I’ll start.
For Guinan: I loved that her character was that classic trope of the “bartender / therapist” who was always around, but never got too involved in the main plot. She would give casual advice, but wasn’t officially an “advisor”, so it served the show well for the main characters to share what they were thinking.
For Quark: He was unquestionably the better developed character, with his own wants and desires that frequently intertwined with the main plot. He also served as a sort of foil to the values of the federation, which let the viewers see how greed was incompatible with the best interests of the people.
I love both. Which was your favorite? Which approach did you like better for the “bartender” character?
That’s so disappointing, but at least I know going into it now.
I feel like a key interview question for a writer/director/etc should be “are you a fan of star trek?” Like, there are a ton of hardcore trek fans out there. Sure some of them are writers and can do the characters justice.
The ego of some showeruners thinking they know best and no one gets them can be staggering. Combine that with negligent execs who only see an IP’s $$$ and you get a hellbrew of no one questioning anyone.