Nog (Star Trek)

Last updated
Nog
Star Trek character
Nog as Lieutenant J.G.jpg
First appearance
Last appearance
Portrayed by Aron Eisenberg
In-universe information
Species Ferengi
Affiliation Ferengi Alliance
United Federation of Planets
Starfleet
Posting Deep Space Nine
USS Defiant
PositionOperations Officer
(Seasons 6-7)
Starfleet Cadet
(Seasons 4-6)
Bar Employee
(Seasons 1-4)
Rank Lieutenant, Junior Grade
(Season 7)
Ensign
(Seasons 6-7)
Cadet
(Seasons 4-6)
Civilian
(Seasons 1-4)

Nog, played by Aron Eisenberg, is a recurring character on the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9). A member of the profit-driven alien species known as the Ferengi, he becomes the first Ferengi to join Starfleet, where he excels as first a cadet, and then an officer. He is the nephew of the Ferengi bartender Quark, a major character on the series; the son of Quark's brother Rom; and a close friend of Jake Sisko, the son of Deep Space Nine's protagonist Benjamin Sisko. Episodes of the series often paired Nog with Jake. [1]

Contents

Nog is the main character in the episode "It's Only a Paper Moon", which was noted for exploring his recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Fictional character biography

In the Star Trek universe, Nog was born to Rom and Prinadora on Ferenginar in 2353. Later, he moved with his father to Deep Space Nine and worked at his uncle Quark's bar. This time is depicted in DS9, and Nog is characterized as being very mischievous and a slight delinquent. Throughout the course of the series, Nog befriends Jake Sisko. In the first seasons of DS9 he is, though reluctantly, one of the first students in Keiko O'Brien's school. When Rom, under pressure from Quark and Grand Nagus Zek, pulls Nog out of school, Jake tutors him without Rom's knowledge ("The Nagus").

Recognizing his father's failure to capitalize on his proficiency in mechanics and electronics, and not wanting to follow in those footsteps, Nog resolves to go into a career where he can make something of himself. He requests a recommendation from Commander Benjamin Sisko to be admitted to Starfleet Academy ("Heart of Stone"). Although Sisko takes considerable convincing that this young Ferengi is serious in this uncharacteristically unprofitable ambition for his species, Nog is admitted with his recommendation and becomes the first Ferengi in Starfleet ("Facets").

Starfleet assigns Nog to Deep Space Nine as part of his cadet field training ("The Ascent"). Upon returning to the station, he and Jake become roommates. As a cadet, Nog works mainly under chief of operations Miles O'Brien. Nog receives a commission as ensign shortly before Starfleet retakes Deep Space Nine during the Dominion War ("Favor the Bold").

In the height of the Dominion War, Nog loses his leg due to a battle injury ("The Siege of AR-558"). Although a biosynthetic leg is grown for him to replace the amputated one, after months of therapy Nog still feels phantom pain in his new leg. Nog chooses a holosuite simulation of a Las Vegas nightclub as the place to recuperate from his trauma and adjust to using an artificial limb, living in the holosuite until the simulated nightclub singer Vic Fontaine forces him to leave ("It's Only a Paper Moon").

One of Sisko's final acts before joining the Prophets is to promote Nog to the rank of lieutenant junior grade (DS9: "What You Leave Behind").

In the 32nd century, Starfleet has named a starship after Nog. The USS Nog (an Eisenberg-class starship, named after actor Aron Eisenberg, who played Nog and had recently died) is stationed at Federation headquarters. ( Star Trek: Discovery : "Die Trying") [2] [3]

Appearances

Nog appears in the following episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine:

Top episodes

The episode "It's Only a Paper Moon", focuses on Nog's recovery from the trauma of having lost his leg in the episode "The Siege of AR-558". These two episodes were ranked as the 14th and 15th best of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine by The Hollywood Reporter in 2016. [4] Hollywood Reporter ranked "It's Only a Paper Moon" as the 56th best of all episodes of the Star Trek franchise aired by 2016, calling it a touching and ambitious story. [5] The A.V. Club's Zack Handlen lauded Aron Eisenberg's acting in this episode, noting that his portrayal of Nog's PTSD "has some real edges to it, and some aspects of it should be familiar to anyone who's suffered a period of severe depression". [6]

Stephanie Marceau, writing for Screen Rant , ranked the top ten episodes featuring Nog: [7]

  1. It's Only A Paper Moon
  2. Heart of Stone
  3. The Magnificent Ferengi
  4. The Jem'Hadar
  5. Treachery, Faith, and the Great River
  6. Badda-Bing Badda-Bang
  7. The Visitor
  8. Progress
  9. Valiant
  10. Empok Nor

Marceau says of "Its Only a Paper Moon" that "Watching Nog deal with his conflicted feelings and trauma about the war and Starfleet was powerful and inspiring" and found the show's treatment of the character's loss "respectful". [7] Clint Worthington, writing for SyFy, felt "Heart of Stone", in which Nog decides to join Starfleet, was the most important Nog episode; he also noted "The Siege of AR-558", in which Nog is confronted with the hardships of war. [8]

Reception

In 2016, the character of Nog was ranked as the 51st most important character of Starfleet within the Star Trek science fiction universe by Wired Magazine. [9]

Richard A. Hall observed that not the least through the influence of his Starfleet neighbours, Nog becomes a more thoughtful and caring individual over the course of the show's run. [10]

Discovery co-creator and co-showrunner Alex Kurtzman saw in Nog "a character who exemplified the possibility of resilience after a period of darkness". Malissa Longo, widow of the portrayer Aron Eisenberg, commented: "Nog was a trailblazer in DS9. I have no doubt that he would have left a lasting impression on the Federation". [3]

In 2019, Clint Worthington writing for SyFy, said that Nog was "one of Star Trek's most aspirational characters" noting how the character progressed throughout the show. They point in the early seasons he "dragged Jake into one misadventure or another", a cackling sidekick for Jake, but then in "Heart of Stone" he has realization he does not like where his life is headed. With the help of Commander Sisko, he sets his dreams on Starfleet hoping to rise above the limited opportunities available to him. [8]

CNN remembered Nog as the major role for actor Eisenberg in his career when he died in 2019. [11]

Related Research Articles

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the Star Trek media franchise, it originally aired in syndication from January 3, 1993, to June 2, 1999, spanning 176 episodes over seven seasons. Set in the 24th century, when Earth is part of a United Federation of Planets, its narrative is centered on the eponymous space station Deep Space Nine, located adjacent to a wormhole connecting Federation territory to the Gamma Quadrant on the far side of the Milky Way galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferengi</span> Fictional Star Trek species

The Ferengi are a fictional extraterrestrial species in the American science fiction franchise Star Trek. They were devised in 1987 for the series Star Trek: The Next Generation, played a prominent role in the following series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and have made brief appearances in subsequent series such as Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Picard.

Quark (<i>Star Trek</i>) Fictional character from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Quark is a fictional character in the American television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He was played by Armin Shimerman and is a member of the extraterrestrial race known as the Ferengi, who are stereotypically capitalist and motivated only by profit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vic Fontaine</span> Fictional character from TV series Star Trek: DS9

Vic Fontaine is a fictional character who appeared in the sixth and seventh seasons of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Portrayed by James Darren, he is a holographic representation of a 1960s-era Las Vegas Rat Pack–style singer and entertainer, as part of a program run in the holosuites at Quark's bar. The character was developed from an idea by executive producer Ira Steven Behr, who had sought to introduce a character of that type during the fourth season to be played by Frank Sinatra, Jr. After Sinatra turned down the role, it was considered during the following season, to be played by Steve Lawrence, but once again was not used. Darren landed the role after Behr met him at a memorabilia show in North Hollywood and had him invited to audition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Sisko</span> Character on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Jake Sisko is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise. He appears in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) and is portrayed by actor Cirroc Lofton. He is the son of Deep Space Nine commanding officer, Benjamin Sisko. The character also appears in various other Star Trek books, comics, and video games.

Rom (<i>Star Trek</i>) Fictional character from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, played by Max Grodénchik

Rom is a recurring character on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is played by Max Grodénchik.

"Facets" is the 71st episode of the American syndicated science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 25th and penultimate episode of the third season, originally airing June 12, 1995.

"The Nagus" is the 11th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

"The Siege" is the 23rd episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It is the third in a three-part story arc, and the third episode of the second season.

"Treachery, Faith, and the Great River" is the 156th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the sixth episode of the seventh season. It was first aired the week of November 2, 1998. The teleplay was written by David Weddle and Bradley Thompson, based on a story by Philip Kim, and directed by Steve Posey. When it was aired on television in November 1998, the episode received Nielsen ratings of 4.8 points corresponding to over 4.7 million viewers.

"The Siege of AR-558" is the 158th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the eighth episode of the seventh season, first aired the week of November 16, 1998. It was written by Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler, and directed by Winrich Kolbe.

"Take Me Out to the Holosuite" is the 154th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the fourth episode of the seventh season. This episode was written by Ronald D. Moore and directed by Chip Chalmers.

"Profit and Lace" is the 147th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 23rd episode of the sixth season. It was first broadcast on May 11, 1998.

"It's Only a Paper Moon" is the 160th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the tenth episode of the seventh season. Directed by Anson Williams, the episode was written by Ronald D. Moore and based on a pitch by David Mack and John J. Ordover, who had previously written "Starship Down" from season 4.

"The Dogs of War" is the 174th and penultimate episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 24th of the seventh season. It is the eighth of the nine-episode story arc concluding the series. This episode was written by René Echevarria and Ronald D. Moore, based on a story by Peter Allan Fields, and was directed by Avery Brooks, who also played the role of Captain Benjamin Sisko.

"Heart of Stone" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and originally aired on February 6, 1995 in broadcast syndication. The story was written by Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe, while the episode was directed by Alexander Singer and the score was created by David Bell.

"Little Green Men" is the 80th episode of the American syndicated science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the eighth episode of the fourth season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep Space Nine (fictional space station)</span> Fictional space station in Star Trek

Deep Space Nine is a fictional space station, the eponymous primary setting of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine which aired from 1993 to 1999. It serves as a base for the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran wormhole and is a hub of trade and travel for the sector's denizens. It is run by a joint crew of Starfleet and Bajoran officers and it is the home port of a number of Starfleet runabouts, as well as the starship USS Defiant.

References

  1. ↑ Haring, Bruce (2019-09-22). "Aron Eisenberg Dies: Actor Who Played "Nog" On 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' Was 50". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  2. ↑ "Episode Die Trying". Startrek Discovery. Season 3 (Episode 5). 2020-11-12.
  3. 1 2 "Star Trek: Discovery Pays Tribute to Late Deep Space Nine Star Aron Eisenberg". comicbook.com. Season 3 (Episode 5). 2020-11-12.
  4. ↑ Couch, Aaron; McMillan, Graeme (2016-09-22). "'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' — The 20 Greatest Episodes". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media, LLC. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
  5. ↑ Couch, Aaron; McMillan, Graeme (2016-09-08). "'Star Trek': 100 Greatest Episodes". Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media, LLC.
  6. ↑ Handlen, Zack (March 6, 2014). ""It's Only a Paper Moon"/"Prodigal Daughter"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Star Trek: 10 Best Nog Episodes, Ranked". ScreenRant. 2019-09-29. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  8. 1 2 Worthington, Clint (2019-09-23). "I'll be seeing you: How Aron Eisenberg's Nog became one of Trek's most aspirational characters". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  9. ↑ McMillan, Graeme (2016-09-05). "Star Trek's 100 Most Important Crew Members, Ranked". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 2019-03-20.
  10. ↑ Hall, Richard A. (2021). "Grand Nagus/Ferengi". The American Villain: Encyclopedia of Bad Guys in Comics, Film, and Television. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. pp. 173–174. ISBN   978-1-4408-6987-7.
  11. ↑ Artemis Moshtaghian (2019-09-22). "'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' actor Aron Eisenberg dies at age 50". CNN. Retrieved 2021-06-01.

Further reading

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