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hobbithabits · 7 months

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I just think that if Julian wore an off the shoulder top, especially if garak had made it for him, that middle aged gay lizard would get so hard so fast he’d pass out

#‘how does it look garak’#‘oh dear… please excuse me..’#*thud*#me too tho #garak ur boyfriend is hot I want him #star trek #star trek ds9 #garashir #elim garak #julian bashir

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charlesemersonwinchesteriii · 10 months

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Rosaria Champagne, “Law of the (Nameless) Father: Mary Shelley’s Mathilda and the Incest Taboo” // Star Trek: Deep Space 9, 2x22 “The Wire”

#incest tw #RENT LOWERING GUNSHOT POST #''I never met anyone who relished a good interrogation as much as you did.''#and then we proceed to hear a story about how Garak preferred to stare at someone for four hours straight rather than interrogate them #and THEN we proceed to watch him try to interrogate someone and not be able to do it even when he literally doesn't even have to doanything #because the anti-changeling machine basically does it for him and he still can't even watch it happen #hm. hmmmmmmmmmm #''We're both getting sentimental in our old age.''#Fathers love to tell you you enjoyed it actually. and also you're basically a fellow adult really.#it's their favorite thing in the whole world #Starky's Original Posts #Star Trek: Deep Space 9 #watch these tags look stupid after I watch Broken Link or something. whatever I'm basking in them for now.#not sorry for posting this due to the fact that I wanted to do so. however I am sorry you had to see it.#god I looked up TDIC script for this and I cannot do it anymore #NO NEED TO PRETEND. YOU'RE FOND OF MILA. AREN'T YOU? YOU DON'T WANT HER HURT DO YOU?#SICKO TELEVISION SHOW I CAN'T WAIT FOR ALL OF CARDASSIA TO GET EXPLODED BY ONE TRILLION BOMBS #GOODBYE

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fauvester · 1 year

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young elim's childhood infection also affected his hearing (which is ALREADY bad because, you know, cardassians.) he's finally started to wear the hearing aids julian got for him. whenever garak starts getting on his ass about proper cardassian culture he turns them off

#dee s 9 #young elim does NOT CARE to hear about how Great cardassia was/is #it's a wretched desert planet inhabited by fascists. and its HIS wretched fascist desert planet so he's going to stay #but he's going to stay and make it BETTER. because people like garak fucked it UP and now EVERYONE in his family is DEAD #gets a bit older. stops exerting the energy to argue. just puts him on mute sjdkhjh #garak thinks lim should take better care of his appearance. lim like *gestures to face* theres an upper limit to how Presentable i can look #garak like A capable young cardassian man should have more ambition! lim like idk i dont wanna lie and kill. I'm gonna keep the house clean #maybe pushing everyone into the military or law was like part of the reason we're Here Now. have a biscuit

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multiverserift · 14 days

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An often overlooked aspect of character and relationship building is the question: "How do the characters adress each other?"

It's a surprisingly interesting facet of DS9. I think Worf not once calls Quark by his name, it's always "the Ferengi".

Rom calls him only "Quark", I think, once or twice in the whole run of DS9. Otherwise it's always "Brother" or "my Brother". While Quark uses "my Brother" mostly derogatively, but when things get ugly, he says "Rom!"

[For all people reading this not familiar with Star Trek, another example: When Dean Winchester says "Sammy" you know things are escalating horribly.]

If someone knows an instance where Worf calls Quark by his name, let me know. I am looking for this for years. Maybe I heard it in the german translation.

Sisko is always called "Ben" by colleagues, which looks like an intimate name. Until you realize that he is called "Benjamin" only by his most intimate familiar, Dax. And mockingly and twisted, by Dukat. His full name is his pet name, while the abbreviated version is his more distanced, regular used name. Awesome detail.

Odo even mocks Kira for being interested in Chief O'Brien. Excuse me, I mean "Miles" 😉 In my own comic (not Star Trek related, I'm not brave enough for that), I, as the time of writing this, have only three characters on screen. And I put a lot of thought into the question: How do they adress each other? And even made a bit of fun of it.

Why am I telling you all this? Because Garak and Bashir have a very interesting dynamic. Firstly, there is not one instance of Bashir calling Garak "Elim". Garak calls him "Doctor Bashir" or the classic "my dear Doctor".

Now when we imagine Garak telling Julian how he actually doesn't like him (at all!) and then he says "ok bye. Julian. wink wink 😉" I don't really know if it would feel out of character for Garak. Damn, somebody get Andrew Robinson on the phone and pay him to say it.

If Garak does it slowly with a thick, chocolady sarcastic tone and smirk, I think it would work. But it would also make him VERY vulnerable, no matter how he tries to overplay it. Which would be an interesting scene, to say the least. So it would have the need to feel earned.

It would also be an interesting callback to early twink Bashir, hopelessly in need of human(oid) connection. He forcefeeds Kira the "HEY KIRA I'M JULIAN CALL ME JULIAN! SAY IT!!! JUUUUUUUUULIAN!" stuff very early on. At the end of the Julian and the Federation Ambassadors-Episode, they respect him and call him Julian.

So Garak denying him that indulgence is an interesting trait. And if you're still reading this with me, maybe you agree on that. It's important to notice how our characters adress each other.

Garak denies Julian the un-formality of the first name (what Julian desperately craves), and would propably be shocked or even angry in return, if Julian himself called him "Elim".

What I'm saying it, it would be a big deal. Closing a speech with "Julian" could break that delicate balance and dynamic. Maybe it would work. Maybe it wouldn't.

I would love to hear what Siddig or Andrew think about the question. Or anyone other than the voices debating this in my head. Do you have other examples for this?

#garashir #garak x bashir #elim garak #deep space nine #star trek #julian bashir #doctor bashir #garak #ds9 #ds9 quark

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gallwithapall · 8 months

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Garak- "How was that😊" *he asks Quark after breaking his neck*

Quark- *Gobsmacked* "AWFUL"

PLEASE WHY DOES GARAK LOOK SO OFFENDED AFTER QUARK SAYS "AWFUL"

He's like "I've been doing this shit longer than you've been alive AND YOU SAID IT WAS AWFUL?!?!"

PLEASE THIS SCENES SO FUNNY AND FOR WHAT

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yeah-thats-probably-it · 4 months

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Things I think would happen if Jeeves and Wooster were on DS9

Bertie is the only person on the station who has not yet clocked Garak as a spy. He spends a lot of time in Garak's shop either ordering the gaudiest clothes imaginable or asking Garak to back him up in whatever fashion argument he's having with Jeeves (which Garak is only too happy to do).

Jeeves fantasizes about murdering Garak a thousand times a day. This goddamn lizard man is his white whale. Any attempt to find blackmail material on him takes him down a hundred different rabbit holes leading to dead ends. He's met his match. There are flames. Flames on the side of his face.

He can't even take Garak to task for his garbage opinions on Earth literature because he knows full well how that would be taken.

Garak actually quite likes Jeeves, because game recognizes game and he respects a fellow manipulative bastard when he sees one. However, since he is, at the end of the day, a little shit, he takes great pleasure in dressing Bertie in louder and louder outfits just to watch Jeeves grind his teeth.

(He's also admittedly fond of Bertie, who's too nice and trusting to treat him with the same suspicion and contempt that nearly every other person on the station does. And if Bertie vaguely reminds him of a certain doctor, what of it?)

Quark quickly figures out that Bertie is absurdly easy to scam. Jeeves spends so much time foiling him that he's practically an informal member of the station security team. Odo drops by his table at the replimat every morning to swap Quark-related intel.

Jeeves also won't stop winning at the Dabo table, infuriating Quark even further. There's an ongoing arms race between Quark trying to find excuses to ban Jeeves from the bar and Jeeves finding ways to blackmail Quark into letting him back in.

Jadzia is the first person to notice the weird requited-unrequited thing J&W have going on and finds it endlessly entertaining. She makes a game of chatting to Bertie about Jeeves as if they're already an established couple (I hear it's Valentine's Day on Earth, are you and Jeeves doing anything special? Worf and I had an amazing romantic date last week at that new Bolian place, you should try it!) Her amusement gradually fades into astonishment the longer Bertie doesn't get it.

Jeeves sees Jadzia's increasingly unsubtle encouraging glances and wishes he could incinerate her with his mind.

Worf knows Jeeves does illegal shit in the course of protecting Bertie or extricating him from accidental alien wedding rituals. He knows it. He just can't prove it. And Odo is no help, because Jeeves keeps himself too unobtrusive and is too invaluable to the cause of keeping Quark in check for Odo to want to look into him that closely.

In the absence of hard evidence to pin him down, Worf's relationship with Jeeves remains tersely cordial. He grudgingly supposes that nobody who has such an amazing depth of knowledge about Klingon opera and poetry could be that bad.

You can't let Bertie and Morn in a room together. Once they get going they NEVER shut up.

Part 1.5 Part 2

#star trek: deep space nine #deep space 9 #ds9 #jeeves and wooster #jooster #bertie wooster #reginald jeeves #j&w #j&w star trek au

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vaguely-concerned · 14 days

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Silly Garashir ficlet, Teen and Up-ish, mostly banter! CW: copious amounts of blood but like. Purely in a comedy capacity (don’t worry none of it is Garak’s)

“Good god,” Julian breathed, unable to do anything but stare for a moment.

“Oh, don’t worry, none of this is mine,” Garak said, dripping puddles of crimson onto the floor, calm blue eyes the only thing peeking out from the solid layer of blood covering his face and upper torso. “The gravest injury has been to my wardrobe, I assure you. As you might have gathered, I encountered our suspected evildoer as they sought to make their escape.”

“From the looks of things, I’d hazard it’s more accurate to say that they encountered you,” Julian said. He shook himself out of his momentary petrification and raised the medical tricorder to make sure Garak’s reports of being unharmed hadn’t been greatly exaggerated, as would sometimes be the case with him.

“However you would prefer to frame it,” Garak said, dipping his chin modestly and blinking globs of blood from his eyelashes. “I’m sorry to say I couldn’t ascertain many details about them, neither in terms of species or other identifying details. They were masked and coming at me with a knife at the time, which in the moment tends to blot out other considerations in one’s mind.”

Despite himself, Julian grinned at the performative airiness of Garak’s tone. He did seem to be basically fine. “I think that’s understandable under the circumstances, Garak. Odo’s probably going to track them down pretty quick, if they’re leaving a trail of blood across the station. Do you, er… want a handkerchief or something?”

“It’s very kind of you to offer, but I don’t think that’s going to do the job in this case.”

“No,” Julian had to admit, “no, you’re — probably right. I’ll let you go for a thorough sonic and peace and quiet once I’m done with this. I’m sure Odo will want a word with you later, though.”

Garak parted his lips to say something, and grimaced. “Ugh. Well, if it’s any help in figuring out the identity of our culprit, that’s definitely the taste of Napean blood. As you mentioned there will of course also likely be other clues, like them bleeding profusely as they sprint across the Promenade, but I always strive to be helpful wherever I can.”

“Garak!” Julian yelped, shooting him an alarmed look and continuing his inspection of the tricorder readings with renewed worry.

“Hm? Yes? You can run whatever tests you want on it to be sure, of course, but I am quite certain in my conclusion. There is a… distinctive tang to —”

“That’s so medically unsafe, you can’t go around ingesting —”

“Well, I hardly meant to ingest anything, Doctor, but it did end up all over my person in a way that makes it hard to entirely avoid,” Garak snapped, though he tolerated Julian going in for a second, even more thorough examination without complaint. “Maybe if this person hadn’t so rudely insisted on venting the contents of their arteries straight into my face during our tussle — ”

“Yes, yes, I understand, sorry, I wasn’t suggesting you did it on purpose or anything, but it does mean I really do need to monitor you for any allergic reactions or bloodborne… wait, wait, hang on, how do you even know what Napean blood — ”

Smiling in a way that aimed for beatific and missed it by way of too many bared teeth, in a manner that would probably be quite unsettling if Julian wasn’t so used to (so fond of, whispered a treacherous little voice in the back of his head) Garak’s face, Garak dabbed daintily at the worst of the blood dripping off his nose with his sleeve and said: “Do you really want to know, or is this your outsized curiosity running ahead of your better judgment again?”

“I’m going to be wondering about it all night, but no, I don’t think I want to know, actually. If I come back in a week and still can’t put it out of my mind, feel free to tell me, though. Or use that time to come up with a good story, I don’t mind.”

“Never any but the best for you, my friend,” Garak said fondly.

#garashir #star trek #star trek ds9 #ds9 #julian bashir #elim garak #I jumpscared myself today by checking the document wordcount and finding I have hit 10K of garashir fic wips from the last month or so #what. when. how did this happen. why is none of it like finished. why am I like this. etc.#most of it is nonsense like this b/c I love writing dialogue and they're like tailor made for that lol #my writing

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snippit-crickit · 9 months

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Hi!! Hope you're having a good one! Just wanted to drop by to say your DS9 cardassian art crossed my dash and I am SO enamored with your design choices?? The way the features are exaggerated to be so expressive and bursting with personality is sending me. I respect your sensibilities so hard 😤

I love how everyone looks so distinct and unique, and while very deliberately more bestial still are recognizable as Themselves, like still look like the actors that played them. Like how does a sketch of lizard garak at an angle that leans kind of shark-y look more like Andy Robinson than some pictures of Andy Robinson XD

I love the thought that bebe cardassians cling to their parents' tails 😩 thanks for putting your art out there in the world where people can see it with their eyes. Stumbling on those posts brought a fuckton of joy to my day and they're going to live in my head rent free forever

afafasg thank you so much, i think you made my day,,, often times, when i do stuff for a media that im freshly interested in, i wonder like "am i doing this right" because usually i draw the characters in a different way than what's canon and im never sure if people will like it xd YIPPIE, i always try to capture the essence of the original actors whenever i stylise something, glad to hear i got it right XP!!

I really appreciate what you think!! Drawing things my way gives me great joy and its superb that i can share it with others,,, Hold one more bebe cardassian headcanon for the road X]] continuation of the last one actually,,, hope you have a nice day!!

#ask #ds9 #cardassians #lizard cardassians #star trek #deep space nine #deep space 9

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parsleynsage · 10 months

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Thinking about Garak in Body Parts and I’m convinced he never had any real plans to kill Quark, he just wanted to kill an afternoon pretending to in front of him. How often does an assassin get to show off his skills and get their target’s reaction afterwards? Plus his promise to “surprise” him probably had Quark looking over his shoulder the rest of the series lmao

#ds9 #garak #quark #ds9: body parts #and not even in a ‘garak would never do that’ way more like the cleanup is too much work and rom would totally rat him out kinda way

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bijoumikhawal · 8 months

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I've gotten tired of making a post like this every few months so let's just fire a few of these off, and feel free to add on! Tropes you should at minimum reconsider using when you write or talk about Julian Bashir:

Mentions of "harem" pants, "Arabian nights" aesthetics, etc. These are improper terminology (that feeds into racist ideas) for real things, and when using that terminology those things are often being misrepresented. For my part, if you would actually like to know about the material culture of the Middle East and North Africa, I'm a "hobby" researcher of that very topic and will readily answer asks about it- with the caveat that I mostly know about Egypt, and I'm not the best person to ask about Sudanese specific culture even though I know a little, and I don't know much about Indian or Pakistani fashion (mentioning because these seem to be the most common cultures brought up around Julian).

comparisons to monkeys, apes, the word "simian". This should be obvious but it happens a fair amount, and it's almost comedic given a common trope is to comment on how much Garak hates being compared to a lizard.

This is separate but the way some people use mammalian tips from writing xenofic and trying to understand how an alien would think and categorize things into something that feels very exoticifying. It's not a "full stop, do not do this" but it is something I've noticed

Jokes about how undesirable Julian is. He's the exception that proves the rule about fandom's obsession with white twinks and a rare example of a brown nerd who isn't pinned into the "Couldn't sleep with a woman if they were the last two people on earth" box. I'm not saying we can't make fun of how he flirts just- Stay clear of Raj BBT territory

Conversely: my most hated garashir trope is when the author makes Julian's libido a problem by making him inconsiderate, cruel, and outright manipulative in service of his dick, and the writing often makes it clear they're connecting this to his masculinity. Julian does do some really stupid shit when it comes to his relationships, but this particular way of trying to incorporate this into writing him is just OOC, and you need to not confuse writing Julian's canonical robust and healthy sex life with negative stereotypes about lecherous Black and brown men. There's fics that pull off Julian being a bit of a dick or manipulative well- such as Salt the Earth or the ageswap series (at least where I last left off on it).

making his eyes green or blue. I have the same eye color as Siddig, more or less, and while it's technically hazel (or olive, as some people call it) most people think it's brown and most lighting makes it look brown. If you look at screencaps of Julian, you'll notice it also most of the time, looks brown. This sounds minor if you haven't experienced it, but it has a real and very negative impact on people's self image.

Older one but to be clear: if you're writing Julian as explicitly Muslim, find and replacing "god" with "allah" in English text is not how Muslims (or Arabic speakers in general) use the word? It is really funny to read, but please...

Over focusing on Julian as British. There's a long, LONG conversation that could be had about the dynamics of assimilation and how European racism (ime) very specifically views it as progressive to strip people of their culture and thinks they're causing the problem if they don't go along with it that would need its own post and which I've had with white fans before and feel exhausted thinking about- but to put it simply, there is no such thing as "just British", even for white Englishmen.

Yes the inverse is also wrong but I really haven't read a fic newer than 2014 guilty of that lmao and I think some of the more recent complaints about it are overblown, given I've read only a few fics recently published that delve into Julian as a Brown/African Person and I enjoyed them

I would personally appreciate it if fic writers were a little more balanced about cultural discussions honestly. If you write a lot about Cardassian culture, it'd be nice if Julian’s background was discussed. I won't say that kind of research is easy (again, I do this as a "hobby" that's very important to me, it's actually really annoying and difficult sometimes), but it is possible. I recently talked about how not doing this kind of mentally slots Julian into a "white guy" role.

This is not a matter of me policing your "artistic expression". I have no control over what you do. I would just like for fandom, a hobby I do for fun, to be a place where people stop being racist in a way that directly impacts me.

#cipher talk #ds9 #julian bashir

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topshelf2112-blog · 1 year

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Fellow enjoyers of suggestive desserts, I decided to translate this part of the episode “Distant Voices.” The actors are at fault for this, bless them. Translations are in bold.

BASHIR: Can I interest you in some more Yigrish cream pie?

May I entice you into eating a suggestive dessert as a prelude to other suggestive things?

 GARAK: No, thank you, Doctor. I'm quite full.

You’re a touch obvious, you know that? As well as obscene. We are in public.

BASHIR: But you've hardly touched your food.

I pay very close attention to you, but only in totally appropriate ways.

GARAK: The truth is, I'm trying to lose a little weight. Hemming women's dresses may provide me with a modest income, but it offers very little in the way of exercise.

Tell me I’m pretty. Also thin.

BASHIR: Well if you like, I can help you set up an exercise programme in one of the holosuites here.

I am using exercise as a euphemism, here, darling. Hint hint.

GARAK: I might just take you up on that. And speaking of holosuites  (Garak takes out an isolinear rod with a ribbon around it and hands it to Bashir.)  GARAK: Happy birthday. I know it's a few days off, but I wanted to give you your present early. It's a Cardassian holosuite programme. An adaptation of one of Shoggoth's enigma tales.

Still in public, silly creature. No, you never told me your birthdate, but you think the spy thing is hot so I figured it out. Also, I refuse to share you with this entire station, so I’m celebrating you today. Speaking of getting up to things in the holosuite…

BASHIR: Is it? I see.

I told you I wanted you to design yourself some lingerie. You’re such a prude.

GARAK: You sound disappointed. I thought you enjoyed mystery novels.

Praise me for my thoughtfulness.

BASHIR: I do. Human mystery novels. The problem with Cardassian enigma tales is that they all end the same way. All the suspects are always guilty.

Lingerie, Garak. You won’t wear it in the holosuite so quit trying to distract me.

GARAK: Yes, but the challenge is determining exactly who is guilty of what. Is Lieutenant Dax throwing one of her surprise parties for you this year?

Jealousy.

BASHIR: Oh, so I'm told.

Come to the party and make out with me, you twit.

GARAK: You don't sound enthusiastic about that either.

Not happening.

BASHIR: It's not that I don't appreciate all the trouble she goes to and everything. It's just that this year is a little different.

Fine. If we aren’t going to discuss lingerie, existential angst it is.

GARAK: How so?

I can win much more easily at this.

BASHIR: This will be my thirtieth birthday.

Isn’t it obvious?

GARAK: And?

I’m older than you. Do be careful, hmm?

BASHIR: Well, in many human cultures, the thirtieth birthday is considered a sort of landmark. It marks the end of youth and the beginning of the slow march into middle age.

Plays: “Will you still love me when I’m no longer young and beautiful?”

GARAK: And that's considered bad?

Augmented does not mean that you exist outside of time, Julian. Honestly.

BASHIR: No. It's just that when you hit thirty, it becomes harder and harder to ignore the passage of time.

Tell me I’m pretty.

GARAK: I wasn't aware that humans saw growing old as a negative experience. On Cardassia, advanced age is seen as a sign of power and dignity.

Hint, hint. I’m hardly advanced, but you’ve secured yourself quite the catch, my dear.

BASHIR: Well I am aware that aging is part of the natural process of life. It's just that I don't want to be reminded of it, that's all. Look, Garak, in two days I turn thirty. If I choose to be grumpy about it, that's my prerogative

(Oblivious) Yes, I am a doctor but I would like to overlook all that biology rubbish.

GARAK: By all means, Doctor, be as grumpy as you like.

I’m feeling a touch cross myself, given that you are missing what’s right in front of you. This is what one gets for dating another species…

BASHIR: Thank you for the support.

What are you cranky about? I’m the one who is fast becoming ancient and undesirable.

QUARK: I hope you'll forgive the interruption.

Fierce and dangerous boyfriend of the idiot, I apologize for butting in.

GARAK: Of course.

At least someone sees my amazing qualities.

QUARK: You know, we just introduced a new lunch menu at the bar.

Can I sell you something? Anything? You’re looking much too thin!

BASHIR: Goodbye, Quark.

GARAK: Don’t take it personally. He’s turning thirty.

Apologies for my young, stupid boyfriend. He gets by on his looks, you know.

#star trek ds9 #julian bashir #elim garak #garak x bashir #garashir #humor

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that-vexaholic-cryptid · 4 months

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I find the Section 31 stuff within Deep Space Nine fascinating. When you remember they exist, and that this is a serialized Trek, it makes you look at things differently

At the end of Bashir's evaluation, Sloan argues that sometimes the end does justify the means, that patients Doctor Bashir saved wouldn't care about him lying to get into Starfleet, that Section 31 "bends the rules" in order to protect them.

When Bashir returns after refusing Sloan, Sisko acts frustrated by being unable to confirm S31 existing, and tells Bashir to accept the next offer.

This puts Bashir in the position of being a double agent, of compromising his values, immediately. Whether he likes it or not.

...

And then what is the very next episode? "In the Pale Moonlight." Where Sisko wrestles with doing EXACTLY the same thing, lying and being an accessory to assassination to get the Romulans into the war, to save untold amounts of lives. Garak says "I call that a bargain," and Sisko concludes the episode by convincing himself that "I can live with it. I can live with it." before destroying his confession.

And this isn't even the first time Sisko bent the rules, by his own accord he bent the rules and destroyed a Maquis settlement just to get Eddington, and did so without Starfleet approval.

The next time Sloan appears, Bashir goes along with him. He eventually figures out this scheme too, and confronts Admiral Ross with the same upstanding morality he did Sloan, to which he responds with "in times of war the law falls silent." Again, bending or breaking the rules to protect lives... lives that Bashir correctly states died in order to protect those rules.

Who is Sisko's superior and confidant in many episodes? Admiral Ross.

I honestly believe Ross and Sisko were fully aware of Section 31 the entire time and were key to trying to get Bashir involved.

And then, after all this, at the very end of the series, Bashir is the one to manipulate Sloan, expose Section 31's attempt at genocide, and SAVE lives by adhering to the rules he swore to protect.

You can see within the show how desperation and the need to preserve power can corrupt anyone, that those tasked with protecting values can so easily become the greatest threat to them. This is brilliant writing, and it bothers me to no end how an idea was pitched to have Bashir join S31 after all. And even more it bothers me how S31 is treated in Into Darkness and Discovery as unambiguous, tropey, necessary evil, and how so much of Trek fans have embraced S31 as that necessary evil because it's "realistic." When was first introduced, fans were very much on Bashir's side, sending in angry letters decrying Section 31 as heresy.

It is realistic. And that's the problem. That's the commentary. First you lie, then you kill, then you're plotting genocide. Every time you bend the rules you become more likely to break them until your efforts eventually become self defeating.

Section 31 exists in DS9 as a criticism, NOT as an endorsement.

#star trek #st ds9 #deep space nine #section 31

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clowngames · 2 years

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Really fascinated by the way Deep Space Nine doesnt just depict fascism but specifically depicts the psychology behind it, how it imposes itself on various classes not just in the out groups (Bajorans, the Federation) but also on the in groups (Cardassian citizens, politicians, Garak).

First and foremost you have Dukat. He's a textbook fascist. The only thing he cares about is power. Every decision he makes is in the interest of consolidating power towards Cardassia as a whole, but towards himself specifically. Even his demeanor as a polite charmer (to the best of his ability) is carefully constructed to position himself above people. He believes himself superior to everyone around him except specifically Sisko. When he joins the dominion, he always frames it as an alliance and you can tell he intends it to be temporary - that Cardassia will eventually turn against the Dominion and seize their assets.

An understated facet of Dukat is that he has a deep sexual complex where he fetishizes the people he oppresses. We don't have time to get into everything about that particular subject but I do want to mention his constant rationalization of "I'm the nice fascist!" does make me think that at least on some level he needs validation from Bajorans that he is likeable or can be kind, and he gets that through sexual gratification.

Moving on, Garak is everyone's favorite ordinary tailor. Nothing weird about him.

Damar, on the other hand-- okay, I'm kidding. Garak is unique in that he used to be in a position of power, and doesn't seem to actively want that power back so much as he just wants to go home and have friends who share his worldview (where the lights aren't so goddamn bright).

So does that mean he's not a fascist? Not quite. He sort of represents, in a weird way, the average citizen of a fascist state. Maybe the average upper class citizen. He's fully bought into the propaganda of Cardassian greatness, and clearly would have no qualms about the ethical implications of any actions he could take to maintain/restore that greatness. It's hard to say if it's specifically a sense or Cardassian superiority or just an extreme nationalism, but let's be honest, the difference between the two is hazy.

While he may not be interested in politics, he obviously has no problem with the state as it is currently being run. Cardassian trials, Cardassian interrogations, he's been conditioned to see the beauty in them in a way only a fascist culture could. He even loves fascist literature. I wouldn't be surprised if he hates modern art.

Damar, on the other hand, is in a weird spot. I mean, he's a soldier. He's not a politician like Dukat and he's not a nationalist like Garak. He's a guy who follows orders and doesn't think super hard about those orders because a) Cardassia looks down on that sort of thing and b) high ranking military officials look down on that sort of thing. He became Dukat's right hand man by being obedient.

It's only when he becomes a politician, when he stops taking orders and starts making them, that he starts to think critically about what's going on - I like to think that he sees the parallels between the Dominion and Cardassia sooner than he points them out. I think he starts out as a Liberal - someone who doesn't necessarily like fascism but isn't quite interested enough to resist it - and I think his experience with the Dominion radicalizes him. There's a strong implication that by the end of DS9, Carsassia is, at least, going to be less fascist.

The Dominion radicalizes Garak too - his love of Cardassia extends to people first, culture second, and government in dead last. One wonders if he may reconsider his stance on Cardassian trials after the rebellion.

Unfortunately the one thing fascism discourages above all else is introspection (for those in the ruling class, anyway. They tend to discourage existence entirely for other groups). Elim "trampling on the freedom of citizens who have done nothing" Garak may not notice, or may choose not to notice, the similarities between that and the Cardassian justice system.

I almost want to see like an episode-long epilogue that shows us what happens to Cardassian society post-Dominion. Do they make Cardassia great again in Damar's name, or do they bring it, finally, to the greatness they were always promised?

#garak #dumar #dukat #deep space nine #ds9 #star trek #cardassians

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comic-sans-chan · 1 year

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I really enjoy Julian's close friendships because I feel like they all say something really succinct about Julian as a genetically engineered character. Everything about them makes perfect sense.

Jadzia is because she's adventurous - the show points this out - but it's also because she's lived long enough and seen enough shit, there might actually be a chance of her accepting him as an augment, which is why Julian becomes obsessed with the idea of a relationship with her. She’s rarely judgmental. And because she is uniquely intelligent, knowledgeable and wise thanks to the symbiont, speaking to her is uniquely fulfilling for someone as unnaturally brilliant as Julian. It doesn’t hurt that she has such a soft heart, just like him. Compassion is his center, the most human thing about him that he clings to like a lifeline.

Garak is because Julian has that whole thing about spies and lying and identity crises, so he understands Garak on a core level right from the start, but they also end up being highly compatible as two cerebral, annoying, passionate people who just love analyzing and picking things (and each other) apart. They both have daddy and mommy issues. They’re both insane. Julian can be dangerous and grumpy and real with Garak and it just comes across as hot because Garak’s Cardassian. He can handle the full brunt of Julian Bashir, so he doesn’t have to edit himself so much, and when he does have to, he doesn’t have to feel guilty because Garak’s doing it, too. As an agent, Garak was also barred from meaningful attachments, just like Julian, so their attachment to each other is extra exciting and illicit. Forbidden twofold. Oh my.

O'Brien is because he's the quintessential human, an average joe in a happy marriage with a kid, which are experiences Julian can never have as an augment, so hanging out with him makes Julian feel more connected to his humanity (which he is constantly questioning the existence of). They can drink and play games and be stupid and Julian can pretend he’s normal for a while. He can listen to O’Brien talk about Keiko and his kids and his simple uncomplicated views on the world and see what a normal human life is supposed to look like. O'Brien's acceptance of him as someone with enduring human characteristics in Dr. Bashir, I Presume? is especially meaningful because of all this, though Julian has trouble accepting it. There's no one more suited to accepting Julian as human than Miles O'Brien.

I just love how neatly everything fits together.

#deep space nine #ds9 #my posts #feeling happy #thinking about julian gives me the same feeling as watching those extremely satisfying videos #it's just so tidy #i'm not sure the writers did any of it on purpose but it works and i love it #little bit random but remember when julian faked going on a winning streak at darts after o'brien lost his touch #renewing quark's hopes #and it was 100% julian just fucking with him #secret maniacal asshole #garashir #julian bashir

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andromedaexile · 10 months

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Are They a Stoner? DS9 Edition:

Captain Sisko: Being raised in the south means he has most definitely lit up, and I refuse to believe otherwise. However, after his father caught him smoking and he got stuck on clam duty for a month, he learned his lesson.

Jadzia Dax: Let’s be so real, if she played Tongo with a bunch of Ferengi why would she not own a Betazed bong??? She definitely begged Worf to try it but after his experience with Deanna he only fucks with Blood Wine.

Kira Nerys: OH 100% she was a stoner during the occupation. How would you even attempt to relax in that situation WITHOUT weed? Once the occupation ended Kira stopped messing with weed, but Kira would often hangout with Jadzia, who no doubt brought something to share with Nerys on multiple occasions.

Worf: Blood wine and prune juice.

Dr. Bashir: Before knowledge of him being an augment was made public he never touched anything that could potentially make him not in full control of himself (he did drink a little though). After the knowledge was made public Dr. Bashir and O’Brien definitely were lighting up in the holosuites. That’s why they don’t remember the Alamo.

Erzi Dax: She was straight edge through and through before she was joined with Dax. However afterward…Let’s just say Dax would never turn down an edible.

Odo:

Elim Garak: After the wire was removed Garak decided to stay relatively sober. However, for harm reduction reasons, and to help him cope with his headaches Dr. Bashir prescribed him some medical gummies. He eventually waned off of them completely once Erzi started helping him (he still some times smokes and sews which is why sometimes your trousers don’t always fit right).

Miles O’ Brien: He swore off the “devils lettuce” when he first came aboard the Enterprise. But once stationed at DS9 he quickly realized he would need some of Keiko’s supply of Cannabis-infused tea to remain sane.

Quark: Being a bar owner (best bar on the promenade btw) he is not a big supporter of weed because his main source of profit is alcohol. However, Nog explained to him what a cart is and how you can make a profit from selling them to hoo-mans so he is looking into that as a possible new business opportunity.

Rom: You can’t be a leftist and not have at least tried weed. Also an engineer, so yeah.

Leeta: Oh 10000%. In fact, she’s the plug for the other dabo girls. She even bags her “merchandise” in handmade baggies she makes from recycled textile/fabrics from Garak’s (he owes her because she gave him boy advice).

Nog: No. He follows the rules of StarFleet academy to a T.

Jake Sisko: Hes going to school for writing so yeah. Definitely an edibles kinda guy. His dad has yet to find out despite how many times Jake has come home and slammed an entire pot of jambalaya in 10 minutes.

Keiko O’Brien: Who do you think on DS9 is growing it in the first place?

Gul Dukat: No, he is a snitch who hates fun.

Weyoun: Yes, he is a snitch who loves fun.

Kai Winn: She gives me cop vibes more than Odo does so I’m saying she is a snitch who also hates fun. She also unironically calls weed the Pah-Wraiths Herb or something like that.

Kasidy Yates: Yes, but stopped after jail.

Ziyal: Art school attendee/ art school drop-out. You tell me.

Damar: He’s only a fiend for Kanar (someone help that dude).

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ladyylavenderrr · 5 months

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Have this angsty fic idea that’s so, so self-indulgent because I absolutely love angst and corruption arcs. Unsure if I will ever write it, though, because I’m not sure how to make it work, especially since Julian and Tain would be quite out of character.

Julian Bashir corruption arc. Abducted by Tain (not Section 31, surprisingly). Why? Who even knows. Either way, Julian expects Tain to torture him, interrogate him, something. It would be easier, perhaps, than this. He’s mostly just kept in his cell with nobody to talk to. Nobody but Tain, that is. Tain, who acts polite, kind, even. It’s an obvious attempt at manipulation, at getting Julian to cooperate (but what does he want?). So obvious, that Julian is even more perplexed. If Tain wanted to more effectively manipulate him, it wouldn’t be so obvious. Still, Julian doesn’t respond. Tain might as well be discussing kotra and literature with a wall. He doesn’t stop visiting, though.

Time passes. Julian isn’t sure how long. He can’t keep track of the time in here. For as relatively comfortable as the cell is, there’s no way to pass the time. The entertainment he has is provided by and taken by Tain at seemingly random times. The isolation drags on and on and on and on.

Julian isn’t an idiot. He can see what Tain is trying to do. He thinks Tain probably knows his captive is aware of the strategy, but he just doesn’t care. He keeps on visiting and Julian, despite himself, can’t help but start responding. His days have begun to blur together, with nothing but Tain to look forward to.

It’s only when Julian snaps at his captor, the mind numbing loneliness getting to him, and Tain puts a comforting hand on his arm that stills him surprisingly fast, that Julian realizes why Tain isn’t hiding his manipulation more effectively. It doesn’t matter if Julian knows it’s all fake. He’ll lean into it anyway, unable to push away his only respite.

And then the corruption arc slowly happens. Here’s your cue for an evil laugh. Like I said, I don’t know if I’ll ever write the fic, but I at least wanted to share the basic concept. Thought it’d be fun. I mostly just enjoy the idea of Julian and Garak becoming even bigger mirrors to each other as Tain’s “protégés”

#wip #maybe #Star Trek #ds9 #deep space nine #fic ideas #concept #enabran tain #corruption arc #julian bashir #Tain: new son just dropped #But it’s just some guy he kidnapped

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