Elim Garak
Aug. 15th, 2010 01:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elfyOh my, I didn't know! Now I love Garak even more ... so sad Andrew Robinson concept of the character was a few years ahead of his time, shame on the producers they didn't let him play Garak as the actor first intended him:
Q: Some fans have speculated about Garak’s private life.
Robinson: Yes, and his sexuality. I started out playing Garak as someone who doesn't have a defined sexuality. He's not gay, he's not straight, it’s a non-issue for him. Basically his sexuality is inclusive. But--it’s Star Trek and there were a couple of things working against that. One is that Americans really are very nervous about sexual ambiguity. Also, this is a family show, they have to keep it on the "straight and narrow", so then I backed off from it. 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, but that was a little too sophisticated I think. For the most part, the writers supported the character beautifully, but in that area they just made a choice they didn't want to go there, and if they don't want to go there I can't, because the writing doesn’t support it.
Man, I would have so loved to see Garak and Bashir as a canon couple ... that would have rocked soooo much! *sigh*
And added to that, I can just add what someone else phrased nicely in a comment somewhere else: I know I'm preaching to choir here but I fail to understand how assassination, murder for various unsound reasons, violent sex, (attempted) genocide and whathaveyou are any more family friendly than two (I assume) consenting men enjoying some sweet lovin'
Q: Some fans have speculated about Garak’s private life.
Robinson: Yes, and his sexuality. I started out playing Garak as someone who doesn't have a defined sexuality. He's not gay, he's not straight, it’s a non-issue for him. Basically his sexuality is inclusive. But--it’s Star Trek and there were a couple of things working against that. One is that Americans really are very nervous about sexual ambiguity. Also, this is a family show, they have to keep it on the "straight and narrow", so then I backed off from it. 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, but that was a little too sophisticated I think. For the most part, the writers supported the character beautifully, but in that area they just made a choice they didn't want to go there, and if they don't want to go there I can't, because the writing doesn’t support it.
Man, I would have so loved to see Garak and Bashir as a canon couple ... that would have rocked soooo much! *sigh*
And added to that, I can just add what someone else phrased nicely in a comment somewhere else: I know I'm preaching to choir here but I fail to understand how assassination, murder for various unsound reasons, violent sex, (attempted) genocide and whathaveyou are any more family friendly than two (I assume) consenting men enjoying some sweet lovin'
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(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-15 04:29 pm (UTC)Thank god for HBO.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 05:28 pm (UTC)Das wirklich faszinierende an der Serie ist eigentlich, daß im Vergleich zu den Vorgängern die Figuren fast durchgängig 'flaws' hatten, keine perfekten Sternenflottenoffiziere, Randfiguren der Gesellschaft teilweise.
Und diese Figuren hatten viel mehr Raum für eigene Entwicklung als noch bei TNG. Immerhin hat man sich ja die Freiheit genommen gehabt, pure Fillepisoden um einzelne Figuren in größerer Menge einzubauen (auch wenn Quark da einen guten Anteil dran hatte). Aber von den pairings her ist ja auch gerade Garak/Odo eine interessante Situation, Garak/Bashir empfinde ich als zu offensichtlich. Und Bashir ist ein wenig zu glatt, dem nimmt man den verhinderten Geheimagenten nie wirklich ab XD