10 Emotional Star Trek Moments That Made The Fans Cry

As we saw with O'Brien, Star Trek is always at its best when it tackles real world matters through the sci-fi prism. There are few finer examples of this than in another exploration of the effects of PTSD, this time as faced by Nog.

At the brutal Siege of AR-558, Nog experienced an acute trauma when he was shot during a Jem'Hadar surprise attack, the subsequent loss of his leg, and the difficulty of having to adjust to a bio-synthetic replacement. He has flashbacks, becomes withdrawn, angry, indifferent, and pain still manifests itself in his leg.

The most emotionally impactful moment of Nog's healing process comes towards the very end of the episode when Vic Fontaine shuts down the holosuite program in which the young Ferengi has taken refuge. As Nog begins to process his trauma, he opens up to Fontaine in a heart-wrenching speech that translates through the screen thanks to a sublime performance from Aron Eisenberg. For It's Only a Paper Moon, Eisenberg noted that he drew on his own experiences of going through dialysis as a teenager and the effect this had on his life.

Nog admits to Vic that the battle and his injury have left him scared of what the future may bring, afraid that death may be waiting around the corner. Convinced to face his fears, he leaves the artifice of the holosuite to re-join his family in the real world. Is he okay? No, but he will be!