Mirror Universe Garak reminds me of Starscream

[Lyon_Wonder]

Last night I was rewatching “Crossover” Is it just me, but Mirror Garrak reminds me of Starscream in Tranformers (and anyone who watched g1 knows Starscream was constantly trying to overthrow Megatron as leader of the Decpticons.) Garak tells regular universe Kira he’s going to depose of Mirror Kira/Intendant and eventually take her place as top Alliance ruler in the sector. And by what Mirror Sisko said to Kira, it looks like that wasn’t the first time Garak plotted to usurp the Intendant. And like Starscream, Mirror Garak seems duplicitous and untrustworthy.

 

[Jono]

Plus there was that time he transformed into a Hideki class fighter...

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

AFAIK, Andrew Robinson didn't particularly care for playing mirror Garak, he called that role just a 'common thug' - nowhere near as complex as the regular Garak. He said this:

I was really, really, really happy about Garak's death. I never liked those alternate universe shows because that Garak was just a stupid bad guy. The thing that's great about our Garak is that he has subtext. There's a lot going on beneath the surface, and if you don't pay attention, then you're in trouble because he's got you. But the mirror Garak had no subtext. He was just a toady opportunist.

 

[Dukhat]

I sympathize with Mr. Robinson. I loved DS9, but the mirror universe was the weakest idea they had. It was just an excuse for some overt stereotypical lesbianism IMHO, and was only attached to TOS's fantastic mirror universe by the thinnest of threads.

 

[Tina Lawton]

Personally I liked the Mirror Universe episodes on DS-9. I thought it was, at that time, an untapped resource which went ignored by TNG. However I agree that some of the characters as presented in the episodes were a bit....weak. Garak's was the prime example, as he came across as one deminsional and a bit "over the top".

Alternate Kira I liked.

 

[The_Baroness]

Mirror Garak wasn't whiny enough to be like Starscream.

 

[Brikar99]

AFAIK, Andrew Robinson didn't particularly care for playing mirror Garak, he called that role just a 'common thug' - nowhere near as complex as the regular Garak. He said this:

I was really, really, really happy about Garak's death. I never liked those alternate universe shows because that Garak was just a stupid bad guy. The thing that's great about our Garak is that he has subtext. There's a lot going on beneath the surface, and if you don't pay attention, then you're in trouble because he's got you. But the mirror Garak had no subtext. He was just a toady opportunist.

I can see how that would be frustrating for him. At least the show somewhat recognized it later on, when Quark and Rom use it against him.