Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Miles O'Brien
7. Lose The Fight, Win The War
The second season episode of The Next Generation, Up The Long Ladder, is laden with Irish stereotypes. Though, in this Irish writer's opinion, it is less offensive than simply silly, Colm Meaney was not a fan by any account. As this was early in his Star Trek career, there was very little could do about it. Having him in the episode could, arguably, offer the audience an example of what an Irishman actually sounded like.
When Meaney was cast in Deep Space Nine, he was in a far better position to put his foot down. When Ship In A Bottle aired, the writers on DS9 wanted to do another holodeck episode, though it eventually expanded into an episode about imagination. 'Jake brings a friend home from the holodeck' was the elevator pitch for what became If Wishes Were Horses.
The first draft of the script featured a Leprechaun, which Meaney ardently objected to. He was quoted in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion:
Using caricatures or cliches of any nation is not something Star Trek is or should be into.
The Leprechaun was changed to Rumpelstiltskin after Meaney called Rick Berman and complained:
Every Irish actor I know has worked his entire life to overcome the stereotype of Irish people and leprechauns. It's really racist, and I don't want to do it.