Elim Garak (/ˈiːlɪm ˈɡærək/ EE-lim GARR-ək) is a fictional character from the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in which he is portrayed by Andrew J. Robinson.

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 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.

[1] 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.

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.

His claustrophobia is strongly suggested to have resulted from his father locking him in a closet as punishment for him not doing his chores, often for hours at a time, possibly exacerbated by an incident as an adult where he may have been trapped in a collapsing building.

In "A Time to Stand", Garak worked with a Starfleet detachment commanded by Captain Sisko during a mission to destroy a vital Jem'Hadar supply depot.

During the interrogation, Garak is surprised to discover that he no longer has the stomach for cold-blooded torture and horrified with how far he takes it before Odo reveals his secret (which is ultimately irrelevant to their mission anyway).

In the final two seasons, Garak shifted his loyalties completely towards the Federation, primarily because his old political rival, Gul Dukat, seized control of Cardassia and aligned it with the Dominion.

[10] Garak developed serious psychological trauma knowing that he had contributed to the deaths of his fellow Cardassians, a condition that Ezri Dax in her first case as Counsellor was able to treat to a manageable degree.

[11] Towards the end of the war Garak served as a Federation liaison to Legate Damar and his Cardassian rebellion against the Dominion, along with the Bajoran Kira Nerys.

[12] In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, an alternate reality version of Garak serves aboard the Defiant-class Anaximander as a surgeon.

In the novel Mere Mortals, part of the Star Trek: Destiny trilogy, Garak is summoned to an emergency meeting by Federation President Nanietta Bacco.

Bacco had called the unprecedented meeting because the Borg had launched an invasion of local space with the intention to completely wipe out all sentient threats.

After some territorial concessions, Garak agreed to attempt to convince the Castellan (head of state) of the Cardassian Union to contribute ships to a massive allied response to the Borg.

[citation needed] In the novel The Crimson Shadow (2013), part of the Star Trek: The Fall miniseries, the Enterprise-E transports Ambassador Garak back home to Cardassia in order to oversee Starfleet's final withdrawal from Cardassian space.

Robinson reportedly disliked portraying this version of Garak, as he lacked any of his counterpart's depth or complexity, instead serving as a mere treacherous minion.

They note that the actor that played Garak wrote A Stitch In Time, and recommended for aficionados of this Star Trek: Deep Space Nine character.