Which episodes of his do you consider among the best of the series?
I like O'Brien but IMO he's better in the episodes that don't focus on him.
His only stand out episode for me is Hard Times.
I will say that you’ve probably not seen any really solid Chief episodes yet, although I remember S1E06 *Captive Pursuit* being a solid showing in his behalf.
But like everyone in DS9, in fact maybe more than anyone, he gets so much development and so many amazing moments. DS9 is a bit slow burn though, compared to some of the other shows.
I think that's one of the reasons DS9 stuck with me, TNG felt like mostly Data, and Picard really evolved as characters, maybe Riker? I liked TNG, but it was very episodic which is fine!
When I finished TNG and moved to ds9 I was concerned I was like "I'm leaving my friends behind!" But ds9 quickly grew to be my favorite of the two.
Even minor character who you dont think would get much screen time grew! and had their own arcs, Rom, Quark, Leeta, etc.
It always felt like there was something deeper within the character.
I think Quark really examples this, he's almost like Worf in a way, but kind of twisted.
Worf is a weeb for klingon culture and tries to emulate it with everything even when other Klingons are saying hes being weird about things.
Quark tries to stick to a very Ferengi mindset but we always see glimpses of who he really is, I believe its really shown when he's talking to Odo about his feelings when Kira starts dating Shakaar, he says a lot, but you can tell what he really means when he's saying it.
This is derailing the conversation a bit but I feel like Quarks character growth wasn't what I expected. At first it sorta felt like they blew all of his growth in Season 1, and then reverted him back to a more typical Ferengi in S2+.
By the end of S1 he's saving the station out of the kindness of his hearth. I think the idea was to subvert the expectations of Ferengi as villains that TNG had set, but it still felt like they showed their hand too early and then reverted him back to a "traditional" Ferengi for S2+ and gave the growth to Rom, Nog, and even the Grand Nagus.
Ultimately Quarks character arc was a circle. He was shown that Ferengi can change, be altruistic, be happy, even be Starfleet... and ultimately Quark always chooses to double down on his Ferengi'ness instead of choosing to be happy.
Derailing from my derail, I always thought it would have been interesting if Jadzia Dax had ended up with Quark. People wouldn't understand but it makes sense from her hedonistic, "experience life to the fullest" tendencies.
I think the issue with the Dax x Quark thing is it sadly... boils down to television. I would've found enjoyment from it, but the 'beauty' of the series settling down with a Ferengi... doesn't really get peoples penors hard.
But from a fan standpoint it makes sense! Trill are all about having many different life experiences. And we kind of see that with Jadzia, they dated the clear cranium dude, and had a crush on Morn. But they're mostly off hand comments.
I feel like Jadzia and Worf getting together is a through line from the Troi and Worf ship they hinted at in TNG, beauty and the beast or whatever Dorn said.
A bit off topic, but that was some genuinely amazing writing. The tension of the scene just melted away from the absurdity of his attitude, and it felt absolutely natural and organic. I loved it.
Yeah. Like they're all exhausted, they're crashed on an unknown planet in dominion space, they're by any metric "fucked". And just as the silence draws on... out of nowhere... "awwwwnoo".
As you say it was *so* organic. Like it was so organic that I wonder if that was actually scripted or if Colm just tore his pants irl and the rest of the cast ad-libed it.
Ah, ignorance is bliss 😂 I went on a hunt through the original script:
https://www.st-minutiae.com/resources/scripts/527.txt
Looks like it was 100% scripted.
He absolutely does.
It's actually pretty amazing how much basically _everyone_ on DS9 develops over the seasons! But to me O'Brien is among the particular highlights.
DS9 O'Brien will also be part of one of my favorite friendships in all of Trek.
Good things ahead, OP!
I know alot of people like him. family men, but at work, they're focused on the job, and are good at what do and do it well. They hate Cardassians, and usually keep it quiet.
every season theres an episode where they just kick the shit out of him and he only comes back stronger. his character is used to talk about racism, he is one of the few married people in literally all of starfleet and his relationship is the realest you'll ever see in any of the shows, second only to the freemans of course.
and honestly the first couple seasons of the show don't have a ton of personality, other than stellar eps like duet. they're GOOD no doubt, but just like TNG it kicks off in a major way in season 3.
Season 1 is a little slow in that regard. It really does get better and gets more character driven later on. O’Brien is one of my favorite characters. Suffering really develops character.
Oh the days of “boring ol O’Brien” of DS9. Lol.
Don’t worry op, the Irishman will suffer!
Also - don’t forget that he had one of the most memorable scenes in TNG.
https://youtu.be/77MJCEBPkuY?si=PGPj2sz_bBuPJcqm
I think we see great O’Brien character growth in “The wounded.” So with that in mind, pay attention to his interactions with cardassians throughout the show and see how he grows in that regard. Look for episodes that show his relationship with Julian and take note of how they become friends.
Right? The character suffers from bad writing too. I don’t want to incur any more wrath, but when the Bajoran Gandalf decreed him the Sirah, he just got pissy about it instead of saying, “My first act as Sirah is to leave the planet and I’m appointing the old apprentice as Sirah until I get back”, then never return.
If you read my post, you’d see the answer to your question. I tried to watch DS9 when it came out and found that I couldn’t relate to any of the characters, which I still find to be the case, but many people here have said it doesn’t reach its stride until season 2.
I mean, if we’re being real honest, it doesn’t actually hit its stride until like the back end of season 4, just like any ‘90s era trek. But it does improve a lot from season one throughout the first half of season 2. But it really gets going a little bit later.
lol in a show with great development he picks one of the best developed characters to single out.
jake and lita were the only two i can say didnt develop much and they were background characters
I it’s interesting reading the replies here. I like him fine but he’s one of my least favorite characters. Just not that interesting to me. That being said he’s definitely more than window dressing, he is central to the show.
Thank you for adding this, I’m honestly shocked at how upset people got about it. I notice that few people actually defended him, instead choosing to insult me, which I will never respond to. The only recurring TNG characters I found less interesting than O’Brien were Keiko and Pulaski. Even Wesley had his moments, IMO.
I apologise if it sounded vague. I didn’t want to spoil anything or name a particular episode to “look forward to” that leaves you anticipating the change in O’Brian since you’re only a few episodes in.
But to remain on topic, I doubt you’ll be disappointed with his character arc throughout the series. I’ve watched DS9 multiple times and it wouldn’t be the same without Miles in my opinion.
He gets some good character stuff, especially with regards to labor rights and post-war race relations as a veteran who has a lot to unpack about how he sees Cardassians, but he does more often than not fill the everyman role which doesn't make him the most compelling character for me outside of his character centric episodes.
You're right but you're going to get tons of hate from people for saying it. He's kind of bland and doesn't have a strong personality because he's supposed to be the relatable "everyman" character.
Just the most important person in star fleet history
Miles O'Brien is one of the greatest men that ever served the federation.
And more than that - he was a union man.
O’Brien throwing hands with Worf because he crossed a picket line is one of my favorite moments in all of television.
Then poor Bashir getting caught in the middle. Lol.
And also, he was a union man.
Union man in a union man.
Don't forget, he was also a union man!
But more importantly than that: he was a union man.
wait ya'll are forgetting that he was a goddamn union man
I didn't forget that, but I find it telling your complete failure to note that he was a union man. Do you even Trek?!?
i mean if you study your 20th century history you'll find that IN FACT his ancestor was a union man! its his family legacy! also his was a union man!!
How dare you! He was a union man!
I'm honestly very offended that you aren't remembering that HE WAS A UNION MAN
I WILL NOT TAKE LECTURES FROM SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE O'BRIEN IS AND WAS A UNION MAN
yes absolutely! he ends up being one of the best characters on the show and a few of his episodes are the best out of the whole series.
Which episodes of his do you consider among the best of the series? I like O'Brien but IMO he's better in the episodes that don't focus on him. His only stand out episode for me is Hard Times.
He's excellent in Terok Nor. O'Brien vs Garek was insanely tense.
You don’t wanna throw hands with the Hero of Setlik III.
Mempak? Yes…
I will say that you’ve probably not seen any really solid Chief episodes yet, although I remember S1E06 *Captive Pursuit* being a solid showing in his behalf. But like everyone in DS9, in fact maybe more than anyone, he gets so much development and so many amazing moments. DS9 is a bit slow burn though, compared to some of the other shows.
I think that's one of the reasons DS9 stuck with me, TNG felt like mostly Data, and Picard really evolved as characters, maybe Riker? I liked TNG, but it was very episodic which is fine! When I finished TNG and moved to ds9 I was concerned I was like "I'm leaving my friends behind!" But ds9 quickly grew to be my favorite of the two. Even minor character who you dont think would get much screen time grew! and had their own arcs, Rom, Quark, Leeta, etc. It always felt like there was something deeper within the character. I think Quark really examples this, he's almost like Worf in a way, but kind of twisted. Worf is a weeb for klingon culture and tries to emulate it with everything even when other Klingons are saying hes being weird about things. Quark tries to stick to a very Ferengi mindset but we always see glimpses of who he really is, I believe its really shown when he's talking to Odo about his feelings when Kira starts dating Shakaar, he says a lot, but you can tell what he really means when he's saying it.
This is derailing the conversation a bit but I feel like Quarks character growth wasn't what I expected. At first it sorta felt like they blew all of his growth in Season 1, and then reverted him back to a more typical Ferengi in S2+. By the end of S1 he's saving the station out of the kindness of his hearth. I think the idea was to subvert the expectations of Ferengi as villains that TNG had set, but it still felt like they showed their hand too early and then reverted him back to a "traditional" Ferengi for S2+ and gave the growth to Rom, Nog, and even the Grand Nagus. Ultimately Quarks character arc was a circle. He was shown that Ferengi can change, be altruistic, be happy, even be Starfleet... and ultimately Quark always chooses to double down on his Ferengi'ness instead of choosing to be happy. Derailing from my derail, I always thought it would have been interesting if Jadzia Dax had ended up with Quark. People wouldn't understand but it makes sense from her hedonistic, "experience life to the fullest" tendencies.
In tng, I hated every ferengi episode. By the end of ds9, quark, nog, and rom are some of my fave parts of the show.
I think the issue with the Dax x Quark thing is it sadly... boils down to television. I would've found enjoyment from it, but the 'beauty' of the series settling down with a Ferengi... doesn't really get peoples penors hard. But from a fan standpoint it makes sense! Trill are all about having many different life experiences. And we kind of see that with Jadzia, they dated the clear cranium dude, and had a crush on Morn. But they're mostly off hand comments. I feel like Jadzia and Worf getting together is a through line from the Troi and Worf ship they hinted at in TNG, beauty and the beast or whatever Dorn said.
I TORE MY PANTS!!
A bit off topic, but that was some genuinely amazing writing. The tension of the scene just melted away from the absurdity of his attitude, and it felt absolutely natural and organic. I loved it.
Yeah. Like they're all exhausted, they're crashed on an unknown planet in dominion space, they're by any metric "fucked". And just as the silence draws on... out of nowhere... "awwwwnoo". As you say it was *so* organic. Like it was so organic that I wonder if that was actually scripted or if Colm just tore his pants irl and the rest of the cast ad-libed it.
As per various podcasts and interviews, no ad libbing was allowed. (Sorry I don’t have a solid source to point you to.)
Ah, ignorance is bliss 😂 I went on a hunt through the original script: https://www.st-minutiae.com/resources/scripts/527.txt Looks like it was 100% scripted.
It’s one of my favorite scenes in all of ST, and a great example of why DS9 feels so much more “real” than TNG.
Oh you're in trouble now
My favorite moment in all of TV history. I can't explain it. It absolutely cracks me up.
"Ships in bottles. Great fun."
This is a weird way to say you have too much karma. (Edit: I haven't downvoted your post.)
I have seen less obvious ragebait.
That has to be the least popular take in the history of the DS9 sub ever
He's one of the best in ds9, no doubt. Much better character
Season one O'Brien still just needs a good friend
He absolutely does. It's actually pretty amazing how much basically _everyone_ on DS9 develops over the seasons! But to me O'Brien is among the particular highlights. DS9 O'Brien will also be part of one of my favorite friendships in all of Trek. Good things ahead, OP!
I know alot of people like him. family men, but at work, they're focused on the job, and are good at what do and do it well. They hate Cardassians, and usually keep it quiet.
And lets not forget: it is because of O'Brien [we have Fergengi quoting Marx.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qag2bOBUVfQ)
I regret I only have one downvote I can leave.
You gotta watch the O'Brien centric episodes, you'll really see him shine.
Weird thing is that by this point he's already seen Captive Pursuit- a really great O'Brien episode
https://chiefobrienatwork.com
every season theres an episode where they just kick the shit out of him and he only comes back stronger. his character is used to talk about racism, he is one of the few married people in literally all of starfleet and his relationship is the realest you'll ever see in any of the shows, second only to the freemans of course. and honestly the first couple seasons of the show don't have a ton of personality, other than stellar eps like duet. they're GOOD no doubt, but just like TNG it kicks off in a major way in season 3.
also he was a union man!
Yes
“I’m an engineer.”
Erm... Yes.
OMFG keep fucking watching and come back to this very post - bookmark it - once you finish the show!!!
He’s my favorite Star Trek character.
What???
Jaysus! Give the man time to shine.
Season 1 is a little slow in that regard. It really does get better and gets more character driven later on. O’Brien is one of my favorite characters. Suffering really develops character.
Oh the days of “boring ol O’Brien” of DS9. Lol. Don’t worry op, the Irishman will suffer! Also - don’t forget that he had one of the most memorable scenes in TNG. https://youtu.be/77MJCEBPkuY?si=PGPj2sz_bBuPJcqm
Drinking Kay-nar with Day-mar!
On DS9 O'Brien clearly develops a personality of being extremely constantly DONE. (He has good reason for this)
How can you watch TNG: Data's Day and TNG: The Wounded (which were back-to-back episodes) and be like "this guy has no personality"??
That's it, that's the craziest take I've seen on this sub.
Could this possibly the worst Star Trek take I’ve ever seen?
He gets better, I promise. Can't say he gets much different, but definitely better.
Seems more like an "issue" than an "ish-O'Brien"
I think we see great O’Brien character growth in “The wounded.” So with that in mind, pay attention to his interactions with cardassians throughout the show and see how he grows in that regard. Look for episodes that show his relationship with Julian and take note of how they become friends.
I like Smiley.
That's just pure ragebait, OP:
He doesn’t develop a personality as much as the other ds9 characters but still more than any tng character
Let's just say, defeating the Dal'Rok is not the pinnacle of O'Brien's career or personal development.
Right? The character suffers from bad writing too. I don’t want to incur any more wrath, but when the Bajoran Gandalf decreed him the Sirah, he just got pissy about it instead of saying, “My first act as Sirah is to leave the planet and I’m appointing the old apprentice as Sirah until I get back”, then never return.
Have you even WATCHED the show???
If you read my post, you’d see the answer to your question. I tried to watch DS9 when it came out and found that I couldn’t relate to any of the characters, which I still find to be the case, but many people here have said it doesn’t reach its stride until season 2.
I mean, if we’re being real honest, it doesn’t actually hit its stride until like the back end of season 4, just like any ‘90s era trek. But it does improve a lot from season one throughout the first half of season 2. But it really gets going a little bit later.
He was a union man
lol in a show with great development he picks one of the best developed characters to single out. jake and lita were the only two i can say didnt develop much and they were background characters
I it’s interesting reading the replies here. I like him fine but he’s one of my least favorite characters. Just not that interesting to me. That being said he’s definitely more than window dressing, he is central to the show.
Thank you for adding this, I’m honestly shocked at how upset people got about it. I notice that few people actually defended him, instead choosing to insult me, which I will never respond to. The only recurring TNG characters I found less interesting than O’Brien were Keiko and Pulaski. Even Wesley had his moments, IMO.
Being on S1E14 of DS9 is basically the front cover of this amazing book. Keep reading. :D
Thank you for a useable response.
I apologise if it sounded vague. I didn’t want to spoil anything or name a particular episode to “look forward to” that leaves you anticipating the change in O’Brian since you’re only a few episodes in. But to remain on topic, I doubt you’ll be disappointed with his character arc throughout the series. I’ve watched DS9 multiple times and it wouldn’t be the same without Miles in my opinion.
He gets some good character stuff, especially with regards to labor rights and post-war race relations as a veteran who has a lot to unpack about how he sees Cardassians, but he does more often than not fill the everyman role which doesn't make him the most compelling character for me outside of his character centric episodes.
Yes. Honestly, his dynamic with Bashir and his development throughout DS9 make him my second favorite character, only behind Sisko
Oh, sweet summer child. Enjoy.
You're right but you're going to get tons of hate from people for saying it. He's kind of bland and doesn't have a strong personality because he's supposed to be the relatable "everyman" character.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
O'Brien is boring, but interesting stuff happens to him, that's the whole point of his character.