• partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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    13 days ago

    Wasn’t Garrik effectively banished for being on the losing side of an internal power struggle within the Obsidian Order (the Cardassian spy division of the government)?

    • GregorGizeh@lemmy.zip
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      13 days ago

      He was banished because he “betrayed” tain, his mentor and father as well as the head of the cardassian gestapo, in some unspecified way. The people above are just doing the usual, unoriginal take of GARAK GAY because any two smooth talking men without big manly muscles being friends must totally be gay coded. God forbid heterosexual men are allowed to not fit a stereotype.

      • AnchoriteMagus@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        Yeah, I always assumed, given Garak’s very vocal opposition to some of the Cardassian government’s actions, that something Tain ordered him to do as a member of the Obsidian Order was his “step too far” that caused his break with Cardassian ideology.

        • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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          13 days ago

          that something Tain ordered him to do as a member of the Obsidian Order was his “step too far” that caused his break with Cardassian ideology.

          Thats a wonderful thing about Garak is that I don’t think there exists “a step too far”. Rather I like to assume that even if it was a heinous request he didn’t follow it because it didn’t serve his own political motives. What was so interesting about Garak is that he clearly had a formal set of solid guiding principles. However to outsiders like us it looked chaotic and disjointed.

      • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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        12 days ago

        In that very first scene when he meets Dr. Bashir it’s clear as a bell— and this was my choice—that he was sexually attracted to this good-looking young Starfleet doctor. And although they didn’t follow that up with an explicitly gay character, that ambiguity about Garak remained.

        [Laughs] Oh yeah. I broadcast it as strongly as I could. But you know, they never really followed up on it, we never even had a discussion about it. Deep Space Nine was already at right angles to the Star Trek franchise. It was a different kind of Star Trek show. And I think that suddenly to bring on an openly gay alien, who, who was having this relationship with Dr. Bashir. I think that was maybe a bridge too far. I’m guessing at this, but I, but I think that may be it.

        I think Ira and the writers loved that it just added to the mystery of the guy. What is he? Who is he? Is he this or is he that? I think it just reinforced what they were already trying to do with the character.

        Yeah totally, 100% just shippers reading into it, uh huh.

        • GregorGizeh@lemmy.zip
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          12 days ago

          So your point is that, in fact, two non stereotypical men existing is gay coded unilaterally by one of the actors. Is that supposed to endear them to me? If anything thats a huge letdown because in the end, Robinson could not conceive these two men being just unusual and unlikely friends. MUST be fucking.

          • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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            11 days ago

            two non stereotypical men existing is gay coded unilaterally by one of the actors

            No? My point is that they were not just “two non stereotypical men existing” and that at least one of those men was explicitly trying to broadcast gay vibes.

            If anything thats a huge letdown because in the end, Robinson could not conceive these two men being just unusual and unlikely friends. MUST be fucking.

            Also no. Just because Garak is attracted to Bashir does not mean that they are necessarily “fucking.” Queer people can have friends of the same gender, and Garak’s sexuality and relationship with Bashir is intentionally ambiguous.

            Frankly, I don’t see a reason why Garak’s sexuality would be a “huge letdown” for you other than homophobia. Regardless of a sexual element, their dynamic is the same.

            There’s also plenty of other platonic friendships in the show, like between Bashir and Miles.

      • Azzu@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        13 days ago

        He’s not hetero though, he wanted to “obviously have sex with Bashir”, the actor said so. And he was in love with Ziyal, so quite obviously bi in some way.

        Of course this doesn’t take anything away from what you said, just a small correction.