A Stitch in Time

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

By: Andrew J. Robinson

Narrated by: Andrew J. Robinson

An unique and intense tale following Elim Garak as he attempts to stitch the ravaged society of Cardassia back together.

For nearly a decade Garak has longed for just one thing—to go home. Exiled on a space station, surrounded by aliens who loathe and distrust him, going back to Cardassia has been Garak's one dream. Now, finally, he is home. But home is a world whose landscape is filled with death and destruction. Desperation and dust are constant companions and luxury is a glass of clean water and a warm place to sleep.

Ironically, it is a letter from one of the aliens on that space station, Dr. Julian Bashir, that inspires Garak to look at the fabric of his life. Elim Garak has been a student, a gardener, a spy, an exile, a tailor, even a liberator. It is a life that was charted by the forces of Cardassian society with very little understanding of the person, and even less compassion.

But it is the tailor that understands who Elim Garak was, and what he could be. It is the tailor who sees the ruined fabric of Cardassia, and who knows how to bring this ravaged society back together. This is strange, because a tailor is the one thing Garak never wanted to be. But it is the tailor whom both Cardassia and Elim Garak need. It is the tailor who can put the pieces together, who can take a stitch in time.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2000 Andrew J. Robinson (P)2023 Simon & Schuster Audio

I Will Return To This.

Ever since I found Audible I have been hoping Andrew Robinson would record his book and Audible would make it available. "Deep Space Nine" has always been by far my favorite Star Trek series and Garack one of my very favorite characters. My only warning to Audible customers who are interested in this book is that you should watch all of "Deep Space Nine" before listening to this book. The wait will be worth it.

finally!

we finally get the story of garak we've always wanted, eat your heart out Dr Bashir!

the writing and incredible performance by Andrew Robinson truly brought the character to life so fully it made me decide to rewatch deep space nine for the umpteenth time!

Don’t miss this masterpiece!!

It’s the story you wanted to hear and the conclusion to Garak you never knew needed. Great job Andrew Robinson;)

AMAZING!

Garrido! Just a wonderful addition to cannon. Heartfelt backstory. Beautifully written and read.

Don’t think twice. Great read.

Garak

You can tell the author understands the character completely. The story was full of everything you’d ever want from Garak.

Amazing!

Read the book a while back. Andy Robinson brings it to life, an absolute must for any fan. Definitely will listen again soon.

I LOVED IT. Garak is babey!

Time to talk about one of my most favorite series of all time: Star Trek. I grew up on TOS (Spock was my favorite) and a friend who used to work with me at Sheri's introduced me to Discovery. Then, in 2020 my partners at the time convinced me to watch TNG. Needless to say, it helped me get through that first year of the pandemic, and inspired the science fiction novel I've been working on ever since, which I'm slowly but surely taking the time to make into what I hope is my best work yet. I have seen every movie at least once, and rewatched several of my favorite episodes of the various series -- including finishing Picard earlier this year.

The three series I have yet to watch are Enterprise, Strange New Worlds, and, shockingly, Deep Space Nine. I'll be honest, I've heard from more than one person that Deep Space Nine is too depressing, too dark, too dramatic, and I let that put me off from watching it for many, many years. But then I read this book, "A Stitch in Time" by Andrew J. Robinson -- the very same who plays the main character of the book, Elim Garak, in Deep Space Nine. And, lucky for me, he released an audio book version of "A Stitch in Time" this September! Which means I got to listen to this book that's been on my wishlist for ages.

And it was gripping. Gripping enough to move Deep Space Nine up on my list of things to watch, and now I'm working my way through it. So, without further ado, let's get into the complex masterpiece that is "A Stitch in Time."

The book was published in 2000, and is noteworthy for providing a look into the background and psyche the enigmatic Cardassian tailor and spy -- and what better person to do that than the man who spent seven seasons inside the mind and mask of Elim Garak? The story is presented in the form of a long letter from Garak to Dr. Julian Bashir, his clsoest friend in Deep Space Nine, following the end of the series. Through this narrative device, the book delves into Garak's past, detailing his childhood and early life on Cardassia, his time in the Obsidian Order (the feared Cardassian secret police and seemingly also interplanetary espionage group), and the circumstances that led to his exile on Deep Space Nine.

The plot also encompasses Garak's return to Cardassia after the Dominion War, a catastrophic conflict that left Cardassia in ruins. Garak finds himself in a key position to help rebuild his home world, struggling with his past deeds, his hopes for Cardassia's future, and the complex emotions about his identity and place in the universe. The book explores themes of redemption, identity, and the costs of war and espionage, set against the backdrop of the richly detailed culture and society of Cardassia. And while it doesn't explicitly delve into the topic of queerness and neurodivergence, there are aspects of the story and Elim Garak himself that readers from these communities are likely to find relatable of symbolic.

For example, Elim's character throughout Deep Space Nine is marked by ambiguity, particularly regarding his past, his true profession, and even his moral compass. This has been his life since childhood, as it was necessary for him to survive and remain under the radar. Similarly, his close relationship with Dr. Bashir is layered and has been interpreted by some fans as having some sort of unspoken romantic undertone, though not addressed in either the series or the book. Relationships for queer and neurodivergent people -- and neuroqueer individuals, such as myself, or those of us who grow up in high control environments -- often take on an ambiguous form. I do want to touch on his description of both male and female figures as attractive and sensual throughout the book, hinting, to me at least, at this character's beautiful bisexuality/biromanticism.

Additionally, Elim is an outsider on Deep Space Nine (and literally everywhere else he goes in his earlier life due to his socioeconomic status and his career). As a Cardassian living among many who are inherently distrustful of him due to political and cultural tensions, Elim feels othered. This feeling is not unfamiliar to many of us in the queer and neurodiverse communities, as marginalization and demonization by mainstream society has been the norm for centuries in Western culture. I was pleased to see the concept of masking and the hidden self used throughout the book. Elim uses his mask and views the masks of others in a complex and dynamic way -- not just for deception and espionage, but for safety and fitting in, an experience so many of us can identify with. Elim's story is also one of resilience. Despite his exile and the prejudices he faces, he learns, adapts, survives, and continues to find and follow his path. This resilience can be particularly resonant for marginalized and othered communities, who must often navigate societal barriers and biases while forging our paths and pursuing joyful lives.

One thing I really enjoyed was how deeply it delved into Elim's backstory and his training at the Bamarren Institute. The training he receives is shown to be extremely rigorous and demanding, designed to produce agents skilled not just in traditional espionage tactics like surveillance, subterfuge, and interrogation, but also in deep psychological manipulation and resilience. Topics like indoctrination, loyalty, physical and psychological conditioning, isolation, paranoia, skills, and craftsmanship, all remain recurring themes in his life that he carries forward not just from his intense childhood but especially from his training at the institute. Over time, his views on these change and evolve, and we get to witness that through "A Stitch in Time."

The book also covers the poignant topic of person-to-person connection. Elim has very few genuine and valuable connections in his life, but the ones he does have, he cherishes. One of them he cherishes so much it leads to his detriment. Elim seems to value relationships that are highly intellectually engaging, but admits to what seems like an aspect of spirituality in his deepest connections as well. Throughout the book, there are themes of longing, unfulfilled potential, and the compromises we are willing to (or sometimes forced to) make in order to achieve the things we want in life. Elim has a genuine desire for closeness, but all his training and life experiences have directed him to rail hard against that -- and, it appears much of Cardassian society lives that way under their authoritarian regime.

"A Stitch in Time" is more than just a continuation of the Deep Space Nine narrative. It is a character study that expands and deepens the portrayal of one of the series' most compelling and enigmatic characters, who is also undoubtedly queer-coded and ND-coded. This fantastic book offers insights that were only hinted at in the show itself, and I have found myself tremendously won over to the Deep Space Nine side of the franchise, and to learning more about the Cardassians and other species within the Star Trek universe.

10/10, highly recommend. It took me about one week to get through this audio book.

Fantastic Story

I enjoyed listening to the actor who played the character read the book. The back story of one of my favorite characters is interesting and explains a lot of his mannerisms in the show,

Elim Garak shines through

Thank you to everyone who was involved in this book to allow my favorite character from Star Trek to be able to write about their sordid life. The fact that Andrew Robinson narrated this book makes it so perfect and allowed me to step into the shoes of the character.
If you are a fan of Cardassians, Garak, DS9, or just in depth character views, this is a book that I would recommend.

Fun DS9 character story

A listen for any and all DS9 and Garak fans! Well crafted and a pleasure to listen!