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By Chris Snellgrove
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One of the most popular Star Trek characters is Chief O’Brien, who went from being a small supporting character The next generation to be one of the main cast members on Deep space nine. He is a transferable character for many reasons, including the fact that he is a family man who would rather relax his wife and children rather than explore strange new worlds. However, the majority of fans may not be able to identify with O’Brien marriage, because the boss has met and married his wife alone one yearMaking this one of the fastest moving couples in the galaxy.
Now, this little detail about the main O’Brien marriage is not included in any broadcast chapters … Instead, it is effectively hidden in deleted scenes from the Season 3 TNG 3 episode “The Price.” In that scene, O’Brien discusses a love called Mitzi with the turning counselor. We are not introduced to Keiko until episode Season 4 “Data’s Day,” where she is married to everyone’s favorite carrier boss. Their on -screen romance is sweet … so sweet you may miss the shocking fact that O’Brien has met, dated, and married someone in about a year, something that would seem unimaginable to the majority Trek Star fans watch from home.
The O’Briens marriage is moving fast in other ways as well: for example, less than a year after getting married aboard the enterprise, the two welcomed their first child, Molly, to the world. Obviously, there is no “right” frame for couples to have children, but it is a little surprising that these newly became parents only two years after meeting. Double surprise because the initiative appears as a much more dangerous home for children than, say, a space station.
Speaking of which, the next big step in O’Briens marriage was moving to Deep Space Nine, which happened just over a year after Molly was born. Generally speaking, this made sense … before Bajoran’s Wormhole was discovered, DS9 was the kind of safe assignment, slightly dead where the head could lift his family safely. However, we cannot come over the fact that he and Keiko met, got married, became parents, and left everything behind, all within a period of about three years.
However, fans who really know the main O’Brien may not be surprised by these wedding details because this is a character who has always known exactly what he wants out of life … the kind of guy who stayed a man was deliberately listed because he did not want to suffer the formal Starfleet dinners that officers have to attend. So we find it completely Credible that both would have married Keiko and started having children whenever he thought the time was right. This vibe “know yourself” extended to end the series, where we discover that O’Brien suddenly decided to leave DS9 for a safe teaching job Starfleet Academy.
Once Deep Space had nine the defiant, the Chief O’Brien became his chief engineer, keeping this borg breakdown in the air by even the most hairy firefighters. At the end of the day, he always ensured that the ship could warp back home to the warmth and comfort of his family. O’Brien was a great engineer, but that is no surprise … what else would you expect from someone whose marriage had been moving in Lightspeed from the beginning?
