Synopsis: Garak suddenly becomes ill and Dr. Bashir discovers more than he anticipated when he tries to heal him.
This episode can be seen as an exploration of the character of Elim Garak, which reveals him to possess Trickster energy as embodied by Mercury, also known as Hermes.
In “The Wire” Garak mysteriously falls ill and is very evasive about receiving treatment for it. It is eventually learned that the illness is really the result of a device implanted in Garak’s head which releases endorphins which make Garak immune to pain. However, because living on Deep Space Nine is such a constant torture to him, the device, which was created for sporadic use, he has kept turned on for two years. Garak goes between states of wanting to live, to wanting to die, to wanting to live in torment, to wanting to live without pain. Also, while Garak is in the care of Dr. Julian Bashir he tells the doctor many different versions of his past life. Some of them almost unbelievable. At the end of the episode, Bashir asks Garak which of the stories he should believe, Garak tells him: “My dear doctor they’re all true . . . especially the lies” (Wolfe & Friedman, 1994).
It is this last line in the episode that truly reveals Garak as the Mercurius Trickster that he is. An agent that is completely unreliable, yet necessary as a catalyst for changes in the status quo. Throughout the two seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Garak, as the only Cardassian left on the station, has been a bit of a mystery. And this episode in one way revealed his past, but in another way, revealed that we do not know his past, or can be sure of it. This is the essence of the ancient Greek god Hermes, the messenger between Olympus and Hades, and humans who lived between these two realms in the world of mortals. Hermes, known as Mercury to the ancient Romans, but then again whose motivation behind his actions was as unknown to them as Hermes was to the Greeks, and Garak to the other inhabitants of Deep Space Nine.
Reference:
Wolfe, R. H. (Writer), & Friedman, K. (Director). (1994, May 8). The wire (Season 2, Episode 22) [TV series episode]. In M. Piller & R. Berman (Executive Producers), Star trek: Deep space nine. Paramount Television.
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