[Nate the Great]

October 24th, 1993, "Cardassians"

Can I just say that this is the laziest episode title in all of Trek? It's not even an object in the episode, it's a collective title for only one of the races involved in the plot!

Fiver by Derek

The Episode

GARAK: I had a very demanding customer today. A Bajoran engineer who comes to the shop constantly just to plague me.
BASHIR: You know, I've always wondered about that. About who your steady customers really are. I can't imagine Bajorans frequenting a shop run by a Cardassian.
GARAK: I like to think that my expertise and willingness to serve overcome any general resentments any of my clientele may have.

It is WAY too late to have this conversation. It doesn't even mesh that well with the episode's plot.

BASHIR: Ah. And perhaps your expertise and willingness to serve go so far as to establish a certain trust between you and your customers?
GARAK: Trust is very important
BASHIR: And once they trust you, they're much more open with you, and they tell you things.
GARAK: Really, Doctor, must we always play this game? I'm no more a spy than you are a
BASHIR: A doctor.

Again, far too late for this conversation. Frankly, this entire episode should've been in the first season.

GARAK: I hope I'm not intruding, but I couldn't help noticing what a handsome young man you have here.
(Garak rests his hand on the boy's shoulder, so the lad bites it)

Assault aside, I don't think Cardassians would be raised to be so cavalier with the personal space of others. This whole situation makes Garak look like an idiot.

BASHIR: I'm sorry I'm late. The damnedest thing just happened. Garak the tailor was attacked.

As opposed to Garak the barber? (Obscure Spoony reference for the win!)

BASHIR: He was bitten on the hand.
DAX: Another unsatisfied customer?
O'BRIEN: He always cuts the pants too long.

This doesn't seem like the place for joking around like this. A man has been assaulted and a child possibly traumatized!

BASHIR: He's just arrived on a Bajoran transport with an adult Bajoran who says he's his father.
KIRA: The boy was probably one of the orphans left behind after the Cardassians pulled out. We had no choice but to take care of them.

Again, first season plot.

DUKAT [on monitor]: Commander, it's been brought to my attention that the sole Cardassian living on your station has been assaulted.
SISKO: I'm surprised how quickly the news reached you, Dukat. I only heard about it myself a minute ago.

This is a real question: how did Dukat find out so soon? Assuming that he doesn't have a surveillance device on the station, all I can conclude is that he's monitoring communications between the station and Bajor. But that raises further questions, like why an official report would be sent to Bajor without Sisko's authorization.

Furthermore, we once again have a first season question. Garak's precise status with the Cardassian and Bajoran governments should've been an episode subplot by itself. Dukat seems to be implying that Garak is merely a private citizen who chooses to live outside the Cardassian Empire. If so, this really isn't Dukat's problem, if Garak chooses to press charges it would go to the Cardassian ambassador on Earth (and it occurs to me that the station should've had a Cardassian ambassador ever since the withdrawal, but that's another screed).

Furthermore, why would Bajor want Garak on the station? At least Quark serves a function, bolstering general trade in the sector. But Garak serves none, he can't be THAT good of a tailor.

DUKAT [on monitor]: The Cardassian war orphans, Commander. Abandoned when we left Bajor. It's a disgrace. Obviously these children are being raised to hate their own kind. This incident is proof.
SISKO: You're assuming a lot from one incident.
DUKAT [on monitor]: Am I? Then why would this boy attack poor Garak? An amiable fellow, if there ever was one.

This is hilarious given later revelations. One presumes that if Dukat had the power to execute Garak, he would've done it by now. Remember that Dukat isn't a Prefect anymore, he's just a ship's captain at the moment. One presumes that Enabran Tain's order to the Obsidian Order to keep Garak on the station where he can suffer is still in effect, and this has been communicated to the military leadership. Any attempt by Dukat to eliminate him now would be seen as disobeying orders, a severe crime amongst the Cardassians.

SISKO: If you like, I'll try to find out.
DUKAT [on monitor]: That would be most appreciated, Commander. I need to find out everything I can about this boy, so that I can use his story in my fight to bring these orphans back to their homeland. This is a tragedy that all of Cardassia is going to have to address.

So Dukat is looking for good PR. Again, this would've been better in the first season.

PROKA: Has this Garak filed a complaint?
SISKO: No, but the Cardassian officials asked that look into the incident.
PROKA: I wish they'd shown as much concern when they left my boy and dozens like him to fend for themselves.

Garak will address this later, but I'm going to ask a question that I've asked before: why were there Cardassian families on Bajor in the first place? Even if we presume that the families of the higher-ups (who would be posted here longer) would be kept nearby, I'd still want them on Terok Nor, not the planet itself. Remember that Terok Nor was in orbit of Bajor back then and beaming back and forth was a simple matter.