Elim Garak was introduced into the world of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as “a mystery wrapped in an enigma.” Garak’s shifty nature made him both hard to pin down and easy to understand as someone who shouldn’t be trusted easily. In this way, he reminded fans of the manipulative Tiburonian Sevrin (Skip Homeier) fromThe Original Series. Everything about Garak was an intriguing facade meant to distract from the truth. He was mild-mannered in a way that hid his violent tendencies. He had a way of carefully choosing his words that would leave others shocked when he showed impatience.
Garak was the tailor who owned a clothing shop on the Promenade of DS9. Unsuspecting criminals would do business there, not realizing he was keeping tabs on their activities. However, the reverse was also true. The franchise eventually revealed that Garak was once an accomplished spy for a renowned Cardassian intelligence agency. So, the idea of him regularly taking lunch with his friend Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) and sharing holosuite adventures with the other man would have left his old allies very confused. Despite Garak’s dedication to playing his cards close to his chest, time reveals all things – even the secrets of a so-called simple tailor.
Garak’s Troubled Past
Garak is one of the most morally dubious Star Trek characters, joined by others like Q (John de Lancie) and Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). In his early appearances, Garak liked to play with the truth in the same way house cats play with toy mice. He got a kick out of half-truths. Garak’s favorite pastime was watching others scramble to decipher his teasing words, only for them to realize he was just messing with them (for the most part, at least). Season 2, episode 22, “The Wire,” finally revealed Garak’s past associations as a spy for the Obsidian Order.
One could easily assume he climbed the ranks of the Cardassian Intelligence Agency because his father Enabran Tain (Paul Dooley) was its Head and even took him on as a protégé. Yet, Garak’s resume as a killer spoke for itself, with targets that potentially included high-ranking Romulan officials among many others. He was good at what he did, but unfortunately, he was never good enough for his father. Garak was essentially a silver-tongued ex-spy with daddy issues and a penchant for mind games. No wonder he’s still so popular among Star Trek fans.
Garak’s DS9 Clothing Shop
Garak was a magnet for trouble, and had a tendency to land himself in the middle of various Deep Space Nine dramas. He worked so hard to appear as a simple tailor only for the ruse to repeatedly crumble – sometimes even by his own hand. In season 1, episode 3, “Past Prologue,” he invites Dr. Bashir to Garak’s Clothiers to try on a new suit. However, it turns out what he really wanted was for the Starfleet officer to overhear two Klingons planning to deliver a Bajoran freedom fighter to the Cardassians for punishment.
On another occasion, Garak actually blew up his own clothes shop while dodging an assassination attempt. He was physically assaulted several times in his shop, and one time Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) slapped him so hard he flew over a bunch of clothes folded on a display table. Thank goodness the plots of Star Trek rarely involved a plethora of customers in Garak’s Clothiers, or things could have gotten ugly.
Garak's Shady Business
Garak often framed himself as having nowhere else to go, but he could have left DS9 at any time...or could he? While Deep Space Nine fans would have been upset to see him go, there were also potential consequences for any attempts he made to exit stage left. As Captain Sisko points out to Garak in season 3, episode 5, “Second Skin,” Garak is safest if he remains on DS9 because it’s “a Bajoran space station under Federation control”. The captain effectively blackmails Garak into helping him rescue Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor).
The next time the two worked together resulted in season 6, episode 19, “In the Pale Moonlight.” It was one of the darkest episodes of the Star Trek franchise, and proved its ability to successfully dive into mature subject matters. More importantly, it reminded fans of Garak’s willingness to get his hands dirty when necessary. Sure, he could be lighthearted about his seedy past. But sometimes Garak was exactly who he jokingly sold himself to be: a ruthless killer with a hidden agenda. Thankfully, this didn’t negate his ability to make friends. It just made other Deep Space Nine characters question the sanity of the person weird enough to befriend him.
Garak’s Relationship with Dr. Bashir
When Garak first introduced himself in Deep Space Nine, Dr. Bashir assumed he was up to no good. All he knew was that a potential spy for the Cardassians sat down with him at Quark’s Bar out of nowhere and started making small talk. Dr. Bashir was so unnerved by the interaction that once it ended, he ran straight to the bridge to warn Chief Engineer Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney) about Garak’s nefarious intentions, even though he had no idea what they were supposed to be. Garak’s actual intentions were to get Dr. Bashir into his clothing shop so the Starfleet officer could stop criminal activity without Garak himself being directly involved.
Somehow, this was the beginning of a friendship that would span the entire Deep Space Nine series. Garak would come to trust Dr. Bashir with secrets that he was comfortable sharing with no one else. Dr. Bashir would come to appreciate Garak’s unwillingness to speak directly even when asked about his work as a tailor. The two made a strange yet entertaining pair with a unique brand of hijinks, ranging from cosplaying as spies to stopping each other from dying.
The Truth Of Garak
Garak was an elusive figure throughout Deep Space Nine. Even when all of his metaphorical cards were on the table, it was often difficult to pin down what he stood for and who he stood with. Yet, one could expect nothing less from the person who once described the truth as “an excuse for lack of imagination.” Star Trek later revealed Garak’s bitterness about working on DS9, his unwillingness to face his childhood trauma, and his considerable skill in carrying out deadly missions.
This conflicted mass of emotion, though, was often hidden behind an affable smile and a sunny disposition. While he was more than the brutal atrocities Bajorans suffered at the hands of his brethren, his intense loyalty to the Cardassian government often left him trying and failing to excuse their actions. Star Trek never could get a direct read on Garak or what he was really about and, honestly, that just made it more titillating to watch his story unfold.