10 Emotional Star Trek Moments That Made The Fans Cry

Deep Space Nine's Hard Time does what it says on the tin in that it's another 'O'Brien must suffer' episode, but that in no way detracts from the poignant subject matter or its hauntingly beautiful, emotionally wrought final scenes.

Falsely accused and sentenced for espionage by the Argrathi, by the end of the episode's cold open O'Brien has spent 20 years in prison via accelerated memory implantation. In what follows, O'Brien must process the trauma of his experience — suffering from flashbacks, hallucinations, and outbursts of anger — inasmuch as those around him must try to comprehend what he is going through. It is a reminder that, for any mental health condition, what might not seem real to the outside observer is very real for the person affected.

Towards the end of the episode, O'Brien's struggle to deal with the memories forced upon him reaches a crisis point. When Doctor Bashir finds him in the cargo bay, he has a phaser pointed to his chin. Having killed his cellmate Ee'char (real or not), O'Brien believes he has failed to live up to the high-minded ideals of a supposedly 'evolved' humanity of the 24th century and deserves to die. Bashir reminds him that the sense of remorse he feels for his actions proves that he is human and, ultimately, a good man.

As Bashir takes the phaser, the vision of Ee'char speaks to O'Brien one last time. "Be well, Miles," he says. With Ee'char's parting benediction, and the love of his friends and family on the Station, O'Brien's road to recovery can truly begin.