Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Chief O’Brien (Colm Meaney) is my favorite Star Trek character, but I don’t want him to return to the franchise. IDW’s Star Trek comics have recently brought back Chief O’Brien in Star Trek Annual 2024, which reunites him with Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) for a new adventure. You can make your own decision about whether O’Brien’s comic book return is canon or not, but it does raise the question of whether Colm Meaney could, or should, return to Star Trek.
In a 2021 interview with CBR, Colm Meaney said that he had mixed feelings about returning to Star Trek in case “things end up being ruined.” Star Trek: Picard season 3 proved that the modern franchise has writers who care about these legacy characters, and put serious thought into how their lives have developed in the interim. After Picard season 3 revealed that the Borg had assimilated Starfleet via the transporters, I was convinced that Chief O’Brien would return to save the day. That didn’t happen, and on reflection, I’m glad Colm Meaney’s beloved Star Trek: DS9 character hasn’t returned.
Chief O’Brien Shouldn’t Come Back To Star Trek – He’s Suffered Enough
O’Brien must suffer no more.
I don’t want Chief O’Brien to return to Star Trek because it could seriously undermine his happy ending in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. After seven seasons of juggling family life with the stresses of keeping a space station operational during a devastating intergalactic war, Chief O’Brien finally got to relax. At the end of DS9, the O’Briens left the station for a new life on Earth, where the Chief would teach at Starfleet Academy. It was the perfect ending for a family man like Miles O’Brien, so throwing him back into the thick of the action would surely jeopardize his peaceful new life.
…after being tortured by Cardassians, witnessing his own death, and enduring decades in prison, Chief O’Brien has suffered enough.
As an enlisted man, Chief O’Brien more than served his time during Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, so I truly think he deserves his retirement. Dragging the Chief out of the Academy to avert yet another intergalactic crisis would inevitably lead to more O’Brien must suffer episodes, because that’s what Star Trek fans would expect. This would be a huge mistake because, after being tortured by Cardassians, witnessing his own death, and enduring decades in prison, Chief O’Brien has suffered enough. I really hope that modern Star Trek just lets O’Brien enjoy his quiet life as an Academy instructor.
How Chief O’Brien Could Return To Star Trek Without Ruining His DS9 Ending
There’s definitely a way to bring back Chief O’Brien without ruining his ending in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I know I’d enjoy a wryly comic cameo in the final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks, which has previously named Chief O’Brien as “the most important man in Starfleet history.” Colm Meaney is a man with a great sense of humor, so I can definitely see him agreeing to a small Lower Decks cameo if the script was right. Also on the animation front, a sneaky cameo by Professor O’Brien at Starfleet Academy in Star Trek: Prodigy would be a fun way to nod to the character while respecting his ending.
A more leftfield way to bring Chief O’Brien back to Star Trek would be as a hologram in the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy show. In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, it was revealed that holographic technology was highly advanced, allowing Doctor Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) to interact with his grandmother. Therefore, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Chief O’Brien could be resurrected as a holographic instructor, putting the next generation of engineering cadets through their paces. However, I’d still prefer to think of Chief O’Brien living a peaceful life on Earth with his family.