okay so i have not read the post-canon books at all—i have only read about them in memory beta. also i am steeped in fanon, obviously. so i could be totally off base here.
nevertheless… it seems pretty shady to me that it’s never made explicit that garak and parmak are together??? given everything about garak, and the way that their relationship is portrayed in the book (sounds pretty much like “heterosexual life partners” except at least one of them is obviously not heterosexual), it really doesn’t seem like there is any other reasonable way to interpret that relationship. so why the fuck wouldn’t they just explicitly say that they are married, in the year of our lord 2014???
I’ve read the books and I completely agree
Sometimes I like thinking of an in world explanation for things like these (because it’s a lot less frustrating) and that gets into some more funny scenarios. Like maybe on Cardassia, relationship status isn’t assumed (regardless of gender) even if two people are making out at the table in front of everyone. Maybe Garak’s just that coy about everything no matter how obvious it is because it amuses him. Or Parmak is very anti “marriage” and believes it ruins relationships etc so he has no interest in making anything “official” etc.
Garak: You’re really going to make me go to my grave a single man on the Registry, Kelas?
Parmak: Really Elim, no one in the north is what you would call “married” because the trip to Drive is such a long distance to fill out a few forms.
Garak: Yes, that we could all be like the free spirited Northerners.
Parmak: Is that how it’s going to be tonight? Well this “free spirited Northerner” is sleeping on the couch. Perhaps your Doctor Bashir might do you the honor of “making you an honest man.”
Garak: I thought we talked about this.
Parmak: *sips tea* Yes, yes we did…
It’s one of the reasons I don’t read the post-canon Cardassia books. It’s just good ol’ fashioned queer baiting and I am not down with that. Also, I hate McCormack’s world building.
