Garashir

Garashir is the slash ship between Julian Bashir and Elim Garak from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fandom.

Season 1
PAST PROLOGUE

Bashir is having lunch when he is approached by a Cardassian. He asks to join Bashir, which he allows and introduces himself as Garak. The only Cardassian left on Deep Space Nine. He asks if Bashir is new to the station, and Bashir nervously says that he is. He does know of Garak and how he's been there awhile, and says that there are rumors that he stayed to be the eyes and ears for his fellow Cardassians. Garak asks if he's implying that Garak is a spy, but Bashir assures him that he wouldn't know. Garak sees his open mind as the essence of an intellect. He does have a clothing shop nearby and invites him to come by if he's ever in the need for something to wear, or, if like him, he just wants to stop and chat. He gets up to leave, but not before placing his hands on Bashir's shoulders and saying that it was very nice to make such an interesting friend.

Bashir then runs up to OPs and tell O'Brian that the spy sat down with him at the replimat. Sisko says that they don't know if Garak is a spy, but Bashir insists that he is. That he just came up and started talking to him of all people. Jadzia asks what Garak would want from him, but Bashir isn't sure. He assumes that he wants federation medical secrets and assures Sisko they're safe with him. Bashir suggests that he have a monitoring device placed on him, just in case, but Sisko says it should be fine as long as he's careful with Garak.

Bashir finds Garak at Quark's who invites him to join him. Bashir asks if he's keeping an eye on the people, and Garak says that being a tailor means he tends to keep an eye on what the people are wearing. He brings up what the Klingon sisters above are wearing, and that it would be worth studying close up. Bashir understand what he means, when Garak points out Tahna coming in.

Bashir sees Garak while he's eating lunch, and asks how he is. Garak says that he's being observant, which Bashir is sure of. Garak says that the time for levity is over, given the Kohn-Ma terrorists aboard the station. Bashir sees them above and asks what they would be doing on the station, but Garak isn't sure. He does think that the two of them might be able to figure it out. Bashir says that he must be going, but Garak stops him. He thinks that Bashir should take advantage of his shop and come by and try on a new suit. Bashir is confused, but catches on before rushing off.

Bashir comes to the shop later, Garak rushing him into one of the dressing rooms just before two more customers arrive. Bashir eavesdrops and learns that it's the Klingon sisters who are looking to sell Tahna Los to the Cardassians. They reveal part of their plan and leave, and Garak allows Bashir back out. He asks what they're giving Tahna, and Garak explains that it's the last ingredient Tahna needs to create a bomb.

Season 2
CARDASSIANS

While getting a drink on the replimat when he notices Garak. Garak takes notice and asks if he's having Tarkalean tea again, which Bashir confirms. Bashir asks if Garak is drinking Rokassa juice, which Garak also confirms. It soothes his nerves, which he needs after a barjoran come in to plague him. Bashir admits that he's always wondered about who Garak's regular clients were, given that bajorans most likely wouldn't want frequent a shop run by a cardassian. Garak believes that his skill outshine any resentment his client's would have. Bashir suggests that means there's a certain trust between him and his custormers, which Garak sees as important. Bashir says that they would become more open with him if there was trust, but Garak asks if they really must play this game. Garak says that he's not a spy, and Bashir lets his imagination run wild. Bashir doesn't believe him, but Garak brushes it aside. Garak notices a Cardassian child with a bajoran man, the child giving him a mean look. Bashir believes that's odd and asks if Garak knows him, but Garak's never met him before in his life. Garak goes over to them, when he is suddenly bit by the child, and Bashir quickly checks on him.

While healing the last of Garak's injuries, Bashir tells him that something did come out of this. As they were able to find out that Rugal was possibly being abused by his father and saving him is worth a bite on the hand. Garak says that depends on whose hand, but assures Bashir that he's only joking. Bashir comments that it would help Dukat's war orphan predicament, catching Garak off guard. Bashir explains that Dukat called after the incident and was very concerned about his well-being. Bashir is surprised, since Garak never mentioned that they were friends, but Garak just laughs it off. He asks what Dukat wants with the orphans, and Bashir tells him he's trying to bring them home from Bajor. Garak becomes suspicious, and Bashir asks if he's missing something. Garak asks if he believes that the Cardassians just forgot the orphans when they left Bajor, that it would slip their minds. It's extremely odd for Dukat as well, given that he was in charge of leaving.

Bashir is trying to sleep, when he hears someone enters his room. He gets up and sees that it's Garak, who tells him to get dressed and that they need to leave. Bashir asks where, and Garak says that they're going to Bajor.

Garak and Bashir arrive on Bajor at a resettlement institute to ask about Rugal, but the caretaker says they won't find anything. Given that it was during the occupation. The woman says that the computers are broken, but Garak assures her he can fix it. Bashir is surprised by this, but Garak says that it's just a hobby of his. As Garak fixes the computer, Bashir admits that he's continued to underestimate him, but Garak just brushes it off. He is unable to find Rugal or his father, and Bashir questions how he was able to find the old files that quickly. Garak says it's because he knows what he's looking for, and thinks either it was misfiled or they're at the wrong place. Bashir won't go to another district until he gets an explanation, but Garak says that won't be necessary. He can download all the information from the province onto a data clip. Bashir says that will be thousands, and Garak correct him that it's ten's of thousands. He finishes the download and the two start to leave when several Cardassian children spot them. One asks if Garak is there to take them home, but Garak says that he's not. He tells Bashir to follow, and the two leave.

On the runabout, Garak starts to tell the computer how to analyze the data, but Bashir tells the computer to shut down. Garak realizes that Bashir is upset about the orphans, and explains that on Cardassia they would have no status. He doesn't make the rules. Bashir says that he does play the game though, and there's one going on right now. Garak says there's always games, but Bashir just wants to know what this one is about. So Garak is going to tell him, or he won't move the ship till he does. Garak asks why the Cardassian left Bajor, and Bashir says that Gukat told them it was a decision made by the civilian leaders. Garak says that it's interesting, given that one of the civilian leaders has entered the scenario. Bashir realizes that he means Rugal's father and that would make him an enemy of Dukat's. Garak goes over everything with Rugal, and Bashir questions if it might be a coincidence. Garak says that he believes in coincidences, but doesn't necessarily trust them and the two go back to the station.

While searching through the files, Garak says that he's been foolish. Bashir asks if he thinks he's been wrong, which would mean they wasted looking through 7,000 file for nothing. Garak says that Dukat is too smart, and wouldn't have left a file to be found. Bashir asks if Dukat would have purged the file on Rugal, and Garak says that's what he would have done. Bashir comes to the conclusion that there was something in it that Dukat didn't want them to see. Garak says that they need to find the person who wrote the file, and Bashir asks how they're going to find him. Garak corrects to a her, and Bashir asks how he knows. Garak has already found the name.

At lunch, Bashir asks Garak why he wanted to expose Dukat, what the truth is about the two of them. Garak says that truth is in the eye of the beholder. He never tells the truth because there is no such thing. Bashir asks if that means he's not going to tell him, but Garak says that he doesn't need to. It's spread out through all the details. Garak says that he will see him next time and leaves.

PROFIT AND LOSS

Garak and Bashir are at Quark's discussing the latest Cardassian novel they read, Bashir against the characters choice to kill his brother, while Garak supports it. Garak support is due to the loyalty to the state, but Bashir says that one must be loyal to one's self first. Garak asks where he got that idea, and Bashir says that he got it from himself. Garak believes that ideas like that means that Bashir wouldn't last five minutes on Cardassia, and Bashir questions if Garak would either. Garak can tell he's fishing for answers to his background, but Bashir points out that if Garak isn't a spy, then he might be an outcast. Garak then says that he might be both. Bashir questions how he would be both, but Garak never said he was either.

Season 1
Past Prologue
 * Julian offers Garak some Tarkalean Tea.
 * Garak calls Julian kind.
 * Bashir asks for guidance from Sisko on Garak.

Season 2
Cardassians
 * Bashir tells the others about the boy that bit Garak.
 * Bashir defends Garak.
 * The man at the dabo table asks Bashir how Garak is.
 * Bashir tells Dukat that Garak has been teaching him on Cardassia.
 * Bashir tells Sisko and Jadzia about how Garak believes that Dukat is lying.
 * Bashir asks Sisko to allow Garak and him to use a runabout.
 * Garak believes their get togethers haven't been wasted, given Bashir's deductive reasoning.
 * Sisko has Garak and Bashir look over all the data they found.
 * Garak and Bashir contact the woman who wrote Rugals file.
 * Garak watches Bashir go up against Dukat.
 * Bashir watches Garak stop to talk to one of the other DS9 residents.

Shadowplay
 * Bashir tells Kira that Garak's been lecturing him on surveillance techniques.

Profit and Loss
 * Garak thanks Bashir for lunch, just before noticing Natima.

Quotes
"I continue to underestimate you, Garak."

- Bashir; Cardassians

Behind the Scenes
"I gave Garak some of the best years of my life!"

- Alexander Siddig

"They misstepped with Ziyal from the beginning. Honestly. They were trying to do something, and god love them. It would have been nice if Garak had a squeeze, but nobody could replace dear Julian."

- Andrew Robbinson

"Originally, in that very first episode, I loved the man's absolute fearlessness about presenting himself to an attractive Human being. The fact that the attractive Human being is a man (Bashir) doesn't make any difference to him."

- Andrew Robbinson

"It worked from the very first scene we did together, at lunch on the replimat...there was a kind of freeson beteween us, a kind of energy between us that they really loved. It just hadn't worked with any other characters for me. They tried to do all the ordinary things they tried to do with young leads at the time. They try and make sure that they have a love life, and everyone that came in and out of my world it just didn't click. So, kinda, my love life was really Garak."

- Alexander Siddig

Fanon
Fans quickly noticed chemistry between the two, and instantly started to ship them. Shippers, and Garak fans in general, had to wait till the second season after Garak's first appearance for more moments between the two. As the two continued to spend more time together, the ship began to grow. Fans were disappointed when both Garak and Bashir were given random love interests, but still kept the ship alive. The ship is considered almost as iconic as Spock/Kirk, many fans knowing about the pairing without being fans of the series. This also led to fans scrambling and waiting for one of their ships to get together, although this continued to not happen long into Discovery.

When the series was airing, some fans even sent some fic to Andrew Robinson. He seemed to enjoy them.

Fan fiction and fan art between the two varies. Common for post-canon AU's mostly involve the two getting together on Cardassia, as many believe that Bashir would go to Cardassia to treat patients who were nearly killed during the Dominion War and don't have access to Starfleet medicine. Canon divergence AU's will also show points throughout the series where they believe that the two would have gotten together, and either end up in a secret relationship or in an on and off again relationship. Like all Star Trek pairing, Mirrorverse fic is also popular.

On AO3, Garashir is the most written ship for Garak and Julian. It is also the most written ship in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine tag and the fourth most written in the Star Trek tag.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Garashir tag on fanfiction.net
 * Garashir tag on fanfiction.net

REVIEWS
 * The Mary Sue; Garak and Bashir: The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Relationship That Should’ve Been

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WIKI

Trivia

 * Andrew Robinson has stated on every occasion possible, that he portrayed Garak as an omnisexual that was in love with Bashir.
 * Star Trek: Discovery creator, Bryan Fuller ships the two.
 * In Star Trek: Discovery, the line "Yes dear doctor" to Stamets as he talks to his partner Culber as a reference to Garak and Bashir.
 * During quarantin 2020 Alexander Siddig and Andrew Robbinson put together a four episode series about Garak and Bashir reuniting on Cardassia.