Elim Garak
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Elim Garak | |
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| Species: | Cardassian |
| Gender: | Male |
| Home planet: | Cardassia Prime |
| Affiliation: | Formerly the Obsidian Order |
| Posting: | Cardassian Embassy on Romulus Deep Space Nine (exile) |
| Portrayed by: | Andrew Robinson |
Elim Garak is a character in the fictional Star Trek universe, played by Andrew Robinson. He was technically classified as a recurring character, but many fans consider him to be a regular given his importance to the story arc and his presence in many episodes. Through the development of the character, viewers of the series became more familiar with the Cardassians, making them less of a stereotypical "villainous species" and more an accumulation of individuals with distinct personalities. Like many other Star Trek characters, Garak has a complicated good/evil duality. Although he is portrayed initially as a deceitful, unprincipled Machiavellian capable of torture and murder, he eventually becomes one of the series' heroes.
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[edit] Character history
[edit] Formative years
Elim Garak was born on Cardassia Prime. Enabran Tain was his father, but little else about his background is known from the series. The non-canon novel A Stitch in Time claims that his mother was Tain's housekeeper Mila although in the series Garak only refers to Mila as Tain's housekeeper and confidant. Garak was often punished as a child by being locked in a cupboard by Tain, likely the root of Garak's acute adulthood claustrophobia (DS9: "Afterimage"). These events were formative to his character and general disposition.
As a young man Garak began his career in the Obsidian Order, one of the premiere intelligence agencies of the entire Alpha Quadrant. Always a quick learner, he proved exceptional at his job and rapidly increased in rank and influence, becoming the right hand man of Enabran Tain, head of the Obsidian Order (DS9: "The Wire"). One mission for the Order took him to the Cardassian embassy on Romulus, where he worked as a gardener; "coincidentally" a Romulan diplomat died while Garak was on the planet. (DS9: "Broken Link")
[edit] Exile
It is unclear at what time and for what offence, but at some point Garak fell out of favor with the Obsidian Order and was exiled from Cardassia by Tain himself. (In the non-canon novel: A Stich in Time, Garak is said to have had an affair with a married woman whose husband was the target in a complex plot by the Order. He was caught and, because of his father's important role in Cardassian society, was exiled from Cardassia Prime.)[1] In any event he was relocated to Terok Nor during the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor where he worked as a tailor. Garak was frequently at odds with the station's Prefect, Dukat, due primarily to the fact that, as a member of the Obsidian Order, Garak was responsible for the execution of Dukat's father.
During the Cardassians' withdrawal from Bajor, Garak was abandoned by the Cardassians and left to the mercy of the Bajorans. He soon after tried in vain to win his government's favor by spying on the Bajor-Federation negotiations. Garak has since made use of his extensive knowledge and abilities by aiding the Federation on numerous occasions.
On Deep Space 9, Garak continued his business as a tailor. Early in the station's Federation administration, several other residents suspect that his business is a front and that he still works for the Obsidian Order. Garak strikes up a convivial relationship with Dr. Julian Bashir (DS9: "Past Prologue"). It seems that Garak wants a Federation officer with whom he can regularly exchange "back channel" information while keeping in communication with his contacts on Cardassia. Bashir was most likely chosen because of his naïveté, intelligence, and trusting nature. Benjamin Sisko encourages Bashir to pursue the relationship, although warning Bashir that Garak is probably not to be trusted. Despite the unusual reason for their relationship, and their cultural and personality differences, Garak and Bashir grew to be good friends. The two often share a weekly lunch during which they discuss politics, the arts, and other topics. Their friendship is cemented when Bashir helps Garak overcome his addiction to an Obsidian Order "torture survival" device that stimulates the pleasure center of Garak's brain, which Garak activates in order to cope with his outcast status aboard DS9. (DS9: "The Wire")
Tain invites Garak to participate in a joint Obsidian Order/Tal Shiar attack on the Founders' homeworld (after Garak survives Tain's attempts to have him killed). Garak readily accepts the invitation to join Tain and to subsequently return to Cardassia. However, the spy-turned-tailor only reluctantly accepts Tain's order to interrogate the Changeling Odo. The intelligence services' ships, and Garak's opportunity to return home, are destroyed in a Jem'Hadar attack. (DS9: "Improbable Cause", "The Die is Cast")
The station's crew at times take advantage of Garak's lingering contacts on Cardassia. Garak helps sneak the USS Defiant into Cardassian space to rescue Kira Nerys (DS9: "Second Skin"), and Sisko uses Garak as a conduit through which to clandestinely warn the Cardassians of an impending Klingon attack (DS9: "The Way of the Warrior").
Conversely, Garak is not above using deceit to advance his own agenda. He lies to Sisko about the nature of an intercepted message before attempting to steal a runabout to rescue Enabran Tain (DS9: "In Purgatory's Shadow") from the Dominion. Garak attempts to take over the Defiant's weaponry to destroy the Founders, and consequently is imprisoned in the station's brig for six months (DS9: "Broken Link").
Garak eventually befriends Tora Ziyal, much to Dukat's outrage. Ziyal falls in love with Garak, but he often called her interest "misguided." and states he does not know what she sees in him. Ziyal persists, however, not only in pusuing a relationship with Garak, but also in taking sides against Cardassia and the Dominion. Her rejection of her father's wishes leads to her death at the hands of Dukat's aide, then-Glinn Damar.
[edit] The Dominion War
Garak provides essential intelligence on Cardassia to the Federation during the Dominion War. Despite believing that he is ultimately helping Cardassia by assisting the Federation in defeating the Dominion, the emotional strain leads to a mental breakdown from which Ezri Dax helps him recover (DS9: "Afterimage").
His unique abilities and contacts lead to the assassination of a Romulan senator. Because it appears to be Dominion sabotage, the Romulans subsequently ally themselves with the Federation and the Klingons (DS9: "In the Pale Moonlight"), helping turn the tide of the war.
Garak and Kira Nerys later help Damar form a Cardassian underground (DS9: "When It Rains..."). The two convince Damar and Rusot to steal a Jem'Hadar ship equipped with a devastating Breen energy weapon (DS9: "Tacking Into the Wind"). Betrayed by Gul Revok, Garak, Kira, and Damar eventually wind up hiding in Mila's basement and attacking Dominion targets on Cardassia (DS9: "The Dogs of War"). Shortly after Mila is killed, the trio, joined by a handful of other Cardassian resistance fighters, storm Dominion headquarters during the Battle of Cardassia. Garak personally kills the last Weyoun (Weyoun 8) and remains on Cardassia at the war's conclusion. What was supposed to be a triumphal return home turns into a pyrrhic victory given the death of over 800 million Cardassians and the destruction of much of Cardassia Prime's infrastructure. (DS9: "What You Leave Behind")
[edit] Post-war involvement
The Deep Space Nine non-canon novel: A Stitch in Time, written by Robinson, takes the form of an epistle to Julian Bashir. Besides containing information about Garak's background, it also describes Garak's activities on Cardassia since the war's end. According to the text, Garak has since assisted in the rebuilding and recovery of Cardassia, while also supporting democratic reforms for its government. He believes that the Dominion War and destruction of Cardassia were partially caused by Cardassia's military-led government.
[edit] Personality
Garak is a practiced liar, and, according to Enabran Tain, "has a rare gift for obfuscation." Despite ample evidence to the contrary, Garak on several occasions denies having ever been involved with the Obsidian Order, claiming he is just "plain, simple Garak, a tailor on the Promenade" and that his difficulties with the Cardassian government stem from tax evasion. He repeats this story frequently, even to people who know it to be false. Similarly, he almost always speaks in a transparently insincere tone, which has the effect of making it difficult to read him.
Garak's belief that one should "Never tell the truth when a lie will do" (DS9: "The Wire") raises questions about the reliability of the memoir-esque novel A Stitch in Time, which is ostensibly narrated by Garak.
[edit] Appearances
Garak appears in the following Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes:
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Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
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Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
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[edit] References
- ^ Robinson, Andrew J. (2000). A Stitch in Time. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-03885-0.
[edit] External links
- Elim Garak article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki.
- A list of 10 "Great Garak Episodes" at StarTrek.com
- A brief Elim Garak Biography at StarTrek.com
| Regular characters on Star Trek | |||
| The Original Series | Kirk | Spock | McCoy | Scott | Uhura | Sulu | Chekov | Chapel | Rand | ||
| Animated Series | Arex | M'Ress | ||
| The Next Generation | Picard | Riker | Data | La Forge | Worf | B. Crusher | Troi | W. Crusher | Yar | O'Brien | Guinan | Pulaski | ||
| Deep Space Nine | B. Sisko | Kira | J. Dax | Odo | Bashir | O'Brien | Worf | J. Sisko | Quark | Rom | Nog | E. Dax | Garak | Martok | Damar | Dukat | Weyoun | Winn | ||
| Voyager | Janeway | Chakotay | Tuvok | Paris | Torres | Kim | Doctor | Neelix | Seven | Kes | ||
| Enterprise | Archer | T'Pol | Tucker | Reed | Phlox | Sato | Mayweather | ||
