Star Trek TNG - O'Brien's PTSD

[@Troubleshooter125]

Up until this scene, Chief O'Brien was the transporter operator, a nice guy, someone you might not think about twice ... until we hear about this incident ... and Colm Meaney brings a vivid third dimension to this Enterprise engineer. Serious "wow" factor here, gang.

[@sarahkinsey5434]

Troubleshooter125 totally. There were a few great O’Brien moments in TNG, but he really shone in DS9

[@CRFlixs]

@@sarahkinsey5434 That's why he was made a lead in DS9.

[@sarahkinsey5434]

CRFlixxx and was always the one to get injured

[@micfail2]

He is an awesome actor. If I did not know any better I would think he was an actual combat veteran

[@Cool70sfreak]

@@sarahkinsey5434 And not just physically. That show really put him through hell :'D

[@Helbore]

What's sad is the Cardassian's reaction here. He clearly is not comfortable with the story O'Brien tells. He doesn't even defend their attack - he calls it a terrible mistake and is clearly accepting that the Cardassians attacked a civilian target and he doesn't like it.I'd say its probably fair that he tried to befriend O'Brien as an attempt to assuage his own guilt of having been involved in a war that had him kill people he didn't want to kill. It's a shame we never got to see more of this character, because he just seemed to be the Cardassian equivalent of O'Brien - a patriot forced to fight in a war he didn't want to.

[@Deadpool_64]

This is the most unCardassian like Cardassian we ever saw. Wish he had been in DS9 as a regular. He seemed like a really good man.

[@Locktwiste72]

Helbore I think they should have reunited him with O'Brien on DS9. He is without a doubt the closest thing to human a Cardassian could ever be. And O"Brien was the most human crewmember of the Enterprise. The actor who played him - Colm Meaney - should have gotten an award for his portrayal of Star Trek's equivalent of a soldier suffering from PTSD.

[@tombo1984]

Chances are he probably would have died in the Dominion war.

[@tombo1984]

Or if he became a lead figure in the Cardassian resistance movement.

[@Deadpool_64]

BartJ583 Yeah, because over thousands of light years, and hundreds of species, we'll never have any conflict what so ever.

[@runawayuniverse]

My all time favorite line in the history of The Next Generation. "It's not you I hate Cardassian. I hate what I became because of you."

[@lawnmowermanTX]

Drama, and current event issues, continue in off world adventures... Technology evolves, that woman might have hurriedly set the phaser... In the heat of combat, even blind rage, blinds a soul, for a very long time... Irony is, Chief O'Brian, lives on a Cardassian station, near a Bajoran wormhole.. I bet Garak irks O'Brian on DS9..? Nah..

[@tek512]

Garak actually did irk O'Brien for a long time. It took seeing the utter devastation wrought on the Cardassians by the Dominion before O'Brien truly let go of his prejudices.

[@SamaritanPrime]

@@tek512 There's even an episode where Garak goes nuts and starts killing people and O'Brien has to stop him. Do NOT underestimate your engineers.

[@JingleJangle256]

Even though there are a myriad of scenes from DS9 that contradict this point, but it’s a good scene, so whatever.

[@BillinHungary]

I think the folks on DS9 thought that Colm Meaney was underutilized on TNG, and given what we saw later in DS9, they were spot on. Terry Farrell (Jadzia Dax) said that when it comes to reading a script, he is just automatic - he reads it, he can play it.. She went on to say that in theory, all actors sould be able to do it, but the ease in which he could become the character speaking the lines was amazing.. In this scene you really do believe that he suffering from PTSD.

[@Alaninbroomfield]

Notice that the alien was LISTENING to him, not trying to add or interject, just letting him talk. Great acting.

[@karlncholson7517]

It's very telling that a lot of humans could learn from this human playing an alien.. Sad horrible times we live in

[@ruinenlust_]

@@karlncholson7517 That's the _whole point_ of Star Trek. You have all these alien factions and alien tech and alien characters, but they all reflect a part of what it means to be human.

[@irishdc9523]

@@ruinenlust_ Thing is as well, you look at it and wonder how an advanced society such as theirs has all these problems. But then you think how does a society as advanced as ours have those problems

[@russellmoore8187]

"the alien"? Dude it's Star Trek, everyone's an alien

[@jonathanstrong4812]

DEAR LORD WHAT THAT THE POOR-MAN

[@jrsanders1212]

Almost 9 years later I would like to add that the Chief said, "The man just incinerated in front of me." He didn't say alien or Cardi, just another dude. This is super powerful. Thanks again for uploading.

[@leo-unddieAnderen]

Being.

[@JonSmith-cx7gr]

It wasnt a man so this is highly offensive of 'chief' to call him that. So racist and disrespectful to the alien who died with O brian kneeling on his neck and firing a phaser.

[@tonoornottono]

@@leo-unddieAnderen”we’re all human” -james t kirk

[@Knightstruth]

I remember reading a study of Vietnam Veterans which found that an overwhelming number of those with PTSD were the ones who believed they had acted immorally during the war. I also talked to a Marine once who served in Iraq who told me about the origin of his own struggle with PTSD. A car crossed into their base perimeter and after numerous warnings it kept speeding towards them. he was ordered to open fire on it and shot out the engine block. When they checked the car they found a pregnant woman and her husband. She was giving birth and they thought the American soldiers would help them deliver the baby. Luckily If I remember the story right they survived and the baby was fine but I can’t imagine the guilt of shooting at a pregnant woman and her husband when they only wanted help.

[@sergeantassassin3425]

Luckily he only shot the engine, not the people inside.

[@Knightstruth]

@@sergeantassassin3425 Yeah, very lucky.

[@coolguyjki]

That's the true horror of war. The people who want it don't feel any shame for the horror they've committed on civilians, but the people who join out of guilt or honor feel shame and disgust for their actions. Those who deserve it never see Hell, but those who only wanted to be good people are tortured always and forever with what they've done.

[@navigatorofthevalley]

You have to be low IQ to speed toward a military installation in the middle of a war

[@applesandgrapesfordinner4626]

Reminds me of a similar scene in the show Generation War. This one was a father and child. Unfortunately it didn't end as well.

[@JH-su9vl]

Back when trek was about ideas not special effects

[@mosspally6995]

Victor VonDoom what? Seriously what do you mean by swj ideas?

[@difficultbastard]

@Victor VonDoom Patrick Stewart has said he wants to do the new series "Picard", because of Brexit, and how he thinks the whole country is going wrong for choosing not to have undemocratic UN overlords. The internet is a marvelous thing, but one unfortunate side effect is that we get to know our TV heroes. Fuck the newest Star Trek series (again) , and fuck Patrick Stewart.

[@Mr_Bunk]

No-one who unironcally says “Fuck Patrick Stewart” gets any respect from anyone. Nor, I suspect, even from themselves.

[@hamzakhairi4765]

@@difficultbastard Patrick Stewart made star trek TOS was cancelled for shitty views TNG picked ST off the ground

[@lillith3159]

@Victor VonDoom There always has to be some idiot saying SJW at everything that he doesnt like. Dude, star trek has always been about "SJW". The problem is not that. The problem is that the new shows have awfull writting and poor character development in favor of fancy unnecessary special efects.

[@Tk52781]

Chief O’Brien is one of the best characters in all of Star Trek.

[@damirzlatkic8134]

couldnt agree more !

[@Neverhoodian]

As Miles O'Brien stormed out of Ten Forward, the Cardassian was left with one burning question that haunts his thoughts to this very day... "What's a mosquito?"

[@fuflang]

Context clues.

[@skylarpatterson3363]

What if mosquitos exist on Cardassia? I mean they wouldn't be addressed under that name but surely their eco-system would have some kind of flying vampiric insects or worse yet arachnid based ones

[@fuflang]

The word "swat" is almost exclusively used for hitting or crushing small things. Context clues and the universal translators ability to translate them would be key in conveying meaning between alien species.

[@skylarpatterson3363]

You already made the point of context and no further elaboration was necessary. I was simply speculating about how Cardassian s would have similar creatures to Earth albeit with a plethora of differences.

[@yragcom1]

LOL

[@Castlecoke]

Im a marine vet. Did my tours in Iraq. I was angry at times at Iraqis. I was angry at myself for feeling like a racist. Now im out. I sometimes hate myself for remembering who i was at the time.

[@diabdia]

I hope this show and your VA benefits can give you some sort of peace. The best you can do is learn how to process your pain and grief. I sincerely hope you have someone to talk to sir. I also hope you're in a better place with yourself within your soul.

[@kojack635]

@@diabdia The VA sucks. I hope they take care of this veteran, but chances are they won't.

[@SamaritanPrime]

It has been said that "time heals all wounds." I disagree. In time, all wounds heal- if you're willing to apply the medicine. Stay strong, and keep healing.

[@Josh23761]

The anger makes perfect sense, they are natural emotional responses to those situations. No matter what you think of yourself back then, try to remember that the past is just a shadow, the present is what is truly happening and the person you are at this very moment is always the real you. I know its hard but try to understand that nothing can change the way you once felt or thought, but it doesn't mean that it defines who you actually are. Since you're a marine I'm sure you spent some time on a ship; the past is like the wake trail left from a ship, it tells you where it has been, but it can never reveal the destination or present bearing nor can it influence that. I never experienced a war or any combat situation so I can't understand fully what its like, but you have my respect and hopes for the future. Unfortunately accepting these feelings are the only way to move on.

[@lethauntic]

I mean, in the moment it makes sense to be angry at those who are trying to kill you. You know, minus the civilians I guess.

[@no1reallycaresabout2]

I think the character of Glinn Daro had a lot of potential, more than just being a one-episode character.

[@oldtwinsna8347]

Possibly, but the way he talks is dangerous in the sense that if the Obsiddian Order got wind of it, they would investigate and find a way to frame him. He probably thought, "he's just a human, the Order will never know" so was able to talk like that.

[@promontorium]

Unfortunately TNG ended up not having very many Cardassian episodes.

[@Trek001]

Somewhere out there, there is a very sweet little fanfic set during the final episode of DS9 where O'Brien uses the comm to call a Cardassian ship and ask about Daro and is relieved to hear that he made it through the war alive

[@RedCrusaderArc]

How to recognize a classic Star Trek scene? There is no lens flare in it.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

and no shakey handcamera.

[@jonathansoko1085]

and a damn cardie is present

[@phoneboxchicken4108]

Or retina burning white sets. Those Jar Jar Abrams films need to come with sunglasses.

[@atMacen07]

@@phoneboxchicken4108 Darth Binks strikes again

[@hudsonball4702]

And there's good acting.

[@N3uroTypical333]

My father was in WWII. The war changed him. Yet he had absolutely no ill will towards the German people. He befriended an immigrant who was a child in a town my dad took, they were lifetime friends. The way he explained it to me, his counterpart in the German army was just like him - some poor grunt trying to keep warm, doing what his country told him to do, hoping to send some money home to family, worrying about how everyone was going to live through the winter.

[@Skyebright1]

rareay true the Wehrmacht soldiers were largely just ordinary men

[@jonathansoko1085]

@@Skyebright1 Sure, if you consider nazi's ordinary men, i dont.

[@Skyebright1]

@@jonathansoko1085 well they weren’t SS, they were just average Germans

[@michaelgreenwood3413]

@@jonathansoko1085 the SS were nazis. the vast majority of germans were not.

[@agl1138]

@@michaelgreenwood3413 Not really relevant. The German people supported Nazism and its evil. There is no moral equivalence between Allied combatants and Axis combatants.

[@gtaclevelandcity]

Its this scene where I feel Colm Meaney earns his well deserved spot as a main cast member on DS9. Great acting.

[@stevenweaver3386]

Not just the Cardassian died on Setlik III. The Miles O'Brien who joined Starfleet in the excitement of youth, eager to explore, eager for adventure, also died. What that young man could have been, should have become, was also incinerated in that phase blast. Now, wearing Miles O'Brien's skin is a cold hearted killer, hating himself for what he was forced to just to stay alive

[@helipilot27]

This scene taught me a life lesson. Sometimes, you just need to listen to help someone.

[@thcollegestudent]

This is in my opinion this character at his finest.

[@thcollegestudent]

5 years later I came looking for this scene again and...found my own comment. I miss dialog like this in Trek.

[@LonesomeTraveller]

@@thcollegestudent oh it's been five years. I re-watch these short clips too, only to find I commented on them some months or years back. And everything feels...silent. Like so much has changed since that comment.

[@GGGritzer]

One of Trek's luckiest yet finest catches! Our own Colm Meaney well and truly makes his mark

[@bobpage6597]

0:22.....you can see the anger build in O'Brien here. He's furious at the attempted justification by the Cardassian for wiping out a civilian outpost. He then bottles it, and continues his story.

[@jerodast]

@Hunter D Me neither, but it would be very hard not to see it that way if you were there. "I just told you how horrible your unprovoked attack was, and you make an excuse for it?" But of course, O'Brien is a smart, enlightened member of Starfleet, so he recognizes that's not a fair way to take it, so he doesn't lash out. But it would be hard not to be a bit angry just at the thought.

[@nagihangot6133]

He seems annoyed with the Cardassian's seeming trickery, not knowing if the reasoning was one the Cardassian was stupid enough to believe or was making up on his own. I don't see anger, your ancestry's vile inherent senseless hatred can be seen easier than Sub-Saharans exhibit.

[@Blackwind_Legacy]

O'Brien, being enlisted and a military man, probably believed the reasoning. Having been military myself, it's really no surprise when a mistake of this magnitude happens. Of course, he didn't take it well. But I doubt he thought the Cardassian was making excuses or thought he was trying to justify it.

[@BSE1320]

I thought it more like, "Of course you were told it was a military outpost...typical navy fuck up."

[@ffnbbq]

Trivia: the filming of this scene (and, I imagine, every other scene involving the Cardassians in this episode) was rather undercut by the costume making very loud squeaking noises whenever the actors moved. The pre-final edit footage (before VFX, music, dubbing and foley) is unintentionally hilarious. I hope the DS9-era uniform was much quieter.

[@vguyver2]

The newer ones squeaked, but not as much the only squeaking was with the boots and torso clothing. This debut episode had all this tight sheen fabric and it was like an 80's baggy jogging gear, every step would have a squeak or woosh sound.

[@Trecesolotienesdos]

poor miles. seems even before TNG and DS9 he got brutalised lol.

[@mreese8764]

@Samar3n and even his clones

[@greencello599]

I have never served in the military but my grandfather did. He was in the European Theater of World War 2 and he rarely spoke of his experiences. He carried that part of him to his grave along with the physical reminders he received. He never went back as far as I know. He had good and bad memories from Europe. Upon meeting him though, he was the most joyful and loving person you could meet, and you couldn't help but think the thought, "This guy is going to be around forever." O'brien, like my grandfather, enlisted into service rather than go through the academy. A ground pounder who knew what to do and what was needed. One can read about the horrors of war, but the ones who lived it rarely speak of them.

[@hpa2005]

Agreed

[@skyexplores]

One of my fave episodes of TNG. So well written, and so dark. Modern Trek really should learn from this

[@Drax514]

The people who write and the people who are fans of Modern Trek don't give a shit about things like this. They don't care about humanity, or depth, or emotions. They just want flashy action and catchy one liners. As long as it looks cool man, just turn off your brain man. Fuck Modern Trek. The new Paramount shows make the Abrams movies look like TNG masterpieces in comparison.

[@DanKuhn]

This is SO FUCKING GOOD and it shows once again why the Cardassians are the best Star Trek villains. Because they're just a butterfly effect version of us. We see ourselves in them

[@chonconnor6144]

One of the top 5 best TNG episodes, the performances of O'Brien and Maxwell were so memorable and accessible to a young scifi audience. If only they still wrote TV like this.

[@pcgentile]

One of the most underrated episodes of the series. Excellent depictions of PTSD.

[@AshPrimeDCFC]

PTSD really hits me hard. Grown, brave men traumatised by war is terribly upsetting.

[@EmmaWatsonthe3rd]

It's a crime he never got an award for his portrayal of combat PTSD. Wow. Fellow survivors, we are not alone.

[@Deadpool_64]

I'd drink a glass of Kanar with this Cardassian.

[@picknroll8221]

Thanks for up-loading. O'Brien, I believe, has been triggered by the Cardassians. Seemed to be doing o.k. before his old C-O Capt. Maxwell went on a little rampage through the star system. These things lie dormant for a while then have a way of re-surfacing. Masterfully portrayed here, IMHO.

[@mikebasil4832]

This is one of Star Trek: TNG's most pivotal dialogues and a triumph for Colm as Miles. 🖖🏻

[@808INFantry11X]

Very Powerful moment of a great series.

[@Norkindar]

Colm Meaney has so much gravitas in this episode and especially this scene. There's no real emotion expressed, no raising of his voice, very little inflection, but you can feel so much suppression of his anger and pain. It comes across so strong and from so little. A wonderful performance.

[@carminemurray6624]

This scene had much sensitivity and that says a lot, as I really care about people and it makes me tear up as I remember such things.

[@1dotcomdotnet]

A bitter realization. 1:39

[@kierandearn1512]

I miss this kind of star trek, how it made you think about things like this

[@jasonfenton8250]

Miles "cardy culling" O'Brien Miles "coffins for cardies" O'Brien

[@Mr_Bunk]

Miles ‘Cardassia Prime’s outta time’ O’Brien

[@davecrupel2817]

😂

[@GhostLink92]

Miles "Kill a Cardie, get a hardie" O'Brien.

[@LaBarata12]

Miles “spoonhead get dead” O’Brien

[@alexanderrahl482]

🤣

[@nightengale10]

can you imagine what the first episode of Ds9 must have been like for O'Brien knowing he was on a mostly defenseless space station with his wife and daughter probably going to be taken prisoner by the Cardassians before Sisko shows up towing gul Dukat?

[@oldtwinsna8347]

It seems odd O'Brien would have even take the position considering the emotional history here. Sure, it was a major promotion, and in the end it worked out very well for him, but surely there would have been other opportunities that Picard would've vouched O'Brien for. I'd think he would've been happier being in some operational role in an orbital station over Earth, for example.

[@DelcoRanz93]

@@oldtwinsna8347 He could have been assigned to Deep Space Nine in part because he has experience with the Cardassians, But also because I think someone in Starfleet saw potential in him to be more than just a Transporter operator and felt that he was ready for more of a challenge.

[@thespecialneedsgroup]

@@oldtwinsna8347 If you consider what he thought the job was going to be when he accepted it, I think it makes a lot more sense. He was signing on to a massive relief effort to rebuild a society that had been devastated by the Cardassians. An insignificant, war-torn planet where countless people had a story just like his. He was going there not as a soldier, but as an engineer who could use his skills to ease the suffering of a people who had lost their innocence and been changed forever by Cardassian aggression; just like him.

[@Sage2000]

Top notch writing, directing and acting. I love O’Brian.

[@davecrupel2817]

0:57 his eyes tell me he was the one who was stunned...

[@Jarsia]

holy shit. I never even thought that he might have been one of those 2 cardassians, now I can't see anything else.

[@drjohndee4322]

That scene there was powerful and to the point. You can feel the energy In the scene. I had to see if he was ever in the military. Because only a real vet would of gave such emotional and moving response. I found that he was never in the military.....which shows that his acting skills are that good and that you can have a wow moment during that scene and feel moved by it !

[@rixille]

Imagine just 2 minutes of O'Brien, a side character in the series giving us much more of a message than an entire episode of STP could ever give us.

[@mckinleymac3452]

"......than an entire season of TOS could ever give us." There, fixed it for you.

[@nickryan4126]

@@mckinleymac3452 trying to excuse the failings of a contemporary drama by comparing it to a campy show from the 1960s. Pathetic. Also, the secondary characters in TOS didn't get star billing.

[@davecrupel2817]

I wonder how many men, after the World Wars, had this same conversation.....

[@Razgriz117]

or how many have it now

[@floridaboz1]

Too many

[@sunnchilde]

I wonder if this scene isn't why we had him on DS9?

[@jerodast]

Colm Meaney's agent: You know he can act circles around the rest of cast except Stewart right? "The Wounded" writers: Prove it. Colm Meaney: *does this episode* ds9 producers: "Yup. Okay then."

[@DrownedInExile]

I thought you were talking about the Cardassian for some reason. I'm sure he ended up being drummed out of the military, on one of their many political/ideological purges.

[@floppydisksareop]

@@DrownedInExile Probably not. He was basically a grunt, not any worse than Marritza (who, while a civilian, was still working for the military). I don't think anyone really cared about him, and he didn't seem like the overly ambitious type. Even if he happened to be a Gul (which is still a pretty low rank in on itself, considering how many ships the Cardassians have, and how he could command basically a messenger ship and still have that rank), he'd probably still be alright as long as he didn't try to actively act against Central Command or the Obsidian Order. The worst thing that could happen to him is probably being nuked by the Dominion, or shot out of the sky by the Alliance during the Dominion War.

[@oldtwinsna8347]

@@floppydisksareop Glinn is not a low rank by default. It's wide encompassing depending on level of authority. Considering he was the Gul's aid, he was likely very high on the food chain. The Order would not tolerate this kind of talk he did with O'Brien and would indeed take steps necessary for removal for potentially spreading ideology incompatible with the Union's vision. He likely was smart enough, though, not to talk that way in front of other Cardies.

[@mrizwan7566]

I rate this episode is one of the top episodes of startrek, what a perfect way to introduce a new race. All the story , the characters done perfectly.

[@FireLordJohn3191]

The music is added so brilliantly. As soon as Miles gets the tough part, the music comes back.

[@thomasschoon8407]

I suppose if you're limited to a few choice precise words, this does the best job of summing it up, probably because it's the right few words. Especially when it's face to face 20 feet away and it really is him or you, the pure rage, the indignity of someone wanting to do that to you, and then just a few seconds later they're on the ground bleeding, you're alive unhurt and then you realize that you have ended the life of something that took Gods work and skills if you will, and a mother's nine months of careful care and love to bring he or she into the world innocent and without having done anything wrong. The conflict of quite naturally and instinctively wanting to stay alive, but doing something that is otherwise morally wrong. And that is as few a words words as I can use.

[@sophiaperennis2360]

Mind boggling they sat on this actor for years and never game him a major spot, until this scene revelead how much talent he had. Thanks God DS9 rectified that.

[@Psiros]

Does anyone know if these two characters meet again anywhere in ST canon? It would have been awesome if they paired up during the Dominion War - first as rivals, then as allies.

[@NitpickingNerd]

the galaxy is a big place . it's unlikely to meet random people again. this guy probably died in the dominion war . maybe O'brien looked it up later and felt sorry for him

[@mmyatt9560]

@@NitpickingNerd he survived the war in some non canon works

[@oldtwinsna8347]

Given his character reflection here, chiefly that he isn't power hungry needing a plateau to stand on by breaking the backs of others, I'd say he'd have moral objections about taking leadership from Dukat, thus ended up going AWOL and hightailing it to a Federation or some neutral world to live a life of protest. With the Order having fallen by then, he would not have been hunted down.

[@JonahBowe77]

"The man just incinerated before my eyes." not a cardassian, a man.

[@michaelgreenwood3413]

Proof the guy valued life. ANY life.

[@finnmcool2]

Some of the best writing in Star Trek is when the Cardassians are portrayed as real people. Some of the worst is when they are portrayed as cartoon villains.

[@theguitarvirtuosoforgod1152]

So deep, that line.

[@ElectericSpace]

This entire episode is so well written it feels like a prologue for ds9

[@thespecialneedsgroup]

It might be the first of the "actually, 24th Century humans _aren't_ perfect" plot lines of the TNG era.

[@kagemusha168]

Maxwell was proven correct with the Dominion War.

[@alexanderrahl482]

​@@thespecialneedsgroup You forget about Barclay? We knew they weren't perfect long before this episode.

[@Yaapo]

O'BRIEN. MUST. SUFFER. MORE.

[@undyingsoul81]

One of my favorite episodes! Thank you for uploading.

[@Enrahb]

Star Trek TNG and DS9 actually found ways to portray PTSD with respect and dignity.

[@centrist1008]

The music comes up at a great time.

[@engine22emt]

This is my absolute favorite episode of the series

[@darrenskjoelsvold]

This was so well acted. Really brought O'Brien to life..

[@Makman1994]

This one brilliant scene is much more mature than two whole episodes centered on PTSD from DS9 - Hard Time and It's only a Paper moon.

[@Alaninbroomfield]

Excellent character development here. Very interesting tale.

[@pattimcb31]

O'Brien isn't my favorite but he always has very good scenes.

[@gwgux]

Damn...every time I see this scene, I'm reminded of the fact that I'll never understand what soldiers go through. I can hear the stories and see how it affects them, but I'll never truly understand it as they do and to say that I do would be a disservice to them. All I can do is thank them for what they've done in the line of duty and do my best in the civilian world so as to not dishonor what they fought for.

[@skylarpatterson3363]

Try finding this level of depth in any episode of Discovery.

[@SweetBearCub]

"Try finding this level of depth in any episode of Discovery." Unable to comply. Depth not found. A shame.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

HAHAHA good luck.

[@FireLordJohn3191]

@@KRAFTWERK2K6 Or Picard.

[@CardboardSliver]

Discovery had as much depth as a mud puddle.

[@keithklassen5320]

Let's just enjoy what we have. No need to drag those shows in here.

[@srvfan454]

O'Brien was such a good man.

[@Guardias]

Miles never got enough credit. Glad the books rectified some of that injustice.

[@johnhazlett3711]

This is one of the best scenes in the entire series.

[@robinvik1]

Writers: "You know what would go well with O'Brien`s PTSD? *MORE PTSD!!* "

[@tomrodgers6629]

Best speech ever.

[@jiminyhopkins]

Wait til O'Brien finds out what happens when his plane is circling Dulles, running low on fuel with the ILS glide slope re-set...

[@Josh23761]

I like how the more O'Brien does for star fleet the lower his rank ends up being. He has juniors lieutenant rank pips here but in DS9 they changed him to be a non commissioned officer.

[@Blackwind_Legacy]

He's always been referred to as Chief. That's an enlisted rank in the Navy. Insigna issues aside, he's always been either a E-7 (Chief), E-8 (Senior Chief), or E-9 (Master Chief). You never hear the word senior or master with his title, but I hate to think he didn't get promoted through over a decade of service. Besides Yeoman, we don't really see that many enlisted ranks in Star Trek. Almost all officers. Kinda weird.

[@redzeppelin6]

@@Blackwind_Legacy They never promoted the man that kept that shitty carddie station working for 7 seasons.

[@oldtwinsna8347]

@@redzeppelin6 Not sure what you mean, he was the senior enlisted officer onboard. He ran the entire operations division of a space station, plus the Defiant, and reported directly to Sisko. That's a hell of an accomplishment.

[@markmayo7397]

"I hate what I became because of you". The best line of that episode.

[@mknaomidestiny]

Writers: "O'Brien has to suffer." O'Brien:

[@doubtingthomas6146]

I’m pretty sure this episode secured Colm Meaney’s role in DS9.. and probably was the reason STDS9 existed at all.

[@lizardking6135]

This is the birth of the "Obrien shall suffer" meme writing

[@adlaidunn]

It's crazy how he could only tell this to some cardassian stranger

[@tenkenroo]

The FIRST Ptsd experience. O’Brien after ds9 gets ptsd like 6 times over

[@jamescoop8979]

Hate keeps you warm when the rounds are flying but burns you up when they stop.

[@DaveKraft1]

This is one of the most powerful scenes I ever saw during the 8 years of TNG. It haunts me to this day in 2024. And given what's going on in Palestine and Ukraine, more relevant than ever.

[@KH4444444444N]

Admiral Cartwright once ruminated about Klingons becoming the "alien trash of the galaxy" but it's really the spoonheads that willingly fulfilled that role.

[@oldtwinsna8347]

I believe the Cardies had a much richer cultural tradition before they militarized. The Klingons in contrast have always been a war-like species that embrace conflict. Cardies were spiritual and peaceful folks. Cardies also valued education, science, and culture. They have eidetic memories so would be a forceful counterpart in any debate. Meanwhile, Klingons favorite pasttime was getting drunk and banging their heads against once another to see who is more macho.

[@KH4444444444N]

​@@oldtwinsna8347Bro. you wanna go deep? let's do it. The Hur'q ruined the Klingon Empire, before it existed. Then, Starfleet shows up 600 years later. The Klingon definition of Hur'q is "outsiders". Let that marinate...

[@davidseligman6445]

I love the scene in DS9 with the young Cardassian boy raised by Bajorans who has hatred for his own race .. where Keiko tries to cook her husband and the boy a popular Cardassian dish to be accommodating and neither he or O'Brien can bare to stomach it due to their loathing Cardassians.

[@CCJJ160Channels]

1:55 - Glinn Daro: “So can l go ahead and finish your beer?”

[@DemocracyDiesInDarkness]

That was when O'Brien first developed a taste for blood. After this incident he worked to switch to transporter operations so he could safely make transporter duplicates of his victims and then discreetly dispose of their remains. Rumor has it he has killed Riker hundreds of times.

[@Cedar_Wolf]

Boo!

[@victorconway444]

You know a true pacifist when they would feel bad about killing a fucking mosquito.

[@johnnynorrisjr.39]

The Cardassian is probably sitting there thinking "Wow that was ...incredibly awkward. I don't even know what a mosquito is, either" ._.

[@andyrooiam]

If you start staring at O'Brien's ear, you will not be able to stop

[@unclenurgle8281]

Now I’d you’ll excuse me I have to go stand in transporter room 3 for the next 12 hours.

[@Influx27]

Hate is the bond they share

[@irieite9666]

Soon the PTSD got the better of him and he returned to earth to become a rough neck Irish cop. I like to think this is a prequel to Intermission.

[@michaelmorton5698]

And a few years later Miles O'Brien would accept a posting aboard a Bajoran space station of Cardassian design as Chief of Operations. A promotion that required him to give up his commissioned rank of lieutenant and become a literal chief petty officer. Nice retcon, Berman and Braga.

[@andrewthorne3570]

Whatever happened to that guy? He seems like a great character

[@jasontodd9]

Daro? Nothing. He doesn't even seem to be in any books.

[@oldtwinsna8347]

I get the feeling he stuck around with the Cardassian military through the Klingon conflict and supported the growing civilian government movement once the Obsiddian Order was destroyed in the failed Founder homeworld attack. But once Dukat seized power, he instantly recognized this was not the Cardassia he wanted to defend. From there, he went AWOL and secretly left for a neutral world to live a new life as an author and critic of dictatorship governments. He held the equivalent of podcasts on the Intergalatic network, promoting peace, with over 50 billion subscribers spread over hundreds of different worlds. Later in the century, Picard joined in as a guest to promote embracing peace with the Romulans, that everyone should help with their evacuation plans no matter the past history of distaste they might have.

[@spikeep6141]

See, now, this is a very interesting question - What Does it Really *Mean,* for An Enemy to want to drink with you and get you another beer in a Society that has no money, and where the alcohol won’t make you inebriated, unless you WANT it to make you drunk....? Sly Cardassian.....

[@ModestNeophyte]

Is the actor who played the Cardassian here the same one that played Remmick, or possibly the one who played the Traveler? His eyes and lips look quite familiar to me.

[@briansammond7801]

The actor is Marc Alaimo. The Cardassian character here is Gul Macet. In DS9, Marc Alaimo played Gul Dukat.

[@Jarsia]

@@briansammond7801 Thats not Macet. It's glinn Daro, played by Time Winters. It was his only trek acting credit

[@willvgo2950]

He also appeared in Babylon 5 as a Minbari.

[@ABCDyeahyeahyeah]

This scene is probably the moment when Meaney won a full time role for DS9. What a performance.

[@kilroy3579]

Colm Meaney kills it every time...great stuff.

[@lyncat]

The Cardassian he talks to looks like the actor who played the Traveler. The eyes and the head shape are the same.

[@Rubyofthedead]

Cardassian logic: "I was just following orders." Expect an outpost full of soldiers and weaponry. Find civilians and children instead. Still follow orders to destroy the outpost, knowing full well these are innocent people or just blindly obeying, trusting those in power to be right, rather than risk getting in trouble for disobeying an order. Selfishness above all.

[@Skyebright1]

Reubenofthedead the Nazi excuse was also just following orders. It isn’t a good enough excuse

[@laszlokaestner5766]

Cardassian logic is always that the verdict/outcome is predetermined it is just the "how" that hasn't been decided. In this case it was deduced (incorrectly) that the outpost was going to be the launch point of an attack. To the soldiers taking part this remained the truth throughout even though they only found women and children because the guilt of the outpost had already been determined by their superiors. What the Cardassian here says "it was a terrible mistake" he is not referring to the killings but to the fact that the intelligence data was faulty causing the deaths of the civilians.

[@christopherdean1326]

All I can add to that is two words; My Lai........

[@karamanid]

If Central Command says its a military outpost, it is a military outpost. Refusing the order would end bad for the soldier and his family.

[@Doonkough]

thank you writers

[@raymondyu412]

The Cardassian was wondering, “what is a mosquito?”

[@benburnside5049]

In the episode Counselor Troi sensed Obriens negative thoughts towards the Cardassians when they arrived. This episode is Awesome, but the one nitpick I'd say was that they didn't follow up on a scene between Troi and O'Brien