“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” is unique in the “Star Trek” canon for many reasons, including the size of its ensemble. In 1966, only three of the actors from the original series were credited as leads (William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley). In 1987, “Star Trek: The Next Generation” had a cast of seven people in fairly good health, all sharing the headliner. While “Deep Space Nine” only had eight of its cast members listed above the line, the series was so ambitious and expansive that it ended up with more than two dozen main characters.
Nog (the late Aron Eisenberg) is a good example. Nog, a Ferengi, was introduced in the “Deep Space Nine” pilot as the irascible, troublemaking nephew of Quark (Armin Shimerman), a bar owner and legitimate criminal. Nog eventually becomes best friends with Jake (Cirroc Lofton), the son of space station commander Ben Sisko (Avery Brooks). Over the course of the series, Nog will grow up, become the first Ferengi to become a Starfleet officer, lose a limb in combat (!), and learn important lessons about trauma from a 1960s holographic lounge singer.
In a 2018 oral history for Syfy, Eisenberg talked about the first time he auditioned to play Nog and how he was unexpectedly called out by Ron Surma, the show’s casting director. Eisenberg, you see, knew very little about “Star Trek” when he was informed about the role, so he didn’t yet know what a Ferengi was, how they behaved or the role they played in the larger “Star Trek” universe. Eisenberg was given some homework before the audition by Surma, and the actor revealed he was glad he did. But Surma asked him a trick question by asking him what species he was playing.
Deep Space Nine’s casting director asked Aron Eisenberg about the species he was going to play during his audition.
To give some context: the Ferengi were first introduced in “Next Generation” as an antagonistic alien species, but eventually transformed into semi-comic imps. The Ferengi still operated in an outdated capitalist society, with their politics and religion focused entirely on the acquisition of wealth. Some further context for the story below: Another “Deep Space Nine” character, Dax (Terry Farrell) belonged to a species called the Trill, a race of people who sometimes had hyperintelligent, long-lived worm-like beings surgically implanted in their abdomens. The Trill host’s personality would merge with its symbiote.
When Eisenberg went to audition for Nog, he knew it was going to be huge. “Star Trek,” after all, was a major media franchise, and “Next Generation” was a huge success for Paramount. Eisenberg was eager to be part of something so lucrative, especially after learning he was auditioning for a recurring role; this wasn’t a one-episode wonder. But, as mentioned, Eisenberg knew nothing about “Star Trek” or its in-universe lore.
He remembered it like this:
“I walked in and met Ron Surma. I was lucky he was in my corner. I’m sure he probably gave the same to the other actors who auditioned because he’s an honest human being, but he brought me in and asked me, ‘Do you know what a Ferengi is?’ I said, “I have no idea.” And he gave me a VHS tape to go home and watch, and he also gave me the script so I could prepare and read the pilot. I went home and read the script. To all the other actors: if they give you a script, read it! »
Wise words.
Eisenberg got the role because he knew the difference between a Ferengi and a Trill.
Eisenberg was specifically given the “Next Generation” episode “The Last Outpost”, which featured the first appearance of the Ferengi. In this guise, the Ferengi looked much more like trolls, bending, hissing, and lashing people with high-tech whips. The episode gave Eisenberg a good introduction. But more importantly, Eisenberg was given an entire script to read. Not just his scenes, but the entire storyline. Eisenberg read the whole thing, which he said was a wise decision.
He sat in the audition room across from producer David Luvingston, Surma and several others, intimidated by the situation. But he was wise. As Eisenberg recalls:
“It was a short scene, and here’s why you should read the script: When I sat down, David Livingston, one of the producers and directors of the show, was sitting right across from me. He said, ‘So you have a worm in your body?’ And he said, “Good job. » It was good to read it, because I was able to not look like an idiot during the audition. It was a check in my box. Read the script, because you never know if they’re going to test you. »
Eisenberg passed the test. We wonder if other actors have failed the same test. Regardless, Eisenberg got the role and played Nog throughout the series, and it was because he knew the difference between a Ferengi and a Trill. Eisenberg died in 2019 at the age of 50. He is deeply mourned by Trekkies and friends around the world.
