Star Trek: 10 Times Chief O'Brien Suffered

10. Armageddon Game

In this early example of O'Brien going through hell, he and Dr. Bashir are helping the T'Lani and Kelleruns retire their Harvesters. These biogenic weapons of mass destruction are left over from a dreadful war, with this last being the final full-stop in the peace treaty. Unfortunately for them both, they get caught up in a web of intrigue - and O'Brien gets infected by the weapon.

The episode is marked as one of the first examples of Bashir and O'Brien's friendship. It was actually originally written with Dax in O'Brien's place, though the producers felt that she had been overused at this point. Alexander Siddig loved the episode, claiming that it was crucial for his relationship with Colm Meaney, but also showcased some great moments for Bashir.

While playing O'Brien as infected by the Harvester, Meaney was forced to look like death warmed up, which translated into his performance. Despite O'Brien's pain and suffering, Sisko makes a point of saying what a valuable and affable man he was to Keiko, which would begin the trope of people saying the nicest things about him...while he was in tremendous pain.