DS9 Had Starfleet’s Greatest Cadet 800 Years Before Star Trek’s Next Show

Although they're set 800 years apart, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's greatest cadet casts a long shadow over Paramount+'s upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy show. Set in the 32nd century timeline introduced by Star Trek: Discovery, the spinoff will center on the first group of prospective cadets in almost a century, as Starfleet Academy opens its doors for the first time since the Burn. It seems that Paramount is putting a lot into Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, from the casting of Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti to the announcement that the Starfleet Academy location is Star Trek's biggest-ever set.

Set 800 years after the events of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the new show will introduce a brand-new generation of cadets, eager to make their mark on Starfleet history. Nobody knows that struggle better than Star Trek: DS9 character, Lt. Nog (Aron Eisenberg). Nog was the first Ferengi to join Starfleet Academy, and Star Trek: Discovery has already established that Nog's made a lasting impact on the 32nd century, as he has a starship named after him. This makes DS9's beloved Ferengi officer a tough act to follow for the young cadets in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Nog Was Starfleet Academy’s Greatest Cadet

Nog had a meteoric rise through Starfleet's ranks.

Obviously, Star Trek legends like Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) were great cadets, but audiences never got to experience their Starfleet Academy journeys in a substantial way. In Star Trek: DS9, the audience was present for every important step of Nog's journey from Starfleet Academy cadet to serving officer. From trying to convince Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) to write him a letter of recommendation in "Heart of Stone", to his horrific injury and struggles with PTSD in "It's Only a Paper Moon", viewers saw how much Nog put into becoming a Starfleet officer.

It's also worth pointing out that, as members of the United Federation of Planets, Kirk and Picard had an easier application process than Nog. As a Ferengi, Nog had to work twice as hard to be accepted by an institution that still had prejudicial attitudes toward his species. An earlier fight between Sisko and Quark (Armin Shimerman) highlighted how much the Federation looks down on the Ferengi. When Nog first approached Sisko for a letter of recommendation, he was met with that same prejudice from Sisko and Lt. Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell), but proved them both wrong.

Why Starfleet’s First Ferengi Adapted To The Academy So Well

Where most Ferengi were driven by profit, Nog had the lobes for something much bigger. That's ultimately why he was so suited to Starfleet Academy, as he was something of an outlier in his own family. The criminality he indulged in during the early days of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was simply a young man trying to follow the family business but finding it lacking. At Starfleet Academy, Nog found the discipline and, crucially, the sense of meaning that he'd never been able to find while working in Quark's Bar.

Nog was also keen to avoid the mistakes of his father, Rom (Max Grodénchik), which also kept him focused on his studies and future career. And it was a hell of a career, as Nog rose through Starfleet Academy to become one of the many heroes of the Federation's war against the Dominion. Of all the Starfleet Academy cadets seen in Star Trek so far, Nog was the least likely to succeed, but that's what made him such a great fit for the institution. By working hard to prove everyone wrong, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Nog became a truly great Starfleet officer, whose impact is still felt 800 years in his future.