Garak/Bashir

Garak/Bashir is the main slash pairing in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fandom. 
As with any ensemble, favorite characters and pairings were varied, but the subfandom for slash with Julian Bashir (played by Alexander Siddig) and Elim Garak (Andrew Robinson) was quite large, and remains active.
Bashir was first presented as an eager and naive young Federation doctor assigned as the chief medical officer of the station. The mysterious Garak, the Cardassian tailor on the station who may be a spy, introduces himself to Bashir in the first episode as "plain and simple Garak," though he is obviously anything but. Their relationship throughout the series changes, but seems the main touchpoint for Garak until the finale.
==Quashed by TPTB==
The onscreen relationship between the two characters was most intense during the first two seasons of the show, but cooled off considerably afterwards. Andrew Robinson stated in an interview that he played Garak as neither gay nor straight, but "inclusive". Of Garak's sexuality, he elaborated: "I loved the man's absolute fearlessness about presenting himself to an attractive human being. The fact that the attractive human being is a man (Bashir) doesn't make any difference to him". Robinson said this portrayal was later toned down due to a lack of writer support.Robinson, Andrew. Interview with Liz Sourbut. "Tailor Made." Amazon.co.uk. No date. (Accessed 12 February 2009.)
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?
One fan in late 1998 blamed slash fans for the step away from the two characters' on-screen interactions: 
==Fan Comments==
===2011===
Blossom Morphine wrote: 
Regann considered Bashir's secretiveness about his genetically enhanced nature makes the couple ideally suited: 
===2015===
grammarsaveslives commented: 
out-there-on-the-maroon commented: 
==2020s Fandom Revival==
DS9 as a whole seems to be enjoying a resurgence of participation in the fandom. This is possibly due to the whole series being available on Netflix instant, granting easy access to people who might have missed it the first time around. Since it remains the most popular ship in the fandom, Garak/Bashir has been having its own revival as well. Tumblr has been instrumental in this. People posting pics, GIFS and meta have drawn others' interest and with the canon freely available whole new waves of people are discovering the pairing and collectively gnashing their teeth at the period homophobia that prevented a romantic relationship between the characters from being fully explored in the show. 
The *Garak/Bashir tag on AO3 (AO3 being a relatively recent thing compared to the start of the DS9 fandom) is the best bet for finding new fics and the tag is quite active, with new content posted every day or every other day.
In 2023, the relationship won 3rd place in the third MLM Ship Bracket Tournament out of 32 entrants.
==Some Examples of Fanart==
File:Differentodds3.jpg|TACS, from Different Odds (1996)
Image:tacsgarakandbashir.jpg|TACS, used as the cover of Tarkalean Tea (1996)
 
File:Julian-3.jpg|a page from Julian, a Garak/Bashir doujinshi by Tessen
File:The truth is bent ladyyatexel.jpg|The truth is bent by ladyyatexel
File:Genderbend garakbashir quintotriticale.jpg|fem garakbashir by quintotriticale
File:Garakbashir cards jamiekinosian.png|Garak and Bashir by jamiekinosian
File:Spooning anunfinishedman.jpg|Spooning by anunfinishedman
File:New suit dziwaczka.jpg|Time for a new suit by dziwaczka
File:Noholdsbarred14-2.jpg|Zine Art by Thea Ruoho
File:Tark-4.jpg|Zine art by TACS
File:Templejewel-6.jpg|Zine art by TACS
File:Doctortailor2-11.jpg|Zine art by BGM
File:Dd9 valentine.png|Fanart for the Deep Dish Nine AU, posted to tumblr. 
==Fanfiction==
Garak/Bashir fanfiction takes many forms -- from drabbles to novels, from fluff to darkfic often involving Garak's history as a torturer, and from flirting not much more direct than canon to explicit erotica which explores Cardassian sexuality. 
Well-known classic G/B writers include Ainzfern, Arcady, BGM (aka bgmanic), JA Chapman (aka JA Ingram), Karen Colohan (aka Yavanna), crowdog66 (aka prairiecrow), dilly (aka babel), Terri Drummonds, Elizabeth Helena, Karmen Ghia, The Hoyden, Invicta, Lady Drace, Olivia Monteith (aka Spacechick), Mosca, mrs260, Plaid Adder, Prelocandkanar, Kathryn Ramage, Regann and many others. 
New wave authors include misereremolly, bmouse tinsnip, Vyc, Queriana(Prevailing), black_tea and many others found on the AO3 tag for the pairing. 
===Example Fanfiction===
*Acts of Kindness, by JA Chapman -- closer to canonical relationship than many
*Converse Symmetry, by Terri Drummonds -- award-winning novel
*Letters from the Northern Continent, by The Hoyden -- widely recommended story from a newer author 
* Literacy by The Hoyden
*Mr. Garrick Resumes the Stage, by Kathryn Ramage -- historical setting
*Images in a Broken Mirror by Kit Ramage
*Nom de Plume, Roman a Clef & Folie a Deux by Arcady -- series by one of the pairing's best-known exponents
*Paths Not Taken, by Selena -- Five Things meme 
*The Traitor, by dilly -- dark alternate universe
*A Treatise on the Principles of Relativity, by Mosca -- example of pushing aside Julian's canonical relationship with Ezri to write G/B
*When the Lights Go on Again, by Penknife -- bleak futurefic
*Marked by prelocandkanar - a well-executed fuck-or-die fic in an interesting revenge scenario, with speculative Cardassian anatomy
*Stubborn Mouths: Humans In Translation by Hannah - Incredible and satisfyingly long exploration of an autistic Julian Bashir and what that would mean for his life and his relationship with Garak.
*Haute Cuisine by Hannah R. Henriksson
*Sexy, Scaly, Scary by Invictus (1998)
* RESTORE, REMAKE, & REBUILD by kaelio, one of many post-canon Cardassia fics from the newer wave of DS9 fandom.
===Fanfiction Recommendations===
*31 favorite Garak/Bashir fics: part 1, part 2 & part 3, by Prelocandkanar
*Big Fat Garak/Bashir Fanfic Recs list! by Lady Drace
*mrs260's G/B recommendations
*Garak + Bashir by Wendy
== Podfic ==
=== Alone Together ===
On July 6, 2020 the Sid City Social Club YouTube channel posted the first episode of a podfic-style Zoom reading for the Garak/Bashir fanfiction "Alone Together" written by Matthew Campbell. This is the official YouTube channel for Alexander Siddig, who played Julien Bashir. Andrew Robinson, who played Elim Garak, joins him in each episode. Other notable DS9 actors make appearances throughout the series: Cirrok Lofton (Jake Sisko), Armin Shimerman (Quark), and Nana Visitor (Kira Nerys).
All four episodes of the first season have been saved to the Internet Archive, linked below.
* Alone Together Episode 1 - 07/06/2020
* Alone Together Episode 2 - 07/17/2020
* Alone Together Episode 3 - 07/29/2020
* Alone Together Episode 4 - 08/03/2020
==Fanzines==
*Different Odds (1996)
*Doctor, Tailor, Officer, Spy (2 issues; 1997-8)
*No Holds Barred - multimedia zine with several all-Garak/Bashir issues
*The Plain and Simple Zine (10 issues, 1995-6)
*Strange Fits of Passion (e-zine; 1999)
*Tarkalean Tea (1996)
==Archives==
*Julian Bashir/Elim Garak tag at Archive of Our Own
*Garak + Bashir and Garak + Julian at FanFiction.net
*G/B section at Trekiverse
*Cardassia Sutra
*Garak/Bashir Fuh-q Fest 
* Story search for #garashir on Wattpad
==Personal sites==
Most of these have gone to the wall over the years, but some remain up, including:
*Arcady, by Liz Williams
*Cardie-ologist (mix of pairings)
*Charlene Vickers
*Diana and Joanne's Slash Sensation (multifandom)
*Elizabeth Helena 
*Evacuee Sanctum (fanfiction & fan art by BGM)
*Henrietta Wotton (mix of Garak pairings)
*Lady Drace
*mrs260
*Tales of A. Kite by A. Kite (multifandom)
*Una McCormack (mainly Garak gen)
*Yavanna Archive/Yavanna's Realm by Yavanna
Now offline:
*Dekara Central (fan art by BGM)
==Communities==
=== On Tumblr ===
The #garak, #garak x bashir, #garakbashir and somewhat dubious portmanteau #garashir tags are all fairly active.
===On livejournal===
*doctor-tailor -- for Any and all fanworks which deal with, focus on, even reference the relationship (canon, fanon, platonic, romantic, whatever your cup of tea may be) between Garak and Bashir.doctor-tailor Community Profile (accessed 7 October 2011)
*cardassian-lust -- Cardassian-centric LJ comm with substantial Garak/Bashir presence
===On Yahoo Groups===
*Garak/Bashir -- an adult list for discussion of Garak/Bashir fiction, on-screen interaction and the characters of Garak and Bashir.Yahoo Groups: Garak/Bashir (accessed 7 October 2011)
==Meta/Further Reading==
*, by Blossom Morphine at Ship Manifesto (2010)
*Liars Make the Best Lovers (Garak/Bashir, DS9), by Regann 
* 
* Garak & Bashir Star Trek DS9's Covert Affair - Garashir by Shippers Guide to the Galaxy, (2018).
* by Clyde
* Ship Manifesto: Garak/Julian Bashir - AKA Garashir by leila_data (2023)
==References==
Category:2019 Featured Articles
Category:Slash Pairings
Category:Star Trek DS9 Relationships
Category:Interracial Pairings