Chief Miles O'Brien: Personnel File

[@keitht24]

O'Brien was the most blue collar star trek character ever.

[@MSG685]

lol

[@Eddie42023]

The aspiration of every TOS redshirt.

[@TacComControl]

Enterprise crew be like "That's cute"

[@TheMelbournelad]

Yep. Bit cliche they get a paddy in to be the “blue collar” fella

[@christopherluke9658]

Trip

[@theastrogamer710]

Such an underrated character in my opinion, he was one of my most favorite characters on DS9.

[@nilocblue]

The Astro Gamer It’s true he was underrated, but he did get a lot of screen-time and many episodes dedicated to his character

[@GeneralG1810]

On TNGN yes but in DS9 I think he got the credit due, he was a great character because he was so much like the average Joe

[@darthkurland]

The Astro Gamer same here. Portrayed by Colm Meany, Chief Miles O’Brien was far from underrated on DS9 though he was on TNG. In the TNG episode “Disaster,” that was one episode where he truly shined. He was on the bridge and cut off from his wife, Keiko, when she went into labor. Thank God that Worf was quick to respond and with his help, Keiko gave birth to their daughter, Molly O’Brien. Worf even commented that Molly resembled her father.

[@loreenec8045]

lol I remember Q referred to him as one of the 'little people'....and the look on O'Briens face was classic.

[@jonsnor4313]

He was the guy who stood up for the underdogs. I think he supported Rom but especially when he did a demo in the bar. "For Shawn o'brian. " "Whi is shawn obien.". My great .... He was killed while he ensured his coworkers got fairly paid. " Also he helped that alien from season 1.

[@DocWolph]

O'Brien is a prime example of "working class" Starfleet. He shows it is possible to have actual soldier-types is Starfleet, simply by showing the people who are on the frontlines and/or are the ones who actually have to get their hands dirty. Honestly, until O'Brien we never really had non officers, except the ships "secretary" or an RN or two, with meaningful line and lives.

[@Srcsqwrn]

@doctorwho0077 Is that offensive to you?

[@codyraugh6599]

@@Srcsqwrn idk what that guy is even trying to get at. Star Trek stays far far away from dirty work, and from the perspective of the most elite of the elite, at least until Miles. But even after him we're still not given as much non-elite from star trek. His existence is the only thing keeping us from claiming the Federation is a lie and is a elitist, near totalitarian government, that exploits its people to create utopia. Because otherwise we're never shown the people in anything more than passing shots, or when the government is exploiting them. But his story disproves the notion, because we can SEE what daily life is more or like for the middle/upper-middle of the Federation and it's pretty good.

[@Srcsqwrn]

@@codyraugh6599 I honestly hope that in the future we see more people like him.

[@dereinzigwahreRahl]

@@Srcsqwrn Sadly thats unlikely any time soon. The whole system of current cinema and TV has to burn down and start new first, there is not way we get good representations like that let alone actual TOS/TNG/DS9 type Star Trek in how that market is for now. Current culture doesn't help either, old Trek is just not on the menu for now.

[@Torus2112]

"KIA but survived" Such is life in Starfleet.

[@wak69]

Him and Shax

[@leeds200282]

Played by very talented actor

[@LifeOnHoth]

Yes. He did great in Atlantis too.

[@kizunadragon9]

"I don't hate you Cardassian, I hate what i've become because of you" best scene for O'Brian. Everyone loves Geordi but I liked O'Brian better. he could jerry rig anything and married a beautiful woman and earned the respect he got in Starfleet.

[@TheDarkestSmurf]

LaForge is a whiny cunt.

[@meligoth]

O'Brien comes from the same school as Montgomery Scott. "Give him what he needs, not what he wants." This is why Miles performed aptly in any role from tactical to engineering, and any captain worth their salt (Sisko) can depend on him, and not have to worry about glory.

[@Darkdaej]

O'Brien demanding he be called "Chief" and not "Sir" has little to do with humility. It's part of Navy doctrine. As high as his rank may be among Enlisted personnel, he isn't a commissioned officer, and should not be called "Sir". He is a Senior Chief Petty Officer (even though the name says "officer", he isn't one) and therefore should be called "Chief".

[@joshuasantana685]

“Don’t call me ‘Sir’! I work for a living!”

[@fatmanoutdoors6888]

Better than an officer

[@docvaliant721]

Chief is more respectable. Head of the tribe. Very Irish.

[@SantomPh]

He is also on the DS9 ruling council and Chief Systems Engineer. He could be a 'sir' if he wanted to be but prefers the standard "Chief"

[@Darkdaej]

@@SantomPh Regardless of his role on the station, the Federation remains a military outfit...and O'Brien is an NCO...therefore isn't a "sir". Of course he prefers "Chief" over "Sir" anyway but this is also part of how things go in the military.

[@zachzent8287]

O'Brien is the most respected starfleet officer in the fleet, even though he isn't strictly an officer. Some the best Starfleet captains respect him. The Klingon high chancellor, two of them, respect him. Romulan senators respect him. Even Cardassians respect his abilities, though not all the time. The best repairman in Starfleet hands down

[@crayzkato6607]

There is respect from fear, then there is Respect from merit and abilities, you can see my capitalizations to see what I value more

[@Zero8880]

Growing up, I never truly appreciated the character of Miles O'brien. I was always enamored with the "alien" characters as a kid. Now as an adult, I rewatch DS9 at least once a year, and Chief O'brien has become one of my favorite characters in all of Trek. He is the most relateable character on the show an shows some of the most character development throughout the series.

[@piotrd.4850]

He's actually pretty good example of long-term character growth and maintenance. Something screenwriters today could learn....

[@jonsnor4313]

He was definitivly underused in new generation. Good example of a character that gets fleshed out in a "spin off", like wesley from angel. And angel.

[@Kaefer1973]

@ Zero8880 Worf combines the Alien, relatable and character development parts. Anyway It's kinda odd that my favourite DS9 characters are both from TNG.

[@infinitygirlak]

O'Brien's preference for being called 'Chief' and the weight his words carry area almost exactly like the rank of CPO in the Navy. A Chief or Senior Chief ( and to a far greater extent, a Master Chief ), while not having 'rank', still carry great authority. Especially within their specific purview. Any Junior Officer that overrides the opinion of their Chief is not long for the service as any decent CO will take the word of Chief over even a Lt ( O-3, y'all call them 'captains' ).

[@CedricBassman]

Perfect example of Experience outranks everything

[@TheMelbournelad]

Same for a sub right. Master of the boat or something is god on the boat. Even the capt and xo heed their advice and often they are there thru a few COs.

[@timesthree5757]

Also we enlisted hate being called sir. (US Army) Don't call us sir we work for a living. I think O'Brien said something like this to Nog once. Sometimes a Cheif would be frocked into an officer rank if the slot is needed and go back to enlisted apon reassignment.

[@HP-mf4df]

Master Chief Miles Edward O'Brian just sounds so much better!

[@coriolass]

One of the first unwritten rules of any Navy, the chiefs actually run it. Smart officers always listen to their chiefs and senior P.O.'s, hell, most of the dumb ones do too.

[@1337penguinman]

And those that don't learn very quickly why they should.

[@20CMT08]

Experience is often underrated.

[@LordBloodraven]

A missed opportunity was that O'Brien could have returned to serve on the Enterprise-E for the events of First Contact like Worf had. In fact, it was a perfect opportunity to bring the crew of the Defiant into the cinematic stage. To see heroes of the Cardassian and Dominion Wars fight alongside the Enterprise crew against the Borg would've probably been too bloated for a single movie, but dammit, it would've been awesome.

[@Krystalmyth]

Should have been the next film instead of Insurrection. Shocked they never did a Dominion Wars plotline for the films.

[@shingshongshamalama]

@@Krystalmyth I'm sure the studio just didn't have confidence in making movies NOT starring Patrick Stewart. That or the TNG cast got contracts for it before DS9 even started and it couldn't be changed.

[@jayb8934]

Wasn't their story. They clearly wanted to focus on the core TNG cast, particularly Picard and Data.

[@Daedalus-BC308]

He is mentioned in Star Trek Online as being the Chief Engineer on board the Enterprise F, so there's that.

[@adcon00]

@@Daedalus-BC308 His son, actually.

[@nathanmatyas492]

o'brian is the everyman of star trek. one of my top five characters easily. the guy you respect but also have a beer with and talk about anything other then work. damn i miss ds9

[@Blasted2Oblivion]

He was also declared "Possibly the most important man in Starfleet history." at some point I'm the future.

[@khartog01]

The only enlisted man in Star Fleet!

[@MichaelHenriques]

Worfs "father" was enliste too

[@MandalorV7]

By far one of the best characters in Star Trek. Really like how he went from main side crewman on TGN to a full lead character on DS9.

[@Torus202]

Chief Miles O'Brien. Perhaps the most important person in Starfleet history.

[@DaiAtlus79]

3:17 the LtJg pips i think were from the Rutledge, i think ol Ben had him field commissioned to Ensign in both recognition of Miles' actions as well as his perceived potential as an officer (probably viewed him as a potential captain), and i think Ben promoted him to Lt Jg before they left for their next posting each (instead of rescinding his commission) and recommended him for the Enterprise. Then later on when he reached full Lt he resigned his commission to become a non-comm again but was probably able to become a Chief Petty Officer in doing so when he gained the Transporter Chief gig (i think ol Sergei was congratulating him, Worf basically adopted Miles, a fellow warrior of great glory - The Hero Of Setlik III, into his family, and a factor in him choosing DS9 as a posting when Worf joined the cast). To me, Miles is The Reluctant Soldier, repeatedly having greatness thrust upon him as he just wants to live a quiet life of fixing things at work then going home to a wife and kids, darts and kayaking with the boys (im legit Inuit, i can appreciate that lol). He is a man who is so apt at being a soldier but he has a hardwired disdain for war and a high value on life, even if things like model warfare and the ability to make advantageous weapons plus being a fast-thinking tactician shows he could have walked another path and maybe have had 4 pips on that collar, instead.

[@CJ-442]

It’s too bad that we won’t see him in the new Victory is Life Expansion in STO. I’d love to see him and Bashir together again. Best bromance in Star Trek.

[@mikemcc1156]

Lol bromance

[@mushroompeople1]

I'd say captain Kirk and Spock had the best Bromance.

[@stephenconway2468]

He was a tradesman, and I use that term with a heck of a lot of respect. No doubt he is as intelligent and capable as the officer class, but he was the one who got the job done with his hands. I think he is essential to making the picture complete.

[@jwilliams703]

He is my man, by far my fav NCO in star trek, although about the only one we are showed in detail. He is now the chief engineer of the USS Enterprise-F according to star trek online 'what I call cannon Beta' . This is a position he is very well suited to and deserves.

[@coriolass]

That is his son, they do at some point mention what Miles is currently up to, I think in "the path to 2409".

[@chrissonofpear3657]

He was head of Starfleet Engineering at one point, I think?

[@coriolass]

I believe that's correct, but it's been ages since I reviewed p t 2409 and I was unsure if my memory was accurate.

[@darthkurland]

JRPGFan20000 you’re right. That position is held by his son, Yoshi, in “Star Trek Online.”

[@ShatteredGlassUnicron]

Michael Kurland Is that really his name? Because all I can see is Yoshi from Mario in an engineering uniform. XD

[@damirbabic8168]

in the episode rules of Engagement, it states he served in 235 separate battles, that was before the Dominion War, it's most likely he served more battles than Worf

[@RagnarokiaNG]

"Overall O'Brien has suffered through a lot" Sums up a lot of his episodes.

[@KhemistryIBMOR]

Obrien is every man.

[@umbrellacorporationwuhanfa3731]

Khemistry IBMOR ✊🏽 Transporter Chief Miles O’Brien!

[@jayb8934]

If every man is a technical genius.

[@TheMelbournelad]

And O’Brien must suffer are the two by words for his character on DS9 lol

[@angies6096]

The problem with being only a Enlisted petty officer is every young Ensign who went to starfleet Academy out ranks you

[@CheezyDee]

The most satisfying part of being junior enlisted is ordering senior enlisted and/or officers out of areas of your responsibility when they have no reason to be there.

[@MrAndyBearJr]

Every green ensign or 2lt. will learn two things. 1. It is a very good idea to listen to the counsel of a senior non-commissioned officer. Their experience and skills are very valuable, and they can help you avoid a world of hurt. 2. A newly commissioned officer all the way up to field grade can quickly find themselves on the wrong side of a situation if they casually cross or disrespect a senior non-com. The best and most successful officers I’ve ever had the privilege to work for recognized the truth of both of these snippets of wisdom. The others... not so much.

[@veronicadredd22]

Poor fecker had to call Nog Sir thats got to have stung a little bit

[@angies6096]

indeed

[@coriolass]

I doesn't bug you as much as you'd think (it certainly never bugged me or most of my fellow petty officers), and considering that he helped Nog get into the academy I'd bet that he was proud to call him sir.

[@Teardehawkee]

I never knew how powerful a character he was!.......Much thanks!

[@joshuasantana685]

What I love is he’s an enlisted person He’s not an officer He’s one of the very few enlisted Starfleet member that is a total badass.

[@egyptianboy2013]

He's more than a badass, he's a union man.

[@erintarrell8218]

The most important man in Star Fleet history...

[@Baelor-Breakspear]

Is this a quote from the end of a lower decks episode??

[@erintarrell8218]

@@Baelor-Breakspear Yes

[@thomaskirkness-little5809]

The lack of Crewmen, Petty Officers and Chief Petty Officers in all of the TNG-era shows always annoyed me. If everyone is an officer, then who does all the work? TOS had some. I think Enterprise did, too, but I'm not certain.

[@Novusod]

They were just random no name people on the Enterprise. There were over 1000 people on the Enterprise D and we only ever got to know just a few centering around the Captain and his officers.

[@thomaskirkness-little5809]

I really enjoyed the one episode with the lower ranking officers going through their lives. Lower Decks, possibly? Voyager did one too. It was great to see other characters for a change.

[@piotrd.4850]

Actually, VOY had "Good Shepherd" episode, similar to TNG's "Lower Decks" and did what it could - but franchise format simply does not allow to focus on literally at least 30 recognizable, regular characters. Also, lower ranks had regular episodic apperances in VOY.

[@oldtwinsna8347]

@@thomaskirkness-little5809 Lower decks still showed the high brow side of the ship as they were just junior officers salivating for senior officer positions. would've been nice to have more crewman focused plots such as the medical tech Simon tarses in that drumhead episode.

[@1337penguinman]

Early on you would see them in TNG, but they just sort of faded away after the first season.

[@codencecoudini]

He is his future self from 2 and a half hours ago. He sacrificed his path self to save his future self. He definitely has PTSD or some temporal traumatic stress disorder TTSD

[@Phelan666]

O'Brien is a true badass.

[@pfoster1666]

O'Brien's personnel file could just read: Shoulder injury, life-changing traumatic incident, shoulder injury, life-changing traumatic incident, shoulder injury...

[@daverage4729]

Would have liked to see more interactions with Nog. Always enjoyed their mentor/mentee relationship.

[@michaelmcghee6594]

A fan and personal favourite great video!

[@danieldavis6745]

Thank you. He's my favorite

[@MarkLewis...]

Though most people like to associate themselves with the primary characters of TOS, TNG, DS9, etc... it is the somewhat ancillary characters that have earned the most attention to me. Lt. Barclay and CPO Miles O'Brien are such characters. You alluded to one of my favorite uttered lines in all of Trekdom... "It's not you I hate Cardassian..., I hate what I became because of you." Nice job!

[@bryans3180]

Always my favorite! I was so happy and excited at his transfer to Deep Space Nine. It was nice to see him as a main character, and see that character fleshed out beautifully.

[@demizer1968]

In the Navy, it's the Chiefs that make things happen and who are "really in charge." A senior noncom's real job is to train junior officers, always keeping in mind respect to the rank, even if the officer in question is a dork (which they usually are until they earn their salt). His portrayal of a Chief is spot on and one of my favorite characters in Trek.

[@energicko]

Miles E. O'Brien is a cross between an enlisted Starfleet M.A.C.O. and chief engineer Scott. What still gets me is that he's a man of many trades (who can put up with both Barclay AND Bashir). LOL Seriously, even his mirror counterpart Capt. "Smiley" has integrity. Skilled technician and leader in any reality. Only one of the "little people" 'Q' referred as who was in the first and last TNG & DS9 episodes!

[@MrFazz84]

If any star Trek character deserves a short spin off, it is O'Brien

[@aegisofhonor]

Chief O'Brien was one of my favorite TNG era characters, always on the ball and always willing and ready to do the tough jobs under pressure no questions asked. He really shined in DS9 with his expanded role in the series and kept getting better and more interesting as the series went on. He was the ultimate Star Trek everyman that earned people's respect through hard work and perseverance.

[@irishdc9523]

The most important character in Starfleet

[@darrenskjoelsvold]

O'Brien was one of my favorite characters. He wasn't one that got a lot of attention and focus but when they focused on him there was an over arching theme "Quality". The character had quality all over his career and his demeanor. He was a man of integrity and honor and hard work. I understand though in many episodes the writers would write down "O'Brien suffers" and that was sort of a way of denoting that it was an O'Brien focused episode. They put him through a lot but he always came out of every ordeal learning something. I admired that about the character.

[@signaltome]

O'Brien is my favorite DS9 character overall, at least of the main cast.

[@IulianusTabernarius]

"Obrien must suffer"

[@JosephKeenanisme]

O'Brien is the only character (main/recurring) that wasn't a super man. The writers sure lived to see how far they could ram that 4in by 4in plank up his butt :(

[@stevengeorges9046]

A very well done and detailed analysis of O'Brien, thank you! A character in Star Trek with a lot of depth.

[@scottmcintosh4397]

A temporary military promotion is called being 'brevited'. George Armstrong Custer is a prime example. Originally a Lt. Colonel, he was temporarily promoted to Brigadier General during the Civil War. After the war, he reverted to the rank of Lt. Col., but could retain the title of general. That is why his headstone at Little Bighorn has two officer grades engraved on it instead of one.

[@pwnmeisterage]

Controversially jumped up with field promotion to Lieutenant. Retained the rank for at least another tour on another ship. Then retroactively bumped back down to proper noncom rank. And I'd always thought discrepancies in uniform styles, protocols, ratings, etc across the series were just starship Captains exercising their preferences. I'd thought that Picard decided O'Brien was responsible enough to be treated as a Lieutenant (at least on his own ship). Yeah I know real military (naval) ranks don't work that way. But promotions and demotions in Starfleet aren't based on merit and service, they're based on the whims of the showrunners.

[@qontoh2s872]

Miles Edward O'Brien. Hands down my favorite ST character.

[@stevenbaumann8692]

Excellent! I would like to see a Will/Tom Riker one.

[@ablanuza76]

I loved O'Brien in the episode "Treachery, Faith, and the Great River". His interactions with Nog concerning the Great Material Continuum was hilarious.

[@stevenbaumann8692]

It took way too long for Star Trek to figure out its enlisted ranks. I don’t know about the navy but in the Army and Air Force only superior warrant/commissioned officers are called sir. Except 2nd lieutenants don’t call 1st lieutenants sir. Enlisted people are never called sir. Like I said, it may be different in the Navy and Marines.

[@Ken19700]

In the Navy a chief warrant officer (CWO-2) can be called sir or ma'am. Though, the ones I encountered back in the day would always say "Don't call me sir, I work for a living". They were all men and preferred to be called chief.

[@CheezyDee]

Call a USN CPO (E-7) sir and they'll probably respond with, "Don't call me sir, my parents were married."

[@demarcusfaulkner7411]

In the Marines a first Lt is higher rank than a second Lt

[@demarcusfaulkner7411]

and if you call a senior enlisted sir they would likely tell you they work for a living.

[@Mukation]

Usually enlisted people are called by their rank or simply "soldier" while enlisted are called by their rank and or Sir (by lower ranking personell). And as you say a 2nd Lieutenants call 1st Lieutenants eachother "Lieutenant" or just by last name etc.

[@yegfreethinker]

I love how this character points out the academics and everything by experience does matter in the long term. And how it points out that be everyday character is just as important if not more so in certain cases because of the breadth of that experience. A piece of paper doesn't mean much if you don't have any experience.

[@jjmfrees]

Did you pronounce “appreciate” the way O’Brien does at the end of the video on purpose or is that how you pronounce it?

[@CertifiablyIngame]

That was on purpose.

[@jjmfrees]

Nice touch 👍🏻

[@tonyfelder1206]

Look how far the character has come since his brief supporting roll on the TNG pilot episode. The actor himself was busy on the big screen as well during the DS9 era.

[@brendanmccabe8373]

As an Irish man I love this guy

[@climberly]

"I tore my pants!" -War hero Miles obrien.

[@SovereignKnight74]

Great character analysts! Enjoyed it! Makes me appreciate this character more.

[@abrahamgustavoguitiperez-m2937]

Captain Sisko, Chief O'Brien, Commander Worf, Colonel Noriece, Constible Odo, Commander Jadzia Dax, Chancellor Martok, and Ensign Nogg.....my FAVORITE Characters.

[@keithtorgersen9664]

O’Brien and Harry Kim. Two characters that are seemingly innocuous except they both had episodes of time displacement and wound up being replaced by alternate timeline versions of themselves.

[@brucesmall2746]

On DS9, during Worf's hearing to have him extradited to Kronos to stand trial for the destruction of the Klingon civilian freighter, the Judge Advocate declared Chief O'Brien an Expert in Starfleet Battle Tactics as Chief O'Brien had been involved in over 220 separate combat engagements during his 22-year career up to that point.

[@myriadmediamusings]

The most important person in Starfleet history, according to a teacher in the far future.

[@jaspr1999]

The character of O'Brien answered a Trek question I had for years. Aren't there any noncoms of any significance in Starfleet? It's a question that I asked during the original Star Trek as most of my growing up years was spent around Navel bases. I loved his character as he was the everyman during TNG and who that man can be on DS-9. Fantastic character.

[@thundermolloy]

One of my favorite parts of O'Brien is how he is amazing talented but refused promotion (to a commisioned officer) more than once. In DS9 he says something to the fact of that many times, such as when Sicko has to attend an undesirable formal function "that's why I stayed an enlisted man, so I would never HAVE to go to those things". This, mixed with his obvious technical skill, leads me to believe that Starfleet has tried to promote him several times in light of his ability, but he would rather avoid (or has no desire for) the life of an officer. Something to the effect of "Starfleet is his job, not his life". In any event, he has a knack for problem solving and technical science, as seen by his fixing the Defiants power-core problems (from " almost tears itself apart at warp" to casually zipping around the gamma quadrant while under a cloak). Probably could have given scotty a run for his money.

[@permeus2nd]

i love O'brien (and the actor that plays him Colm Meaney is so underrated) he is one of the most down to earth characters in Star Trek even if he can be bull headed at times. side note prime directive can go take a running jump its a dumb rule that is ignored most of the time anyone.

[@dca-Letsplay]

My head canon or justification for O’Briens constant rank inconsistency’s was that he was a non com IE never attended the academy and was a crewman but was given a field promotion during the mission where he learned to hate Cardassians, and subsequently made Lieutenant around that time, and the rank was never revoked despite being a field commission, and during his time on the enterprise D he was allowed to keep his commission but when Deep Space 9 was being sorted out and commissioned he was chosen to be the Chief of Operations, and as such started wearing the Hollopip in preparation for his transfer, which also stripped him of his lieutenant promotion as Chief Petty Officer is a lower rank

[@threshermaw6042]

Glad someone gives O'Brian some love. A list of ones that I think you should do: From TOS Spock Leonard McCoy Hikaru Sulu Montgomery Scott (Scotty) From Next Gen Warf Data Geordi La-Forge William Riker From DS9 Nog Garrek (perhaps as a Cardassian styled profile) Julian Bashier Jadzia Dax From Voyager Kathryn Janeway Harry Kim Tuvok (Seriously, this guy get's around if you look) Bellana Torres

[@hariseldon3786]

Nice file and worth watching - thanks!

[@TheOnlyEpsilonAlpha]

O‘Brien is a genius in his way, down earth and the loyal friend everyone wants.

[@the-goat]

Great guy. You forgot to mention DS9 6.24 Time's Orphan and his on screen use of the word "bollocks" when trying to rescue Molly... haha

[@gagaplex]

One of my favourite characters, definitely.

[@angelicredpaladin6528]

Really enjoyed it, thanks for uploading

[@HereticDuo]

7:50 correction: 33 years. Remember O'Brian's mental age was 20 years older then his physical age due the 20 year mental holographic imprisonment he was sentenced too. Now that I think about it he'd also be +1 hour on top of that as well because of the time displacement event surrounding him caused by the cloaked romulan warbird.

[@TheZakimus]

This was a fantastic video done very well, thank you

[@rossmandigo9984]

in the US Navy a senior chiefs opinion is given just as much attention as a LT or CMDR. it is the second highest enlisted rank in the navy and often the chiefs have far more field experience, the officers communicate with the chiefs often when dealing with crew matters as well.

[@sergeantassassin3425]

Miles Edward O'Brien is likely one of the best secondary characters ever produced by Star Trek. He's not "the hero", he's just an everyman trying to get by in life, and life keeps trying to punch him in the dick. Sometimes it succeeds, sometimes he punches back, and the cycle continues. In this way, he's incredibly relatable, and it makes him extremely endearing. His best episode, arguably, is in TNG's "The Wounded", especially at the end where he sits down with Maxwell and has a heart-to-heart with him. First time I ever heard the song "Minstrel Boy", and it damn near broke my heart. This man has been though absolute hell, and someone has managed to come out of it. He's not whole, not by a long shot, nor intact...but he survived. "...I'm not gonna win this one, am I Chief?" "...no, Sir."

[@moow950]

O'Brien is one of my favorite Star Trek characters.

[@Sheepwielder]

Great job. Do Dax next please :)

[@captainm7722]

He also doesn't take the moniker "Sir" over "Chief" because of military naming conventions between non-commissioned officers and commissioned officers (lt. Lt com, commander, captain, rear admiral, admiral, etc.). Ncos like petty officers, seargants, airmen, and p1s, p2s, pfcs, specialists and corporals are all addressed by their rank, and different branches have different naming conventions for each. Like when I was in the US army, e5, e6, and e7s were all sergeants, even though they were Sargeant, staff-seargent, and SFC respectively. A marine wouldn't be caught dead using such a casual naming convention. But a Chief outranks a PO, because it's what comes after PO3, just like what comes after SFC is Master Seargants and they require that exact naming convention. Same reason Master Chief John Spartan is refered to as Master Chief by all except his direct peers and his superiors, who call him Chief. Great video though. Chief O'Brien has always been a sort of fuzzy character for me, one that I've always wanted to know about. So this video absolutely gets a LIKE from me because it ticks all those informational boxes I was lacking. Great work! Definitely going to continue delving these personnel records. I get giddy for this stuff.

[@jpm74]

He was never "field promoted" to lieutenant. He was always a Chief Petty Officer in TNG and later Senior Chief Petty Officer in DS9. The writers were still just trying to figure out the rank insignia. I believe that the enlisted pips were actually silver (vs officer who had gold pips) in the first season of TNG. It's impossible to tell the difference on 80s quality TV.

[@katherinestives940]

O'brien's choice of holosuite entertainment isn't at odds with his dislike of killing. In the holosuite, he knows that no one is getting hurt. In real life, real sentient beings are suffering. In his mind, he is able to maintain the difference between those to worlds.

[@thephantomeagle2]

When they were coming up with DS9 they weren’t sure where it would be, who the main foil Would be. Once O’Brien decided to move to DS9 where he’d have a far more prominent role. He had some great episodes on TNG, like the ones you mentioned. However Colm wanted far more. When Worf joined Worf couldn’t figure out how O’Brien could stand DS9? “This station needs me!”

[@Camuale]

I remember watching DS9 as a kid, and wondering why my two favorites were CPT Sisko and O'Brien lol. They both were willing to do what had to be be done to protect what they loved.

[@radionoakmont7756]

a true man of honor O'Brien is a great example of a true starfleet officer

[@vicarofrevelwood]

Miles O'Brien, warrior poet.

[@gregbolitho9775]

One of my favorite actor on Next Gen an DS9 saw the rippa side of Nog before even Shitsco! His Dad Rom was a rippa too!

[@thomassalois3508]

Two of the finest engineers that Starfleet ever put out Montgomery Scott and Miles O'Brien

[@Hayden-tp4cb]

Man you crazy your forgetting Gordi and data

he was one of my fav charaters.

[@Xifihas]

Chief O'Brien is basically the only Irishman in media that isn't comic relief or a mad bomber.

[@richardprice7763]

So what rank do the two pips on his collar mean then in TNG if he's not an officer? Doesn't Worf also have two solid pips?

[@Vesnicie]

Great and informative vid, but I'm kind of surprised you didn't mention the whole O'Brien-Must-Suffer joke. Because suffer he sure does!

[@geekhillbilly2636]

Chief O'Brian often complained that the replicators still couldn't make a decent bowl of oatmeal.

[@Stealth17Gaming]

Good vid as always, thanks for taking the time to record/edit this! :)

[@Shermos]

One of my personal favourite characters.

O'Brian could have had his own show. So many potential Section 31 stories.

[@mikecobalt7005]

I always liked O'Brien, even in ST TNG he was one of the solid "Good Guys" (even when the more main characters couldn't be). Even better watching DS9 O'Brien came into his own and was giving the opportunity's and time he deserved (DS9 was very good at that ).

[@michaeldougherty6036]

The worst stuff always happens to O'Brien. But he always pulls through.

[@sipioc]

Always liked this guy. Glad he got more development in DS9