Star Trek: 10 Times Chief O'Brien Suffered
8. The Assignment
Enter the Pah Wraith.
While O'Brien had never been a particularly religious man, he certainly discovered that the devil truly did exist when it took possession of Keiko in this fifth season episode. The original idea for the Pah Wraith had come several seasons earlier, although this would be its first appearance - ironically in an episode that doesn't feature Major Kira.
Hans Beimler was largely responsible for helping writers David Weddle and Bradley Thomspon break the story. There had been a bit of back and forth about how they go about the possession - would Keiko be more of a hostage, for example? Beimler described the idea as - imagine you've just had a massive fight with your wife at a party, and then she acts to everyone else as though nothing has happened.
That gave them what they needed to work on the rest of the script. It is slightly heartbreaking watching O'Brien try to do the things that the Pah Wraith sets for him, knowing he's completely trapped, and that it can kill Keiko at any moment. Both Colm Meaney and Rosalind Chao excel in this episode, with Chao showing particular range - especially as she had never been given much material over on The Next Generation.