Elim Garak ( ) is a fictional character from the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in which he is portrayed by Andrew J. Robinson.
In the series, Garak is an exiled spy from the Cardassian Union and a former member of the feared Cardassian intelligence group called the Obsidian Order. Garak was exiled to the space station that became known as Deep Space Nine and established a tailoring business there. While during most episodes of the series he is indeed a harmless tailor, he is also a complex character whose portrayal often hints at hidden secrets and a back-story, and he displays competence in a wide range of skills and knowledge in a crisis. Garak sometimes willfully or coincidentally plays a role in covert operations on the side of the United Federation of Planets running Deep Space Nine. Occasionally, other Cardassians warn Federation personnel that he is "a very dangerous man with a traitorous mind", but in general he plays a rather positive, though sometimes sinister or multilayered, role during the series.
From a production standpoint, Garak's character was expanded from a planned one-time appearance into a pivotal and complex character. Robinson's portrayal of Garak also prompted discussion about his character's sexuality, with Robinson describing Garak as omnisexual while others interpreted him as gay or bisexual.
Role
Garak is introduced in the second episode of the first season of Deep Space Nine, "Past Prologue". He appears in the replimat on Deep Space Nine, where he introduces himself to the station's doctor, Julian Bashir, as Garak, a tailor exiled from Cardassia. In the same episode, it is discovered that Garak was known as "The Spy" to the crew of Deep Space Nine, as the only Cardassian left on the station after Cardassia ended their occupation of the nearby planet, Bajor.
Garak often denied involvement with the feared Cardassian intelligence agency, the Obsidian Order, only later to reveal a likely connection. As Garak's friendship with Bashir develops, it is revealed that he was one of the Obsidian Order's highest ranking operatives, and that he was exiled from Cardassia for unspecified reasons. It is suggested that his exile resulted from either letting prisoners escape during the occupation of Bajor, or the betrayal of Enabran Tain, head of the Order, who is later revealed to be Garak's resentful biological father. Garak's secrecy keeps him a character of interest and importance; he later uses his contacts with Cardassia and his training in the Obsidian Order to assist the Federation in the war against the Dominion. Garak appears in 37 of the 176 episodes of Deep Space Nine, including the series finale, and appears in each of the seven seasons.
Portrayal
thumb|Andrew Robinson in 2000
Garak was intended to be a one-off character; Robinson said that he portrayed the character in the episode for the simple fact that he needed money for that month to pay his bills. The producers were impressed with Robinson's performance and decided to develop the character after Robinson agreed to return. The decision to incorporate Garak into more of the series led to Garak becoming a pivotal character—transforming him into a character of importance with unusual complexity and resonance.
Robinson's initial performance as Garak received scrutiny as his portrayal was interpreted as Garak being homosexual or bisexual. In particular, Robinson portrayed Garak as having sexual interest in Bashir, and he used that as character motivation as an actor. Robinson denied that his portrayal was intended to portray Garak as homosexual and stated that he was omnisexual. As a result of the controversy, Robinson removed the particular characteristic from Garak.