would like to become involved with that - I'm sort on the waiting list for that now. This program is anathema to the Director's Guild, because they feel the actors are stealing work from the Guild's members. It is a very ticklish situation.

Q: Who is you favorite Classical Composer and do you have many chances to go see live performances?
Signate

AS: Bach is my favorite. And my friend Bruce French gets me tickets for the Philharmonic.

And I go when I can.

Q: Armin I think I saw you in a movie with the actor that plays Gul Ducat. ( also with makeup) Am I right or was I just imagining it?
cetacea1

AS: What you saw was the movie "Arena" which starred Marc Alaimo, and myself. And Claudia Christian. And each of us played parts extremely similar to the parts we know play in science fiction. We shot is seven years ago in Italy.

Q: Who picks out the Ferengi's clothes? How did such ......interesting clothes come to be the norm?
PYoung1

AS: My mother picks out my clothes for me, with help from Bob Blackman, who has won several Emmys for helping my mother. Bob's entire budget for wardrobe sits on my back, since he can't do anything fancy with Starfleet uniforms.

Q: Armin, why do you think there is too much Star Trek? More is good, ALL is better.
Anders

AS: It is a truism that less is more. And a lot is only a lot.

Q: Do you think that having your face covered up with makeup is a good or a bad thing for the audience?
AgentB

AS: Many of the actors from the original Star Trek series were locked out of future work because they were too recognizable from the parts they had played. That is a curse any actor who is successful on TV must face in his life when the series ends. Therefore, I truly believe the makeup is doing me a great service and keeping me anonymous not only from the audience but from future directors, producers. People will not think "Quark" - hopefully - when I walk into the room.

Q: Completely out of left field... Who do you think will win the Presidential election?
Chad_vTrek

AS: I want all of you out there to vote Democratic this year. Otherwise...

Q: Are you a sci-Fi fan?
BoB

AS: Yes. Because it tickles the imagination and forces you to ask questions of the future.

Q: Do you think people make to much of Star Trek's influence over the shpae of the way sci-Fi has developed over the years?
BoB

AS: I can't answer that. I'm not knowledgeable enough.

Q: Armin,Are you planing to come to London for a convention in the near future?
AgentB

AS: No, but I'm going to Scotland next June, I believe. Check your local listings.

Q: Armin, what can you tell us about "Trials and Tribble-ations?" Do you have a significant role in it?
Chad_vTrek

AS: I have no lines, but as usual, I am the lead (at least in my mind).

Q: Armin,How do you feel about Quarks_Lady's devotion to you?
AgentB

AS: I am in awe.