Whenever I re-watch Star Trek: The Next Generation, I look forward to seeing Chief Miles Edward O'Brien (Colm Meaney) in the transporter rooms of the USS Enterprise. Although Chief O'Brien first enlisted in Starfleet during the war against the Cardassians, during his lifetime of service to the United Federation of Planets, Chief O'Brien served many roles. From Tactical officer on the USS Rutledge, to Transporter Chief during TNG, to Chief Engineer during Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Chief O'Brien proved capable of rising to any occasion set before him.
So, I was inclined to agree with Star Trek: Lower Decks' tribute to Chief O'Brien, declaring him the most important man in Starfleet history. Chief O'Brien bridged the gap between The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, and over his long Star Trek tenure, Chief O'Brien had some great episodes in both shows. Nevertheless, I don't really remember much about Chief O'Brien from the early seasons of TNG. Since the character didn't really come into his own until later, I was pleasantly surprised to realize just how long Chief O'Brien has been a part of Star Trek.
Chief O’Brien Was In Star Trek: TNG Since Its Season Premiere
But He Didn't Get A Name Until TNG Season 2
In the very first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Encounter at Farpoint," Colm Meaney walks onto the Enterprise's battle bridge. In the credits for the episode, Meaney is credited as "Battle Bridge Con," not "Miles O'Brien." Indeed, in this first appearance, Meaney wears the red uniform of Command Division, rather than Chief O'Brien's normal gold Operations Division uniform. Colm Meaney would appear in one other episode of TNG season 1, "Lonely Among Us," this time in his classic uniform, credited as "First Security Guard." So, although Chief O'Brien was there from the beginning, his character was undefined.
Chief O'Brien didn't receive his surname until Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2, episode 7, "Unnatural Selection," when Colm Meaney finally officially appears as Transporter Chief Miles O'Brien. Not only does Chief O'Brien feature in this episode, but his specialized transporter knowledge is also instrumental in solving the crisis of the episode, just one of the many times transporters saved lives on Star Trek. From this episode onward, Chief O'Brien became a regular on TNG, even if he wasn't a part of the bridge crew.
In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4's "The Wounded," Chief O'Brien gained a backstory, fleshing out his character. It's not really surprising, then, that I didn't draw a connection between the Transporter Chief war veteran and the unnamed command division bridge officer from "Encounter at Farpoint."
