
Goodbye Aron Eisenberg:( — aka Nog (DS9) - LyalinDotCom
https://twitter.com/malissa_longo/status/1175620223023628288
======
aibara
He was definitely one of the actors that made Deep Space Nine's world so
compelling, despite not being one of the main cast. All the more true since he
had to add depth to a race, the Ferengi, who before the series were totally
one-note.

The recently released DS9 documentary, What We Left Behind (which is great)
has some interesting bits with Aron, notably on the reactions to the episode
(It's Only a Paper Moon) where Nog had to deal with the psychological impact
of being wounded in combat. He was wounded in a previous episode, so the
follow up was very un-Star Trek in that it didn't portray everything as being
perfect right after. Apparently it hit home for a lot of veterans. He did a
great job in the role.

R.I.P.

~~~
generj
It's Only A Paper Moon is one of my favorite episodes of DS9. I hadn't heard
of What We Left Behind, and am looking forward to watching it.

The interplay between Nog and Vic makes Paper Moon compelling. Both Nog and
Vic gain life within the holosuite. Vic's existence was normally was suspended
when the crew finished hanging out with him. Despite all his wisdom, he is
only skin deep. With Nog running the holosuite constantly, Vic experiences
more of human life [0].

Meanwhile Nog stays in the holosuite because "If I stay here, at least I know
what the future is going to be like." As Nog gains more confidence he starts
treating the holoprogram as his reality, and he seeks to improve it with more
risky ventures like opening another casino, etc. He stops knowing exactly what
will happen in the holosuite.

Vic becomes real, while Nog invests reality into fantasty. Eventually Vic
sacrifices his enhanced reality to return Nog to a normal life, where there is
real risk but also real rewards.

[0] Since you've been here, I've slept in a bed every night, gone to work
every day, had time to read the paper, play cards with the boys - I've had a
life. And I have to tell you, it's a precious thing. I had no idea how much it
means to just... live. And now I'm gonna return the favor, and give you your
life back.

------
knolan
I recently rewatched DS9.

Nog’s character is one of the more notable ones because the Ferengi are often
used as a form of comic relief in the series.

His development from an obnoxious teenager rebelling against his culture and
befriending Jake and later embracing a military career and the family conflict
that entailed was interesting but his later development was was most
compelling.

His conflict when dealing with the illegal actions of Red Squad, his almost
fanatical loyalty to Captain Sisko were all built upon this initial
development. Then we get his Catch 22 moment where he embraces his culture and
his new life in a wonderful bit of comic relief which leads us to be
blindsided by his decent into despair following his injury.

One of the best character arcs in Trek.

~~~
bane
DS9 has some of the best written character arcs of any show in memory. The
long list of truly dimensional characters who wrestle with all sorts of
things, and the story around their growth or descent is fantastic. Further
added to the way that some of the main characters pull their respective
peoples onto various sides and even their "nations" seem to breath more than
in almost any other series.

While the Ferengi episodes were often semi-comedic, the show also fleshed them
out and (dare I say) humanized many of the recurring characters as
interesting, sympathetic, and complex -- challenging viewers to think deeper
about superficial archetypes.

~~~
DonHopkins
Vedek Winn Adami always drove me coo-coo with her demeaning power-hungry
mother superior attitude, always dismissively calling people "child", while
lying and manipulating people in her unquenchable quest for power, that led to
her ultimate fate.

Then I finally realized why she is such a contemptible character who drove me
so totally mad that I wanted to strangle her: she's played by Louise Fletcher,
aka Nurse Mildred Ratched in One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest! But I feel much
better now that I have my lobotomy.

[https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Winn_Adami](https://memory-
alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Winn_Adami)

[https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Louise_Fletcher](https://memory-
alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Louise_Fletcher)

------
ianai
I really miss the optimism of Star Trek. His character, Nog, almost lived in
miniature the point of the whole story. That technology does have the ability
to reinforce people’s better angels. Stark contrast with scifi of today being
largely dystopian. Blows my mind that Aron was 50. I’ll always remember the
optimistic young man in the series. Sounds like he was a genuinely good
person.

Yep, I’m tearing up!

------
dayofthedaleks
Aron Eisenberg stands among Jeffrey Combs, Louise Fletcher, and Andrew
Robinson by having taken a 'minor' role and imbuing it with richness past what
the writers gave. He was an artist who went all-in on his craft and left a
lasting legacy. Beyond that, he was always open-hearted while interacting with
fandom.

Aron Eisenberg was a treasure. He will be missed. My only regret he didn't get
more roles worthy of his talents.

------
cpeterso
I would have liked to see a spin-off show about Nog's years at Starfleet
Academy. There could have been so much comedic and dramatic potential as the
first Ferengi in the Academy.

Aron and I had the same birthday so I would wish him happy birthday each year
when he announced his birthday on Twitter. He would always reciprocate kindly.
:) He mentioned that he had pushed for a continuation of Nog's storyline like
my suggestion, but it never got traction..

DS9 is my favorite Star Trek because of the diverse cast of characters like
Nog and the focus of the characters' stories in the larger story arcs.

~~~
bane
Fans have been screaming for decades for a Starfleet Academy show. I think it
could really breathe new life into the franchise and bring new blood in who
could potentially carry parts of the franchise for a long time.

Instead we get a highly produced but virtually incomprehensible new series.

------
lokl
I had the feeling when watching DS9 that the role of Nog became greater and
more complex than originally planned because of the high caliber of
Eisenberg's acting. I don't have evidence to support this, but perhaps someone
here knows more. Regardless, I thought his was among the best acting in the
show.

~~~
aibara
I can't remember if Nog was addressed directly, but in the recent DS9
documentary Ronald D. Moore (one of the show's writers who later went on the
make the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica) commented that there were several
minor characters that the writers really liked and, therefore, kept thinking
of new stories for them. That actors like Eisenberg portrayed the characters
and imbued their roles, especially at first, with such personality definitely
resulted in the writers bringing them back and giving them interesting arcs.

The most blatant example of this was Jeffery Combs and his portrayal of
Weyoun, a character who died at the end of the episode where he was
introduced. They then invented the backstory of his race being all clones just
so they could bring him back.

~~~
lokl
Thanks, this is good to hear.

------
netsharc
To save you the google lookup, he played Nog the Ferengi in Star Trek: Deep
Space Nine.

~~~
amelius
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nog_(Star_Trek)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nog_\(Star_Trek\))

------
dghughes
Aron was quite active on Twitter. I never realized he was born with one kidney
and had two transplants.

I believe he was working on a film that hasn't been completed yet. And he and
Cirroc Lofton (DS9 "Jake Sisko") had a podcast The 7th Rule (as in Ferengi
rules of acquisition).

------
sgt
That's very sad. As a huge Star Trek fan, I remember Nog very well.

------
photonios
Thank you Aron for the many hours of enjoyment that I got out of your
character in DS9. Here's to more of those hours! Just started rewatching DS9
for the fourth time.

------
RickJWagner
Rest in Peace, Nog.

I mentioned to my wife, wondered if Rahm and Quark would show up for the
funeral in costume. She said it sounded insane, but I liked the idea.

------
LyalinDotCom
A life ended too early. Thank you Aron for your inspiring work, love for the
fans and being the great person you were.

------
person_of_color
A really great show. Subtle hues of the best bits of BSG.

------
coding123
Sad he will be missed. May he rest in peace.

------
amos19870630
Malissa, my heart is with you and the rest of Aron's family. I am truly sorry
to hear this sad news.

------
buyingarmor
Thank you Aron for everything

[https://imgur.com/a/3tFIdOY](https://imgur.com/a/3tFIdOY)

~~~
sgt
This is a photo of Nog:

[http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/21300000/Nog-
ferengi-...](http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/21300000/Nog-
ferengi-21318964-635-731.jpg)

~~~
furgooswft13
And here's Nog at the end of the show:
[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/b/b2/...](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/b/b2/Nog%2C_2375.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20151219154106&path-
prefix=en)

Quite the character arc he had.

