I just love the contrast of how it takes a few seasons for Bashir to figure Garak out, and yet in half an episode Odo screams "I have had it with your bullshit, Garak!"
It's hard to keep any secrets from a shapeshifting obsessive cop. Once he's on your case you might as well appear cooperative and attempt some damage control, he'll find out what he wants to know either way but if you don't direct (or distract) his attentions then he might find out more than you like.
I love this scene. Nobody in the entire series ever made Garak consider his next move just as carefully as Odo did here. I think Odo was one of the few people on that station that Garak was genuinely afraid, or at least wary of.
I must partially disagree because of the 'afraid' part. Garak was never afraid of Odo, but he was indeed wary of him because he knew and respected Odo's skills as a security officer. Due to that he was always a little more on guard with Odo than with other members of the station. After all, Garak was a former (or maybe still?) member of the Obsidian Order, and deep cover spys don't last long if they underestimate their adversaries. Keeping up his guard when dealing with a professional such as Odo would be nothing more than an ingrained survival tactic for a man like Garak, even if he really was no longer a spy.
@@tomjustis7237 Garak and Odo are mirror counterparts, one in the underworld, the other in law enforcement. Each would be able to perform the others functions sublimely, apart from Murder.
@John Dew Which is why Garak is choosing his words very carefully as to his association with Tain: the acting, direction and camerawork are superb in that scene, there is no music, and we follow Garak in his thought process about how exactly he should respond without bringing himself into danger by way of what he is about to divulge.
I miss the stage play scenes like this in the new shows. Now producers seem to think that slow paced conversation is lame and doesn't attract an audience but to me it is what made Star Trek great.
Agreed. The new shows look fancy but they’re so shallow. Many shows are the same now, it’s all about the presentation and not about the quality of the script or it’s delivery. For those reasons alone I don’t believe we’ll ever see a Trek show that’ll dethrone TNG and DS9.
The multitude of voices Garak´s is capable of is astonishing. In less then 05 mins of video you have the guarded undercover spy, master of lies, then it becomes the cold professional, and, then, out of nowhere, the more vulnerable and surprised person you ever saw in your life. Garak barely move, barely change his expression...it´s just the voice.
Oh that would have been fun. garek using his shop as a convenient metaphore to hang descriptions off of to keep things.... inoffensive to starfleet (and TV Censor) sensibilities.
Ah Gul Martooth. He was here just last week. I hemmed his pants myself. And oh, what a coinidence. Hea'knarth was also here just three days ago. I got her a glorious new suit. A bit outlandish for my tastes but you know Andorian's, constable.
Cannot believe that Andrew Robinson didn't get more acting roles in other programmes, he is a wonderful actor, when there are so many wooden hammy actors out there it's a disgrace he didn't get more roles.
He frequently turned down roles. Many people saw him on Dirty Harry and they wanted him to play a role like that. Andy Robinson got MANY death threats because he played the Scorpio killer so well, so he refused to ever go that way again. The closest Andy Robinson got to playing that role again was in the Star Trek DS9 episode Empok Nor.
I remember that one of the Trek clip channels, possibly even MJ here, formerly uploaded this same clip, using that as the title. Ofcourse cou, TH-cam invented some excuse to take it down. Hopefully that won't happen so quickly here.
Garak is actually calculating how to word his next statement in such a way as to not directly implicate his own person as actually a now-former operative of the Obsidian Order. See, he describes himself and the people who got into "accidents", as once-'advisors' and 'associates' to Enabran Tain, the former head of the Obsidian Order. - Not directly as 'operatives', which is what they really were, as correctly inferenced by Odo. But even here, Garak, as a matter of course, does not shy away from embellishing his story like that. One parameter of said calculation must have been the safest possible extent of information that Garak could divulge without compromising his security, and that of Mila and Tain by extension.
"Resetting" is a good choice of words. It's clear that Garak's usual dissembling isn't going to work on Odo now. He has to resort to the truth, but has to calculate how much truth he can afford to divulge.
Interesting observation. I was thinking that Odo doesn't really have eyes? In his humanoid form they're a facsimile. He sees everything everywhere in his purview. A very facinating point of view. He's perfect for security.
Actually, once he assumes a form, he assumes the phisical caracteristics of that form. In his liquid, or semi-liquid, state, he can see in all directions, but in his humanoid form, he have line of sight limits.
@@ziggystarbucks6383 Remember: he is not as good at shapeshift as other changelings. We´ve saw a changelling being able to morph into a MIST, completly changing his state from solid to gas. The same chageling was able to survive and even FLY through space without any gear. Odo, unfortunally, have trouble even mimiking a human face.
Odo should be able to manipulate the structure of his eyes so that he can see as well in the dark as a cat or so that he can see electromagnetic frequencies that the normal human I cannot see.
Had he not played such an over the top psycho in dirty harry, his career would have been propelled to heights unobtainable by DS9's budget. I'm glad he was such a ham as a young actor. I can't imagine anyone else giving so much life to Garak. His eyes alone speak volumes in every scene.
I think he did it as a moment of relaxation before leaving. He knew what sort of mess he was getting into and how serious it would be, so messing with bashir let him leave with a smile.
That long pause as Garek walks away from Odo before beginning his tale... It is, of course, a tale. Garek didn't expect to ve confronted so directly, so he had to think on his feet, and that meant pausing long enough to think of some BS to tell Odo so he'd back off.
One of the biggest reasons why Garak is the best Star Trek character of all time was how he brought out the best in every other character with whom he interacted. Bashir, Odo, Kira, Worf, O’Brien, Sisko, Quark, he challenged them all in ways that no other character did, which gave us new insight into all their personalities, and led to some of their best episodes.
All this was based on subterfuge though. And he only showed his true feelings on two occasions, that I can remember. Both times he revealed himself to be extremely bitter. The first time was the episode was where his dopamine implant was failing. The doctor tried to help him but Garak launched into a vicious verbal assault on his opinions of the doctor. The second time is when Ezri tried to support Garak through his panic attacks and he gave a similar scathing rant about his opinions of Ezri. These two examples are relevant because they show Garak responses when he is at *his most vulnerable*. And that of course is something that every Cardassian despises. Believe me, I appreciate Garak’s charm and his verbal interplay with others, but I can’t attribute virtue to him.
Odo and Garak were may favorite characters to have interact. They were similar enough to understand each other and different enough to have interesting dynamics.
One of the wonderful things from DS9 that they never reveal the identity of the mystery Cardassian who informs Odo. The Cardassians are all so clouded in Mystery. Wish we had seen off the Romulans. Maybe in a battle who was the most devious treacherous race.
@@nunyadambidniss She was a house servant... but also, heavily implied to be, mistress of Garak's father. Since they were all spies their whole family takes smoke and mirros approuch and they never refer to themselvs as "son, father and mom".
Actually, I think they did reveal him. He was the guy that was Kira's "father". When they altered her to look like a Cardassian because they needed evidence of him being a resistance sympathizer. s3e5 "Second Skin"
And yet he immediately call him, showing Odo his security protocols in the meantimes, and then ask for a runabout to go looking for him. He didn't even complained when Odo said he was coming along... I think the tone is more like "that SHOULDN'T be a possibility, under normal circustances, but the other operatives shouldn't be dead either, so... maybe it's better give him a call"
Garak is a master of the stealth insult. Quark: I like talking to my customers Garak: I can see the attraction, for you Unsaid: I can’t see how that would be attractive for the customer. Odo: That’s an interesting way to scramble a signal. Garak: I thought you might appreciate that, on an aesthetic level. Unsaid: You can only understand the aesthetic level because this trick is beyond your skills Best part is, he seems to be using his best manners while doing so. Easily the best written character on the show imho
And that one goddamn character defining masterwork scene at lunch with Bashir: Garak: " [...]...it's all true" Bashir: "Even the lies?" Garak: "ESPECIALLY the lies"
I took the aesthetic thing as yet another misdirect that lets him avoid admitting the truth. "Oh its just a fancy way of saying hello, not some super complicated method by which a spy can secretly contact someone very important." They both know he had to show some of his hand to make contact but garek would never actually ADMIT he was doing spy stuff.
Not the way I read "aesthetic level" at all. I believe it was the interaction of two gifted professionals, Odo complimenting Garak's skill, Garak acknowledging that he expected Odo to be adept enough to appreciate it. Doesn't mean either likes or trusts the other, just that they respect each other's abilities.
1:53 - one of various spin-off novels from DS9 mentioned that part of Garaks cover story for when he was stationed on DS9 back when it was Terok Nor and he was part of the Obsidian order, was that he was a tailor and the shop came with the cover story. When Tain threw him out of the order - for whatever reason - the cover was all he had left. So he was forced to BECOME the cover identity he'd been given because it was ALL he had left. Imagine that... The only evidence you are who you say you are - the only way he can do business and provide a living for himself - is something that he was given to do a WHOLE other job. Every day he comes in - he's reminded - this shop - this life - every motion he goes through - was part of an identity that was not only never really his... ... ... but is all that remains from a position of power that he will NEVER regain. And it was his own damn father who left him - stranded on that damn station in that damn shop... as a damn tailor.
Tain was not only the only head of the Obsidian Order to stay alive long enough to retire, he also ensured his son's survival as well. Something to think about
You can just tell Garak respects the hell out of Odo. He’s the only one who can even come close to matching his cunning and who doesn’t put up with his bullshit.
This scene foreshadows how dangerous the Dominion are, Garak who was the top lieutenant of the obsidian order that was an enigma to everyone for years has been figured out by a Changeling in less than a day, then in the next episode the joint operation between the two most secretive organizations in the alpha quadrant failed miserably before even realizing that they've been had.
Continuity error: Bashir should not have any pants; his pants got blown up in the explosion. This episode should have featued Bashir wearing a variety of makeshift garments (towels, shirts, etc) to take the place of pants.
the best part is, later garak admits and explains that the shapeshifter was right on every step, he did blow up his own shop with the intentions of the shapeshifter getting involved by looking into it deeper and bringing garak back to the obsidian order.
@@ublade82 The terms are frequently used interchangeably on the show. "Changeling" is more of a label, while "shapeshifter" is more descriptive. For everyone of them but Odo, "Founder" is also commonly applied.
Laas and the baby Quark gave Odo were not "Founders" which is a political term to describe the changelings who... FOUNDed the Dominion. Changeling and shapeshifter are as interchangeable as Cardassian and spoonhead. Save it for your trial.@@danieldickson8591
Sure and Cardassian and spoonhead are used interchangeably Changelings are the species, Founders are the members of the species who FOUNDED the Dominion, meaning not Odo, not Laas, and not the one Quark found. Shapeshifter is almost always pejorative and there are other species capable of shapeshifting (ST6)@@danieldickson8591
"Changeling" is the name of the species, "shapeshifter" is almost always derogatory, and there's other shapeshifters besides the changelings (ST6) - Founder applies to the actual changelings who founded the Dominion, not Odo or Laas or the one Quark found @@danieldickson8591
This two-part episode served a two-fold purpose - without giving away spoilers, the "A" plot is an mportant step in moving forward the Dominion arc vs the Federation. But the "B" plot, the adventure tha Odo and Garak have from this point on, develops their back story, and has some of the most gut-wrenching scenes in the entire series.
My favorite part is that throughout, while he appears to give in to Odo's questioning, he never says a single thing that can be taken unambiguously as an admission of anything. Which emphasizes when he does make a commitment to Mila
Garak was great! I miss him. He was like lion between sheeps on the station but appeared as an anoying sheep too. He was like 007 and Hitman combined in Star Trek. Even his knowledge of things about alpha quadrant inside his head was pure treasure. I would love to see his cameo in Picard.
I agree with the sentiment, but I hope no more old-series characters get brought into the new series.... We don't need any more characters ruined by mindless, numb action, gore, and melodrama....
I hope NOT to see him in Picard given that shows poor ratings and pure insult to Gene Roddenberrys vision. I don't blame Patrick if some company showed up with enough money to buy a small country my integrity would also be tested.
I dont think its condescending, it's him using his tailor cover. His body languaged reads entirely that "im throwing you a bone Odo, if only so you stop asking dangerous questions" and Odos reaction reads as a recognition that its not about how Grain presents the signal scramble, its that he did it without hiding it from Odo
Such a brilliant scene! Odo backs Garak into a corner and we see him essentially going, "I'll tell just enough truth to get myself out of this." We see it again in the episode Rocks and Shoals when he and Nog are captured. Also, always loved the hiss Robinson put in "distinct" a very nice touch!
Garak's handling of Odo is the strongest possible endorsement of his mental capacity and given the interplanetary nature of the setting I think it's safe to say Odo might be among the top three detectives in fiction. Sherlock and batman own a plant, Odo has to think in entire star systems across dozens of species. It's even more impressive when you consider he can spar with Garak within Garak's own highly developed specialty. Garak represents an entire field's excellence, not just personal ability Odo basically is self taught even further impressive. The changelings are terrifying and like Data not really carried to their logical conclusion. Odo is basically an infant. Imagine for instance if he decided to make himself all or mostly brain. He'd probably start giving Khan and augmented Barkly a run for their money.
You're right, but as someone else in the comments very astutely pointed out; Odo has a lot of experience dealing with cardassians. Much more than anyone else on the station and those cardassians were, like Garak, never being honest with him either. Not to say Odo isn't a good detective but there's a good reason he is able to handle Garak far better than Bashir or Sisko ever could.
The actor playing Odo's contact is Joseph Ruskin, who has been playing Star Trek aliens since he first appeared in the TOS episode Gamesters of Triskelion.
I love the facial expressions that Garrick goes through before he reveals who those men truly were to odo. You can see in his eyes he is running through various scenarios and things that he could say, and lies that he could spend. He realizes that for perhaps the first time, he has to speak plainly, and speak the truth. But he doesn't, coldly and professionally. Garrick is the consummate intelligence out agent
Odo was always my favorite character and not just to shape shifting, but how stern he was…it made him more likable when he showed positive emotions like when with tribble or the infant changling or the doctor who raised him (name eludes me).
Doctor Mora Pol. The Begotten is one of Trek's most emotional episodes, and one I thorougly enjoyed because it is out of character for Odo. Along the lines of TNG The Offspring, VOY Innocence, TNG Dark Page. All marvelous episodes.
@@EdgardoCervantesP When the infant is dying Odo pleads with it and I almost feel the changling is saying,”You…you who love me so much. Take my abilities. I am dying, but you can live with my gift…remember me…” *Integrates into Odo’s form*
There's never any official stated confirmation of that being the case, but I'd say both of their reactions and demeanor when seeing each other easily implies that. Not like they'd ever openly admit it, being from the Obsidian Order.
People can say all they want it’s not canonically confirmed but you can’t tell me that they just happened to cast an actress with blue eyes and did several closeups of Mila and Garak that emphasized their eye color.
It's an inside joke. This story wasn't going to be a two-parter originally. The item in the bulkhead was going to be some sort of MacGuffin that led to the episode's resolution. But once they decided to expand this to a two-parter, that plot line was dropped and Garak's dialogue about the item were kept in simply as a joke.
"Do you know what the sad part is, Odo? I'm a very good tailor." A devastating line in this story's final scene. Sums up Garak's inner conflict and character completely.
The facial reaction at 4:20 is such stellar acting. After trying to keep Mila at arm's length in this conversation and being pushed against the wall by her, Garak's lips quiver for an instant as he consciously fights back his finely toned reflexes to lie. Mila is not someone Garak can lie to and just as much he doesn't want to. Obviously he'd much prefer to have avoided the situation to begin with, but his relationship with her is one of the few unadulterated ones in his life, and it's clearly something Garak values highly. All that communicated in an instant.
Andrew Robinson was always great at conveying a world of emotion in subtle expressions and body language in this series. 2:14 is a very good example imo. Here you can see Garak processing that he's figured out, to his clear surprise and mild fear when he turns around to look at Odo, to quickly mulling over what to tell Odo next and weighing the value of telling the truth in light of what just happened, before he turns to speak in a very straightforward manner to finally reveal the truth. And all of this is conveyed in about eight seconds of physical acting
Perhaps my favorite scene from all of recorded history. J/K But it is a WONDERFUL scene. From an EXCEPTIONAL, two parter (imo). Thanks for posting it. ☮
Spoiler Warning: . . . . . . Yes. It isn't explicitly stated as with his father (rather repeatedly hinted); but she definitely was as important to him as one.
Garak either would have tricked another power to blow it up for Cardassia or would have manipulated the Russians into panicking and blowing it up themselves.
Another expression Odo wouldn't have seen on Garak's face before this episode - love. Mila was Garak's mother in every meaningful way (A novel revealed this she actually was his biological mother, but I don't think that's canon), and someone that even Tain trusted.
They all talk the same in DS9 - very dramatic, mechanical cadence, stilted, theatrical articulation, no "uhhh's" or "um's". They always sound like they're reading from a script -- which they are. Like they're always auditioning for some dramatic 1930's radio show.
I can't describe how well these two work together. Garak's words as they come out of his mouth, seem so perfect. No one else could have played his parts so well.
What makes DS9 great is that the simple conclusion that Garak blew up his own shop. Other shows even TNG would have done a more convoluted techno babble explanation or motive. But nope Here we cut right to the heart of it all.
All the comments in the comments section here. 👍 This just goes to show that the WRITING in DS9 was top tier television. This type of writing is so rare nowadays. Too many CRAP screenwriters! (sure we had bad ones back in the 70s and 80s, I fully remember bad television throughout the decades) but DS9 was another level of genius! I miss it!
Still feel just in general terms the script writing and actors were bloody brilliant in this show, regardless of it being sci-fi. Masterful when compared to the vast amount of average we have now days.
I just love the contrast of how it takes a few seasons for Bashir to figure Garak out, and yet in half an episode Odo screams "I have had it with your bullshit, Garak!"
I think he figured Garak in their first lunch but played along. After all he is as good as Garak in playing dumb and probably understood him very well
I would rather suspect Odo and Garak had met several times over the years off camera, both before and after the occupation.
@@loka7783 , I agree. Odo had a history with the station's residents, like Garak and Quark. Morn, I can't say.
It's hard to keep any secrets from a shapeshifting obsessive cop.
Once he's on your case you might as well appear cooperative and attempt some damage control, he'll find out what he wants to know either way but if you don't direct (or distract) his attentions then he might find out more than you like.
Starfleet staff like Bashir are too nice and polite; Odo is direct and sharp takes no nonsense.
I love this scene. Nobody in the entire series ever made Garak consider his next move just as carefully as Odo did here. I think Odo was one of the few people on that station that Garak was genuinely afraid, or at least wary of.
I must partially disagree because of the 'afraid' part. Garak was never afraid of Odo, but he was indeed wary of him because he knew and respected Odo's skills as a security officer. Due to that he was always a little more on guard with Odo than with other members of the station. After all, Garak was a former (or maybe still?) member of the Obsidian Order, and deep cover spys don't last long if they underestimate their adversaries. Keeping up his guard when dealing with a professional such as Odo would be nothing more than an ingrained survival tactic for a man like Garak, even if he really was no longer a spy.
@@tomjustis7237 Garak and Odo are mirror counterparts, one in the underworld, the other in law enforcement. Each would be able to perform the others functions sublimely, apart from Murder.
Sisko said it best. Best law enforcement office in the quadrant (i.e. the known universe).
@John Dew Which is why Garak is choosing his words very carefully as to his association with Tain: the acting, direction and camerawork are superb in that scene, there is no music, and we follow Garak in his thought process about how exactly he should respond without bringing himself into danger by way of what he is about to divulge.
That’s because he knew Odo could see through his bullshit.
I love Garak's long pause and palpable discomfort when he realizes that his best course of action is to tell the truth.
maybe he's realizing he lacks the imagination to come up with something better.
@@justinbriley2531 He's just choosing how much of the truth he can afford to admit.
Garak.exe has encountered an unexpected error and is attempting to restart
"truth" THis is still Garak.
@@slewone4905 Exactly. : D It might have just enough truth to be believable but 90% of it is lies. :D
I miss the stage play scenes like this in the new shows. Now producers seem to think that slow paced conversation is lame and doesn't attract an audience but to me it is what made Star Trek great.
Speed is no substitute for depth of delivery.
Agreed. The new shows look fancy but they’re so shallow. Many shows are the same now, it’s all about the presentation and not about the quality of the script or it’s delivery. For those reasons alone I don’t believe we’ll ever see a Trek show that’ll dethrone TNG and DS9.
You think Game of thrones would help them with that
Thats becausz the directors of those shows have 0 clue about star trek
Garak's character would be impossible to appreciate without these scenes.
The multitude of voices Garak´s is capable of is astonishing. In less then 05 mins of video you have the guarded undercover spy, master of lies, then it becomes the cold professional, and, then, out of nowhere, the more vulnerable and surprised person you ever saw in your life. Garak barely move, barely change his expression...it´s just the voice.
It's called being a brilliant actor.
I would say garak is one of the best if not the best character in all of star trek and the acting is top tier
Andrew is SUCH a great actor. Not just the voice but the micro-expressions and posturing. He’s the real deal.
He invented gaslighting before gaslighting was invented!
The eyes don't forget the eyes
Someone who hands you a pad with a list of dead adversaries. Ooh, what a rare luxury.
Me, Trying to figure out what is my alibi.
@@slewone4905 I was with the space goo cop, under protective custody.
For a moment I wanted Garak to describe those other individuals on the list as particularly difficult customers for his tailor shop
Maybe one of them was the Nausican who's wedding dress he misplaced. As mentioned earlier in this episode 🤣
Oh that would have been fun. garek using his shop as a convenient metaphore to hang descriptions off of to keep things.... inoffensive to starfleet (and TV Censor) sensibilities.
Ah Gul Martooth. He was here just last week. I hemmed his pants myself. And oh, what a coinidence. Hea'knarth was also here just three days ago. I got her a glorious new suit. A bit outlandish for my tastes but you know Andorian's, constable.
At this point Odo's made it abundantly clear that Garak's usual BS isn't going to cut it.
Cannot believe that Andrew Robinson didn't get more acting roles in other programmes, he is a wonderful actor, when there are so many wooden hammy actors out there it's a disgrace he didn't get more roles.
He frequently turned down roles.
Many people saw him on Dirty Harry and they wanted him to play a role like that. Andy Robinson got MANY death threats because he played the Scorpio killer so well, so he refused to ever go that way again. The closest Andy Robinson got to playing that role again was in the Star Trek DS9 episode Empok Nor.
His turn as his satanic killer brother wearing his skin in Hellraiser also flowed from a similar vein
1:55
Odo: "I think you secretly enjoyed blowing up your own shop"
Garek: "Well, I admit watching it burn wasn't exactly tragic"
*Garak
A rare hint at that point, of how much Garak actually loathes his position on DS9.
I remember that one of the Trek clip channels, possibly even MJ here, formerly uploaded this same clip, using that as the title. Ofcourse cou, TH-cam invented some excuse to take it down. Hopefully that won't happen so quickly here.
What I like is that long silence...as it not only comes across as Garak being shocked...it comes across as him RESETTING.
Garak is actually calculating how to word his next statement in such a way as to not directly implicate his own person as actually a now-former operative of the Obsidian Order.
See, he describes himself and the people who got into "accidents", as once-'advisors' and 'associates' to Enabran Tain, the former head of the Obsidian Order. - Not directly as 'operatives', which is what they really were, as correctly inferenced by Odo.
But even here, Garak, as a matter of course, does not shy away from embellishing his story like that.
One parameter of said calculation must have been the safest possible extent of information that Garak could divulge without compromising his security, and that of Mila and Tain by extension.
You can *feel* him trying to come up with the right words and the right way to convey a satisfying answer to Odo, without revealing too much.
Can you imagine any of the new Trek shows having the patience to invest that much time in silence?
"Resetting" is a good choice of words. It's clear that Garak's usual dissembling isn't going to work on Odo now. He has to resort to the truth, but has to calculate how much truth he can afford to divulge.
Interesting observation. I was thinking that Odo doesn't really have eyes? In his humanoid form they're a facsimile. He sees everything everywhere in his purview. A very facinating point of view. He's perfect for security.
Actually, once he assumes a form, he assumes the phisical caracteristics of that form. In his liquid, or semi-liquid, state, he can see in all directions, but in his humanoid form, he have line of sight limits.
@@marcelojj2009 i’ve thought about that too. but, if he wanted to he could do whatever he wants as long as he’s capable.
@@ziggystarbucks6383 Remember: he is not as good at shapeshift as other changelings. We´ve saw a changelling being able to morph into a MIST, completly changing his state from solid to gas. The same chageling was able to survive and even FLY through space without any gear. Odo, unfortunally, have trouble even mimiking a human face.
Odo should be able to manipulate the structure of his eyes so that he can see as well in the dark as a cat or so that he can see electromagnetic frequencies that the normal human I cannot see.
@@marcelojj2009
He’s pretty good at dogs,though.
“Little Green Men”
(S4 Ep8)
Had he not played such an over the top psycho in dirty harry, his career would have been propelled to heights unobtainable by DS9's budget.
I'm glad he was such a ham as a young actor. I can't imagine anyone else giving so much life to Garak. His eyes alone speak volumes in every scene.
Agreed. I'd been a fan of his for a long time and was thrilled that his character on DS9 got more use.
He was awesome in Hellraiser too.
Holy shit I never put that together.
“I want my rights”
@Carl Witt, just watched that classic “Do I feel lucky?” scene for the first time the other day.
I think Garak enjoyed trolling Bashir.
Lying is just like any other skill..
I think he did it as a moment of relaxation before leaving. He knew what sort of mess he was getting into and how serious it would be, so messing with bashir let him leave with a smile.
Bashir enjoyed the banter, too.
It's how he flirts.
That long pause as Garek walks away from Odo before beginning his tale... It is, of course, a tale. Garek didn't expect to ve confronted so directly, so he had to think on his feet, and that meant pausing long enough to think of some BS to tell Odo so he'd back off.
One of the biggest reasons why Garak is the best Star Trek character of all time was how he brought out the best in every other character with whom he interacted. Bashir, Odo, Kira, Worf, O’Brien, Sisko, Quark, he challenged them all in ways that no other character did, which gave us new insight into all their personalities, and led to some of their best episodes.
Very true!
Not to mention Ezri.
I really like your point, never thought about it that way
All this was based on subterfuge though. And he only showed his true feelings on two occasions, that I can remember. Both times he revealed himself to be extremely bitter. The first time was the episode was where his dopamine implant was failing. The doctor tried to help him but Garak launched into a vicious verbal assault on his opinions of the doctor. The second time is when Ezri tried to support Garak through his panic attacks and he gave a similar scathing rant about his opinions of Ezri. These two examples are relevant because they show Garak responses when he is at *his most vulnerable*. And that of course is something that every Cardassian despises. Believe me, I appreciate Garak’s charm and his verbal interplay with others, but I can’t attribute virtue to him.
and Gul Dukat. Oh wait, no.
The worst part is, Mila has no idea what she's asking of Garak, and what it will cost him.
Sure she does. She's Garak's mom, she knows what he and Tain were all about.
@@Lamporre Mother of spies!
@@EdgardoCervantesPFATHER OF LIES.
"You know what the sad part is, Odo? I'm a very good tailor."
Odo and Garak were may favorite characters to have interact. They were similar enough to understand each other and different enough to have interesting dynamics.
I like how Grak took the opportunity to turn this whole thing into an elaborate 'eat my rod' joke at Bashir's expense.
Truly a guy-friend.
Love this outfit on Garak. It's a little more flamboyant -- fits his personality
One of the wonderful things from DS9 that they never reveal the identity of the mystery Cardassian who informs Odo. The Cardassians are all so clouded in Mystery. Wish we had seen off the Romulans. Maybe in a battle who was the most devious treacherous race.
Who's This "Mila" ?
If That aint Cardassian for "Mother"...
@@nunyadambidniss She was a house servant... but also, heavily implied to be, mistress of Garak's father. Since they were all spies their whole family takes smoke and mirros approuch and they never refer to themselvs as "son, father and mom".
Kinda sounded like Dukat
I think he was the previous head of security or a member of the obsidian order who served on the station
Actually, I think they did reveal him.
He was the guy that was Kira's "father". When they altered her to look like a Cardassian because they needed evidence of him being a resistance sympathizer. s3e5 "Second Skin"
I like how you Garak saying “that is a distinct possibility” essentially equates to “not on your life.”
And yet he immediately call him, showing Odo his security protocols in the meantimes, and then ask for a runabout to go looking for him. He didn't even complained when Odo said he was coming along...
I think the tone is more like "that SHOULDN'T be a possibility, under normal circustances, but the other operatives shouldn't be dead either, so... maybe it's better give him a call"
Garak is a master of the stealth insult.
Quark: I like talking to my customers
Garak: I can see the attraction, for you
Unsaid: I can’t see how that would be attractive for the customer.
Odo: That’s an interesting way to scramble a signal.
Garak: I thought you might appreciate that, on an aesthetic level.
Unsaid: You can only understand the aesthetic level because this trick is beyond your skills
Best part is, he seems to be using his best manners while doing so. Easily the best written character on the show imho
And that one goddamn character defining masterwork scene at lunch with Bashir:
Garak: " [...]...it's all true"
Bashir: "Even the lies?"
Garak: "ESPECIALLY the lies"
I took the aesthetic thing as yet another misdirect that lets him avoid admitting the truth. "Oh its just a fancy way of saying hello, not some super complicated method by which a spy can secretly contact someone very important." They both know he had to show some of his hand to make contact but garek would never actually ADMIT he was doing spy stuff.
Not the way I read "aesthetic level" at all. I believe it was the interaction of two gifted professionals, Odo complimenting Garak's skill, Garak acknowledging that he expected Odo to be adept enough to appreciate it. Doesn't mean either likes or trusts the other, just that they respect each other's abilities.
i wish we could have known more about Odo's source
Gul Rusot later executed by The Dominion
DJ Mojo most likely
See TREACHERY, FAITH AND THE GREAT RIVER...
It would’ve been more interesting to see more of Odos cardassian sources
He died in season 7. It's the episode with the good Wayoon
1:53 - one of various spin-off novels from DS9 mentioned that part of Garaks cover story for when he was stationed on DS9 back when it was Terok Nor and he was part of the Obsidian order, was that he was a tailor and the shop came with the cover story.
When Tain threw him out of the order - for whatever reason - the cover was all he had left. So he was forced to BECOME the cover identity he'd been given because it was ALL he had left.
Imagine that...
The only evidence you are who you say you are - the only way he can do business and provide a living for himself - is something that he was given to do a WHOLE other job. Every day he comes in - he's reminded - this shop - this life - every motion he goes through - was part of an identity that was not only never really his... ... ... but is all that remains from a position of power that he will NEVER regain.
And it was his own damn father who left him - stranded on that damn station in that damn shop... as a damn tailor.
Tain was not only the only head of the Obsidian Order to stay alive long enough to retire, he also ensured his son's survival as well. Something to think about
And the greatest tragedy of all was that it was done to keep him safe
He dropped his pretense as soon as Odo figured out he blew up his own shop
You can just tell Garak respects the hell out of Odo. He’s the only one who can even come close to matching his cunning and who doesn’t put up with his bullshit.
Cave Cardassian Informer Guy was always cool.
This scene foreshadows how dangerous the Dominion are, Garak who was the top lieutenant of the obsidian order that was an enigma to everyone for years has been figured out by a Changeling in less than a day, then in the next episode the joint operation between the two most secretive organizations in the alpha quadrant failed miserably before even realizing that they've been had.
They had a Changelling (or more than one) in their midst for years.
In the middle of two of the most formidable intelligence services in the Galaxy.
Continuity error: Bashir should not have any pants; his pants got blown up in the explosion. This episode should have featued Bashir wearing a variety of makeshift garments (towels, shirts, etc) to take the place of pants.
You only own one pair of pants?
@@SG1Mitchell It's a good pair of pants, with Cardassian hand stitching.
Why would he only have one pair of pants?
@@jujufeirrieo2836 exactly. This guy is wild
Replicates are a thing
the best part is, later garak admits and explains that the shapeshifter was right on every step, he did blow up his own shop with the intentions of the shapeshifter getting involved by looking into it deeper and bringing garak back to the obsidian order.
"Shapeshifter" Spot the xenophobe wow
They're called CHANGELINGS
@@ublade82 The terms are frequently used interchangeably on the show. "Changeling" is more of a label, while "shapeshifter" is more descriptive. For everyone of them but Odo, "Founder" is also commonly applied.
Laas and the baby Quark gave Odo were not "Founders" which is a political term to describe the changelings who... FOUNDed the Dominion. Changeling and shapeshifter are as interchangeable as Cardassian and spoonhead. Save it for your trial.@@danieldickson8591
Sure and Cardassian and spoonhead are used interchangeably
Changelings are the species, Founders are the members of the species who FOUNDED the Dominion, meaning not Odo, not Laas, and not the one Quark found. Shapeshifter is almost always pejorative and there are other species capable of shapeshifting (ST6)@@danieldickson8591
"Changeling" is the name of the species, "shapeshifter" is almost always derogatory, and there's other shapeshifters besides the changelings (ST6) - Founder applies to the actual changelings who founded the Dominion, not Odo or Laas or the one Quark found @@danieldickson8591
This two-part episode served a two-fold purpose - without giving away spoilers, the "A" plot is an mportant step in moving forward the Dominion arc vs the Federation. But the "B" plot, the adventure tha Odo and Garak have from this point on, develops their back story, and has some of the most gut-wrenching scenes in the entire series.
Hard to believe the writers on DS9 only wanted Garek as a background character. I still think DS9 final scene should of been Morn saying something.
What made it such a great finale is that Morn finally kept his mouth shut for a moment!
My favorite part is that throughout, while he appears to give in to Odo's questioning, he never says a single thing that can be taken unambiguously as an admission of anything. Which emphasizes when he does make a commitment to Mila
Garak was great! I miss him. He was like lion between sheeps on the station but appeared as an anoying sheep too. He was like 007 and Hitman combined in Star Trek. Even his knowledge of things about alpha quadrant inside his head was pure treasure. I would love to see his cameo in Picard.
I agree with the sentiment, but I hope no more old-series characters get brought into the new series.... We don't need any more characters ruined by mindless, numb action, gore, and melodrama....
I hope NOT to see him in Picard given that shows poor ratings and pure insult to Gene Roddenberrys vision. I don't blame Patrick if some company showed up with enough money to buy a small country my integrity would also be tested.
@@Kakuretaka Ooh, now the anti-Picard morons are lying about “ratings,” huh? It’s fun to see all the idiotic nonsense they’re trying.
*sheep
"Yes, I thought you might appreciate it on an esthetic level.." is such a wonderfully condescending line.
I dont think its condescending, it's him using his tailor cover.
His body languaged reads entirely that "im throwing you a bone Odo, if only so you stop asking dangerous questions" and Odos reaction reads as a recognition that its not about how Grain presents the signal scramble, its that he did it without hiding it from Odo
Puts the scene in interesting context knowing that Mila was Garak's mother.
BUT WHATS IN THE BULKHEAD NEXT TO THE REPLICATOR???
A secret compartment containing an isolinear rod.
Garak wanted the doc to eat the rod if he didn’t return
A funny scene where he describes a hidden isolinear rod, and if he does not return, he wants doctor to eat it XD
The other side of the bulkhead with the green lights contains the holding cells.
Rocks,standard filler on all ships,and stations in the Star trek universe.
Mila, one of the few pure hearted Cardassians on the show. Makes it all the more tragic when she was killed.
She died defending her family. That's all we need to know about Mila.
Back when Star Trek had actual acting, incredible still after all these years
Such a brilliant scene! Odo backs Garak into a corner and we see him essentially going, "I'll tell just enough truth to get myself out of this." We see it again in the episode Rocks and Shoals when he and Nog are captured. Also, always loved the hiss Robinson put in "distinct" a very nice touch!
2:00 lol I love Garak
Watching my own shop burn waant exactly tragic clever writing always find a way to put a quick humoured line
Garak's handling of Odo is the strongest possible endorsement of his mental capacity and given the interplanetary nature of the setting I think it's safe to say Odo might be among the top three detectives in fiction. Sherlock and batman own a plant, Odo has to think in entire star systems across dozens of species. It's even more impressive when you consider he can spar with Garak within Garak's own highly developed specialty. Garak represents an entire field's excellence, not just personal ability Odo basically is self taught even further impressive. The changelings are terrifying and like Data not really carried to their logical conclusion. Odo is basically an infant. Imagine for instance if he decided to make himself all or mostly brain. He'd probably start giving Khan and augmented Barkly a run for their money.
You're right, but as someone else in the comments very astutely pointed out; Odo has a lot of experience dealing with cardassians. Much more than anyone else on the station and those cardassians were, like Garak, never being honest with him either. Not to say Odo isn't a good detective but there's a good reason he is able to handle Garak far better than Bashir or Sisko ever could.
@@Archedgar Indeed. Growing up in and surviving/thriving amongst that group as non-humanoid is incredible impressive.
The actor playing Odo's contact is Joseph Ruskin, who has been playing Star Trek aliens since he first appeared in the TOS episode Gamesters of Triskelion.
Odo is a lot less physical than Callahan was with him.
Such great acting! RIP Rene Auberjonois
I love the facial expressions that Garrick goes through before he reveals who those men truly were to odo. You can see in his eyes he is running through various scenarios and things that he could say, and lies that he could spend. He realizes that for perhaps the first time, he has to speak plainly, and speak the truth. But he doesn't, coldly and professionally. Garrick is the consummate intelligence out agent
Odo was always my favorite character and not just to shape shifting, but how stern he was…it made him more likable when he showed positive emotions like when with tribble or the infant changling or the doctor who raised him (name eludes me).
Doctor Mora Pol.
The Begotten is one of Trek's most emotional episodes, and one I thorougly enjoyed because it is out of character for Odo.
Along the lines of TNG The Offspring, VOY Innocence, TNG Dark Page. All marvelous episodes.
@@EdgardoCervantesP When the infant is dying Odo pleads with it and I almost feel the changling is saying,”You…you who love me so much. Take my abilities. I am dying, but you can live with my gift…remember me…”
*Integrates into Odo’s form*
Garak is probably the best character of the whole franchise 1966-2022....
One of the best clips from DS9. So much truth from this.
So is mila garak's mother? It would make sense
Yes.
Mila’s relationship to Garak is never canonically confirmed as mother and son. No official beta canon about the nature of their relationship either
There's never any official stated confirmation of that being the case, but I'd say both of their reactions and demeanor when seeing each other easily implies that. Not like they'd ever openly admit it, being from the Obsidian Order.
People can say all they want it’s not canonically confirmed but you can’t tell me that they just happened to cast an actress with blue eyes and did several closeups of Mila and Garak that emphasized their eye color.
Admitting to a lesser lie to conceal a larger lie sometimes reveals the nugget of truth.
Now I'll never know what was hidden in the bulkhead next to the replicator!
I vaguely remember this being a joke or something...
There was a date rod that Julian was asked to eat
It's an inside joke.
This story wasn't going to be a two-parter originally. The item in the bulkhead was going to be some sort of MacGuffin that led to the episode's resolution. But once they decided to expand this to a two-parter, that plot line was dropped and Garak's dialogue about the item were kept in simply as a joke.
Garak called his mother ....odo never realized how close he came to the truth
Two brilliant minds, one delightfully deceptive and the other bluntly honest.
Yes. Odo was very deceptive.
So it seems like Garak's preferred method is explosions. Its how he killed that romulan senator
A real terrorist cardassiam
He killed another Romulan with poison too.
He also rigged Tolar's door to explode in that episode.
Garuk, Odo, and Quark are the 3 best characters in all of Star Trek.
Never seen Garek vulnerable like that again.
Poor Odo, unaware that Garak's promise to Mila means he pretty much has to torture him now. :P
"Improbable" Cause and "The Die Is Cast." Probably my two favorite DS9 episodes.
"Do you know what the sad part is, Odo? I'm a very good tailor."
A devastating line in this story's final scene. Sums up Garak's inner conflict and character completely.
R.I.P
Who died?
@@yanniklemm4108The actor of Odo (René Auberjonois) Sadly passed away recently on the 8th of december 2019, may he rest in peace.
@@bugisduckis thanks for the Information
“The sad part Odo is I’m a very good tailor.”
The facial reaction at 4:20 is such stellar acting. After trying to keep Mila at arm's length in this conversation and being pushed against the wall by her, Garak's lips quiver for an instant as he consciously fights back his finely toned reflexes to lie. Mila is not someone Garak can lie to and just as much he doesn't want to. Obviously he'd much prefer to have avoided the situation to begin with, but his relationship with her is one of the few unadulterated ones in his life, and it's clearly something Garak values highly.
All that communicated in an instant.
The sincerity of his promise to help Tain was real. He did go and help him.
I never really noticed it before, but I don't think Odo blinks even once in this entire scene.
Best Trek series without doubt
Its like ds9 is the current democrats
3:00 "Yes, I thought you might appreciate it on an aesthetic level."😏
Andrew Robinson was always great at conveying a world of emotion in subtle expressions and body language in this series. 2:14 is a very good example imo. Here you can see Garak processing that he's figured out, to his clear surprise and mild fear when he turns around to look at Odo, to quickly mulling over what to tell Odo next and weighing the value of telling the truth in light of what just happened, before he turns to speak in a very straightforward manner to finally reveal the truth. And all of this is conveyed in about eight seconds of physical acting
Garak really made DS9 what it was. What an awesome character.
Perhaps my favorite scene from all of recorded history.
J/K
But it is a WONDERFUL scene.
From an EXCEPTIONAL, two parter (imo).
Thanks for posting it.
☮
Odo/Rene Auberjonois. A great actor. RIP.
Scorpio disguised as a Cardassian.😊
Isn't Mila Garak's mother?
Spoiler Warning:
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Yes. It isn't explicitly stated as with his father (rather repeatedly hinted); but she definitely was as important to him as one.
This was the triumph of DS9. The actors, their characters' development, and these kinds of scenes.
I finally realized that after all these years, this is the first time Garak admits to being in the Obsidian Order.
It’s strange watching Garak’s guard melt away when he sees Meela, who I assume was his old nanny or housekeeper when he was a boy.
Garak, you blew up North Stream 1 & 2.
Leave it to the Obsidian Order to blow up an asset that’s use would only benefit Cardassia.
Garak either would have tricked another power to blow it up for Cardassia or would have manipulated the Russians into panicking and blowing it up themselves.
probably the only time garak told the truth :P 1:59
He always tells the Truth even when he Lies
Ryan Jackson the best lie is one that’s mostly truth
Unusual ByDefault probably because odo figured him out. Just one more thing that makes this scene great.
He actually does not admit to it. He just expresses his feelings in response to it.
It's clever character writing
@@twistedwithmelancholy8436 you mean his _true_ feelings? XD
I love this scene. 💟💟
Another expression Odo wouldn't have seen on Garak's face before this episode - love. Mila was Garak's mother in every meaningful way (A novel revealed this she actually was his biological mother, but I don't think that's canon), and someone that even Tain trusted.
I mean, if a Cardassian cannot blow up his own shop, then i do not want to go to that shitty Deep Space Nine station..
They all talk the same in DS9 - very dramatic, mechanical cadence, stilted, theatrical articulation, no "uhhh's" or "um's". They always sound like they're reading from a script -- which they are. Like they're always auditioning for some dramatic 1930's radio show.
Odo at 0:53 - I've had enough of your dissembling, Garak!
Dissembling?
: to put on a false appearance : conceal facts, intentions, or feelings under some pretense
when garrak realises that odo knew about the bomd he looks down knowing that he can't lie to odo's face any more when he started speaking .
Who was the mystery cardassian odo was talking to in the beginning?
Gul rusot
I dunno why, but I always thought it was another changeling disguised as a Cardassian
Gul russol
Nothing gets past the Constable
0:28 I like to think that was Gul Dukat. His eagerness to get information on Garak gives it away.
1:17 Literally the only scene in the entire series that Garak stopped talking for a second deliberately.
I continue to be curious to know who played the Cardassian in the cave. 🤔
Robert De Niro
Joseph Ruskin. He was in various roles across Star Trek, from the Original Series to Enterprise.
The outcast son, tossed aside by his heartless father, yet he still decides to risk his life for him
His father wasn’t heartless. When you consider his position in the Order, Tain did the best thing for Garak.
I can't describe how well these two work together. Garak's words as they come out of his mouth, seem so perfect. No one else could have played his parts so well.
Garak knows that Odo is not a fool.
Is this his mother?
A housekeeper for Tain (Garak's father). The show never said she wasn't as far as I know. Either way, she seemed to be held in that regard by Garak.
Garak what a character Otto too, Garak is possibly one of the best deep spies ever... lol
Odo, not otto.
What makes DS9 great is that the simple conclusion that Garak blew up his own shop. Other shows even TNG would have done a more convoluted techno babble explanation or motive. But nope Here we cut right to the heart of it all.
Does anyone ever ask Garak if he is ‘feeling lucky’?
One out of three are quite good odds to have. In gambling table they are definitely worth taking.
@@vksasdgaming9472
Those also happened to be the odds in the Hunt for Red October.
All the comments in the comments section here. 👍 This just goes to show that the WRITING in DS9 was top tier television. This type of writing is so rare nowadays. Too many CRAP screenwriters! (sure we had bad ones back in the 70s and 80s, I fully remember bad television throughout the decades) but DS9 was another level of genius! I miss it!
Garak and Quark are two of the best written characters in Deep Space Nine. i still watch episodes 20 plus years on.
Still feel just in general terms the script writing and actors were bloody brilliant in this show, regardless of it being sci-fi. Masterful when compared to the vast amount of average we have now days.
These two had MAD chemistry - the consummate obfuscator, and the consummate investigator.