 Cover | |
| Author | Andrew Robinson |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Sonia R. Hillios |
| Language | English |
| Series | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine |
Release number | 27 |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Pocket Books |
Publication date | June 5, 2000 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 288 |
| ISBN | 0-671-03885-0 |
| OCLC | 44126199 |
| Preceded by | The Liberated |
A Stitch in Time is aStar Trek: Deep Space Nine novel written byAndrew Robinson. The novel originated from a biography ofCardassianElim Garak in the form of a diary which was written by Robinson after he landed the recurring role in the series. He would read extracts from it atStar Trek conventions for fans, and was heard by novelistDavid R. George III, who suggested he should submit it for publishing. Although it was announced that a sequel would be published in 2001, co-written by fellow actorAlexander Siddig, the only follow-up to the novel was Robinson's short storyThe Calling which was published as part of theProphecy and Change anthology in 2003.
Presented as a letter fromDS9's residentCardassian spy and tailorElim Garak to Dr.Julian Bashir, Garak recounts his life story, and also notes developments on Cardassia after the end of theDominion War. According to the text, Garak has since assisted in the rebuilding and recovery of Cardassia, while also supportingdemocratic reforms for its government. He believes that the Dominion War and destruction of Cardassia were partially caused by Cardassia's military-led government.
The narrative of the novel happens onCardassia after the end of theDominion War where Garak, living in the ruins of his childhood home, is helping with relief efforts while reminiscing about a society that is gone. As he is writing a letter to Bashir, he also goes over his own life through journal entries.
The first timeline follows him through his childhood in the home ofEnabran Tain, being raised as the gardener's son withMila as his birth mother, his training as a youth at a brutal military academy called Bamarren Institute for State Intelligence, his recruitment into the Obsidian Order, his rise through the ranks as a skilled operative carrying out various covert missions, his enmity withGul Dukat and his disobedience of Enabran Tain over Palandine, a woman he loves, which leads to his downfall and exile.
The second timeline takes place onDS9, where he is preparing for his mission withKira Nerys to join the Cardassian resistance underDamar.
A Stitch in Time was written by Andrew Robinson, who portrayed Garak onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.[1] Robinson had originally been in contention to portray the character ofOdo, and was down to the final three choices alongsideGerrit Graham andRené Auberjonois, with the role going to Auberjonois.[2] He was invited back to the series to audition once more to portray the last Cardassian on the station, Garak, for the second episode of the series. Garak went on to become a recurring character.[3]
The novel itself originated from a biography of Garak, written by Robinson to flesh out the character, which he described as "an old actor's trick, if you're hired for a role that you're not familiar with, you write a biography of the character".[4] The biography was written in the format of a diary, which Robinson would then read extracts from for fans atStar Trek conventions as he found that he was being asked similar questions at every convention and wanted to do something more for the fans.[2][5][6]
David R. George III had just completed the novelThe 34th Rule with actorArmin Shimerman. George heard Robinson read from the biography at aStar Trek convention, and suggested that it would be suitable to be turned into a novel. Robinson submitted the proposal to the publishers ofStar Trek novels and received a positive response, and so set about turning his biography of Garak into a full-length novel usingThe Star Trek Encyclopedia as a guide to ensure that references to other events within theStar Trek universe were correct.[4] However, one inconsistency did show up in the novel where, Garak does business withQuark when he initially comes to the station. However, in the episode, "The Wire", Garak states that they had never done business before.
He agreed an outline of the narrative within the novel with the publishers,[6] and Margaret Clark was his editor atPocket Books.[7] One element he found he once again had to tone down was the sexual content of the novel, due to the family oriented market of the books. Robinson had previously deliberately portrayed Garak as sexually ambiguous in the television show, but found that the writers wrote the character out of situations where this would show.[4]
Robinson has stated that one of the reasons he wrote the novel was to get "total closure" of the character,[6] and compared Garak in the novel to the spies from the works ofJohn le Carré such asTinker Tailor Soldier Spy.[4] He said of the novel:[8]
I got out a lot of stuff I wanted to say about the character, and also about me. Because, basically, after a while there's that strange symbiotic relationship that happens between an actor and (a character). When you really love a role and you really get inside the skin of that role, that's what happens. And that happened with me and Garak.
The novel was half completed whenDeep Space Nine finished after seven seasons.[6] It was the first full-length novel written by Robinson, who had attempted to create works in this format previously but failed.[4] It was written without the use of aghost writer.[5][9] It was numbered 27 in the original run of the Pocket BooksDeep Space Nine novel series.[10]
It was announced in 2000 that Robinson and actor Alexander Siddig, who portrayed Dr. Julian Bashir onDeep Space Nine, would write a sequel toA Stitch in Time due for publishing during 2001. However, no such sequel was subsequently published.[11] Robinson had also said in an interview in 2002 that he had continued to write the Garak diaries following the conclusion of the novel, and suggested that they might become a new novel in the future.[8] He was invited back to write a short story for theDeep Space Nine anniversary anthologyProphecy and Change (ISBN 0-7434-7073-7) in 2003.[12] His story,The Calling, followed up on the events portrayed inA Stitch in Time.[13]A Stitch in Time was re-released in 2010 in Germany with an alternative cover.[14][15] Anaudiobook version narrated by Robinson was released on August 1, 2023.[16]
Paul Cole for theSunday Mercury fromBirmingham, UK, said of the novel: "It's a suitably ironic, oblique and at times obscure set of reminiscences as Robinson weaves together three different time-frames, held together with theme rather than an overall plot."[17] Alvaro Zinos-Amaro forReactor wrote: "A truly memorable read, and certainly a standoutStar Trek novel. Exquisitely written, thoroughly imagined, by turns disturbing, moving, melancholy and hopeful [...]".[18]
In 2015, John Bardinelli of Barnes & Noble highlighted the novel as among the bestStar Trek novels.[19]Gizmodo and/Film have also included the novel as one of the bestStar Trek novels.[20][21]