DS9: Heart of Stone

[Ikiry0]

The Martok changeling was just using the Star Trek online HP system.

[Durandal_1707]

How many times have we seen phasers/disruptors/energy weapon thingies used against non-newb Changelings, though? As far as I can remember, it's just Martok Changeling and this episode, unless I'm missing one. So that's gotta be our reference.

[Yukaphile]

Well, Laas could turn into fire and even a spaceborne lifeform, so... I do think they might be onto something, that more learned Changelings would have more in-born durability.

[Rocketboy1313]

I imagine Nog and Wesley took different tests. Wesley, even by the standards of the 24th century, was considered a super genius. If even he had that much trouble with the standard entrance exam, then Starfleet would start having some major staffing issues. Wesley probably took a science focused test aimed at more advanced students that Starfleet would probably like to fast track to prominent postings. Nog probably took a more rank and file exam with an engineering focus.

Do they ever really explain what the exam is? Is it an aptitude test like an ASVAB or a GRE or is it more like a psyche and character profile?
Maybe the reason Wesley had issues with it is that while he has a capable mind he is also fickle and easily manipulated (you know, the character flaw that led to him leaving Star Fleet, and the one that nearly got him kicked out).

While being a kind person who wants to make the most of their genius is a good thing, it doesn't mean that he is focused or stalwart. They perhaps thought that he would better serve the Federation as one of the many civilian mad scientists we keep seeing. Like the guy who reignited the star on DS9's "Second Sight" or the guy who was working on making new continents that tried to recruit Picard in "Family".

And I would like to say I can see there being different types and levels of distress signals. There could be a "we're fine and have supplies to last awhile but could really use a lift" signal, there's the "we have injured people that need immediate medical aid" signal, there's the "we're ok but our supplies are running low and we're gonna be starving in a couple of days" signal, there's the "we're ok now but there is a potential threat from hostile forces wanting to kill us" signal, etc. People aren't just gonna be out there looking to answer distress calls, they have their own duties and responsibilities. When they get a distress signal they need to know if they can swing by and pick these people up when they're done with what they're doing, or if they need to drop everything and head there right now to save lives.

This is logical. Like Triage, ships and crews need to be given a priority based on immediacy of need.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

BlackoutCreature2 has a point on distress signals.

Also count me in the "twist worked the first time" camp. This is the one of the few episodes I remember from DS9's original run, when I was a we munchkin watching a show that I wasn't sure if it was star trek or not on my dad's bunny-ears TV.

[Beastro]

And even if, miraculously, Rom manages to make that stick, the fact is that he is an imbecile when it comes to business. And at the end of the day, the Nagus is the head of a society that is based on the worst that capitalism has to offer. If a phaser doesn't end up doing Rom in, then you can bet that Brunt or someone like Brunt is going to be watching like a hawk.

I'd like any Star Trek series that continues off from the Dominion War to have the Ferengi doing wonderfully, only for it to be revealed that Quark became Rom's Grey Eminence and is the force behind the Alliance's success that has skillfully balanced things to off set the chaos Rom's reforms inevitably unleashed.

That would then blend with the ironic fate of Quark, to be the greatest Ferengi of his age that helped prevent anarchy and civil war, but he fades into history forgotten. In a way I think it would be what he wanted in his desire to be the quintessential Ferengi.

1) Very true, but it's something. Similar to how after WWII, women left the kitchen in droves and never went back.

Which played into the widening scope of the economy that could no longer be fulfilled by just the male population. The World Wars were a prelude to what was to come given the extra demand placed upon men for mass service.

[Deledrius]

I like how what Sisko as Nog's competency test is something that should be right in any Ferengi that is worth his salt's wheelhouse, logistics management. Even so, I am still not sure how Nog, who had an indifferent attitude, at best, to scholarship passes an exam that a kid who accidently creates sentient nanites and pocket realities had problems with.

You can be highly intelligent and still completely fail at being a genius in school, precisely because you are so highly intelligent. Nothing in the story really hints at Nog being dumb, he's just bored with school and doesn't take it serious early on, which is something that many a bright people can attest to being the case.

Yeah, drive and motivation make all the difference here. He didn't care about Keiko's school, because it was teaching him all sorts of subjects not relevant to making profit and other silly Hoo-mon values and topics.

Once he had a reason two years later? We can see he has the drive and motivation now. It may be harder for him, but I suspect Starfleet has some top-notch study aides. They want people to be their possible selves.

[Fianna]

You're darn right Starfleet has top-notch study aides. In the TOS episode "The Changeling", Uhura's mind got erased, and they were able to educate her back up college level in a couple weeks' time.

[J!!]

I like how what Sisko as Nog's competency test is something that should be right in any Ferengi that is worth his salt's wheelhouse, logistics management. Even so, I am still not sure how Nog, who had an indifferent attitude, at best, to scholarship passes an exam that a kid who accidently creates sentient nanites and pocket realities had problems with.

I really don't think this was supposed to be taken as any sort of official test from Starfleet. I think it was just Sisko trying to guage how serious Nog really was about the whole thing. I.e. is he willing to put in the actual hard work, even when it's boring, or will he half-ass it & cut corners, or even take the opportunity to pocket something? Etc.



Personally, I've always really liked Nog's little speech about not wanting to end up like his father. I think it hilights something DS9 did a lot, which was to deconstruct certain elements from other startrek shows, particularly TNG.

In TNG, the ferengi were a pathetic joke of an antagonist, entirely defined by their 'hat' of being villainous capitalist stereotypes. DS9 then took that idea, and turned it around, showing the problem with that sort one-dimensional monoculture, by showing how much it sucks for individuals who don't fit into the 'hat' (#NotAllFerengi); both for men who didn't have the lobes for business, and for women who do. DS9 would even have ferengi being heroic on occasion, showing that they too had the capacity for self-improvement that startrek was supposed to be all about.

DS9 essentially salvaged the ferengi from being the one-note cretins that TNG introduced them as.

[J!!]

And even if, miraculously, Rom manages to make that stick, the fact is that he is an imbecile when it comes to business. And at the end of the day, the Nagus is the head of a society that is based on the worst that capitalism has to offer. If a phaser doesn't end up doing Rom in, then you can bet that Brunt or someone like Brunt is going to be watching like a hawk.

I'd like any Star Trek series that continues off from the Dominion War to have the Ferengi doing wonderfully, only for it to be revealed that Quark became Rom's Grey Eminence and is the force behind the Alliance's success that has skillfully balanced things to off set the chaos Rom's reforms inevitably unleashed.

That would then blend with the ironic fate of Quark, to be the greatest Ferengi of his age that helped prevent anarchy and civil war, but he fades into history forgotten. In a way I think it would be what he wanted in his desire to be the quintessential Ferengi.

Personally, I've always assumed that the entire reason Rom was selected was to be a puppet nagus, with his mother pulling his strings from behind the throne.