Nog was born on Ferenginar in 2353 to Rom and Prinadora. As a child, Nog was very mischievous, and a slight delinquent. He moved to Terok Nor with his father and work as waiters in his uncle Quark's bar. When Starfleet arrived on the station, renaming it DS9, Nog met and became best friends with Jake Sisko.

In 2371, Nog became the first Ferengi to enter Starfleet, and served aboard Deep Space 9 as a Cadet. He was promoted to ensign in 2374 He was promoted to Lieutenant JG. in 2375.

In the height of the Dominion War, Nog lost his leg during the siege of AR-558. Although he got a biosynthetic replacement soon after, it took Nog months to emotionally recover.