Tag: television

Nog from DS9 and Jimmy from BCS

Nog and Jimmy are two sides of the same coin. Both are natural negotiators, gifted with the instinct for tuning into someone’s needs and selling them what they didn’t realize they needed. They are self-driven and hard-working members of their communities with singular ambition, a desire to achieve more than their forebears. They are both motivated by seeing their fathers struggle and fail in a game that they were never interested in playing. They’ve witnessed how the injustices of an uncaring universe can crush the spirit of people with good intentions and too forgiving a nature. And unlike their peers and mentors, they have both become experts in the rules of their systems and are willing to bend the rules to varying degrees in order to achieve their goals.

The difference between Nog and Jimmy is that Nog was loved and supported not just by his family, but by the extended community around him. Nog made mistakes and was given the opportunity to correct his course, an opportunity which Jimmy may have also received but ultimately squandered. While Nog’s father was always supportive and proud of him, Jimmy’s brother faded out of his life, and when Jimmy’s circumstances led him to ask for his brother’s help he was only permitted to be part of his brother’s life as a subservient participant, precisely the role their father played and which Jimmy loathed. So Jimmy, desperate for his brother’s support and approval, put in the work and achieved his ambition, only to see his brother continue to reject him for bending the rules too much and failing to meet his expectations. Nog’s way of doing things within his organization was sometimes more flexible than they were comfortable with, but the trust of his peers and his father was never in question.

All of which is to say that I like the character of Nog, I have from the first time I watched Star Trek Deep Space Nine. His journey over the course of that series is my favorite aspect of the show. Watching Better Call Saul, I see those same traits, of someone who perhaps isn’t naturally suited for the role but strives to improve and really wants to do something more than what he’s been led to believe is his limit. But I know, both from that character’s actions as a tertiary figure in Breaking Bad and his protagonist turn in BCS, that this is not a person I can root for. But I wonder when I took that turn, as the viewer, to decide to support Nog and condemn Jimmy. While there are signs (and much supporting material in the ST literary universe) that Nog will ultimately turn out to be a well-respected captain and leader, how did he get there? What mistakes might he have made on the road to his ambitions? Why is one character more deserving than the other? I wonder.

I’ll end with some key monologues from each character. Something to ponder after my umpteenth rewatch of Deep Space Nine and in the waning days of Better Call Saul.

Nog explains his reason for wanting to join Starfleet in “Heart of Stone”:

My father is a mechanical genius. He could’ve been Chief Engineer of a starship if he’d had the opportunity. But he went into business, like a good Ferengi. The only thing is, he’s not a good Ferengi, not when it comes to acquiring profit. So now all he has to live for is the slim chance that someday, somehow, he might be able to take over my uncle’s bar. Well, I’m not going to make the same mistake. I want to do something with my life. Something worthwhile. … I may not have an instinct for business, but I have my father’s hands and my uncle’s tenacity. I know I’ve got something to offer… I just need the chance to prove it.

And Jimmy explains why he deserves to be reinstated as a laywer in “Wiedersehen”:

Listen, growing up… becoming a lawyer was the last thing on my mind. Even if I wanted to, I didn’t have the smarts or the skills… or the “stick-to-it-iveness.” But I happened to get a job with some attorneys… and I couldn’t help but think, “Maybe I could do that?” And something inside me made me wanna try.

Now, listen: my diploma says the University of American Samoa Law School. And that’s exactly what it sounds like, that’s a correspondence school. I wish it said Georgetown… or Northwestern. But UAS was the only one that would take me. Because, let me tell you, I wasn’t a natural. I mean, the classes, the studying, trying to pass the bar? Practically killed me. I must have quit 10 or 12 times… but I kept coming back to it. And I’m really glad I did. Because when I got to work with actual clients… there was nothing else like it. Our legal system is complicated, and sometimes it could feel capricious… but it’s the closest thing to real justice that we’ve got. And for it to work, it needs vigorous, passionate advocates. Helping my clients, you know… arguing on their behalf… that’s the best thing I’ve ever done. And this past year… I’ve missed the hell out of it.