Elim Garak

Elim Garak was a Cardassian tailor and Promenade shopkeeper of Garak's Clothiers who lived on station Deep Space 9.
He was portrayed by Andy Robinson.
==Some Brief Canon Facts==
* He had been an operative of the Cardassian Obsidian Order but was exiled to Terok Nor. 
* He worked with Starfleet during the Dominion War, returning to Cardassia Prime just prior to the Battle of Cardassia. 
* He was known to be a witty conversationalist and a skilled tailor.
* He was once a high-ranking member of the Cardassian intelligence agency, the Obsidian Order.
* As an Obsidian Order operative, Garak volunteered to have a cranial implant installed in his skull which would help him resist torture. The implant caused his brain to release endorphins when activated, thus making the experience of torture tolerable.
* He lies a lot. Another character commented about him: "Never tell the truth when a lie will do." Garak himself comments: "Truth is in the eye of the beholder, Doctor. I never tell the truth because I don't believe there is such a thing. That is why I prefer the straight line simplicity of cutting cloth." 
* He knows Klingonese.
* For a while Garak and Bashir had weekly lunches together, but this was curtailed as, rumor has it, TPTB thought this was too gay.' "I found your last letter interesting to read. I totally agree with you that this is a place for all of us to air our views on DS9 and Sid, whatever they may be. You did make one point that I feel obliged to respond to: "Why, I ask myself, is it okay to portray a subtly lesbian theme between Dax and her former wife, but it is not okay for Garak and Julian to engage in exchanges which only hint at sexual flirting?" You then went on to say how we no longer even see the 2 characters partaking of lunch together. Have you considered the possibility that maybe Garak and Bashir are no longer put together because of so many fans' bizarre wish to see more into this relationship than simple friendship. It is my guess that TPTB no longer write scenes for Garak and Bashir because they do not wish to see these characters go down that road, and quite frankly, neither do I!" -- from the December 1998 issue of Multi-Species Medicine, one fan responds to another's previous letter 
==Fannish Reaction==
Garak was a fan favorite. 
Many fans are drawn to Garak's creative interpretation of truth. Regann wrote: 
==About Garak's Sexuality==
Andrew Robinson, the actor who portrayed Garak, provided non-canon, and therefore fannish insight into his role when interviewed by Amazon.com, stating: 
Andrew Robinson wrote an official tie-in book based on the show, called A Stitch in Time," the pro novel. From a review of that book: 
It is rumored that TPTB ordered the actors Alexander Siddig and Andrew Robinson to stop engaging in ribald speculation about their characters' true feelings for each other at fan conventions. mentioned in Vulcan Love Slave: Fan fiction on the Internet allows viewers to project their darkest fantasies onto their favorite shows (1998), perhaps other places? 
==Fanfiction==
Garak/Bashir is by far the major pairing. There's also occasional Gul Dukat or Damar slash, and a little featuring original characters. In het, the most frequent partner is probably Tora Ziyal, but Garak occasionally gets paired with a variety of women including Keiko O'Brien and even Kai Opaka. More recently, Elim Garak/Kelas Parmak has gained in popularity following the publication of the spin-off novel series.
Gen stories often focus on his pre-exile life on Cardassia, particularly his childhood and his time in the Obsidian Order. His complex relationship with Enabran Tain is a popular topic, as is his history with Dukat. Crossovers in which Garak appears in other sf universes are fairly common.
===Some Examples===
*Acts Of Kindness, by JA Chapman -- mild G/B
*Cardassian Hostage
*A Discreet Private Inquiry, by Henrietta Wotton -- backstory
*The Elim and Elmo Show, by Cardie-ologist -- Garak & Dukat backstory
*The Fabric of our Lives, by Una McCormack -- Garak/Ziyal
*In a Stone City by Liz Williams -- Garak/Ziyal
*Flowering by Henrietta Wotton -- Garak as a child; Garak/m
*Nowhere Man, by Selena -- crossover with Whoniverse
*Two Worlds, by Deborah Judge -- backstory with Kai Opaka
*You Can Be Me When I'm Gone by Emptyfox -- AU in which Garak joins with Dax; G/B
*Cardassian Connection by Eva Albertsdotter Enblom (1997)
*For more G/B examples and recs, see the Garak/Bashir article
===Fanfiction Recommendations===
*Espresso Recommendations: Elim Garak
===Zines===
* Cardassian Chronicles a zine from the 1990s containing gen and het fiction
* Tarkalean Tea (Garak/Bashir)
* The Plain and Simple Zine - multi-issue, no frills Garak/Bashir anthology zine with all stories written by DVS.
* No Holds Barred - specific issues of this normally multi-media zine had several all-Garak/Bashir issues
* Different Odds, a Bashir/Garak zine
==Other Fanworks==
=== Fanart ===
* by wobblycompetencies. A sequence of illustrations of Garak's expressions. (~2017)
=== Meta===
* by babeltwo (~2014) 
==Additional Image Gallery==
File:Tark-2.jpg|TACS, from Tarkalean Tea (1996)
Image:Sal1back.jpg|back cover of Salutatorian #1, Julian Bashir & Garak by Janet D'Airo
File:Trex86.jpg|front cover of Trexperts #86, Rebecca Wise
File:Outpost7.jpg|cover of Outpost #7, Julian Bashir & Garak, artist unknown
File:Garakdoll2.jpg|a fan's paper doll clothes, published as a supplement to his fan club, around 1997, artist is Nancy Lee
File:Trex95.jpg|cover of Trexperts #95, Julian Bashir & Garak by Jennifer Herd
File:Beyondthewire1-6.jpg|from Beyond the Wire #1
File:Beyondthewire2-2.jpg|from Beyond the Wire #2
==Fanclubs==
*Far Beyond the Stars -- Andy Robinson & other DS9 cast members
==References==
Category:Star Trek DS9 Characters