Star Trek: 10 Times Chief O'Brien Suffered

4. The Storyteller

Star Trek The Storyteller
CBS

The Storyteller is the earliest episode in which O'Brien and Bashir's friendship begins to bloom, though here O'Brien has been saddled with the doctor, rather than choosing to spend any time with him. The early scenes were not the greatest depictions of the man that Bashir would become, with The Storyteller depicting him as brash and somewhat arrogant.

Poor O'Brien was given the thankless job of accompanying him to a Bajoran village that is being terrorised by a cloud creature. When the village protector, the Sirrah, dies, O'Brien is named as his successor.

The episode flips between serious drama and outright comedy as O'Brien tries to rally the villagers around him, using their collective energy, plus a fragment from a Bajoran Orb, to ward off the Dal Roc. He is spared from this when one of the villagers, the Sirrah's previous assistant, takes over.

This would be the first of many fish-out-of-water episodes for O'Brien, with Colm Meany absolutely nailing the discomfort and embarrassment that followed along with these stories.

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"