Synopsis: Fleeing a Jem’Hadar attack aboard a runabout, Jake and Nog are rescued by a Defiant-class ship crewed by over-eager Red Squad cadets who are biting off more than they can chew.

Memory Alpha Summary: Nobody has the conch

Review: Yet another great concept ruined by poor execution. A starship run entirely be teenagers could have been an excellent character study in the vein of Lord of the Flies.  But what we get is a hackneyed story, shoddy acting, and putrid direction.

The captain acts as if he’s desperate to smugly sneer at every opportunity. Karen Ferris is decent as his first officer, but Dorian is very weak as Jake’s ally against the misguided captain. The cadets act like you would expect a bunch of high school kids to act rather than, you know, trained military officers. Compare this to The First Duty or The Lower Decks, where the characterizations (and acting) are significantly better in each. 

I do appreciate that none of the kids save the day, and even Jake’s weak-ass journalist skills don’t help him or anyone. But we’re left with a curious but pointless episode that doesn’t lead anywhere. 

Also, I love how like ten escape pods make it out but only the last one (with Nog and Jake) make it away.