DS9 Flashback: Valiant

Long before there were Short Treks, there were episodes of previous Star Trek series that played almost like a Short Trek: one-off episodes built largely around new characters. "Valiant" is a "Nog episode" of Deep Space Nine, but plays more for me like a Short Treks installment in which a couple of Deep Space Nine characters play a minor role.

When Nog and Jake's runabout is attacked by Jem'Hadar, they're rescued by the Valiant, a Defiant-class ship crewed entirely by cadets of Red Squad. They've been on a months-long mission under radio silence, and have built their own command structure after the deaths of the officers supervising their training voyage. But where Nog is intoxicated to join the elite group he once admired at the Academy, Jake just sees the toxic: a dangerously arrogant crew about to take on more than it can handle.

"Valiant" is a story about what happens when the hubris of youth and the obedient structure of the military intersects with cultism. "Captain" Tim Watters is a charismatic and persuasive Koresh-type figure who knows exactly what to say to sound oh-so-reasonable, getting people to do whatever he says. He's fiercely territorial against anyone else able to provoke an emotional response within his "cult," as Jake does in his conversation with Collins. Watters is probably not aware of his own manipulations, and probably not doing it just for self-aggrandizement. (If he were actually that self-aware, perhaps he wouldn't be addicted to pills.) But there's room to wonder, though, and that's fun writing.

All throughout the episode, we're given evidence that while these cadets think highly of themselves, they're not the full-fledged Starfleet officers they imagine themselves to be. They cheer when they destroy enemy ships in battle. They don't have the practical experience to know which "rules" on a starship are really more "guidelines," as a Chief O'Brien knows. You definitely get the sense of this being the "cool clique" in high school, or a college frat -- a group of people who are peaking right now and would look back from middle-age (were they to live long enough) to wistfully remember this as the best time of their lives.

Nog, of course, latches onto this immediately. He wanted so badly to be one of these people two seasons ago. He is starved for a sense of belonging and maybe even for a taste of glory (though he has been in battle before). His is the big story arc of the episode, being drawn into a cult, then breaking free of it at the end to deliver the message: Watters was a good man, but a bad captain.

Beyond that, though, it really is the cadets' story, which is where I get the Short Treks vibes. There's the cult magnetism of Watters. Farris is a dedicated, hard-ass first officer determined to be the stick to Watters' carrot in every scenario. Collins is a soft-hearted acolyte who speaks beautifully of her home on the moon in one moment, but pushes that aside in the next to remain Watters' most deluded defender to the very end.

Besides mostly featuring new characters, the scenario here is different too, more Star Wars than Star Trek. The plan to attack the Jem'Hadar battleship has what I can only assume are intentional "Death Star run" vibes. (Or perhaps Kobayashi Maru vibes -- a test I assume these cadets probably haven't taken yet.) It's sometimes filmed differently, most notably in the cross-fading montage as the cadets prepare for battle. It's also rather un-Star Trek for the heroes to utterly fail in the end (though Deep Space Nine has dipped its toe in that water from time to time).

Jake's role in the story is pretty minor. He sees the trouble from the outset, but is outnumbered and unable to do anything about it. His is a more interesting story for a fan who has watched the whole series, though, considering his experiences in a war zone from last season. When Nog says he knows nothing about a soldier's life, that's simply untrue. Jake is really trying to keep these kids from repeating his mistake. Also adding to the sense of Jake as the only adult in the room: he towers over all the actors cast as cadets, his head almost scraping the ceiling of the cramped, submarine line Valiant corridors.

Other observations:

• Valiant was the name that writer Ronald D. Moore had wanted to give the Defiant back when it was introduced, but with Star Trek: Voyager around the corner, the V-name was shot down. He finally reused it here.

• The original draft of this episode was a Jake and Kira story, but Moore said it didn't work: "you couldn't believe that Kira wouldn't kick every one of their asses and take back the ship single-handedly."

• The episode opens with a typical "single scene to feature the other characters," in which Odo recognizes Quark's feelings for Dax. Given that Quark knew Odo's secret about Kira for some time, and was a real friend to him about it, this could have been a deeper moment. Instead, both Quark and the audience get a longing stare at Dax's butt.

• Early in the episode, Jake and Nog operate a runabout together as they flee the Jem'Hadar. They've come a long way since the second season finale, when they dismantled a runabout trying to pilot it.

• The helmsman of the Valiant is the cocky Red Squad cadet Sisko interviewed in "Paradise Lost."

• The crew of the Valiant is mostly human. (And mostly white; a mark of more biased time in TV casting, or a deliberate choice at the time to hint at Red Squad's attitudes?) But we do see a Vulcan in the mix, suggesting that Watters' charm could pierce even cold logic.

• It's a ruthless touch that the Jem'Hadar destroy all the Valiant escape pods they can. No survivors.

There is a lot to like in this episode, but it's not the strongest story for Nog -- and less strong still for any of the other characters we know and love. I give "Valiant" a B-.