Star Trek’s 007 Spoof Is Now Real James Bond Canon — Sort Of
The name is Bashir...Sid Bashir?
In 1995, during the week of November 27, just a few weeks after James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) made a massive comeback on the big screen in the film GoldenEye, the Star Trek franchise delivered a shaken and stirred tribute to the world of 007. Of all the Deep Space Nine episodes, “Our Man Bashir” was one of the most elaborate productions, necessitating wardrobe, sets, and props that weren’t part of the usual 24th-century repertoire. And while the humor and whimsy of “Our Man Bashir” hold up today as one of the better holodeck malfunction Trek episodes, its legacy is perhaps more surprising than many fans might know.
As a Bond spoof, “Our Man Bashir” is funnier than most, and I’d argue smarter than say, Austin Powers (which first hit theaters in 1997, outperforming an actual Bond movie, Tomorrow Never Dies) The point is, in addition to Spy Hard in 1996, the 1990s, for whatever reason, were a time lousy with Bond spoofs. But nobody did it better than Star Trek, and the proof lies in the fact that an actual, real-deal, canonical James Bond universe Double O agent exists today because of “Our Man Bashir.”
By 1995, a holodeck fantasy episode, in which the simulation malfunctions and everyone is in real danger, had become a mini-Trek cliché. What “Our Man Bashir” had going that made it different was twofold; First, the entire cast was able to play different characters, thanks to a transporter accident getting mixed with the holodeck accident. (Everyone’s transporter patterns got stored in the holodeck hard drive because of reasons, don’t ask.) Second, the fact that this was a Bond spoof, rather than, say, something set in the Old West or Sherwood Forest (which were frequent holodeck settings due to copyright reasons), gave “Our Man Bashir” a slightly more contemporary flair.
The whole cast got in on the act in this one.
Perhaps more than any episode prior, “Our Man Bashir” helped to humanize Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) by putting him in the most outrageous and revealing fantasy. Garak (Andrew Robinson) joins Bashir for the frivolity, and later, the actual adventure with real stakes. Because Garak is a legitimate Cardassian spy (who poses as a tailor), this layering was brilliant.
The series had established Garak more as a spy in the realistic tradition of John le Carré, which made him the voice of reason in “Our Man Bashir,” pointing out how almost nothing they were doing was connected to real spy work. Some literary critics feel that le Carré’s novels (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, et al.) are the realistic foil to Ian Fleming’s books, though, considering that both men worked in actual intelligence gathering in real life, another argument is that it’s more of a question of tone.
Anyway, the larger point is that Garak and Bashir’s partnership in a 1960s spy caper, complete with silly character names (Honey Bare, Mona Luvsitt), created a perfect balance of making a James Bond tribute and, in some ways, a critique of Bond. Much has been said about the gay subtext of Bashir and Garak’s relationship, which helps “Our Man Bashir” not go too far into straight guy wish fulfillment. In a sense, Deep Space Nine gave a faux James Bond figure a gay best friend, who was also a better spy. What more could you ask?
Garak and Bashir on the case.
At the time, at least according to The Deep Space Nine Companion, some of the rights holders of the James Bond films sent Paramount an angry letter about how the spoof was too close to the real thing. This has never been fully verified by EON or MGM, but apparently, the letter was enough to make the next DS9 Bond spoof episode, “A Simple Investigation,” significantly toned down and more of a quick side gag. And yet, the legacy of “Our Man Bashir” lives on in a way that more than vindicates Ronald D. Moore’s original script.
As of 2022, the canon of the contemporary James Bond novels includes a character named Sid Bashir, who is Agent 009. This character comes from Kim Sherwood’s novel Double or Nothing, a trilogy of books about various Double O agents who are not James Bond. Sherwood herself is a huge Star Trek fan, and based “Sid Bashir” on actor Alexander Siddig.
Today, Sherwood is a fully deputized Fleming estate Bond author. But Star Trek helped her along the way. “‘Our Man Bashir’ was one of my first exposures to Bond as a kid,” Sherwood told me back in 2023. “I loved all Star Trek, but DS9 was my favorite. When I wrote Doulde Or Nothing, I wanted to homage that episode, but also reflect the ensemble nature of that cast.”
One of many Bond stories referenced in “Our Man Bashir.”
You’ll have to read all of Sherwood’s books to find out what happens to that Bashir (no spoilers!), but there is a sense of poetry that a Star Trek episode about James Bond, later, created a real James Bond thing, all because of a creative fan. This is because, in almost every way, the Bond aspects of “Our Man Bashir” are good enough for a real Bond movie or novel. In the opening scene, Bashir knocks out a bad guy by firing off a Champagne cork. His comment, right after, is worthy of Sean Connery: “A lot of kick for a '45 Dom.”
