Chief Miles O'Brien
From LoveToKnow Sci-Fi
Miles Edward O'Brien was the transporter chief in Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also served on Deep Space Nine as chief of operations. The Chief is played by Colm Meany and is one of the longest-running Star Trek characters, appearing in more episodes of Star Trek television series than any other character.
Biography
Miles O'Brien was born in Killarney, Ireland in September of 2328. His mother, who believed replicated foot was less nutritious and raised her children on real food, passed away in 2368. His father, Michael, remarried a year later, though Miles never met his stepmother. His relationship with his father was rocky at best. It was Michael who pushed Miles into a music career and he was deeply upset that his son enlisted in Starfleet instead. The two later reconciled their differences.
O'Brien also has two brothers, though nothing is known of their life or current whereabouts.
Miles married Keiko Ishikawas on the Enterprise-D in 2367. One year later, Keiko gave birth to their first child, Molly. Later, while serving aboard Deep Space Nine, the couple would have a second child, Kirayoshi. When Keiko was pregnant with their son, she suffered an injury and Kirayoshi was carried by a surrogate mother - Major Kira Nerys.
Chief Miles O'Brien: Career
One of O'Brien's first assignments was aboard the USS Rutledge where he served as junior tactical officer in the Cardassian War. His engineering skills paid off when he repaired a field transporter that allowed himself and thirteen others escape a patrol. Later, O'Brien was on a team sent to aid survivors of a Cardassian massacre. When helping a group of women and children, Miles was attacked by two Cardassians. He knocked one unconscious, fought with the other and was forced to kill him. Until this moment, Miles had never killed so much as a mosquito. This was to be the root of Miles' distrust with Cardassians, often referring to them with the slanderous term "Cardies". Miles later said it wasn't the Cardassians he hated, but who he became because of them.
In 2364, at age 36, he transferred to the USS Enterprise-D to serve under Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Here he filled in duties as security officer and most frequently the transporter chief.
After five years serving aboard the Enterprise-D, Miles received a promotion and was transferred to Deep Space Nine. He assumed duties of the chief of operations and took on a central role in the reformation of the Cardassian. He served aboard the station throughout the Dominion War before accepting a position at Starfleet Academy as professor of Engineering.
Miles' Major Experiences
Miles had a morbid fear of spiders that he was forced to face on numerous occasions. He was once forced to make critical ship repairs in a Jefferies tube infested with Talarian hook spiders. After beating his arachnophobia, Miles kept a pet Lycosa tarantula named Christina.
In 2372, Miles was captured and falsely accused of espionage on the Argrathi home world. Within hours he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. However, the Argrathi have a unique method of imprisonment: simulated memories of a prison sentence. Rather than serving a prison term, Miles gained the full memories of 20 years in a dungeon in just a few short hours.
When he returned to Deep Space Nine, Miles was a changed man. He became paranoid and quick to anger with everyone, even his own daughter Molly. He attempted suicide at least once. In the end, Miles learned to cope with his memories and integrated himself into his old life.
In 2371, Miles was infected with radioisotopes following an accident aboard Deep Space Nine. He subsequently experienced sudden shifts forward in time, witnessing and even participating in events where he would change the future. In the end, he deliberately contaminated himself in order to leap ahead in time to save the station. The "original" Miles O'Brien died a few hours in the future, sending his counterpart back in his place. So the Chief O'Brien after this point is actually a different one than in the rest of the series.
Trivia
- As of stardate 49648.0, Miles had engaged in over 230 separate combat situations, served aboard half a dozen starships and had been decorated by Starfleet on 15 separate occasions.
- Miles loves darts, racquetball, kayaking and detective stories. He frequently competes with his friend Dr. Julian Bashir aboard the Deep Space Nine holodeck.
Related Star Trek Links
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