Andrew Robinson says Garak wasn’t good or bad

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Garak, played by Andrew Robinson, was always morally ambiguous. 

Garak was one of the more mysterious characters on the space station on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Portrayed by Andrew Robinson, who just turned 80, the Cardassian had what Robinson told StarTrek.com in a recent interview “dubious ethics.” And it was those questionable morals that made Captain Sisko turn to Garak in one of the series’ best episodes, “In the Pale Moonlight.”

Viewers never knew if Garak was on the side of either good or bad, but Robinson calls the question irrelevant as his character wasn’t either. In spite of his alien DNA, he was very much a human in that he had secrets that challenged his ethical and moral life. Robinson went on to say that Garak wasn’t brave and heroic like Captain Kirk from Star Trek: The Original Series nor was he a monster like what the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation encountered every week.

"Those questions actually become irrelevant, because he’s not good or bad. He’s an every man. All of us have our secrets and sometimes have challenges to our ethical and moral lives. In that way, he’s very human. He’s not a brave, heroic figure like Captain Kirk. Nor was he one of the bad monsters on a planet that the original cast or The Next Generation cast would visit weekly. Garak was something else."

Andrew Robinson calls “In the Pale Moonlight” a major piece of writing.

It was Garak’s nature that made him the perfect accomplice for Captain Sikso despite Sisko’s aversion to working with someone who didn’t stand firmly on the side of good or evil.

"It was a major piece of writing. Sisko, being a smart man who was caught in a bind and had to do something, went to the one person who would help him solve the situation. Even though he had to hold his nose when he did it."

The episode certainly is a standout piece of writing, and both Andrew Robinson and Avery Brooks sold every aspect of the Starfleet officer finding himself in a dalliance with the devil. After Sisko learns that Garak took matters into his own hands by planting a bomb aboard Vreenak’s ship (one of the many crimes he committed), there’s a wonderful moment where Sisko punches Garak (twice) who responds to the attack with a scathing challenge, telling Sisko he got what he wanted, although it cost lives and his self-respect. And that’s what made Garak the perfect character to aid Sisko in his quest.

There was always doubt about Garak’s motives, and over the seasons, he proved that he would do whatever it took to solve a problem. He didn’t consider his actions evil, just necessary. And though his choices caused death and chaos, they also saved lives. Garak was willing to get his hands dirty, and sometimes, he took other people with him in the process. His morals and ethics aside, he was a deliciously complex character that added a welcome dimension to a space station filled with upstanding citizens.