Like it or not, the quality engineer is, and has been, a part of pop culture. Granted, the perception and depiction of the quality engineer has not always been accurate, almost a caricature of a stereotype.
The depictions I have seen range from the lab coat and pocket protector, rigid in their work and in their demeanor, to the overly zealous test engineer, reveling in the tests that apply intolerable pressure to new products, almost eager to watch them explode into a thousand pieces.