Fans suggest a Cardassian series with Garak in the lead!

PICARD: Mister Garak. A pleasure to meet you. Ambassador Worf's description of your restoration of Cardassia didn't do you justice.
GARAK: Yes, his growls are becoming less intelligible these days. But his Klingon heart is in the right place. I understand he served with you on the Enterprise. He was never truly happy on Deep Space Nine, you know. Bored to tears. Not that Klingons cry. He was much more agreeable when war broke out with the Dominion.
PICARD: Yes, he always did find a way to return to the Enterprise. Curious thing, that. A pity O'Brien couldn't make it back more often as well.
GARAK: Just as well he did not. The Chief's talents were put to good use, I assure you. Breaking free from the confinement of your transporter rooms was the best choice he ever made.
PICARD: I think Mrs. O'Brien might disagree with you there.
GARAK: Of course. But what brings you to see me here on Cardassia? Do you want my help tracking down Gul Madred? I understand you were a guest at one of his dinner parties. Many of his guests didn't take well to his hospitality. Did he ask you to comment on his lighting fixtures? Dreadful, pedestrian host. He lacked imagination and subtlety. A Luddite, as well. He refused to use holochambers. Oh the playbooks I offered him...stubborn man. He didn't even react when the Dominion shot him at his desk. So I'm told.

 

You know, I can actually see Madred going out like that.

 

On the Inglorious Treksperts podcast, there was an episode dedicated to pitching new Star Trek spin-offs. One of the guests -- I want to say it was Ashley E. Miller -- pitched the idea of a "young Garak" series, focusing on Garak's time in the Obsidian Order. In this pitch, the idea was that the show would focus on a long-term assignment where Garak is infiltrating the Federation, thereby allowing the show to focus on Garak while avoiding the need to have the main actor wear a rubber face for most episodes.

I still really like the idea, but it would of course mean you'd have to find a worthy successor to Andrew J. Robinson -- a tough act to follow! I wonder if perhaps a show like that could be intercut with scenes from Robinson as Garak in the "present" -- maybe incorporating some of the post-DS9 Garak arc from the novels, where he dedicates his life to reforming Cardassia into a democracy. Episodes could have Robinson's Garak as a sort of narrator/frame story figure compared to young Garak's darkness.

 

I believe Garak works better as a recurring character than a lead because the mystery of him were as intriguing as the stories told with him in them. For a tale or series to work where he's the lead, we would be dealing with some shady people who talk a lot but the aftermaths would be seen later or never be seen. I'm guessing a Garak series would be thrillers focus on pre-emptive strikes or something sinister. I personally hate the idea of secret organizations in Star Trek (Section 31, and the other ridiculous agencies) but the way Garak was treated by his former Cardassian agency, I would believe he hated them as much as I do... probably more. If those organizations were seen as the problem, Garak would be the perfect foil as the problem eliminator.

 

Not as satisfying as having his torture device rammed up his rear end and turned up to 11, but at least the galaxy is rid of the man.

 

I highly doubt a series about Garak would have the mass appeal that a series about, say, Picard would have. And STP is crap, IMHO.

 

Watching PICARD is about looking at those shiny little lights*, and ignoring narrative sense.

*Special Effects.

 

Yes, if there was an obligatory scene of Garak hemming pants every episode because he was a regular character he's lose a lot.

 

It would work as maybe a 1 time limited series. Maybe 6 to 8 episodes. Also you need Bashir in it. Doesn't work without Bashir. Here is a story. It's been 20 years or so since they last talked in the series final. Bashir has married Dax. They had a baby daughter. She is Captain of a ship and out in space. Bashir is head of Some prestigious hospital in New York. At the age of 6 years old she is brutally murdered. Granted this trek so we don't go to graphic. The cops and Starfleet security can't figure out who did it. Then out of nowhere Garak shows up at his home. He found out about his daughter. He is going to help him find the killer and he has a lead. They got to go to Nimbus 3. Basically the killer ends up being the Daughter of Luther Sloan who has grown up and wanted revenge for his dad's death which Bashir did play apart in. Garak's adopted son. A Bajoran boy now grown up comes along to help and of course is a warrior since you can't exactly put Bashir and Garak into action scenes.

 

I have to disagree here.

A "young Garak" series would have two big disadvantages.
First of all, we would have that constant messing up of the character's background story. The series would most likely screw up the excellent written background story which Andrew J. Robinson himself created in the book "A Stitch In Time".

The second big disadvantage is that we wouldn't have the benefit of Andrew J. Robinson as Garak.

And having Garak as a spy in the Federation would not only screw up the background story in the bokk but we also had to see Garak pretending to be a human with a human face most of the time which wouldn't be the same as seein the "real Garak".

 

I wonder about sending Dax off as captain of a ship while Bashir stays on Earth. I assume that means the daughter also stays on Earth? If Bashir is head of a prestigious hospital, isn't he going to have very limited time for interacting with the daughter? Please tell me he would not turn them over to his parents for even part of the day! Or Ezri's mom! I know people in the service have accepted being separated from their spouse and children since ancient times... but then the spouse that stays home with small children usually has only a part time or no job outside the home. Why don't they just ask to be stationed on a Galaxy class? They can always use a doctor aboard, and he wouldn't be the only one. I'm not sure if that would make it easier or harder for young Sloan to get to the daughter.

 

Well the main goal is basically to not have Dax tag along. You want the thrust of the story being about Bashir and Garak together again.

 

Yes, I see that. However, I never really believed Bashir and Ezri together. Just a desperate attempt for Bashir to finally get a girl before the series faded out.

Hmm, well what if Bashir lives in San Francisco not too far from the O'Briens? Bashir's daughter can play after school with Yoshi, they should be about the same age. It would be nice to have a reason to see Julian and Miles together again.

Oh, wait, if it's 20 years after "What You Leave Behind" the timing wouldn't work. Bashir and Ezri really wait 14 years before having a baby? Talk about taking your time.

 

Heck instead of killing a child it could be Dax who is killed. Not only that is you can later recast Dax for some later show.

 

That would be an option, though it would seem like Dax hosts just can't get a break.

 

Well everyone dies eventually. They might be short lives but you got to think Jadzia and Ezri lived good ones.

 

That’s the nice thing about the current model. It doesn’t need mass appeal if a big enough niche is obsessed with it.

I think a Garak show would work best in the 2380s. I wouldn’t want a prequel because his past should stay properly mysterious. But showing his struggle to rebuild Cardassia and regain the Federation’s trust while at the same time dealing with Cardassians resisting their culture being changed and traditionalists plotting against him could be great.

I also like the idea of calling in favors from Bashir to tug Section 31 strings to help mold Federation policy toward Cardassia.

 

I wouldn't go with the politics angle. To me a Garak show should be character driven and sort of low key. Him living in the shadows no longer involved with the affairs of the state. That was why I had my idea of teaming up with Bashir to avenge his kids murder. Basically two sad old friends coming together to get justice for the death of someone who doesn't matter in terms of politics but means a great deal to Bashir and thus Garak as well. Who in old age is more open and no longer cares about keeping secrets because it hasn't gotten him anything but pain in his life.

 

To me the main appeal of the concept besides just see Garak again is seeing Cardassia adjust to reconstruction. But I guess that could be done just as easily in a single episode in Picard.

It could be an analogy to Germany or Japan reentering the world after WWII.

 

I would like to see what happened to Cardassia as well. Actually it would be cool to see a Cardassian series regular on a show again sometime. Maybe season 3 of Picard or maybe Seven gets a show someday. I just hope they don't throw it away by a cheap joke on Lower Decks or something. You know it also came to me. A 20 minute Short Trek where they do My Dinner with Andre and Bashir and Garak have lunch. Maybe Cardassa has summited a request to join the Federation. Bashir is their on business to talk to doctors or something and he meets Garak and they decide to have lunch and catch up.