Star Trek: Deep Space Nine : Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

Personally I think this is Robinson's best ever performance on screen. Garak is my all time favourite Star Trek character and that is because of the way Robinson plays him. I think if another actor had played him he may not have been such a fascinating character.

Garak is intelligent, dangerous, mysterious, funny, duplicitous, observant and cunning. Although we may hate some of the things he does, we understand why he does them.

I love the scene between him and Sisko in In the Pale Moonlight. He says to Sisko about how he can do the bad things that Sisko can't and that's why he came to Garak in the first place. That whole exchange between them really makes you think about how sometimes it's necessary to do a bad thing yourself to prevent a greater evil in it's tracks.

I love Garak's friendship with Bashir, the two are such opposites yet make very good friends. I love the banter between them and the scene where Bashir tells him the story of the boy who cried wolf. Garak says the moral of that story isn't that you shouldn't lie, but you shouldn't tell the same lie twice.


Robinson's performance was award worthy in my opinion, he's so powerful and has your attention during every scene he's in. I think he should have been a main character and have been in every episode, not just appearing as a regular guest star.

I think he's at his best in the episode The Wire. He's a character I think should get his own series. I haven't read A Stich in Time yet but really want to.

Who else loves Andrew Robinson's performance? Any other Garak fans?



Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

Easily one of the best characters in the history of television.

In the Pale Moonlight is not only one of my favorite Star Trek episodes it's one of my favorite hours of TV.

Garak also shines in In Purgatory's Shadow, and By Inferno's Light. He gains the appreciation of both Worf and Martok, no easy task by any measure.

Garak also saves the day in Second Skin with a code that make a Cardassian ship leave.



Destroying an empire to win a war is no victory and ending a battle to save an empire is no defeat

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

I agree with your assessment though I'll never forget his character in Dirty Harry

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

Yes, I'm a huge Garak fan - he's one of the reasons why In The Pale Moonlight is my favorite Star Trek episode of all time.

Also, in Afterimage when he yelled "MUST YOU STAND SO CLOSE?" to the other patrons looming over him, I completely lost it.

In The Pale Moonlight

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

I'm pretty sure, besides O'Brian and b*face Keiko, I love the whole cast of DS9but Garak is by far my favorite character, and possibly favorite ST character of all time. Alongside Data and Quark.
You describe the reasons for him being so perfectly.

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

One of the best acting performances I have ever encountered! I Love this character! I agree he should have been a regular. Andrew Robinson is amazing!

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

I remember when the series first came out, & I always enjoyed the Garak episodes, even though he was only in 37 in total. This surprised me & shows how good he was. Whenever I think of the series he is one of the characters that come to mind, despite only being a minor character. I certainly remember him more than the likes of Dax & Jake Sisko who were permanent actors in the series. This is true in many series how certain characters stand out.

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

Garak is my favorite ST character. When I first watched DS9 I always looked for Andrew Robinson's name in the opening credits (after many viewings I now know which episodes he is in and have seen them many times). I think he steals every scene he is in. I adore "In The Pale Moonlight", but I especially love "The Wire".

Garak is such an intriguing character and, as much as would like to know more about his past, I also like that they left a lot of mystery about him.
So although I think he could have been great main character, I also think that less is more.

I'm a big fan of horror and Andrew Robinson was fantastic in Hellraiser (such a great movie overall), and has a few amusing scenes in Child's Play 3. He was also in a decent episode of The X-Files called "Alpha" (and had some nice sexy facial hair).

I've heard Robinson's book about Garak "A Stitch In Time" is good, but so far I can only find it as an eBook (I'm a bit of a luddite) and used book copies on amazon are crazy expensive. I hope to find a way to read it soon.

Did you, did you need to hear their death agonies to know your your omnipotence?

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

A Stitch in Time is a great book, lots of good back story for Garak.

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

I'm getting a secondhand copy of book from Amazon. After I'm done with it I plan on selling it so that every fan can have a read. It's very rare


You're move, creep

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

Agreed, seconded, thumbs up, and liked. Garak was the personification of what made DS9 unique and great. You have a minor character who never makes into the main credits, but gets more screen time and you know more about him than most other main characters of any other TV show - period. The serialized story of DS9 helped make this possible as it gave nearly every main and secondary (and some barely seen) characters full backstories.

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

Just wanted to take a moment to thank you for stating so eloquently why I too love Andrew Robinsons Garak. Such brilliant acting I forget someone wrote his lines!

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

Without a doubt, Garak was one of the best characters in the entire Star Trek franchise. Was he a spy, or merely - as he often assured Bashir - "just a simple tailor"? Andrew Robinson played this ambiguous, sometimes menacing, occasionally sentimental, and - from time to time - utterly heroic character to perfection. The little half-smile that played on Garak's face always left one wondering abut "the real Garak". But just as we THINK we have a read on him, he surprises us with a little, twisty revelation of anther layer to his complex character. DS9 seemed to be blessed with a collection of incredibly talented character actors who portrayed conflicted, complicated and fascinating beings. Here's to Garak! here's to Andrew Robinson!

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

Well he clearly was - or at least had been - some kind of operative, a "simple tailor" wouldn't have been able to do even a small fraction of the things he did, that the others knew full well about. Even from the start, such as when he has Bashir come for a suit fitting after hours so he can hear the Klingons talk with Garak about buying weapons. Who goes to a "simple tailor" to arrange for a weapons buy?

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

So true. The "simple tailor" with a dark past. Garak reminds me of a character out of Le Carre. Simple and unassuming? Believe that, and then nip over to see Quark, who has a wormhole he'd like to sell you.

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

What I may add to this,as I completely agree. Is I loved his back and forth with Sisko,the way his inflections and mannerisms change is brilliant.

There's a very deliberate episode where Garak kills a crew mate on another station called empok nor, because of a gas unleashed to incite violence in cardassians. During this episode the actor does many actions with his body when killing,and discussing death and murder.

During later seasons,when Garak is forced to kill,or act suspicious he portrays these same body actions (eyes peeled back,head tilted to side,a higher pitch in his voice)

It's subtle but brilliant

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

Rather lizard-like, I'd say.

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

That episode is coming up tonight on the H&I channel.

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Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

They need to reprint Andrew J Robinson's novel A Stitch In Time. This time make a hardcover edition.

Re: Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak plus Garak appreciation

Garak is a great character, and comes to epitomise the difference between DS9 and the rest of Trek. I'm glad he wasn't in every episode and they didn't over-use him. Like Bashir's mind tells us, he's the piece that doesn't quite fit, he should be a villain but due to a bizarre mix of circumstances he lives on the station and helps them in often unscrupulous ways simply because he has to do something. Many of his actions are deplorable and yet end up working out for the better in the long run, and often not for Garak himself. He's the spanner in the works and his frustration comes from his unfortunate position in being very useful but stranded on the Federation side, weighing the odds and trying to help Cardassia while reluctantly helping the Federation. He's the best example of how things don't work out how you expect them on DS9.

Quark is like Garak in some ways but not so cold, he's stuck serving and helping the Federation but everything he does seems to affect change on his homeworld that he doesn't think he wants.

My favourite Garak episode is "Our Man Bashir." I love his speech about knowing when to quit and doing what is necessary while Bashir ends up teaching him how chance, luck can work in favour of the greater good. Brilliant episode.
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