Garak the Tailor

Garak, the Cardassian tailor (well, spy really, tailor is just his cover) from DS9, is one of the most beloved characters from Star Trek and has a huge following in costume collecting. I own one myself and my friends and I discuss these fantastic costumes at length, whenever one comes up for sale. The fabrics and workmanship are amazing. Some of Robert Blackman's best work I think. We have seen several of his costumes, but none lately.

His character had so many layers and so many different facets, that it was hard not to be intrigued by him. Andrew Robinson brought incredible depth to the performance. He also had a great sense of humor. You never could have found a regular character who had such questionable ethics and shades of gray in any other Star Trek show. DS9 allowed such a character to not only exist, but flourish.


A couple of my favorite Garak quotes:

After Garak gets beat up:
Dr. Bashir: They broke seven of your transverse ribs and fractured your clavicle.

Garak: Ah, but I got off several cutting remarks which no doubt caused serious damage to their egos. Thanks to your administrations, I am almost completely healed, but the damage I did to them will last a lifetime.



Dr. Bashir: What I want to know is, out of all the stories you told me which ones were true and which ones weren't?

Garak: My dear doctor...they're all true.

Bashir: Even the lies?

Garak: Especially the lies.


And of course, Andrew Robinson loved the character so much, he wrote a book about it! The Garak novel "A Stitch in Time" is actually out of print and runs about $ 20 these days. I am trying to get a copy myself and am looking forward to a good read. It is Garak's memoirs, and you have to love the passion that Robinson has for the character that he actually wrote a book about him!