Star Trek: Deep Space Nine created and introduced many fantastic new characters to the world. From men like Benjamin Sisko, to women like Kria Nerys, to stylish Cardassian spies like Elim Garek, and even the scheming Ferengi Quark, Deep Space Nine was so impressive in its ability to create and explore dynamic characters.
One character that fans particularly enjoyed was the young Ferengi and nephew of Quark, Nog. The son of Rom, Nog followed in his uncle’s footsteps for a long time. Nog was a schemer just like his uncle, and his friendship with the young Jake Sisco helped open the young man’s mind and show him the endless possibilities that could be available to him.
This led to him becoming the first Ferengi to join Starfleet. In addition, he played a key role in the Dominion War, serving aboard both Deep Space Nine and its companion ship, the Defiant. In later Expanded Universe stories, it is revealed that Nog was not just any member of Starfleet, but one of the best engineers in the entire Federation.
He follows his mentor Miles O’Brien. Since Star Trek continues to expand the story of its franchise through a variety of new approaches, films, animated series and the like, it would be great to see Nog further developed as a character in an animated sequel to Deep Space Nine or simply a series that features Nog at some point in the future as he grows up.
Unfortunately, the people at Star Trek will have to recast him to do this. The man who played Nog so brilliantly, Aron Eisenberg, has since passed away, making it impossible for the same actor to bring Nog back. While things like AI exist, the suggestion that Star Trek should do this to bring Nog back seems hollow and even shabby.
The only real option is to recast him. Nog is a great character, but he was only so great because Eisenberg was able to breathe life into him. Sure, someone else can probably do the same, but will Star Trek executives be patient enough to find the perfect successor to Eisenberg?
It’s a risk that fans may wholeheartedly reject, so for now, perhaps it’s best to keep the focus on Nog in comics and books until the time comes when a story needs to be written featuring Nog, and then we can revisit the question.
