Valiant
- Episode aired May 6, 1998
- TV-PG
- 46m
Jake and Nog's runabout come under attack from the Jem'Hadar, and are rescued by the Valiant, a ship manned by Red Squad, an elite group of young Starfleet cadets.Jake and Nog's runabout come under attack from the Jem'Hadar, and are rescued by the Valiant, a ship manned by Red Squad, an elite group of young Starfleet cadets.Jake and Nog's runabout come under attack from the Jem'Hadar, and are rescued by the Valiant, a ship manned by Red Squad, an elite group of young Starfleet cadets.
- Chief Miles O'Brien
- (credit only)
- Collins
- (as Ashley Brianne McDonogh)
- Parton
- (as Scott Hamm)
- Computer Voice
- (voice)
- Valiant Cadet
- (uncredited)
- Valiant Cadet
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIt has often been pointed out that Nog, a commissioned officer, outranked the entire cadet crew of the Valiant and should have assumed command when he arrived. Ronald D. Moore explained his rationale for the command structure in an AOL chat: "I decided to go with a somewhat older idea that a lawfully designated commanding officer cannot be removed from command except by someone of flag rank. (I'm over-simplifying this idea, but this is roughly the way that things worked in the 18th-19th century Royal Navy.) Captain Watters was given a valid commission and had held his command for eight months. It didn't seem like I was stretching things too far to allow him to continue in that role when Nog arrived - and remember that Nog was also commissioned as a young cadet who hadn't even been at the Academy for as long as Watters".
- GoofsWatters claims a battlefield commission, but his story later is that he took over when the actual commissioned officers were all killed. The death of a superior officer would only place him in command until a commissioned officer would arrive. As such, Nog, being commissioned already, should automatically become the ship's captain upon his arrival.
- Quotes
Nog: You gonna write a story about all this?
Jake Sisko: Probably.
Nog: What are you going to say?
Jake Sisko: What do you think I should say?
Nog: That it was a good ship, with a good crew, that made a mistake. We... let ourselves blindly follow Captain Watters, and he led us over a cliff.
Chief Dorian Collins: That's not true. Captain Watters was a great man.
Jake Sisko: Dorian, he got everyone killed.
Chief Dorian Collins: If he failed, it's because we failed him.
Nog: [to Jake] Put that in your story too. Let people read it, and decide for themselves.
[Nog gives Dorian his Red Squad insignia]
Nog: He may have been a hero. He may even have been a great man. But in the end, he was a bad captain.
- ConnectionsReferences Cheers (1982)
- SoundtracksStar Trek: Deep Space Nine - Main Title
(uncredited)
Written by Dennis McCarthy
Performed by Dennis McCarthy
I like the idea of group of fanatical cadets becoming like the Hitler Youth after being left to their own devices. This rings true with the way people behave, particularly when left unchecked.
The main problem is the premise of this happening in the Star Trek universe. You would think the cadets would have certain values instilled that prevented this type of lunacy. Starfleet seems to have way too many of these rogue commander types. I can forgive it when the episode is a very good one, but this one is not strong enough.
I am not particularly keen on the use of Nog in this one. Considering how cynical most Ferengi are portrayed, he falls for the death or glory stuff too easily. Jake is not used much better, particularly the 'Do you know who my Dad is?' moment. To me most characters (regular and guest) come across as annoying throughout a quite heavy-handed story.
I do not think it deserves some of the ridiculously low ratings given previously, as it is a solid production with interesting themes. When the writers take a story and characters in a direction I do not like, that does not make it bad, just not to my taste.
- snoozejonc
- Jun 30, 2023