Character Arc
Mork is a curious and innocent alien from the planet Ork, a world where emotions have been suppressed and individuality discouraged. Considered an oddball at home because of his sense of humor, he is dispatched to Earth to study human beings and transmit his findings to his commanding officer, Orson. Mork arrives near Boulder, Colorado, in an egg-shaped spacecraft and is befriended by Mindy McConnell, who becomes his guide to human society.
Throughout the series Mork approaches Earth with boundless enthusiasm, taking idioms literally, greeting people with the Orkan salutation Na-Nu Na-Nu, and exclaiming Shazbot when frustrated. His misunderstandings of everyday customs drive much of the comedy, while his sincerity and empathy allow the show to address human foibles with warmth. His deepening friendship with Mindy gradually grows into love.
In the later seasons Mork and Mindy marry, and Mork lays an egg from which their son, Mearth, hatches. Because Orkans age backward, Mearth appears as an adult while behaving as a child, a role played by comedian Jonathan Winters. Mork's journey across the series traces his growing understanding of human emotion, family, and belonging, even as he never loses his distinctively alien outlook.