Despite being often unfairly overlooked in favour of other Star Trek
characters, Miles O'Brien has been one of the mainstays of the
franchise for nearly ten years.
In his understated way, the bluff, macho
Chief O'Brien helped audiences to bridge the gap between the optimism
and morality of The Next Generation and the more dark and cerebral Deep
Space Nine.
Hailing from Dublin, Ireland, O'Brien established himself as something
of a technical hardware guru aboard the Enterprise. It was a skill which
was to prove invaluable in his role as Chief of Operations on Deep Space
Nine, where the Federation crew had to contend with outmoded Cardassian
technology.
O'Brien's
early experience of aiding the survivors of a Cardassian massacre
left him with a lingering hatred for the race, which has taken years
for him to resolve. Initially viewed by his crew mates as somewhat
gruff, O'Brien has gradually mellowed. His relationship with Dr Julian
Bashir in particular has shifted notably from suspicious rivalry to an
unlikely but warm friendship.
O'Brien married long-time girlfriend Keiko Ishikawa in a wedding
ceremony combining Irish and panese traditions aboard the Enterprise
in 2367. They have two children, Molly and Kirayoshi. O'Brien has
wrestled with the problems of bringing up a young family in the often
hazardous environs of Deep Space Nine, but his unflinching commitment to
Starfleet has won out thus far.
Viewed as the ultimate 'safe pair of hands' by his friends and
colleagues, O'Brien remains a hugely popular Star Trek character, who
has often been at the centre of Deep Space Nine's more action-oriented
episodes.
Actor Colm Meaney has had a career in film which belies his relatively
low profile status in Star Trek. He has starred in films such as Roddy
Doyle's The Commitments and the Snapper, allowing him to convert back to
his natural Irish accent rather than O'Brien's mid-Atlantic drawl.
Key O'Brien episodes: The Wounded (TNG), Data's Day (TNG), Realm of Fear
(TNG), Homefront (DS9), Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places,
Rivals (DS9), The Begotten (DS9)
