Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was a real departure for the franchise as beforehand, the series had a focus on exploration, with TOS and TNG following more or less the same path of the crew of a ship encountering a new situation and having to solve it every week. But with DS9, which was set on a space station situated at a strategic location, the franchise got a little bit more complicated.
While we still got episodes that took on the usual Trek template of exploration, there were also storylines examining interstellar trade, political maneuvering and the morality of the Federation. Though a definite change of pace for the franchise, it was fantastic and has gone down in history as not only one of the greatest Star Trek shows of all-time, but one of the greatest shows, period.
Of course, a lot of that was due to its extremely talented and likeable cast as well, and one particular fan favorite was Aron Eisenberg, who played Nog, the first Ferengi to join Starfleet. Which brings us to today’s story.
A few hours ago, the actor’s wife took to Facebook to share the heartbreaking news that her husband had passed away at the age of 50. The cause of death is still unknown, but here’s what she had to share:
“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.”
Of course, fans will know that Eisenberg was heavily involved in the show, starring on it from 1993-1999 and appearing in almost 50 episodes. Aside from just Deep Space Nine, though, he was also in countless other television series and movies and was also a professional photographer, shooting events and portraits in his spare time.
Again, the cause of death is still unknown, but Eisenberg was born with a single, partially-functioning kidney and had undergone several transplants over his lifetime.
At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with Aron Eisenberg’s friends and family and the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine actor will be deeply missed.