Quark

Quark is an Autobot from the IDW portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

"It's so bubbly, cloying, and happy. And you know what's really frightening? If you drink enough of it, you begin to like it."

A member of the scientific class, Quark fears for what would happen if those menial "Decepticon" types ever rose to power. Not that he's content with the current ruling body of Cybertron either: he's paranoid that the Senate is listening in on everyone and everything. He'd really just like to be able to get on with his duties in electron microscope mode and not have to worry about the state of the world, but his friend Nightbeat keeps bringing it up...

Fiction

IDW Generation 1 continuity

Quark met Nightbeat for a drink outside Maccadam's New Oil House, where his detective friend had him read a story about a shooting in Apophenia. Quark suspected Decepticon involvement, which Nightbeat refuted, leading to a discussion about the Decepticon Registration Act and what would happen if the requisite number of Decepticons signed up, allowing their faction to be recognised as a legitimate political party. Quark feared that if they ever took power, the Decepticons would execute everyone who wasn't manual class, but their debate was promptly forgotten when, upon commenting that his drink tasted funny, Quark realized something had been dripping into it from overhead: energon leaking from the dead body of Senator Sherma, suspended from the bridge above them! Post Hoc

Quark eventually became an Autobot as war broke out on Cybertron. Following the Decepticon uprising and the fall of K'th Kinsere, he was interred at the Grindcore prison camp. Predestination: An Expert's Guide After Simanzi, Quark was given a new cellmate named Skids by the commandant, Tarn. Speak, Memory: Part 1 Skids was put to work on Grindcore's "teleport" chamber, using his skills to repair the damaged systems. In exchange, Tarn promised to teleport 50 prisoners to freedom. When the time came, Tarn gave Skids one of the 50 spots. Skids asked to let Quark leave instead, and Tarn agreed to let both of them depart with the 50 prisoners. Inside the chamber, however, the prisoners quickly learned the "teleporter" was actually a smelting chamber. Tarn teleported Skids to safety and forced him to watch as Quark and the others were melted down into raw materials for the Decepticon cause. Speak, Memory! (Part 2)

Years later (or earlier, thanks to time travel) Brainstorm revealed that he had been in love with Quark, though his affections were not reciprocated. He had devised an elaborate plan to go back in time and save Quark's life. Predestination: An Expert's Guide

The Functionist Universe

In another timeline, the Decepticons never arose and so Quark survived until the present day, working for the Functionist Council. He was tasked with studying the captive Rung, also known as "The Useless One", to discover just what it was that he transformed into. Ultimately however, it was Sweep, the janitor, who solved the riddle. Quark reported this to the Council's Convener, One-of-Twelve, who was pleased with their findings. Predestination: An Expert's Guide

Notes

• Quark's head design is based on that of Animated Perceptor, as both 'bots turn into microscopes.
• James Roberts, author of "Shadowplay", had previously created an Autobot named "Quark" for his unofficial Transformers fan-novel, Eugenesis, though the name is about the only similarity between the two characters. Despite being in a prose novel, the earlier Quark did get a pictoral appearance in the illustrated comic-strip prologue to the work, "Liars, A to D" (pictured).