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The Wire (DS9 episode)
Encyclopedia
"The Wire" is an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
, the 22nd episode of the second season. This was the first time viewers received a look at Garak's
past and it sowed the seeds for several later plotlines involving Enabran Tain. It maintains a fan rating of 4.2 out of 5 on the official Star Trek Website.
Quick Overview: In order to save Garak's life, Dr. Bashir must unravel some of the secrets in the Cardassian's past.
wait in line for lunch, Garak appears to be having severe headache
s. He refuses to allow Bashir to help, becoming irritable and leaving to Bashir's bemusement. Confiding in Jadzia Dax
, Bashir realizes he hardly knows the man with whom he has been eating lunch for almost two years. He later hears Garak discussing a deal of some sort with Quark
and becomes suspicious. The next day, Quark calls the Infirmary and asks Bashir to come to the bar immediately. There he finds a heavily intoxicated Garak who, after a brief struggle, collapses in pain.
Bashir finds that Garak has an implant of some sort in his brain, which he believes is related to whatever Garak and Quark were discussing the night before. He solicits Odo's help and the two of them eavesdrop on Quark later that night. Quark tries to order a piece of Cardassian
biotechnology, which turns out to be classified by the Obsidian Order. Constable Odo explains that the Obsidian Order is "the ever-vigilant eyes and ears of the Cardassian Empire", an intelligence
service more ruthless than the Romulan
Tal Shiar. When Bashir returns to the Infirmary, Garak is gone.
When he arrives at Garak's quarters, Bashir finds the Cardassian has taken massive doses of a tranquilizer, enough that any normal person would have passed out. Garak is obstinate but eventually reveals that the implant was given to him by the head of the Obsidian Order, Enabran Tain. It was designed to make him resistant to interrogation
s if caught, but he has been using the implant to cope with the pain of living in exile. However, it was never designed for continuous use and is breaking down. Garak claims he deserves his punishment and tells how he once destroyed a ship containing 98 Cardassians, including his best friend, Elim. He then collapses.
Bashir turns the implant off and, robbed of the endorphin
s it produced, Garak becomes extremely agitated. He explains that Elim was his aide, and rather than killing Elim, he was exiled for releasing a group of Bajoran
children he was supposed to interrogate. The worst part of his exile, he says, is that he has actually begun to enjoy life aboard Deep Space Nine
, which he calls "torture". After expressing disdain for the station and Bashir, Garak again loses consciousness.
Medical tests reveal that, even with the implant off, Garak is still dying. Bashir is unable to explain why and considers turning the implant back on. However, Garak refuses to ever activate it again and decides to tell Bashir the "truth", which Bashir has given up on finding. In the new version of events, Elim was not Garak's aide but his childhood friend. The two were both powerful men in the Obsidian Order until a scandal erupted involving someone who released a group of Bajoran prisoners. Panicking, Garak tried to frame Elim, but he beat Garak to the punch and Garak was exiled. Bashir then decides that the only way to save Garak is to find Enabran Tain, the man who put the implant in Garak's head.
Bashir finds Tain, who reveals that he has been monitoring Garak. He tells the doctor that if he were truly Garak's friend he would allow Garak to die; however, he agrees to give Bashir the information needed to counteract the effects of the implant. Before departing, Bashir asks Tain what truly became of Elim. Tain simply laughs, confusing Bashir. Elim, Tain says, is Garak's first name.
Garak makes a full recovery and resumes his weekly lunches with Bashir. During his recovery, he heard a strange rumor: Odo thinks Garak was once a member of the Obsidian Order. Pressed for "real answers", Garak tells the doctor that he has given all the answers he is capable of, and that they are all true - especially the lies.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
, the 22nd episode of the second season. This was the first time viewers received a look at Garak's
Elim Garak
Elim Garak is a fictional character from the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in which he is portrayed by Andrew J. Robinson. In the series, Garak is an exiled spy from the Cardassian empire and a former member of a prestigious Cardassian intelligence group called the Obsidian Order...
past and it sowed the seeds for several later plotlines involving Enabran Tain. It maintains a fan rating of 4.2 out of 5 on the official Star Trek Website.
Quick Overview: In order to save Garak's life, Dr. Bashir must unravel some of the secrets in the Cardassian's past.
Plot
As he and Julian BashirJulian Bashir
Lieutenant Julian Subatoi Bashir, M.D., played by Alexander Siddig, is a main character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Bashir is the chief medical officer of space station Deep Space Nine and the USS Defiant.-Overview:...
wait in line for lunch, Garak appears to be having severe headache
Headache
A headache or cephalalgia is pain anywhere in the region of the head or neck. It can be a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and neck. The brain tissue itself is not sensitive to pain because it lacks pain receptors. Rather, the pain is caused by disturbance of the...
s. He refuses to allow Bashir to help, becoming irritable and leaving to Bashir's bemusement. Confiding in Jadzia Dax
Jadzia Dax
Jadzia Dax , played by Terry Farrell, was a main character during the first six seasons of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine....
, Bashir realizes he hardly knows the man with whom he has been eating lunch for almost two years. He later hears Garak discussing a deal of some sort with Quark
Quark (Star Trek)
Quark is a fictional character in the American television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The character, which was played by Armin Shimerman, was depicted as a member of an extraterrestrial race known as the Ferengi, who are stereotypically ultra-capitalist and only motivated by...
and becomes suspicious. The next day, Quark calls the Infirmary and asks Bashir to come to the bar immediately. There he finds a heavily intoxicated Garak who, after a brief struggle, collapses in pain.
Bashir finds that Garak has an implant of some sort in his brain, which he believes is related to whatever Garak and Quark were discussing the night before. He solicits Odo's help and the two of them eavesdrop on Quark later that night. Quark tries to order a piece of Cardassian
Cardassian
The Cardassians are an extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. First introduced in the 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Wounded", the species originating on the fictional Alpha Quadrant planet Cardassia Prime...
biotechnology, which turns out to be classified by the Obsidian Order. Constable Odo explains that the Obsidian Order is "the ever-vigilant eyes and ears of the Cardassian Empire", an intelligence
Intelligence (information gathering)
Intelligence assessment is the development of forecasts of behaviour or recommended courses of action to the leadership of an organization, based on a wide range of available information sources both overt and covert. Assessments are developed in response to requirements declared by the leadership...
service more ruthless than the Romulan
Romulan
The Romulans are a fictional alien race in the Star Trek universe. First appearing in the original Star Trek series in the 1966 episode "Balance of Terror", they have since made appearances in all the main later Star Trek series: The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager...
Tal Shiar. When Bashir returns to the Infirmary, Garak is gone.
When he arrives at Garak's quarters, Bashir finds the Cardassian has taken massive doses of a tranquilizer, enough that any normal person would have passed out. Garak is obstinate but eventually reveals that the implant was given to him by the head of the Obsidian Order, Enabran Tain. It was designed to make him resistant to interrogation
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
s if caught, but he has been using the implant to cope with the pain of living in exile. However, it was never designed for continuous use and is breaking down. Garak claims he deserves his punishment and tells how he once destroyed a ship containing 98 Cardassians, including his best friend, Elim. He then collapses.
Bashir turns the implant off and, robbed of the endorphin
Endorphin
Endorphins are endogenous opioid peptides that function as neurotransmitters. They are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during exercise, excitement, pain, consumption of spicy food, love and orgasm, and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce...
s it produced, Garak becomes extremely agitated. He explains that Elim was his aide, and rather than killing Elim, he was exiled for releasing a group of Bajoran
Bajoran
In the Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Bajorans are a humanoid extraterrestrial species native to the planet Bajor. They were first introduced in the 1991 episode "Ensign Ro" of Star Trek: The Next Generation and subsequently also featured in episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and...
children he was supposed to interrogate. The worst part of his exile, he says, is that he has actually begun to enjoy life aboard Deep Space Nine
Deep Space Nine (space station)
Deep Space Nine is a fictitious space station, and is the eponymous primary setting of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It serves as a base for the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran wormhole, and is a hub of trade and travel for the sector's denizens...
, which he calls "torture". After expressing disdain for the station and Bashir, Garak again loses consciousness.
Medical tests reveal that, even with the implant off, Garak is still dying. Bashir is unable to explain why and considers turning the implant back on. However, Garak refuses to ever activate it again and decides to tell Bashir the "truth", which Bashir has given up on finding. In the new version of events, Elim was not Garak's aide but his childhood friend. The two were both powerful men in the Obsidian Order until a scandal erupted involving someone who released a group of Bajoran prisoners. Panicking, Garak tried to frame Elim, but he beat Garak to the punch and Garak was exiled. Bashir then decides that the only way to save Garak is to find Enabran Tain, the man who put the implant in Garak's head.
Bashir finds Tain, who reveals that he has been monitoring Garak. He tells the doctor that if he were truly Garak's friend he would allow Garak to die; however, he agrees to give Bashir the information needed to counteract the effects of the implant. Before departing, Bashir asks Tain what truly became of Elim. Tain simply laughs, confusing Bashir. Elim, Tain says, is Garak's first name.
Garak makes a full recovery and resumes his weekly lunches with Bashir. During his recovery, he heard a strange rumor: Odo thinks Garak was once a member of the Obsidian Order. Pressed for "real answers", Garak tells the doctor that he has given all the answers he is capable of, and that they are all true - especially the lies.
Arc significance
- First mention of the Obsidian Order, the Cardassian intelligence service. It is revealed that Garak is a former member of the order.
- First appearance of Enabran Tain, who was the head of the Obsidian Order and is at least partially responsible for Garak's exile.
- Garak reveals a few clues about his past.