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?
Um… you do know that was after his career in the Obsidian Order, right? He was kinda exiled… I mean, I’d love to see a Garak-focused prequel series that also runs until the end of the Dominion War (because you never really ever leave the Obsidian Order), telling some DS9 plot points from his perspective… but I don’t think the whole tailoring thing was ever more than part of a cover he learned as a spy that he turned into a pseudo-career during exile.
Birth of the first new ST pasta in the Fediverse??