Difference Between DS9's Red Squad & TNG's Nova Squadron Explained By Star Trek Executive Producer

Star Trek: Prodigy co-executive producer Aaron J. Waltke breaks down the difference between Nova Squadron from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Red Squad from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 introduces Maj'el (Michaela Dietz), a Vulcan Starfleet Academy cadet who is part of a new generation of Nova Squadron. Maj'el and Nova Squadron begin as rivals of Dal R'El (Brett Gray) and the young Starfleet hopefuls of the USS Protostar before the Vulcan becomes part of their crew.

Aaron J. Waltke joined Screen Rant for a deep dive into the Star Trek: lore in Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, and he explained why Starfleet Academy has both a Nova Squadron and a Red Squad, likening the elite cadets to Top Gun. Waltke also confirms the exact status of Maj'el within Starfleet Academy's Nova Squadron and why they start with animosity towards Dal R'El and his friends aboard the USS Voyager-A. Read Aaron's quote below:

So this is something that has kind of been alluded to in TNG, especially in “The First Duty,” and you see a little bit of it in Lower Decks. And then also, there's Deep Space Nine episodes like “Valiant” that deal with [Starfleet Academy] squads and that sort of thing. And I think the way that we viewed it was we likened it to be a little bit like Top Gun. Like, there's a little bit of a rivalry initially, between Iceman and Maverick. And you hate Iceman. But then, as the show goes on, you're like, ‘Oh, they're just pushing each other to be better.’ And in the end of Top Gun, Iceman comes around, and they help each other because ultimately, even though there's a friendly rivalry, they're all part of the same organization trying to make the world a better place. And that’s how we wrapped our heads around how you can have that kind of competitiveness in the utopian society.

In terms of Maj’el, and Grom, and Zeph’s place in [Nova Squadron], in the opening, you hear them referred to as Nova Squadron candidates. So I don't think this has ever been elucidated fully in Star Trek lore, but we kind of visualize them as a little bit like fraternities with specialized training. Nova Squadron tends to be more about sort of helping conn officers become their best selves, whereas Red Squad, I think, is more specifically about command or something to that effect. So in this case, they're candidates, so we viewed them a little bit as like pledges in a probationary period to join Nova Squadron. They want to prove themselves on this mission with Voyager in order to get fully accepted into it. And you're right, they do have the pips, the Academy pips, which means that they are, in fact, in Starfleet Academy, which kind of further solidifies in some ways that rivalry [with the Protostar kids]. They went the traditional route, they spent years training, got into the Academy, and I think Maj’el even has four pips. So she's pretty well along and is excelling. And then here come Janeway’s troublemakers who have hardly any experience beyond a little bit of prep training. And now they get to be on the ship and are sort of treated as teacher's pets.

And so, you understand there's a little bit of ‘How did they get in there?’ And I think we even had a scene that unfortunately was cut for time in the pilot, where they are playing Parrises squares against each other, and Nova Squadron just dominates, And then [Dal’s friends are] like,’You're being unfair’. And Maj’el says, ‘You are correct. This is unfair. Why did you get to jump to the front of the line when there are clearly far more qualified candidates to be on this mission?’ So it all comes from a place of logic wrapped up with the pressure to perform, and ego. But ultimately, as you see, as the season goes on, they kind of come together, and Dal gets to sub in for Grom in Nova Squadron. And they're like, ‘we all have something to teach each other.’ And that was where we wanted to go with that.

Star Trek: TNG's Nova Squadron & DS9's Red Squad Explained

Starfleet's elite cadets have caused a lot of trouble

Debuting in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5 (and seen again in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4), Nova Squadron was already in disgrace as they covered up the death of one of their classmates in an illegal flight maneuver. The concept of elite Starfleet cadets who behave badly continued in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, which introduced Red Squad. This new group of elite cadets joined Admiral Layton's (Robert Foxworth) coup attempt to take control of Earth. In DS9 season 7, Red Squad crewed the USS Valiant on a foolhardy mission against the Dominion that gets nearly all of the cadets killed.

The mistakes made by Nova Squadron and Red Squad happened many years earlier, and Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 goes a long way toward redeeming Nova Squadron. As Aaron J. Waltke explained it, Maj'el and her Nova Squadron team had a logical reason to resent Dal R'El and the USS Protostar's crew. But working together fostered understanding, friendship, and fierce loyalty - exhibiting the best traits of a Starfleet Officer. At the end of Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, Maj'el formally joins the crew of the new USS Prodigy, creating a new class of elite Starfleet cadets as a beacon of light to the galaxy.