Nog’s Leg

Story: It's Only a Paper Moon
Written By: David Mack & John J. Ordover
Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Year: 1998

Nog returns to the station having received a new leg and some therapy, but he is not the same person he was before AR-558. He is gloomy and is walking with a cane. He listens to the song Bashir played during the Siege constantly, to the point that Jake tells him if he wants to hear it he has to go the holosuite. He does.
To pick his form of therapy he decides to spend it with Vic. It is a unique episode, as it focuses almost entirely on two recurring characters, and barely any of the regulars. So Nog lives with Vic, and he slowly uses the cane less and less and starts enjoying himself, while Vic starts to see what it is to have a life…he was never on more than 6 hours before, now he’s living for weeks. But Ezri (in a role which showcases her abilities as a counselor and actually doesn’t seem like she is too bad of an actress either) sees a problem. He has to leave sometime, and Vic is beginning to enjoy this new life and doesn’t really want to see the kid go.

Luckily Vic is smart, and he realizes after talking to Ezri that he has to put an end to it. He turns himself off, forcing Nog to face reality, because Vic can turn himself off and stay off. Finally Vic talks to Nog one last time, and he faces his real problem: he is scared. It is the best acting Eisenberg ever gave in the show, a really great performance. I think that the idea of the eager young soldier who actually gets hit and gets a whole new perspective is a lot like real young soldiers in war. Great scene.

For helping him return to life, Nog makes an arrangement with Quark to keep Vic running 26 hours a day, a pretty solid repayment for what he did for the young officer.

NEXT TIME: You Can’t Go Home Again