Explaining How Star Trek: Lower Decks Made a Fan-Favorite Couple Canon According to the Showrunner: “I Didn’t Do The Heavy Lifting”

Mike McMahan on the Canonization of “Garashir”in Star Trek

In a recent discussion, showrunner Mike McMahan shared insights into the significant moment when the relationship between the beloved characters Bashir and Garak was officially recognized as canon in the Star Trek universe. This pivotal episode, titled “Fissure Quest,”which is the ninth episode of the fifth season of Star Trek: Lower Decks, brought great joy to fans by depicting the iconic characters as a couple through a holographic representation.

Integrating Legacy with New Narratives

McMahan emphasized that he always considered the pairing of Garak and Bashir, affectionately dubbed Garashir, to hold a special place in the lore of Star Trek. He reflected:

“Well, what’s so funny to me is I’ve always felt like Garashir was kind of canon. I didn’t do the heavy lifting on that, you know? To me, the surprise was getting to do it in a way that made sense with when the show takes place, and I really don’t like to mess with what Ira [Steven Behr] did, you know what I mean? I’m very, very careful about what I do with other people’s characters. I think for me, getting to do a multiversal story really helped be able to tell the story without having to add any asterisks to it.”

New Dimensions to Familiar Characters

He also shared his enthusiasm for the creative decisions that allowed Bashir to be portrayed as a hologram, drawing inspiration from the character of the Doctor from Star Trek: Voyager. He articulated his vision for the narrative, stating:

“I love the Doctor from Voyager, so making Bashir a hologram was a treat for me. And then saying, ‘Yeah, Garak is one step away from being a surgeon, then a tailor.’ It kind of involves sewing stuff, you know what I mean? Getting to have that added texture to it more than what anybody had ever seen in anything else that had been talked about with those characters, and then on top of that, getting them to have been… It’s not a new relationship for them; you’re coming into a relationship where they have a pattern. I wanted fans who love that dynamic to feel like they were getting a feeling of, ‘We’re coming in in the middle of it, and they’re happy, and this is fun.’

The Future of Star Trek’s Relationship Dynamics

This innovative approach signals a broader trend within the Star Trek franchise, where legacy characters are being lovingly incorporated into fresh narratives, providing fans with deeper insights and connections to their favorite characters.

### Additional Insights and Future Updates

Stay tuned for more developments regarding the characters and narratives within the Star Trek universe!

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