Aron Eisenberg, an actor best known for his role as Nog on
Star Trek Deep Space Nine has passed away suddenly at age 50.
It was announced via the social media page for his podcast,
7th Rule, that he had been rushed into hospital. A few hours later his wife, Marissa Longo, announced that he had passed away on her Facebook page.
'It is with extreme regret and sadness to announce that my love and best friend, Aron Eisenberg, passed away earlier today. He was an intelligent, humble, funny, emphatic soul. He sought to live his life with integrity and truth. He was so driven to put the best he had into whatever work was put before him. He lived his life with such vigor and passion. He was like a breath of fresh air, because I knew I would always hear the truth from him. Even if I didn't want to hear it and even if the truth was inconvenient. He made me (and still makes me) want to be the best human I can possibly be, because he always strove to be the best human he could be. His resilience and willingness to learn was and is an inspiration. We didn't officially announce that we had eloped on December 28th, 2018. We were hoping to have a big shindig in celebration of our nuptials, but had to wait to save up the money.
While, our marriage, on paper, was a short one. Our hearts had been married for far longer. I will be forever thankful for the time we had to love each other. Five years felt like a lifetime, in the best possible ways. There will never be another light like Aron's. The beauty that he was and the legacy he leaves behind is beyond words. I love him dearly and will miss him eternally. At the moment I'm not sure how to do life without him... He is and always will be My California.'
Aron was rushed into hospital on September 21st in critical condition due to kidney failure, and passed away soon after. He had suffered with kidney difficulties throughout his life, and was only born with one. He received a kidney transplant at the age of 17, but these difficulties limited his growth to 5 feet. In August 2015 he was once again diagnosed with kidney failure. Thankfully, he was only on the waiting list for a transplant for just four months as a friend of his, Beth Bernstein, offered him one of her kidneys.
'She is just so incredibly selfless to give to me like this,' he told StarTrek.com following his recovery, 'that words cannot express my gratitude to her.'
Aron will be best remembered for his role as Nog, a young Ferengi that lived on Deep Space 9. Originally introduced as as the son of recurring character Rom, and nephew of regular character Quark, he was originally treated as a comic relief character; as many Ferengi were. Due to his chemistry with Cirroc Lofton, who played Jake Sisko, he was asked back multiple times.
Nog eventually went on to become a Starfleet officer, the first Ferengi to do so. During the course of the Dominion War story line he was shown battling on the front-lines, and lost a leg in combat. This led to a story line that dealt with him having to live with PTSD following his injury, one of the few Star Trek episodes that explored the emotional damage that combat can have upon veterans.
'It's Only A Paper Moon', the episode in which he had to deal with his loss is regularly featured in lists of the best ever Star Trek episodes, and Aron received praise from a number of real life veterans for his portrayal in the episode.
Members of the Star Trek community, and Arons friends and colleagues have begun to express their sadness online at his passing.
I remember watching
Star Trek Deep Space Nine when it first aired, and falling in love with the character of Nog even then. Nog went from a throwaway character to having one of the best story arcs of any Star Trek character. He was a thief and a liar, but ended up becoming a loyal, brave, and kind man. He took what the writers and fans thought a Ferengi was and threw it on its head, showing that it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, you can strive to become something greater than what you are. Aron brought so much strength and compassion to the role that no one else could have played it half as well.
I recently introduced my wife to the series, and she, like me, has gone on to fall in love with his character. We woke up to the news of Aron's passing this morning and the two of us cried at the news. Star Trek has lost one of its brightest stars, and the world has lost a kind and loving actor and human being.
My thoughts are with his family and friends, and all of his fans during this difficult time. Rest in peace Aron. You'll always be Captain Nog in our hearts.
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