Red Squad, the elite Starfleet Academy cadets inStar Trek: Deep Space Nine, were so much worse than theirStar Trek: The Next Generationcounterparts, Nova Squadron. InStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 5, episode 19, “The First Duty”,Nova Squadron members are investigated after attempting the dangerous Kolvoord Starburst maneuver that results in the death of their teammate, Joshua Albert. Nicholas Locarno (Robert Duncan McNeill) pushes Nova Squadron membersWesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton), Sito Jaxa (Shannon Fill), and Jean Hajar (Walker Brandt), to cover up their involvement, and the fact the maneuver had been Locarno’s idea.
Although Nova Squadron disbanded after Wesley came clean about Josh’s death,Red Squad takes Nova Squadron’s place inStar Trek: Deep Space Nine’s season 4 2-parter, “Homefront” and “Paradise Lost”.Starfleet Academy’s Red Squadis enlisted by Admiral Leyton (Robert Foxworth) to sabotage Earth’s power grid, enabling Leyton to enact martial law. Leyton resigns, but Red Squad returns inDS9season 6, episode 22, “Valiant”. Red Squad’s Cadet Tim Watters (Paul Popowich) takes command of theDefiant Class USS Valiantafter its ranking officers are killed. As captain, Watters takes on the Dominion, which destroys the Valiant and kills nearly everyone aboard.
Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Nova Squadron’s belief that they were capable of executing a banned maneuver killed only one Cadet, butStar Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Red Squad was responsible for far more deaths. Admiral Leyton’s special treatment of Red Squad made them unquestionably loyal to him.In “Valiant”, Red Squad—and Captain Watters in particular—internalized the insidious effects of Leyton’s manipulation.Because Watters truly believed they could take on the Dominion as Cadets, Red Squad’s hubris kills everyone except Ensign Nog (Aron Eisenberg), Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton), and Cadet Dorian Collins (Ashley Brianne McDonogh).
Ashley Brianne McDonogh
Chief Petty Officer
Red Squad reaffirmed that Starfleet Academy having a squadron of elite cadets is a bad idea in the first place. Nova Squadron ostensibly existed to recognize cadets who excelled as pilots, but Red Squad was only elevated to help Leyton’s Starfleet coup. In both cases, it was easy for arogue Starfleet Admiraland the squadrons' leaders to manipulate impressionable teenage cadets into becoming accomplices. Wesley Crusher proved that Nova Squadron still had integrity, butWatters' bad leadership on the USS Valiant proved Red Squad didn’t have the emotional intelligence to responsibly use the power that came with their status.
Nova Squadron’s Nick Locarno Became A Star Trek Super Villain
Locarno’s Persistent Belief In His Superiority Was Fueled By Misremembered Glory Days
Nova Squadron’s leader, Nick Locarno, returned as aStar Treksupervillain inStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 4. Years after being dismissed from Starfleet Academy,Nick Locarno’s hubris grew into a full-blown delusion that he’d always been better than everyone. Locarno got revenge on Starfleet by assembling Nova Fleet, an independent fleet of disillusioned recruits and stolen starships. During Locarno’s recruitment broadcast, Lieutenant Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) pointed out that the basis of Nick’s whole plan was entirely inaccurate; Locarno, not Starfleet, was responsible for Josh’s death. Nova Fleet turned on Locarno, who perished in a Genesis Device explosion.
Star Trek: Lower Decksseason 2, episode 6, “The Spy Humongous”, parodied groups like Nova Squadron and Red Squad with the USS Cerritos' own club of self-styled elite ensigns, the Redshirts. The Redshirts' favored activity of pretending to be captains prevented them from actually getting real work done.
Nick Locarno’s return as a villainprovides further evidence that elitism has no place in Starfleet becauseNick’s misplaced belief in his own superiority contrasts so strongly withStar Trek: Lower Decks' message that success isn’t about being elite.Lower Decksupholds the Federation ideals of inclusiveness simply by being aStar Trekshow about a Starfleet support ship. The USS Cerritos and its lower decker crew matter because Starfleet needs competent people at all levels of its hierarchy to function. Starfleet works best when supporting cadets and officers to be their best selves, not artificially elevating them as elites.
Hopefully,Star Trek: Starfleet Academywon’t have an elite cadet team like Red Squad or Nova Squadron, butStar Trekhistory tends to repeat itself, as evidenced by Red Squad taking Nova Squadron’s place inDS9.Nova Squadron also reappeared inStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2, with a whole new crop of cadets taking on the legacy name,almost 20 years after the previous Nova Squadron’s fatal accident. Maj’el (Michaela Dietz), Zeph (Sunkrish Bala), and pinch-hitter Dal (Brett Gray) were actually noble examples ofStarfleet Cadets who redeemed Nova Squadron’s name, thanks to Captain Chakotay’s (Robert Beltran) guidance.
Should Star Trek’s New Starfleet Academy Show Have A Nova Squadron?
Will Star Trek’s new show have its own 32nd century answer to TNG’s Nova Squadron, or does such elitism go against Starfleet Academy’s core values?
The elitism that harmed the earlier Nova Squadron and Red Squad was solved inStar Trek:Prodigybecause Captain Chakotay was a kind and competent leader who encouraged the 2384 Nova Squadron to include newcomer Dal. As alegacy character inStarfleet Academy,Star Trek: Discovery’sLieutenant Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) would almost certainly impart similar compassionate guidance to any elite squad inStar Trek: Starfleet Academy.If a new Red Squad or Nova Squadron is taught that leadership is a service rather than a status symbol, the deadly mistakes Red Squad made inStar Trek: Deep Space Ninewon’t be repeated.
