Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Garak

10. Peter Allan Fields Put Him In A Tailor's Shop

The genesis of Garak was as simple as it was effective. The producers knew that they needed a character who would be a Cardassian, without necessarily acting like one. Garak was introduced in Past Prologue, with Andrew Robinson donning the grey make up, along with that unsettling smile.

As for Garak's role on this Bajoran station, writer Peter Allan Fields claims that there wasn't quite as much thought put into his current role.

We needed a Cardassian who didn't act like one, so I finally put him in a tailor shop, and nobody hit me, so we kept him there.

There was more to it than this. Fields had been a writer on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., which featured a tailor's shop as the secret headquarters for a spy network. This, of course, would inspire much of Garak's future.

Winrich Kolbe would then explain that Garak's wardrobe, while still inspired by the stiffness that was present in most Cardassian fashion styles, was a little more flamboyant. Here was a character who was both a simple tailor, and so much more. Far from the solid style of the Cardassian military, Garak was able to be a little more expressive in his outward appearance.

To top this first appearance off, Andrew Robinson brought a mystery and a charisma to the man - one that even the actor later admitted to being transfixed by.