Star Trek: Deep Space Nine actors Alexander Siddig and Andrew Robinson have again reprised their DS9 characters for an online reading of some fan fiction. Earlier this month we shared the four-part series “Alone Together” the pair did with some other DS9 actors joining in. Now they have done another bit of fan fiction, and this time it is far more personal for Dr. Bashir and Elim Garak.
Andrew Robinson and Alexander Siddig perform “Little Achievements”
These new readings of fan fiction have grown out of the “Sid City Social Club,” a twice-weekly live Zoom chat with fans from Alexander Siddig’s official fan website SidCity.net.
“Little Achievements” is set 20 years after the events of Star Trek: Deep Space nine and finds Dr. Julian Bashir (Siddig) in a shuttle on his way home from an important event as he chats over subspace with very special friend Elim Garak (Andrew Robinson). The Cardassian Garak explains his appearance as a human due to a new “filter” he is trying out. The story was written by Elmie K-E and includes some more members of the Social Club performing additional roles.
“Little Achievements” leans into the popular fan notion that Dr. Bashir and Garak could be more than just good friends. This idea was born in the first season of DS9 and was actually introduced by Robinson himself. In his recent interview with TrekMovie.com, the actor described what he added to the character from the start:
What I added to that in that first episode was a sexual ambiguity about Garak. In that very first scene when he meets Dr. Bashir it’s clear as a bell— and this was my choice—that he was sexually attracted to this good-looking young Starfleet doctor. And although they didn’t follow that up with an explicitly gay character, that ambiguity about Garak remained.
To join the Sid City Social Club for more live readings visit SidCity.net.
Keep up with the Star Trek celebrity news at TrekMovie.com.
Robinson does a creepy smile like no other.
Yes! Garak could always say so much by saying nothing at all! All he had to do was give that devilish little smile of his and everything just falls into place!
Yeah, Scorpio in Dirty Harry stuck out in a bad, bad creepy way.
This was such a delight. Garak and Bashir should have been a couple!
DS9 had so many great characters. I’m always excited to rewatch it again as well as Voyager !
FINALLY!! loved this, and what a way to give back to the fans. Hope they include them in season 2 of Picard!!!!
Always here for more Garak and Bashir. Unsurprising they could never do anything with them at the time but you can 100% see it in Robinson’s performance, as he himself says. Been loving these readings they’ve been doing.
You mean slashfic don’t you? Fanfic…
They both fell right back into their characters as if they last inhabited them last year.
That said, regardless of what some fans my have seen themselves, I have never seen anything leaning towards outright gayness from either of them. Maybe Garek but I chalked up everything he said as being mainly misdirect and spy double talk. So gayness there never entered into my head at all.
I’ve always felt the same way, ML31. Garak may have had a thing for Bashir, but Bashir’s romantic interests always struck me as lying elsewhere.
My opinion at least.
I kid you not, it never occurred to me that Garek was gay until Robinson talked about it in the DS9 documentary. Never thought about it, once.
And Bashir even less so since he was hitting on girls left and right beginning with Dax (she use to be a man though, so I guess…)
Understood. I guess I should have said that I never considered Garek’s sexuality ever. It was not until after the show and Robinson mentioned it that I thought it might be there, maybe. And that was pure hindsight.
I kid you not, it never occurred to me that Garek was gay until Robinson talked about it in the DS9 documentary. Never thought about it, once.
And Bashir even less so since he was hitting on girls left and right beginning with Dax (she use to be a man though, so I guess…)
My opinions on this in the comments have been deleted, twice, from their earlier post about their other YouTube script readings. Love the characters, dislike what the writer chose to do with them.
I really enjoy how fluid sexuality can be, from twenty years ago to now. No one needs to be 100% one or another, and I really appreciated how it can go.
This is the thing I love about ST. It can include everyone and it works at it by doing its best, even when hampered by producers and studios and even directors.
Yeah, true, look at Seven. ;)