#surgeon garak

[rebisrot]

<3

[searchingforserendipity25]

regardless of whether cardassia is part of the federation in his universe or not, surgeon garak is clearly still a spy, or was at least trained as a spy, so him being in starfleet is so interesting. for many reasons.

not least the implication of a group of obsidian order operatives (tain. it was tain being a dick) plotting who they can best send undercover into the military heart of starfleet, and going with the guy no one really likes.

in this universe where cardassian crew members are not unusual in starfleet, how often has tain made fun of him (and tormented him, and starved him, and locked him in dark places) for having the sort of tendency towards weak sentiment that was really more suited to a federation lackey than a true servant of cardassia?

deep cover is not exile exactly, except that it is. really he is only a mole in the shallow ground, not even a second identity to hide behind, and not much hope of returning to cardassia besides an eventual retirement -

if the order (tain, being a dick) doesn't find it more expedient to send him to vulcan or andoria or wherever else.

the thing about deep cover agents is you never can trust them again; it's a one-way ticket to serve the state, everyone knows they don't come back right, they don't come back at all.

but he's expendable, and he's good at torture, right? surgery is like, reverse torture. he'll be fine! what's the worse that can happen, he slips so deeply into cover that federation ideals cloud his identity, his skills earn him renown and satisfaction and his loyalty ends up compromised when a rip in the multiverse puts him in the path of an holographic version of his hot coworker?

[lady-lazarus-13]

I got a question for y'all.

Do you think EMH Julian and Surgeon Garak would fight for control of the infirmary to be CMO? Why or why not? Do they share responsibility? Or is EMH Julian frustrated by his lack of rights as a sentient being?

[lady-lazarus-13]

New headcanon for Surgeon!Garak:

He would still help Tolan garden, but maybe more so because Tolan was getting sick. Maybe he was hiding it from Mila? Garak had never felt connected to Tolan until he begins taking care of him in secret. Garak learns herbal medicine and healing.

When he's declared a man, Garak still goes to Barmarren and later starts working for the Obsidian Order just as his mother asked, but Tain eventually says "Elim, she knows too much about me."

And at this point Garak is not as smooth with appeasing Tain or navigating ways to save his mother like we saw in The Die is Cast.

Tain kills Mila. So Garak's like oh yeah this shit? Nah I'm out of here.

He ends up seeking asylum with the Federation and only gives them one clue about a plan involving the Romulans. So nobody there dies and peace talks between Romulus and the Federation are able to go smoother. He then fights to become a doctor and earn a place in Starfleet as the first and only Cardassian. ((Worf low-key hates him but they've never met, but they eventually bond over it.))

He won't outright betray Cardassia because he loves his home, but he loved his mother more.

[star-trek-likes-vs-dislikes]

Lieutenant Garak (LD)

Like or Dislike: Lieutenant Elim Garak (LD)

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don't know him/see results

Voting ended onJul 31, 2025

[maluron]

so i had to go and *write* a flashfic for that carebear heatlamp idea (and now it's done i need to go and write yet another flashfic of hologram sex oh dear me) (at some point i'll have to repost everything to ao3 but ugh so much to do while so few spoons)