#surgeon garak

<3

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.

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.))