En route to Ferenginar to deliver a message from Starfleet to the Grand Nagus, Jake and Nog are attacked by a Jem'Hadar vessel. When they are suddenly beamed aboard the U.S.S. Valiant, a Defiant-class warship, Nog recognizes the crew of young adults as Red Squad, an elite corps of Starfleet cadets. The 22-year-old captain, Tim Watters, explains that his crew, originally on a training mission, became trapped in Dominion space when the war broke out. All of the regular officers were killed, but before he died, the captain ordered Watters to assume command. With Starfleet unaware of the situation, Watters is trying to complete the Valiant's mission to gather data on a new Dominion battleship. Caught up in Watters's fervor, Nog agrees to join the crew as Chief Engineer.

Aron Eisenberg (Ensign Nog)
Paul Popowitch (Captain Tim Watters)
Courtney Peldon (Commander Karen Farris)
David Drew Gallagher (Lt. Riley Shepard)
Ashley Brianne McDonogh (Chief Dorian Collins)

• The U.S.S. Valiant NCC-74210 is a Defiant-class starship. Captain Ramirez was the captain of the Valiant. (Valiant was the working name for the starship until Defiant was decided on.)
  
• Acting Captain Watters made Nog Chief Engineer, and gave him a field promotion to Lt. Commander.
  
• When the Valiant collects data on the Dominion battleship, Watters decides that they should destroy it. When Jake tries to give Nog a ticket to the Reality Bus, Watters confines him to the brig.
  
• Watters decides to attempt to destroy the Dominion battleship. They fail and the Valiant is destroyed. Nog orders the crew to abandon ship, but only Jake, Nog, and Dorian make it.
  
• Starfleet Academy's Red Squad was first mentioned in season 4's "Paradise Lost". Cadet Riley Shepard also appeared in that episode.
  
• Even though there are now more Defiant-class starships, the U.S.S. Defiant will still keep the registry NX-74205, instead of being recommissioned as NCC-74205. The producers have stated it would be too expensive to reshoot all their stock footage just to change the registry number.