“But Captain, he’ll see everything! He’ll see The Big Board!” - General “Buck Turgidsson” Worf, “How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Cardassians”
As if they didn't stage the whole thing anyway. Worf kinda almost blew it there. But then, Garak also didn't quite keep up the illusion either. They were both doing some heavy wink-wink.
Idk about all that. I would be hesitant to spill stuff that may get more of my people killed too. He is SF but also a Klingon as well, even if his people reject him. He probably still feels for them.
I just love Garaks face when he is first called, then when he realized, “the people I’m spying on want me to spy on them.” Simply genius on Sisko’s part.
@@DavidKnowles0 On the contrary, the reasons were revealed, repeatedly. And only slightly contradictory every time. Tax evasion was certainly involved to some extent though. But uh yeah, I don't think he was truly spying on them, old habits just die hard.
@@DavidKnowles0 if you want to read about Garak's backstory check out the book "A Stitch in Time". It was written by Andrew Robinson so it's definitely faithful to the character and is probably the closest we'll ever get to an official background on him.
You know what I love about the first part of this clip? That it is so exceptionally Star Fleet (the idea behind SF anyway). It’s a room of people of various species and cultural backgrounds all throwing in their opinions and knowledge into the discussion. Sisko details the situation and then let’s his people talk. Kira is an ambassador to her home world and has faith in the Cardassian rebels. Bashir is being humanitarian like a good doctor while Dax is thinking tactically and as an ally of the Klingon people. Meanwhile Miles is weary to trust in general and hesitant to jump to the aid of Cardassia, probably due to his time in the war and his desire to prevent another. Odo chimes in, offering his limited but expert opinion on how his people act. Then Worf gives his input as an expert in Klingon culture and proposes a new complication to the situation. All the while Sisko is just sitting back and only asks a short little question as a way of provoking more discussion amongst his crew. He gets all the info he needs to make the critical decisions a captain needs to make and he let it come to him organically. Lastly, and most importantly, we get all the info we need as a viewer and it didn’t feel like an exposition dump but rather a conversation.
This scene never made sense. Having garak overhear you pretending like you just happened not to realize your spilling the beans against the klingkns made no sense as the klingons would easily realize starfleet told the cardassians even if garak told dukat it would be obvious that federation told him
@@davidt8087 Not as Obvious as you think. And besides the Klingons tend to have a 1 track mind. And something like this likely would not be discovered, investigated or looked into till YEARS later if any at all. Because at that moment, at that time you had the threat of Changling spies and could be brushed off as such.
@@davidt8087 I don't think the Klingons would be able to prove that. I could see the buck stopping with Dukat on this one. As it stands Dukat would not want to bring Garak in on his "proactive measures to safeguard the new government" because it would mean sharing credit with him. And by sheltering the Cardassian leadership once they run for it, the Klingons attack the station anyway so it did little to avoid a brewing conflict.
@Olexi Petrov The sheer fact that Miles is allowed to voice the opinion - "What if the Klingons are right?" says so much about this show. It's not afraid to show a dissenting viewpoint and give it the light of day, even if it is a bad case scenario. As you point out the cultural melting pot is really on display and it's great to see - and Way of the Warrior is a great example of showing hard moral choices that we get from Trek, but also some great action set pieces too.
Romaru Darkeyes no. The klingons are irrational. If they just told the federation they will attack cardassian and then saw a cardassian fleet ready for them, denial or not, klingons would attack the federation because they would instantly realize federation warned the cardassians as it is such a federation thing to do to try and protect every species
They should've just gotten Morn to leak the news. That guy is a blabbermouth, a total gossip, a big fluttery social butterfly, can't keep his rubbery scaled flap shut. Especially when drinking.
I love how expressive Garak can be despite all that make-up. The look on his face when Sisko tells him to bring his tailor's kit, the way it shifts from confusion to curiosity makes me smile every time.
Indeed. The actor really knew how to bring the character into life. "Bring your tailor's kit." (Wait, _whaaat?_ Hm. Well, let's see what this is *really* about.)
Props to Andrew Robinson for that, especially considering that the actor was claustrophobic as well, and had a hard time working in the Cardassian makeup.
It was urgent information though, it would only have value if it were used within less than an hour, and it was information about an impending attack against Garak's freaking *homeworld* so of course Garak is going to act on it! With such a small time window, he didn't have the luxury of verifying the information's authenticity.
@@gamester512 who's to say he didn't? after "overhearing" that conversation, he probably immediately went to get some information from various people to confirm what they were saying - a lot of the information wouldn't even necessarily be extremely secure, and garak has been on the station for quite some time, and likely has spent a great deal of time cultivating a spy network... just they didn't necessarily realize that the tiny piece of information they had was a part of something extremely important. who knows, he may have even had contact with agents of section 31 who were all too happy to leak the information to him once they had a chance, just to make sure the war didn't go too much in the klingon's favour.
@@sharkforce8147 Garak would have heard about what was going on Cardassia Prime with the overthrow of the military due to the obsidian order being heavily depleted, there was a huge fleet of klingon ships visiting ds9 that then departed. with what sisko dropped he put two and two together as to why the klingons had amassed there and why they would invade cardassian space.
“We can stand here all day reminding ourselves just how much we HATE each other but you don’t have the time!” One of the best lines I’ve ever heard in any Star Trek show. From my all time favourite Star Trek character.
The best thing about this show is how none of the races or groups are portrayed as evil or good, only shades of grey. Even the Federation. It was refreshing and a very adult approach to take.
I love the fact that even though it's clear that because of evolutionary creation for the races, that none of them are simple stereotypes of their races in this show. Yes Klingon is a warrior race with a code, but within that code is many degrees, same with the Ferengi, Cardassians etc... with the exception of the "clone" race of the Vorta, even the Delta quadrant races showed some degree of individuality.
@@cardsfanboyThe Vorta had their individuality in its sameness. They're the only species that operates entirely as clones, and it gives them a certain appeal.... and a very specific threat that isn't easily overcome.
@@cardsfanboy The Vorta had just as much variability as any other race. That's why they kept having to be threatened with death and replacement to change their behavior.
@@jefff3886 It's not just Garak though. He would've given that glance to Quark or even blabbermouth Morn if it wasn't Garak. He's just thinking "This would never happen on the Enterprise - Picard would never allow it. "
Yeah, it's just too bad Alaimo was being such a creep to his female castmates IRL, that Avery Brooks just lost it and punched him in the face, one time. Or so I am told... Very Sisko move.
@@keyblader2k6 but why? Apparently the matter got resolved, assuming everything said here is true. Also a lot ot time has passed since then and you don't know a thing about Alaimo. He might be a cool dude. This mentality - the unforgiving - it's so stupid.
@@alexfromsolitude the past 10+ years of personal and professional experience has shown me that kind of behavior is WAY too common place and that it needs to be changed for the better, even if it took place many years ago. just because it happened in the past, it doesnt mean it was acceptable to do so back then and it DEFINITELY is unacceptable now. just look at donald trump and his "locker room" talk. these kinds of stories generally dont come out unless theres some sort of truth to it. in these kinds of creeper stories, generally the only thing to go on are people's words with very little physical evidence and id rather take the word of 100 potential liars if theres the possibility that even one of them turned out to be true unless actual evidence turns up to disprove them. lets assume that everything was true in that it did happen and the matter did get somehow resolved. that doesnt change the fact that he was already at least 50 years old when it occurred. again, i reference donald trump and his "locker room" talk. he wasnt some punk kid trying to get lucky. this opens up the possibility that hed been doing this towards other women for years prior to star trek. heck, theres still a possibility that he might still be doing this now, just not in a professional setting after that incident. sure, he could be a cool guy in real life and maybe even the same towards me personally if i ever met him at star trek vegas. however, i can tell you right now that MANY women, of all ages, would prefer NOT to be creeped on in ANY situation by ANYONE, professionally or personally.
2:06 I absolutely LOVE the range of emotions conveyed in these 7 seconds just from Garak's facial expressions. From to "at attention" to mildly confused to "still perplexed, but now I'm interested." Andrew Robinson is an absolute master at his craft!
He's a goddamn lethal weapon in the acting department and it pisses me off that he doesn't get more interesting work. People still remember him from DIRTY HARRY and to me that's one of his least impressive roles.
In other words a Diplomat. That is the only reason any country has embassies in foreign countries. That is to gather intel and keep their home country up to date. Just how far they go determine whether they are spies or diplomats.
@HappyandAtheist You are just describing an insecure mentality. They assume bad intent on others because that's what they themselves would do. True allies don't spy on each other.
It doesn't make any sense how the big 3 Cardassians (Garak, Dukat and Damar) are all such outstanding actors. They completely own pretty much every scene they're in.
It was the way 90s Trek worked, anyone who stood out or struck a chord with the audience would get more and more screen time. O'Brien, Quark, Dumar, etc., all went from playing minor characters to being major players in the show(s). The guy who played Brunt/Weyoun/Shran, etc., was only offered a one time secondary character appearance at first.
@nickys34 I believe you are mistaken. At 2:11, look at Garak's face. He knew that this request of Sisko's was peculiar. Being an intelligence operative, he knew that all he had to do was play along to see what was going on, which he did. I would argue that what we see here is that Garak is well versed in the art of subtlety and is not merely a blind fool, as you posit
@nickys34 You are sorely mistaken, sir. That situation did not call for the delay required to crunch numbers, especially when there was so little time to do anything. Furthermore, Garak had plenty of information to work with. He was fully aware, as a station tenant, that there were lots of Klingons on the station and that now there are none. He heard Dax describe the general strength of the Klingon fleet. It is quite possible that Garak, being at one time a member of the Obsidian Order, had a very good idea of the exact strength of the Klingon fleet as a whole, so what Dax said would have already told him exactly what he needed to know. Finally, he got the most critical pieces of information: Where the Klingons are going and how soon they would arrive. The unusual request of Sisko, coupled with what he had heard from Dax, Sisko, and Worf, was sufficient information for him to not only understand exactly what is going on, but also to understand what course of action he needed to take and how quickly he needed to take that action.
@nickys34 I wouldn't call it "manipulated". As I see the scene, Garak understood the situation very quickly. He was being offered information to transmit to Cardassia, that couldn't reach Cardassia via official channels. He was used in a way that aligns with his priorities, his loyalty to Cardassia. He understood this and played along.
@@davidhenderson3400 Exactly, the "fitting-as-info-leak" was how Garak introduced himself as an intelligence agent to Bashir and the Federation in his first appearance on the show, inviting Julian to get "fitted" at the same time he would be facilitating an under the table trade for the Duras sisters.
Call for a measurement from an identified foreign intelligence agent masquerading as a tailor during an important meeting involving classified information?
You find a star-system. Bring Archer if you want to befriend it, Kirk if you want to explore it, Picard if you want to negotiate with it, Burnham if you want to study it, Sisko if you want to fight it, Janeway if you want your crew to return alive and Freeman for when you go there a second time.
"We can stand here all day, reminding ourselves just how much we _hate_ each other but _you_ don't have the time. The Klingon fleet will reach Cardassian territory in _less_ than one hour." Leave it to Garak to be the adult.
Garak hated Dukat, but he loved Cardassia more. That was one of the biggest differences between them. Dukat could never see any situation beyond how it impacted him, particularly his self-image. Garak was always prepared to subvert his benefit to the greater good of his people.
@@gilmadreth680 Quite right. Garak says "Having a hard time keeping the civilians in line?" because he knows Dukat likes being in control and being able to control things.
I completely agree... One thing that people dont understand is you need to watch it all from episode 1. The storys build and build on eachother its just so magnificent man! I
As catty as Garak delights in being, i deeply admire him for his ability to get straight to business when the moment calls for it. He could have traded jabs with Dukat all day, but brought the conversation back to the matter at hand with grace
Garak weaves throughout good & evil behavior so seamlessly. A perfect anti-hero. And he's tough to boot. He fought worf very valiantly. Worf"you fight well for a tailor" that's not to be taken lightly.
2:13 I like that Jadzia is just chilling casually in a chair, Worf and Oto are at attention, Worf is hesitant to reveal the Klingon invasion, knowing that many Klingons will die at the hands of the Cardassians, and Garak is super quick to the take. He doesn't keep up the pretense for a second when he, quickly I might add, gets that this is all being played out for him. It is beautifully done.
Haha super quick to the take? "Oh but captain, I do have your measurements" on the heels of that entry? He was clueless af for just a moment, probably just didn't want to be rude to his federation friends and taken aback by officers he's only ever known to play things straight suddenly playing his game. But still.
@@brianjones8899 And Quark's actor was Andrew Ryan in bioshock, both characters heavily inspired by Howard Hughes. "IS a Ferengi not entitled to the sweat of his own lobes?"
One thing I've always loved about Star Trek in general is that, whenever they seem to be down to two bad options, they always insist on finding a third. I love this scene because it's such a clear example.
They were facing a Kobiyashi-Maru situation, a no win scenario - the only way to beat this is to find another way, but there isn't a lot of other ways to find - so sometimes, you gotta bend the rules to get the favorable outcome.
It's an exercise of out-of-the-box thinking. If you only see two options, it usually means you haven't really put gumption into it but are stuck in the obvious.
I really enjoy watching Andrew Robinson acting. As Garak, He is very expressive with his eyes. A love how when entering the room. Garak scans and looks at everyone. He is taking in the situation like a good spy. Never listen to just the words but also the reactions and body movements of the people in the room. Andrew Robinson just sells the entire portrayal of Garak.
Something that I can't help but feel fascinated by in this scene is the way that there are so many different species in these high command positions. Each one speaks of their own race, stating "my people," yet they are all loyal to the federation. They can understand and sympathize with their own peoples, yet at the end of the day they stand with the federation and are untied.
I really appreciate how "in on it" everyone was in that situation. Garak immediately recognizes that he's being fed information, and as much as it irritates Worf and Chief O'Brien, they all fulfill their roles in the charade excellently. Garak learns what he needs to know, and rushes to tell Gul Dukat, who is resistive to the notion but cannot afford to be proven wrong about the sincerity of the intel. Really outstanding stuff.
Holy crap after all the TNG I've been watching, hearing Worf and O'Brien speaking in this scene is melting my mind. I mean, they're given actual depth.
oh, if you haven’t watched all of DS9, it’s an utter treat how developed they are. Sure, O’Brien is regularly tortured, but they both have meaty plot lines and story arcs. O’Brien being such an average dude, you almost forget what an incredible actor Colm is, but man can he suffer!
I've recently watched all 3 seasons of Picard, and before that I watched my favorite DS9's again. I've been trying to find the right description of why I like these series better. I think "depth" captures it. Thanks. I think both shows benefit from being serialized rather episodic.
If you have not watched DS9 from start to finish, I truly envy you. I used to love TNG (and still do) and had ignored DS9 for a long time and now.... Well, I'll always love TNG anyway but DS9 just blows it out of the water. If you have not watched it yet, enjoy.
"Having trouble keeping the civilians in line?" "How do you know about that?" Seriously? Information is Garak's _business._ Of _course_ he knows about it. It would be a _greater_ surprise if, somehow, he had _failed_ to hear about it. Come on, Dukat. You know that.
I remember Dukat as being too smooth and ruthless to admit to surprise like that, even if he was in trouble. I think he had another purpose in saying that. Maybe a subtle admission that he respects Garak's information gathering ability - the closest he can allow himself to come to thanking Garak for the tip-off.
"Looks like there won't be much demand for your services anymore" -Except just now when you're bailing out the entire species by alerting them to an empire-wide threat that they were otherwise completely clueless about.....
He's a cunning son of a targ, finding a third option where the first two seemed so evident. I like seeing people find the third option, intent on seeing the coin land on its edge.
that's nothing compared to his later involvement in assassinating a Romulan senator (and his innocent guards) and blame it on someone else as a false flag attack to get another nation into war for his own benefit
Garak's character wasn't just well-written - Notice the sly smile on Garak's face when he realizes why Sisko called him in - as he is saying "Thank you captain, I have all that I need", his smile is saying "Not bad, Captain - you're getting as sneaky as me!"
@nickys34 what do you mean "fall for it"? They weren't trying to trick him, they were trying to give him useful information. And he did in fact pick up on it.
@nickys34 I meant it was useful to Cardassia, not that it was useful for Garak's personal ambitions. He did know that Dukat would not reward him for this information, but he still cares about his homeworld.
True, true. But I heard Alaimo was being such a creep to his female castmates in real life, Avery Brooks punched him in the face one time! How so very Sisko.
@@crystalidentity I’m not even sure this was true. The video of that punch does seem like an accident, and it’s literally for a scene. The deal I think is that Alaimo was actually a bit smitten with Nana Visitor, but more importantly he kinda remained in character as Dukat often on set, and Dukat was basically preying on Kira so naturally it was kinda creepy. Not advocating for method acting that makes colleagues uncomfortable, but did he do anything untoward or is it just that he really embodied the role?
Garak was also good with helping other people with savings. For example, later on in the series he got a bargain for Commander Sisko: "And if your conscience is bothering you, you should soothe it with the knowledge that you may have just saved the entire Alpha Quadrant, and all it cost was the life of one Romulan senator, one criminal… and the self-respect of one Starfleet officer. I don't know about you, but I'd call that a bargain."
"Thank you, Captain, I believe I have everything I need" Garak is so sly. He knows why Sisko called for him and what he must do, and it has nothing to do with being measured for a suit. I love Garak and I love the many layers of subtext that happens in almost every episode with Garak in it. DS9 has some of the best writing in television, at least back when this was on the air. Really underappreciated.
ben cruz mine as well! Brilliant, mysterious, crude, loyal to only himself,well and maybe his own kind from time to time.. I see so much of myself in Garak.
I like to think that Garak knew most of this beforehand and him taking Sisko's measurements just confirmed it. When he said he had all he needed you could tell he knew more than what they were briefing at the moment.
kireta21 then it's safe to say he "speculated" it was going to happen. But also he was in the same fix as the DS9 crew about being a snitch. But when he later talks to Dekat even he thought he was crazy coming to him with information like that.
Incidentally, Garak used this opportunity to note Sisko had been putting on a little weight. Too much Jambalaya and fattening soufflé. And maybe used that scanner to lift some DNA or biometric data off a Starfleet Station Commander ... it could always come in handy for something later.
I love every time the DS9 crew manages to use Garak's position spying on them to all of their advantage. The relationship between Garak and DS9 is so damn good. Sometimes it pays to be able to leak information to the enemy.
My favourite part: when Sisko says we need a third option. So many times when trying to solve problems, we are tunnelled into the obvious options and fail to consider an "outside the box" option. That simple phrase shows great leadership because it set the stage for a brainstorming which managed to solve the entire situation nicely. Leaders don't have to have all the answers. They do need to create the right environment/mindset to get the best out of their people.
Today everyone would just say that this isn't real Star Trek because of all the Starfleet Officers deliberately disobeying orders, and that it's just generic grimdark sci-fi.
Garek is absolutely and without a doubt one of the best characters in Star Trek, and even sci-fi in general. He's like putting an onion inside of a Matryoshka doll, so many layers.
My favorite part about this scene is that when Garak warns Dukat he has all of the information from the conversation that took place before his arrival. I don't think this is a continuity error, I assume Garak has the wardroom bugged and when Sisko summons him to retake his measurements that's just Garak's queue that he should review their entire briefing which he has recorded.
Wasn't the main bit that he said that he wasn't around for, "Klingons suspect the founders infiltrated you"? Which...isn't the hardest thing to assume is the reason right now?
Garak had details that weren't in the briefing he "overheard." I would imagine his contacts keep him abreast of many developments. But the Klingons undoubtedly had a maximum security clampdown on this invasion. The Federation only learned of it because as allies the Klingons informed them.
I don't think this is the case. I just rewatched this episode and Garak's conversation with Dukat happens AFTER Sisko leaks information to Garak. The group conversation happens at the episode around 44:50 while the Garak-Dukat conversation happens immediately afterwards at 45:44
When you want to warn your people an invasion is coming... ...but the person in charge is an adulterous letch you'd rather yeet out the nearest airlock first. 3:00. Garak the ultimate "I love my country... but you disgust me" energy.
"According to my sources, who never said this within an earshot of me, the Klingon High Council believes that Cardassia has been taken over by the founders."
Jonathan Ryan Tung I believe that Garak didn’t just take what they were saying and run to Dukat, he’s smarter than that. I think he took the hint, followed up with an informant (he likely has someone who works in ops in his pocket) and shared the info he got from both Sisko and his informant with Dukat. Knowing Garak there’s any number of ways he could have gotten that information.
Just finished watching DS9 for the fourth time Garak is one of my favourite characters in the show. TNG for a long time was my favourite Star Trek show but it has slipped into second place for this.
@@michaelbayer5094 True she was an awful Chief MO but Gates McFadden was only a slight upgrade the best Dr of all time was DeForest Kelley followed by Robert Picardo
Garrak and Gul Dukat are by far my favourite elements of DS9; together they pretty much redeem the series for me, given the show runner hated Roddenberry's original vision. (Thus: money, war, religion, …) Quark and his family have moments, but lack the gravitas and… impact… of these two characters. Anti-heroes are the heroes of their own stories; and this can not be more true for Dukat throughout his arc, and Garrak is pretty much the archetypical "tinker, tailor, soldier, spy", having a fairly direct influence in my own diplomatic and spycraft endeavours. (A spy in the hand is infinitely preferable to an unknown number in the bushes.) A demonstration of excellent writing and character development. Bloody brilliant.
When mature adults wrote Star Trek, knowing it was always intended for adults. Not the social agenda, LGBTQ crap Star Trek of today - using toxic feminist writers and juvenile actors. Just listen to how theatrical the acting is, because the material is so strong for the actors to work with...
coolest thing about star trek hands down has to be that it inspires actual scientists and doctors to create/research the devices used in star trek like tablets, holograms, tricorders, etc.
@@Vendrix86 in 1998, bill gates made his first tablet. steve jobs made his, and everyone went beserk. the ideas and technology to make them, was around before and during the time of star trek. this is because most of the ideas were patiented, they could never reach the market because of the regulation. in fact in the 1940s and 1950s, AT&T had flip phones, but they could never be marketed because the regulation made it impossible at the time. in the 1960s we had the internet, but it could never go to market because of, again, regulation. we also have holograms, but the military industrial complex is keeping them for certain projects.
what i want them to explain in the Picard series,is if the plan is to follow Trek canon,how the fuck can Data still be alive when he was killed at the end of Star Trek Nemesis,especially if this new series is supposed to take place 20 years AFTER that?wouldnt it be B4 that is in the new series?
@@Sirithil im actually watching Nemesis as we speak,and another thing the movie never explained that drives me crazy,is what the hell happened to Shinzon's Romulan collaborators,especially the woman who left that whatever in the hell it was in the Romulan senate that killed all those Romulans
A fine example of the sort of plot complexity that made DS9 so great. The main cast is sitting there wondering if the Cardassian government is switching hands because of a dissident movement established in the first season or because of a Dominion plot, only to have both possibilities overshadowed by the fact that the Federation might soon be facing a war with the Klingon Empire. And this is all BEFORE Garak and Dukat show up. In four minutes, they've interwoven more plot threads than half a season of Voyager.
@J Jackson Voyager just had a less flexible setting. DS9 was basically the center of the galaxy at that time, tons of stories and intrigue to weave in. Voyager only had the same cast of characters to deal with week in, week out, with no real chance to add more, and no way to produce lasting conflict. They tried some things, like episodes based on the Delta Flyer, but there was still only so much they could do.
@@Frommerman One thing I'll always love Voyager for: the introduction of Species 8472. I was ASTOUNDED to find an alien race even more deadly and dangerous then the fucking Borg. If they ever made a series continuing after Star Trek Nemesis, I really wish we could see the Alpha Quadrant rallying up to defend themselves against Species 8472.
In Voyager, each episode (and a few double episodes) started and finished a story. There were a few long-term background stories that developed over the series, mainly their quest to return home. DS9 was more of a long, ongoing main story told over many episodes. Each has its pros and cons, and I like both. One thing I like about Voyager is that they had an excuse for always being alone. In TNG, the Enteprise rarely met with other ships or visited a starbase. When they were in trouble, I don't think I recall them ever being helped by another Federation ship. They usually didn't even _call for_ help.
@@MrDibara eh, that is just power creep. Seems cool, but ultimately disappointing. :/ The real issue is that voyager had a perfect premise for continuity, and yet it often defaulted closer to adventure of the week format. Underplaying the marquis angle, the few times they tried larger plots it was stuff like Seska and (pause to look up name) Michael Jonas. Who remembers him? Now contrast and compare to Michael Eddington. Both "traitors" in their show, but... Oh, and the show usually used "a way home" dumped in as the macguffin they were looking for. Even when it was way, way too early for it to be an actual possibility to the audience. They could have had so many other things, "the stuff we need for torpedoes that we can't replicate", "extra food, to supplement replicator", even just things like "some of our crew are missing and presumed dead, do we try to find out for sure, risk more, or just leave? What if they are alive and are we abandoning them?" If only they had actually had the original crew diminishing when they took losses, ran low on torpedoes or shuttles, had more people they met or saved join the crew, not just as main crew bridge members, but extras. More makeshift alterations or repairs to the ship...so that the ship that gets home at the end is drastically different to the one that left. And with so many more story hooks on the way. It'd have even helped for things like the year of hell, because the drastic damage to the ship would have been more credible as a lasting effect, and not something that you knew would be undone.
@@FFKonoko That's exactly why I really dislike Voyager.. Because they were traveling through such an unknown area, so far from home, and traveling such vast distances. The potential for meeting interesting scenarios, and interesting aliens was literally limitless, yet... every episode always boiled down to the same thing... Alien species seems friendly then tries to screw them over later in some convoluted way. This happens constantly, and is literally just the same story in a different wrapper. Repeated, over and over... Then you have the same "we gotta find a way home" trope for nearly every episode if it isn't an episode about Seska, or a "friendly but not really" alien species. At no point do they lose crew, or main key members. At no point does their ship get altered, or changed as they come across new alien tech that could help them defend themselves, or get home faster. At no point do they attempt to try to properly refuel, and recoup lost materials. (okay they do.. but its like a minor point as to why they're there, and doesn't amount to anything). It was literally a re hash of a re hash of the same 3-4 stories over and over for all the seasons..
So much strategy, so much intelligence, so much great writing and so much great acting. Thank you for this clip, a quick reminder of how a great Star Trek series like DS9 used to deliver the goods.
I've had one thought on my mind since I watched this video. Everybody forgets that Odo has learned to trust solids, somewhat at this point. The idea of being put in a no win scenario and thinking outside the box. All to ensure that the maximum amount of people can be saved. Such compassion. It was a good lesson for Odo to learn. Damn solids corrupted him! lol
i love how worf says “FEAR. of the dominion. has given my people an excuse…” i just love the staccato sound of it. i also love how garak prods the situation when he walks in. he makes it super clear that it’s not necessary for him to be there, so that everybody knows what they’re complicit in. being incredibly obvious is garak’s favorite part of being a spy, i think. he gets a real kick out of technical deniability.
Not only is the writing brilliant and concise yet full of information, the lines play to the strengths of each character: O'brien dissecting the situation like an engineer, Kira seeing it through the lens of a guerilla fighter, Odo and Worf bringing to play their insights into the own people, Dax focusing on the "long view" strategic stakes, Bashir concerned about saving lives in pushing to warn the Cardassians. And all at the same time, the scene still manages to showcase an eternal truth of human affairs: brinksmanship and the tortures of deciding if military action--war, now, is better to avoid a greater conflict later, or whether it is best to insist on a diplomatic solution to the gathering clouds. From Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War, to Caesar's preemptive strike on Gaul, to appeasement in the 1930s, the non-intervention in China pre-1948, to the invasion of Iraq... to the current predicament. And never will it be known before the day after whether one or the other is the correct strategy for the conflict at hand.
I would’ve been disappointed if he hadn’t. They did everything but walk out of the room and leave a pad on the table for him to read. The Order may have been many things, but incompetent was never one of them
@@douglasrowland9986 So true about the Nobel Prize being worthless now. I'd settle for an EMMY award for best actor for Andrew Robinson.. That would do.... ;D
@@douglasrowland9986 you two got examples of the scam you mean? I looked through the controversial economics and medical prizes, nothing stood out. Unless you're just objecting to the economics prize existing at all. But that isn't recent, and if your definition of scam extends to understanding and criticizing "pioneering analysis of equilibria in the theory of non-cooperative games"...
"But, Captain, I DO have your measurements." "Take them again. Commander?" -- Isn't this the best spy hand-off ever?! "Don't forget the waist, I think I have lost a little weight." "Oh, thank you, Commander, but I think I have everything I need." -- The dialogue is so spot-on -- killer line! 😆🥂
honestly my favourite part of the exchange after Garak is called is Sisko mentioning his waist. Sure, Garak's line after is great, but I suspect Sisko set him up for it with the line meaning "that's the bullet points, need more?"
Tertiary Adjunct I've re-watched the series a couple of times since I hated the early years of the show, and I've grudgingly admitted that I went into each episode of the early seasons with a "why the hell is this even called Star Trek, doesn't even have a starship, just some beat up old spacestation!" grumble running through my mind. 😂
I like that Worf hesitates before saying anything in front of Garak. That's entirely on-point for this character.
“But Captain, he’ll see everything! He’ll see The Big Board!”
- General “Buck Turgidsson” Worf,
“How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Cardassians”
As if they didn't stage the whole thing anyway. Worf kinda almost blew it there.
But then, Garak also didn't quite keep up the illusion either. They were both doing some heavy wink-wink.
I've always assumed that actually, he can't believe that they are stopping so low and that he has to play along with this charade like a bad pantomime
He just hates this roundabout cloak and dagger bs.
Idk about all that. I would be hesitant to spill stuff that may get more of my people killed too. He is SF but also a Klingon as well, even if his people reject him. He probably still feels for them.
I just love Garaks face when he is first called, then when he realized, “the people I’m spying on want me to spy on them.”
Simply genius on Sisko’s part.
He wasn't really spying on them. He just stayed on the station because he was exiled from Cardassia for reasons I don't think was ever revealed.
@@DavidKnowles0 "some say you're an exile or a spy"
"why cant i be both?!"
or whatever the quote is, too long since ive watched ds9
@@DavidKnowles0 On the contrary, the reasons were revealed, repeatedly. And only slightly contradictory every time. Tax evasion was certainly involved to some extent though. But uh yeah, I don't think he was truly spying on them, old habits just die hard.
True
@@DavidKnowles0 if you want to read about Garak's backstory check out the book "A Stitch in Time". It was written by Andrew Robinson so it's definitely faithful to the character and is probably the closest we'll ever get to an official background on him.
2:45 Garak: "Thank you Captain, I have all that I need."
It's so refreshing to work with professionals!
Professionals have standards.
Professionals who adhere to professional standards earn professional respect.
@@wrath2501 be polite. Be efficient. Have a plan to kill everyone you meet
@@lucianfrostbane Garak in a nutshell.
yep, that moment when Garrack realizes the whole point of him being called there was to slip him information without directly saying a word.
You know what I love about the first part of this clip? That it is so exceptionally Star Fleet (the idea behind SF anyway). It’s a room of people of various species and cultural backgrounds all throwing in their opinions and knowledge into the discussion. Sisko details the situation and then let’s his people talk. Kira is an ambassador to her home world and has faith in the Cardassian rebels. Bashir is being humanitarian like a good doctor while Dax is thinking tactically and as an ally of the Klingon people. Meanwhile Miles is weary to trust in general and hesitant to jump to the aid of Cardassia, probably due to his time in the war and his desire to prevent another. Odo chimes in, offering his limited but expert opinion on how his people act. Then Worf gives his input as an expert in Klingon culture and proposes a new complication to the situation. All the while Sisko is just sitting back and only asks a short little question as a way of provoking more discussion amongst his crew. He gets all the info he needs to make the critical decisions a captain needs to make and he let it come to him organically. Lastly, and most importantly, we get all the info we need as a viewer and it didn’t feel like an exposition dump but rather a conversation.
This scene never made sense. Having garak overhear you pretending like you just happened not to realize your spilling the beans against the klingkns made no sense as the klingons would easily realize starfleet told the cardassians even if garak told dukat it would be obvious that federation told him
@@davidt8087 Not as Obvious as you think. And besides the Klingons tend to have a 1 track mind. And something like this likely would not be discovered, investigated or looked into till YEARS later if any at all. Because at that moment, at that time you had the threat of Changling spies and could be brushed off as such.
@@davidt8087 I don't think the Klingons would be able to prove that. I could see the buck stopping with Dukat on this one. As it stands Dukat would not want to bring Garak in on his "proactive measures to safeguard the new government" because it would mean sharing credit with him. And by sheltering the Cardassian leadership once they run for it, the Klingons attack the station anyway so it did little to avoid a brewing conflict.
@Olexi Petrov The sheer fact that Miles is allowed to voice the opinion - "What if the Klingons are right?" says so much about this show. It's not afraid to show a dissenting viewpoint and give it the light of day, even if it is a bad case scenario. As you point out the cultural melting pot is really on display and it's great to see - and Way of the Warrior is a great example of showing hard moral choices that we get from Trek, but also some great action set pieces too.
Romaru Darkeyes no. The klingons are irrational. If they just told the federation they will attack cardassian and then saw a cardassian fleet ready for them, denial or not, klingons would attack the federation because they would instantly realize federation warned the cardassians as it is such a federation thing to do to try and protect every species
They should've just gotten Morn to leak the news. That guy is a blabbermouth, a total gossip, a big fluttery social butterfly, can't keep his rubbery scaled flap shut. Especially when drinking.
You can never shut that guy up.
Hilarious comments!!
You know Morn. Once he starts talking, theres no stopping him.
😂😂😂😂
Tell Morn to keep his big mouth shut! - Quark
I love how expressive Garak can be despite all that make-up. The look on his face when Sisko tells him to bring his tailor's kit, the way it shifts from confusion to curiosity makes me smile every time.
Indeed. The actor really knew how to bring the character into life.
"Bring your tailor's kit."
(Wait, _whaaat?_ Hm. Well, let's see what this is *really* about.)
Simple, Tailor, told you! (Spy)
Props to Andrew Robinson for that, especially considering that the actor was claustrophobic as well, and had a hard time working in the Cardassian makeup.
As far as my favorite star trek character, underdog Garak is in the running.
@@beard3451 never would have expected that from the Scorpio killer in Dirty Harry.
Loved Garak,
the very definition of
"Understood the Assignment"
Garek was like mission understood captain I shall do as you ask and warn my people immediately
There's something oddly sweet about Garak's decision to trust information that he was obviously fed on purpose.
It was urgent information though, it would only have value if it were used within less than an hour, and it was information about an impending attack against Garak's freaking *homeworld* so of course Garak is going to act on it! With such a small time window, he didn't have the luxury of verifying the information's authenticity.
@@gamester512 who's to say he didn't? after "overhearing" that conversation, he probably immediately went to get some information from various people to confirm what they were saying - a lot of the information wouldn't even necessarily be extremely secure, and garak has been on the station for quite some time, and likely has spent a great deal of time cultivating a spy network... just they didn't necessarily realize that the tiny piece of information they had was a part of something extremely important.
who knows, he may have even had contact with agents of section 31 who were all too happy to leak the information to him once they had a chance, just to make sure the war didn't go too much in the klingon's favour.
@@sharkforce8147 Garak would have heard about what was going on Cardassia Prime with the overthrow of the military due to the obsidian order being heavily depleted, there was a huge fleet of klingon ships visiting ds9 that then departed. with what sisko dropped he put two and two together as to why the klingons had amassed there and why they would invade cardassian space.
well... Garak was part of the Defiant's crew a year later.
It's called reading between the lines.
“We can stand here all day reminding ourselves just how much we HATE each other but you don’t have the time!”
One of the best lines I’ve ever heard in any Star Trek show. From my all time favourite Star Trek character.
Andrew Robinson did a marvelous job as Garak...I really enjoyed that character on DS9...
Emphasis on the "hhhate"
They are both patriots in their own ways. Great character back ground and development.
What I told my English 101 professor before starting a meeting to help with my assignment. 😆
JimmySteller love their back and forth encounters!
The best thing about this show is how none of the races or groups are portrayed as evil or good, only shades of grey. Even the Federation. It was refreshing and a very adult approach to take.
I love the fact that even though it's clear that because of evolutionary creation for the races, that none of them are simple stereotypes of their races in this show. Yes Klingon is a warrior race with a code, but within that code is many degrees, same with the Ferengi, Cardassians etc... with the exception of the "clone" race of the Vorta, even the Delta quadrant races showed some degree of individuality.
Grey is just bits of black and white from such a high level you think it's turned into one color.
@@cardsfanboyThe Vorta had their individuality in its sameness. They're the only species that operates entirely as clones, and it gives them a certain appeal.... and a very specific threat that isn't easily overcome.
Still pales in comparison to Babylon 5 ...
@@cardsfanboy The Vorta had just as much variability as any other race. That's why they kept having to be threatened with death and replacement to change their behavior.
I love how Worf glances at Garak uneasily before spilling Federation secrets.
Worf does not like Garak. Never has.
@@jefff3886 It's not just Garak though. He would've given that glance to Quark or even blabbermouth Morn if it wasn't Garak. He's just thinking "This would never happen on the Enterprise - Picard would never allow it. "
It's left to him to tell where the Klingon fleet is heading. He knows that once he says this, there's no going back.
Worf is a soldier and honorable warrior. The act of "leaking" something he would naturally find underhanded and distasteful.
Yeah, he gives Sisko a look, like......
"Dude, are we really doing this? ...... Okay."
Both Andrew Robinson and Marc Alaimo were tremendous highlights in DS9.
Yeah, it's just too bad Alaimo was being such a creep to his female castmates IRL, that Avery Brooks just lost it and punched him in the face, one time. Or so I am told... Very Sisko move.
@@crystalidentity lol a creep on screen and in real life... The Sisko ain't puttin' up with that!
@@crystalidentity god damn. i didnt know alaimo was like that in real life. christ, that makes me look at him in a different light now
@@keyblader2k6 but why? Apparently the matter got resolved, assuming everything said here is true. Also a lot ot time has passed since then and you don't know a thing about Alaimo. He might be a cool dude. This mentality - the unforgiving - it's so stupid.
@@alexfromsolitude the past 10+ years of personal and professional experience has shown me that kind of behavior is WAY too common place and that it needs to be changed for the better, even if it took place many years ago. just because it happened in the past, it doesnt mean it was acceptable to do so back then and it DEFINITELY is unacceptable now. just look at donald trump and his "locker room" talk. these kinds of stories generally dont come out unless theres some sort of truth to it. in these kinds of creeper stories, generally the only thing to go on are people's words with very little physical evidence and id rather take the word of 100 potential liars if theres the possibility that even one of them turned out to be true unless actual evidence turns up to disprove them.
lets assume that everything was true in that it did happen and the matter did get somehow resolved. that doesnt change the fact that he was already at least 50 years old when it occurred. again, i reference donald trump and his "locker room" talk. he wasnt some punk kid trying to get lucky. this opens up the possibility that hed been doing this towards other women for years prior to star trek. heck, theres still a possibility that he might still be doing this now, just not in a professional setting after that incident. sure, he could be a cool guy in real life and maybe even the same towards me personally if i ever met him at star trek vegas. however, i can tell you right now that MANY women, of all ages, would prefer NOT to be creeped on in ANY situation by ANYONE, professionally or personally.
2:06 I absolutely LOVE the range of emotions conveyed in these 7 seconds just from Garak's facial expressions. From to "at attention" to mildly confused to "still perplexed, but now I'm interested." Andrew Robinson is an absolute master at his craft!
totally outstanding indeed.
He’s great in Hellraiser as well, you can see touches of Garak’s later development in his duplicitous character arc in that film
He's a goddamn lethal weapon in the acting department and it pisses me off that he doesn't get more interesting work. People still remember him from DIRTY HARRY and to me that's one of his least impressive roles.
Tinker,
Tailor,
Soldier,
Spy.
Black ops personnel
In other words a Diplomat. That is the only reason any country has embassies in foreign countries. That is to gather intel and keep their home country up to date. Just how far they go determine whether they are spies or diplomats.
@HappyandAtheist Spying on your friends is a good way to turn your ally in to an enemy.
@HappyandAtheist You are just describing an insecure mentality. They assume bad intent on others because that's what they themselves would do. True allies don't spy on each other.
@HappyandAtheist It has a lovely warm kaleidoscopic glow to it, eh !
It doesn't make any sense how the big 3 Cardassians (Garak, Dukat and Damar) are all such outstanding actors. They completely own pretty much every scene they're in.
Damar's reaction to Worf killing Weyoun is gold.
The casting in this show is outstanding.
It was the way 90s Trek worked, anyone who stood out or struck a chord with the audience would get more and more screen time. O'Brien, Quark, Dumar, etc., all went from playing minor characters to being major players in the show(s). The guy who played Brunt/Weyoun/Shran, etc., was only offered a one time secondary character appearance at first.
I love Garak. Possibly the best character in Star Trek.
@nickys34 I believe you are mistaken. At 2:11, look at Garak's face. He knew that this request of Sisko's was peculiar. Being an intelligence operative, he knew that all he had to do was play along to see what was going on, which he did. I would argue that what we see here is that Garak is well versed in the art of subtlety and is not merely a blind fool, as you posit
@nickys34 You are sorely mistaken, sir. That situation did not call for the delay required to crunch numbers, especially when there was so little time to do anything. Furthermore, Garak had plenty of information to work with. He was fully aware, as a station tenant, that there were lots of Klingons on the station and that now there are none. He heard Dax describe the general strength of the Klingon fleet. It is quite possible that Garak, being at one time a member of the Obsidian Order, had a very good idea of the exact strength of the Klingon fleet as a whole, so what Dax said would have already told him exactly what he needed to know. Finally, he got the most critical pieces of information: Where the Klingons are going and how soon they would arrive. The unusual request of Sisko, coupled with what he had heard from Dax, Sisko, and Worf, was sufficient information for him to not only understand exactly what is going on, but also to understand what course of action he needed to take and how quickly he needed to take that action.
Right!
@nickys34 I wouldn't call it "manipulated". As I see the scene, Garak understood the situation very quickly. He was being offered information to transmit to Cardassia, that couldn't reach Cardassia via official channels. He was used in a way that aligns with his priorities, his loyalty to Cardassia. He understood this and played along.
I’m not sure Dirty Harry would agree.
"Thank you, Captain. I think I have everything I need."
There we are. If you want to put a warning in the subtext, leave it to Garak to find it.
Also he totally igored Ciscos claim that he has lost weight, since he didnt measure his taille again :p
Really, that was more supertext than subtext.
Oh, Garak knew full well they were talking to him. He even told them so by his reply.
@@davidhenderson3400 Exactly, the "fitting-as-info-leak" was how Garak introduced himself as an intelligence agent to Bashir and the Federation in his first appearance on the show, inviting Julian to get "fitted" at the same time he would be facilitating an under the table trade for the Duras sisters.
@@Daniel-rd6st right. He never got the inseam measurement!
Plausible deniability, Starfleet style.
Call for a measurement from an identified foreign intelligence agent masquerading as a tailor during an important meeting involving classified information?
@@javierpatag3609 Garak is just a simple tailor.
@@javierpatag3609 Garak is a simple Taylor he used to be a gardener before that but nothing more.
@@demarcusfaulkner7411 A gardener who accidentally specialized in poisonous orchids. Oh, those coincidences...
@@PmmGarak very interesting
Once again, you bring Picard to a negotiation. You bring Kirk to a fight. You bring Janeway to a battle, but you bring Sisko to a war.
And bring Archer for some faith of the heart
@@IronSpyder-ky2lk You bring Archer to let a planet die for the sake of it.
You bring Burnham to start the war for a stupid reason
@@Jacques_a_dit no thats picard
You find a star-system.
Bring Archer if you want to befriend it,
Kirk if you want to explore it,
Picard if you want to negotiate with it,
Burnham if you want to study it,
Sisko if you want to fight it,
Janeway if you want your crew to return alive
and Freeman for when you go there a second time.
"We can stand here all day, reminding ourselves just how much we _hate_ each other but _you_ don't have the time. The Klingon fleet will reach Cardassian territory in _less_ than one hour."
Leave it to Garak to be the adult.
Garak hated Dukat, but he loved Cardassia more. That was one of the biggest differences between them. Dukat could never see any situation beyond how it impacted him, particularly his self-image. Garak was always prepared to subvert his benefit to the greater good of his people.
In all fairness, he was trading verbal jabs with Dukat. The bar for 'being the adult' in that situation wasn't very high.
Garak: the only person who could get away with saying to Dukat "would you just do your fucking job, man"
@@gilmadreth680 Quite right. Garak says "Having a hard time keeping the civilians in line?" because he knows Dukat likes being in control and being able to control things.
@gilmadreth680 Garak merely had to crane his neck but a millimeter down to be able to get under that limbo bar of being an adult with Dukat. 🤣
The writing of DS9 was award wining as was the acting and directing.
I completely agree... One thing that people dont understand is you need to watch it all from episode 1. The storys build and build on eachother its just so magnificent man! I
Puck aNm indeed. It was a serial, not a completely new episode. It was such a great series.
Sometimes. Half the early episodes were a disaster.
Just finding their feet, like TNG. Hopefully we all can agree that this series was a joy to watch.
Insert comment from butthurt B5 fanboys here.
As catty as Garak delights in being, i deeply admire him for his ability to get straight to business when the moment calls for it. He could have traded jabs with Dukat all day, but brought the conversation back to the matter at hand with grace
Garak weaves throughout good & evil behavior so seamlessly. A perfect anti-hero. And he's tough to boot. He fought worf very valiantly. Worf"you fight well for a tailor" that's not to be taken lightly.
Because, at his heart, Garak is an actual Cardassian patriot. He cares about this planet and its people.
@mkang8782 yeah and Dukat on the other hand just thinks he is.
2:13 I like that Jadzia is just chilling casually in a chair, Worf and Oto are at attention, Worf is hesitant to reveal the Klingon invasion, knowing that many Klingons will die at the hands of the Cardassians, and Garak is super quick to the take. He doesn't keep up the pretense for a second when he, quickly I might add, gets that this is all being played out for him. It is beautifully done.
Haha super quick to the take?
"Oh but captain, I do have your measurements" on the heels of that entry? He was clueless af for just a moment, probably just didn't want to be rude to his federation friends and taken aback by officers he's only ever known to play things straight suddenly playing his game. But still.
@@mistermonologue2442but played they did and he took it and ran to the fucking bank. A good thing too
As names go, the Obsidian Order was frickin awesome and the aura around them was equally impressive.
STAMP: Alliteration-Approved!
The Black Order has a nice ring to it too.......
Obsidian Order was basically the Gestapo.
@@minggnim more like the Stasi
Cardassians have the Obsidian Order
Romulans had the Tal Shiar
Federation had Section 31
Who did the Klingons have?
The Federation “getting involved” without getting involved. I love it.
find some way to stop the Klingons Cardassia is to weak to deal with the Klingons💀💀
more like the DS9 crew getting involved ...... WITHOUT getting involved.
RIP Odo, you brougth so much heart to this show.
@Brian Coley Rene, the actor who played Odo, died yesterday.
@@ilovebrandnewcarpets Wow! It's 2021 here in the future, and I had zero clue he died in 2019! Crazy!
@@Reggie2000 He was my favorite in the show other than Garak. Also, since I'm a fallout nerd, he was Mr House from Fallout New Vegas.
@@brianjones8899 i never knew that! That is so cool. I killed him a lot though🤔
@@brianjones8899 And Quark's actor was Andrew Ryan in bioshock, both characters heavily inspired by Howard Hughes. "IS a Ferengi not entitled to the sweat of his own lobes?"
One thing I've always loved about Star Trek in general is that, whenever they seem to be down to two bad options, they always insist on finding a third. I love this scene because it's such a clear example.
they always seem to find a third.... even worse
“I don’t believe in the no-win scenario…”
They were facing a Kobiyashi-Maru situation, a no win scenario - the only way to beat this is to find another way, but there isn't a lot of other ways to find - so sometimes, you gotta bend the rules to get the favorable outcome.
It's an exercise of out-of-the-box thinking. If you only see two options, it usually means you haven't really put gumption into it but are stuck in the obvious.
It wasn't really a third option at all. They still disobeyed orders.
I really enjoy watching Andrew Robinson acting. As Garak, He is very expressive with his eyes. A love how when entering the room. Garak scans and looks at everyone. He is taking in the situation like a good spy. Never listen to just the words but also the reactions and body movements of the people in the room. Andrew Robinson just sells the entire portrayal of Garak.
And somehow he wasn’t even a main character.
@@matthew8153he was to me.😁
Something that I can't help but feel fascinated by in this scene is the way that there are so many different species in these high command positions. Each one speaks of their own race, stating "my people," yet they are all loyal to the federation. They can understand and sympathize with their own peoples, yet at the end of the day they stand with the federation and are untied.
Indeed. Sadly though for Worf and Garak, convincing their respective piers Gowron and Dukat of this unity is not a simple task.
@@GreyDoofus88 BOY, tell me about that. T__T'
Indeed, the United Federation of Planets!
*united
I really appreciate how "in on it" everyone was in that situation. Garak immediately recognizes that he's being fed information, and as much as it irritates Worf and Chief O'Brien, they all fulfill their roles in the charade excellently. Garak learns what he needs to know, and rushes to tell Gul Dukat, who is resistive to the notion but cannot afford to be proven wrong about the sincerity of the intel. Really outstanding stuff.
Holy crap after all the TNG I've been watching, hearing Worf and O'Brien speaking in this scene is melting my mind.
I mean, they're given actual depth.
oh, if you haven’t watched all of DS9, it’s an utter treat how developed they are. Sure, O’Brien is regularly tortured, but they both have meaty plot lines and story arcs. O’Brien being such an average dude, you almost forget what an incredible actor Colm is, but man can he suffer!
Well duh this is ds9
The best Trek that ever was and ever will be.
I've recently watched all 3 seasons of Picard, and before that I watched my favorite DS9's again. I've been trying to find the right description of why I like these series better. I think "depth" captures it. Thanks. I think both shows benefit from being serialized rather episodic.
If you have not watched DS9 from start to finish, I truly envy you. I used to love TNG (and still do) and had ignored DS9 for a long time and now.... Well, I'll always love TNG anyway but DS9 just blows it out of the water. If you have not watched it yet, enjoy.
@@TerraSapien "O’Brien is regularly tortured" lol.
"Having trouble keeping the civilians in line?"
"How do you know about that?"
Seriously? Information is Garak's _business._ Of _course_ he knows about it. It would be a _greater_ surprise if, somehow, he had _failed_ to hear about it. Come on, Dukat. You know that.
He's like Commander Ivanova that way, "Captain, the day something happens around here and I *don't* know about it, worry." LOL
@@WhiteScarsEmo Ivanova and Garak. There would be an interesting crossover.
I don't know what you mean, Garak is clearly just a plain, simple tailor.
When you hem as many trousers as Garak, you're bound to overhear some things.
I remember Dukat as being too smooth and ruthless to admit to surprise like that, even if he was in trouble. I think he had another purpose in saying that. Maybe a subtle admission that he respects Garak's information gathering ability - the closest he can allow himself to come to thanking Garak for the tip-off.
"Looks like there won't be much demand for your services anymore" -Except just now when you're bailing out the entire species by alerting them to an empire-wide threat that they were otherwise completely clueless about.....
Yeah just because one employer folds up didn't mean a skilled worker stays unemployed. Lots of people would like to hire that tailor.
@@newperve I hear he's real good at hemming trousers.
@@crystalidentity I prefer the phrase, "tying up loose ends"
Dukat likes to hear himself talk and is a massive narcissist.
Skillfully played Captain Sisko
I believe I have everything I need ...
LOL
He's a cunning son of a targ, finding a third option where the first two seemed so evident. I like seeing people find the third option, intent on seeing the coin land on its edge.
that's nothing compared to his later involvement in assassinating a Romulan senator (and his innocent guards) and blame it on someone else as a false flag attack to get another nation into war for his own benefit
Garak's character wasn't just well-written - Notice the sly smile on Garak's face when he realizes why Sisko called him in - as he is saying "Thank you captain, I have all that I need", his smile is saying "Not bad, Captain - you're getting as sneaky as me!"
@nickys34 what do you mean "fall for it"? They weren't trying to trick him, they were trying to give him useful information. And he did in fact pick up on it.
@nickys34 I meant it was useful to Cardassia, not that it was useful for Garak's personal ambitions. He did know that Dukat would not reward him for this information, but he still cares about his homeworld.
I love absolutely everything about this clip. It's absolute peak Trek
Every time I see this, I remember how much I love Garak as a character.
Damn do I love me some Garak and Dukat. Robinson and Alaimo were so great in these roles.
True, true. But I heard Alaimo was being such a creep to his female castmates in real life, Avery Brooks punched him in the face one time! How so very Sisko.
@@crystalidentity I’m not even sure this was true. The video of that punch does seem like an accident, and it’s literally for a scene. The deal I think is that Alaimo was actually a bit smitten with Nana Visitor, but more importantly he kinda remained in character as Dukat often on set, and Dukat was basically preying on Kira so naturally it was kinda creepy. Not advocating for method acting that makes colleagues uncomfortable, but did he do anything untoward or is it just that he really embodied the role?
The one thing that I truly admire about Sisko is that he's a subtle as a brick landing on one's head.
Yes, about as subtle as when he punched Q in the face.
Benjamin can be subtle when he WANTS to be.
This wasn't the time for subtlety.
This was the smartest Star Trek with the best plots.
Garak was also good with helping other people with savings. For example, later on in the series he got a bargain for Commander Sisko:
"And if your conscience is bothering you, you should soothe it with the knowledge that you may have just saved the entire Alpha Quadrant, and all it cost was the life of one Romulan senator, one criminal… and the self-respect of one Starfleet officer. I don't know about you, but I'd call that a bargain."
"Thank you, Captain, I believe I have everything I need"
Garak is so sly. He knows why Sisko called for him and what he must do, and it has nothing to do with being measured for a suit. I love Garak and I love the many layers of subtext that happens in almost every episode with Garak in it. DS9 has some of the best writing in television, at least back when this was on the air. Really underappreciated.
garak is my favorite star trek character of all time
ben cruz mine as well! Brilliant, mysterious, crude, loyal to only himself,well and maybe his own kind from time to time.. I see so much of myself in Garak.
Garak is one of my favorites too, in fact the only character I couldn't stand was jake sisko
I like that Garak trained Dr. Bashir to be a spy.
@@skynetprime82 Compared to Wesley he was wonderful.
@@hugehappygrin WTF - he did?? What did I miss?!
I like to think that Garak knew most of this beforehand and him taking Sisko's measurements just confirmed it. When he said he had all he needed you could tell he knew more than what they were briefing at the moment.
Nah,
He knew what Sisko wanted him to do and once he got the information needed, he left
Garak knew what will happen, but wasn't aware how soon it will happen. Sisko simply told him to foward it to Cardassia NOW.
kireta21 then it's safe to say he "speculated" it was going to happen. But also he was in the same fix as the DS9 crew about being a snitch. But when he later talks to Dekat even he thought he was crazy coming to him with information like that.
Incidentally, Garak used this opportunity to note Sisko had been putting on a little weight. Too much Jambalaya and fattening soufflé.
And maybe used that scanner to lift some DNA or biometric data off a Starfleet Station Commander ... it could always come in handy for something later.
@@kireta21 Yeah, like "Yo, buddy! The thing is happening NOW, better get a move on."
I love every time the DS9 crew manages to use Garak's position spying on them to all of their advantage. The relationship between Garak and DS9 is so damn good. Sometimes it pays to be able to leak information to the enemy.
I love the subtle glance Odo gives Garak as he begins to measure Sisko.
It's little nuances like this that make this the best Star Trek show.
It helps that they are very good actors, which still shines thru despite all the alien garb.
2:21 - I love the acting! Look at his expressions! His voice and eyes. Perfect!
"I believe I have everything I need"... Great line.
This was one of my favorite episodes of DS9. Sisko's intelligence is on point, Garak nearly immediately gets the memo.... God such a good episode.
My favourite part: when Sisko says we need a third option. So many times when trying to solve problems, we are tunnelled into the obvious options and fail to consider an "outside the box" option.
That simple phrase shows great leadership because it set the stage for a brainstorming which managed to solve the entire situation nicely. Leaders don't have to have all the answers. They do need to create the right environment/mindset to get the best out of their people.
God, I miss this quality of StarTrek
Me too buddy. Me too.
Same.
Today everyone would just say that this isn't real Star Trek because of all the Starfleet Officers deliberately disobeying orders, and that it's just generic grimdark sci-fi.
Should we talk about Picard, or is it just a fever dream I had?
Same here. This is my life. New Trek doesn't feel the way this does. I get that things change, but damn...
Great scene from one of the best Trek episodes.
Worf coming to DS9 was an excellent move.
You can see how much the actors enjoyed their roles in this clip.
The only person to down-vote this video...... Dukat!
and a trio of Founders
Apparently a couple of Maquis traitors as well.
Surprisingly no Klingons down voted yet.
@@pwnmeisterage - Make that *_six_* Maquis traitors now, and counting.
Probably a few Vorta.
Garek is absolutely and without a doubt one of the best characters in Star Trek, and even sci-fi in general. He's like putting an onion inside of a Matryoshka doll, so many layers.
My favorite part about this scene is that when Garak warns Dukat he has all of the information from the conversation that took place before his arrival. I don't think this is a continuity error, I assume Garak has the wardroom bugged and when Sisko summons him to retake his measurements that's just Garak's queue that he should review their entire briefing which he has recorded.
Wasn't the main bit that he said that he wasn't around for, "Klingons suspect the founders infiltrated you"? Which...isn't the hardest thing to assume is the reason right now?
I think the founders taking over or exerting influence on a faction is a given, especially since the Obsidian Order is no more.
Garak had details that weren't in the briefing he "overheard." I would imagine his contacts keep him abreast of many developments. But the Klingons undoubtedly had a maximum security clampdown on this invasion. The Federation only learned of it because as allies the Klingons informed them.
I never even noticed that. When you think you're using Garak in one of your plans, there's a good chance, that he's actually using you.
I don't think this is the case. I just rewatched this episode and Garak's conversation with Dukat happens AFTER Sisko leaks information to Garak. The group conversation happens at the episode around 44:50 while the Garak-Dukat conversation happens immediately afterwards at 45:44
I love how everyone immediately understood what Sisko meant by "a third option"... and didn't like it.
Garak was one of my favorite characters in DS9. I loved how the politics such as deliberatly leaking info to the right people.
3:48
Garak: "We can stand here all day reminding ourselves just how much we hate each other, but YOU don't have the time."
When you want to warn your people an invasion is coming...
...but the person in charge is an adulterous letch you'd rather yeet out the nearest airlock first.
3:00. Garak the ultimate "I love my country... but you disgust me" energy.
Plausible deniability: Federation style.
There was so much subtext in this series that I missed when I was a kid.
I loved this episode. It’s when Garak becomes one of my favourite ever Star Trek.
What - he wasn't even before?? C'mon. ;D
Something about his performance made him my favorite since the first episode.
@@crystalidentity Oh he was, but this took it to another level.
@@crystalidentity Right? Just shocking and disappointing
"According to my sources, who never said this within an earshot of me, the Klingon High Council believes that Cardassia has been taken over by the founders."
Maybe he really *did* have sources who told him that?
Garrack didn't become the Top Agent of the Obsidian Order by winning a lottery, he was really good at doing math (putting 2 and 2 together)
How do we know Garak did not already have a bug in the office and listened to its recording right after the crew decided to drop the hint?
Jonathan Ryan Tung I believe that Garak didn’t just take what they were saying and run to Dukat, he’s smarter than that. I think he took the hint, followed up with an informant (he likely has someone who works in ops in his pocket) and shared the info he got from both Sisko and his informant with Dukat. Knowing Garak there’s any number of ways he could have gotten that information.
he overheard it while hemming someone's trousers
This one scene is more cleverly written than the entirety of Star Trek Discovery
Touché. Well played my good man, well played.
STD made me very sick, please don't remind me about that
And ST Picard
I just wish we could have DS9 with Discovery graphics. That would be amazing.
@@TheUrbanGaze Yes, same with TNG and the original show/movies
I wanted to see Morn with the earmuffs!
Garak, selling earmuffs to a guy who barely has ears. Awesome lol
Just finished watching DS9 for the fourth time Garak is one of my favourite characters in the show.
TNG for a long time was my favourite Star Trek show but it has slipped into second place for this.
The first 2 seasons of TNG are practically unwatchable. Any scene with Diana Muldur is torture.
@@michaelbayer5094 True she was an awful Chief MO but Gates McFadden was only a slight upgrade the best Dr of all time was DeForest Kelley followed by Robert Picardo
Garrak and Gul Dukat are by far my favourite elements of DS9; together they pretty much redeem the series for me, given the show runner hated Roddenberry's original vision. (Thus: money, war, religion, …) Quark and his family have moments, but lack the gravitas and… impact… of these two characters. Anti-heroes are the heroes of their own stories; and this can not be more true for Dukat throughout his arc, and Garrak is pretty much the archetypical "tinker, tailor, soldier, spy", having a fairly direct influence in my own diplomatic and spycraft endeavours. (A spy in the hand is infinitely preferable to an unknown number in the bushes.) A demonstration of excellent writing and character development. Bloody brilliant.
Sweet, now I'm going to rewatch all of DS9... as soon as I'm done rewatching all of Voyager and drinking Kanar.
Careful with that Kanar. It can be quite toxic at times.
@@pwnmeisterage Enough to kill a dozen Cardassians.
@@pwnmeisterage Meh it's safer than Romulan ale
@@GeneralG1810 Awwww, better Romulan Ale than a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster! Oops, wrong 'verse.
@@crystalidentity 42 ;)
The cast and writers could hit one out of the park every once in a while -- especially after the second season. This was a fun scene.
When mature adults wrote Star Trek, knowing it was always intended for adults. Not the social agenda, LGBTQ crap Star Trek of today - using toxic feminist writers and juvenile actors. Just listen to how theatrical the acting is, because the material is so strong for the actors to work with...
Really shows Garak's heart lies fully with Cardassia
That smile he gave Sisko after he was done "measuring", I almost think that was a smile of gratitude.
But he shock to see the face of cardassian government.
On a smaller note, it seems that Star Trek is predicting tech of the future *AGAIN* ; laser measuring!
ricaard they got tablets wrong, think you need 1 for every book.
David Kelly Enterprise corrected that.
coolest thing about star trek hands down has to be that it inspires actual scientists and doctors to create/research the devices used in star trek like tablets, holograms, tricorders, etc.
@@Vendrix86 I predict hypersonics for the tricorders.
@@Vendrix86 in 1998, bill gates made his first tablet.
steve jobs made his, and everyone went beserk.
the ideas and technology to make them, was around before and during the time of star trek.
this is because most of the ideas were patiented, they could never reach the market because of the regulation.
in fact in the 1940s and 1950s, AT&T had flip phones, but they could never be marketed because the regulation made it impossible at the time. in the 1960s we had the internet, but it could never go to market because of, again, regulation.
we also have holograms, but the military industrial complex is keeping them for certain projects.
I just hope Garak shows up in the new Picard show at some point. Truly an interesting character portrayed by an excellent actor.
*hope
what i want them to explain in the Picard series,is if the plan is to follow Trek canon,how the fuck can Data still be alive when he was killed at the end of Star Trek Nemesis,especially if this new series is supposed to take place 20 years AFTER that?wouldnt it be B4 that is in the new series?
@@chrisbrown456 Probably would be technically B4. Also maybe Data stashed a memory backup somewhere.
@@Sirithil im actually watching Nemesis as we speak,and another thing the movie never explained that drives me crazy,is what the hell happened to Shinzon's Romulan collaborators,especially the woman who left that whatever in the hell it was in the Romulan senate that killed all those Romulans
@@chrisbrown456 I assume the rest of the Romulans dealt with them as traitors are dealt with.
I absolutely love that Garak offers to put those earmuffs on hold for Morn.
A fine example of the sort of plot complexity that made DS9 so great. The main cast is sitting there wondering if the Cardassian government is switching hands because of a dissident movement established in the first season or because of a Dominion plot, only to have both possibilities overshadowed by the fact that the Federation might soon be facing a war with the Klingon Empire. And this is all BEFORE Garak and Dukat show up.
In four minutes, they've interwoven more plot threads than half a season of Voyager.
@J Jackson Voyager just had a less flexible setting. DS9 was basically the center of the galaxy at that time, tons of stories and intrigue to weave in. Voyager only had the same cast of characters to deal with week in, week out, with no real chance to add more, and no way to produce lasting conflict. They tried some things, like episodes based on the Delta Flyer, but there was still only so much they could do.
@@Frommerman One thing I'll always love Voyager for: the introduction of Species 8472.
I was ASTOUNDED to find an alien race even more deadly and dangerous then the fucking Borg.
If they ever made a series continuing after Star Trek Nemesis, I really wish we could see the Alpha Quadrant rallying up to defend themselves against Species 8472.
In Voyager, each episode (and a few double episodes) started and finished a story. There were a few long-term background stories that developed over the series, mainly their quest to return home. DS9 was more of a long, ongoing main story told over many episodes. Each has its pros and cons, and I like both. One thing I like about Voyager is that they had an excuse for always being alone. In TNG, the Enteprise rarely met with other ships or visited a starbase. When they were in trouble, I don't think I recall them ever being helped by another Federation ship. They usually didn't even _call for_ help.
@@MrDibara eh, that is just power creep. Seems cool, but ultimately disappointing. :/
The real issue is that voyager had a perfect premise for continuity, and yet it often defaulted closer to adventure of the week format. Underplaying the marquis angle, the few times they tried larger plots it was stuff like Seska and (pause to look up name) Michael Jonas. Who remembers him?
Now contrast and compare to Michael Eddington. Both "traitors" in their show, but...
Oh, and the show usually used "a way home" dumped in as the macguffin they were looking for. Even when it was way, way too early for it to be an actual possibility to the audience. They could have had so many other things, "the stuff we need for torpedoes that we can't replicate", "extra food, to supplement replicator", even just things like "some of our crew are missing and presumed dead, do we try to find out for sure, risk more, or just leave? What if they are alive and are we abandoning them?"
If only they had actually had the original crew diminishing when they took losses, ran low on torpedoes or shuttles, had more people they met or saved join the crew, not just as main crew bridge members, but extras. More makeshift alterations or repairs to the ship...so that the ship that gets home at the end is drastically different to the one that left. And with so many more story hooks on the way.
It'd have even helped for things like the year of hell, because the drastic damage to the ship would have been more credible as a lasting effect, and not something that you knew would be undone.
@@FFKonoko
That's exactly why I really dislike Voyager.. Because they were traveling through such an unknown area, so far from home, and traveling such vast distances. The potential for meeting interesting scenarios, and interesting aliens was literally limitless, yet... every episode always boiled down to the same thing...
Alien species seems friendly then tries to screw them over later in some convoluted way. This happens constantly, and is literally just the same story in a different wrapper. Repeated, over and over...
Then you have the same "we gotta find a way home" trope for nearly every episode if it isn't an episode about Seska, or a "friendly but not really" alien species.
At no point do they lose crew, or main key members. At no point does their ship get altered, or changed as they come across new alien tech that could help them defend themselves, or get home faster. At no point do they attempt to try to properly refuel, and recoup lost materials. (okay they do.. but its like a minor point as to why they're there, and doesn't amount to anything).
It was literally a re hash of a re hash of the same 3-4 stories over and over for all the seasons..
I still Fking love DS9!! :D
"We can sit here all day reminding ourselves how much we hate one another!" -3:47
I love how Garak is so seasoned that he immediately understands what's up
I like that subtle look on Worf’s face and hesitation while Garak is measuring: “Ok, so we’re really doing this.”
The writers wrote an absolutely brilliant scene.
So much strategy, so much intelligence, so much great writing and so much great acting. Thank you for this clip, a quick reminder of how a great Star Trek series like DS9 used to deliver the goods.
DS9 had the best writing and the most interesting aliens. That was the best Star Trek.
I've had one thought on my mind since I watched this video. Everybody forgets that Odo has learned to trust solids, somewhat at this point. The idea of being put in a no win scenario and thinking outside the box. All to ensure that the maximum amount of people can be saved. Such compassion. It was a good lesson for Odo to learn. Damn solids corrupted him! lol
i love how worf says “FEAR. of the dominion. has given my people an excuse…” i just love the staccato sound of it.
i also love how garak prods the situation when he walks in. he makes it super clear that it’s not necessary for him to be there, so that everybody knows what they’re complicit in. being incredibly obvious is garak’s favorite part of being a spy, i think. he gets a real kick out of technical deniability.
Not only is the writing brilliant and concise yet full of information, the lines play to the strengths of each character: O'brien dissecting the situation like an engineer, Kira seeing it through the lens of a guerilla fighter, Odo and Worf bringing to play their insights into the own people, Dax focusing on the "long view" strategic stakes, Bashir concerned about saving lives in pushing to warn the Cardassians. And all at the same time, the scene still manages to showcase an eternal truth of human affairs: brinksmanship and the tortures of deciding if military action--war, now, is better to avoid a greater conflict later, or whether it is best to insist on a diplomatic solution to the gathering clouds. From Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War, to Caesar's preemptive strike on Gaul, to appeasement in the 1930s, the non-intervention in China pre-1948, to the invasion of Iraq... to the current predicament. And never will it be known before the day after whether one or the other is the correct strategy for the conflict at hand.
2:09
I love Garak's reaction to "bring your tailor's kit."
I love that Garak caught on almost immediately. Smart cookie that one.
Love how quickly Garak figures out exactly what's going on...
I would’ve been disappointed if he hadn’t. They did everything but walk out of the room and leave a pad on the table for him to read. The Order may have been many things, but incompetent was never one of them
Andrew Robinson should have won a Nobel Prize for Garak.
LOL - a Nobel Prize for Drama?? :D
@@crystalidentity I'd have zero problems with that lol.
Nobel prizes aren't worth much these days. Ever since they started to give them away for absolutely nothing or for pushing scams.
@@douglasrowland9986 So true about the Nobel Prize being worthless now. I'd settle for an EMMY award for best actor for Andrew Robinson.. That would do.... ;D
@@douglasrowland9986 you two got examples of the scam you mean?
I looked through the controversial economics and medical prizes, nothing stood out.
Unless you're just objecting to the economics prize existing at all. But that isn't recent, and if your definition of scam extends to understanding and criticizing "pioneering analysis of equilibria in the theory of non-cooperative games"...
Gotta love Sisko. Comes up with the perfect solution/excuse. "Gosh darn it, must be a spy on the station. Oh well...."
"But, Captain, I DO have your measurements."
"Take them again. Commander?"
-- Isn't this the best spy hand-off ever?!
"Don't forget the waist, I think I have lost a little weight."
"Oh, thank you, Commander, but I think I have everything I need."
-- The dialogue is so spot-on -- killer line! 😆🥂
The Best Star Trek Series with the Best Characters and Character Development.
I just love DS9, so many personalities and cultures that are presented and how they evolve through the whole series
God I love how they did this. Leak information by using a tailor.
And the only resident Cardassian on DS9 who is close to The Management.
honestly my favourite part of the exchange after Garak is called is Sisko mentioning his waist. Sure, Garak's line after is great, but I suspect Sisko set him up for it with the line meaning "that's the bullet points, need more?"
It's always hilarious to watch Avery Brooks and Michael Dorn try to "out-voice" each other.
"I think I have Everything I Need."
Garak was my favorite character on "Star Ttek: Deep Space Nine"!
Garak is among my fav char from this show. Deserved a spin off mini series.
I REALLY hated DS9 for the first two or three seasons, and then it became tied with TNG for best Star Trek.
"duet" is still a gem from season 1. rewatch with older eyes.. it's not as bad as you remember.
Tertiary Adjunct
I've re-watched the series a couple of times since I hated the early years of the show, and I've grudgingly admitted that I went into each episode of the early seasons with a "why the hell is this even called Star Trek, doesn't even have a starship, just some beat up old spacestation!" grumble running through my mind. 😂
So you admit you disliked it at first because there was no ship? The show started out great and ended great god you type of fans are the worst
Fearless 512
Get a grip, it’s a tv show.
Michael Coulter your the one who literally just screamed I hated this, by that logic shouldn't you get a grip
Love it. This series nailed script writing and character development.
Haha Garak is the boss! One of the most essential characters on DS9! You ARE the Obsidian Order! Epic
That was some smart manouevring from Sisko.