I’m glad that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine abandoned a plan to turn Star Trek veteran Chief Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney) into a Cardassian. It was revealed in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4, episode 12, “The Wounded” that O’Brien was a veteran of the Federation-Cardassian War, which meant that he was prejudiced against Cardassians. This prejudice became more pronounced in DS9 when his anti-Cardassian sentiments were used against him in season 2, episode 25, “Tribunal”. To turn this prejudice on its head, writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe wanted to turn the beloved Deep Space Nine character into a Cardassian in season 3.

The episode in question was an early version of what would eventually become Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 5, “Second Skin”. The finished version centered on Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) being altered to appear Cardassian as part of an elaborate plot by the Obsidian Order. However, Robert Hewitt Wolfe’s original version of “Second Skin” would have been an O’Brien Must Suffer episode in which Miles discovered he was a Cardassian spy who had infiltrated Starfleet after the Setlik III Massacre. Thankfully, this never happened, as I’m sure it would have ruined one of DS9‘s best-loved characters.

Star Trek’s Chief O’Brien Being A Cardassian Would Have Been A Huge Mistake

The ramifications for both TNG and DS9 would have been too large.

I can’t begin to get my head around the ramifications of revealing that Chief O’Brien was actually a Cardassian spy in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The revelation would have meant that the O’Brien we met in Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s pilot, “Encounter at Farpoint”, was a Cardassian spy. Revealing this in DS9 season 3 would have asked too many questions to satisfyingly answer in the course of a 45-minute episode. For example, how would Starfleet react to the revelation that the Chief Petty Officer of their flagship was actually a spy for the Cardassian Union?

Robert Hewitt Wolfe’s intention was to explore the idea of identity, with the moral of the story being that it only mattered who O’Brien was now. To me, that ending feels like a cop-out. At this stage in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s life, it’s hard to escape the feeling that this major revelation about O’Brien’s identity would be swept under the carpet in the following episode. To do something so massive in such a disposable way would have been an insult to O’Brien’s character, and the viewers that had been watching him since 1987.

Dropping O’Brien Gave Kira One Of Her Best Star Trek: DS9 Episodes

Robert Hewitt Wolfe decided to abandon the Chief O’Brien version of “Second Skin” when he couldn’t reconcile how a Cardassian spy could have a human daughter. By dropping O’Brien, Hewitt Wolfe ended up giving us one of Major Kira’s best DS9 episodes. Crucially, Kira isn’t revealed to be a Cardassian, but is instead an unwitting pawn in a plan by the Obsidian Order to expose the dissident Tekeny Ghemor (Lawrence Pressman). As she’s not actually a spy like O’Brien would have been, Kira’s experiences do influence her later development in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Kira calls Ghemor an “honorable man” at the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 5, “Second Skin”, which is a big moment for her. Like Chief O’Brien, Kira is also prejudiced against Cardassians, due to their Occupation of Bajor. However, through Tekeny Ghemor, Kira gets to understand that not every Cardassian is a brutal dictator, some see another way forward. I can’t see Robert Hewitt Wolfe’s original version of “Second Skin” having this same impact on O’Brien, which is why the story works far better with Major Kira than the Chief.

All episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are available to stream on Paramount+

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  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

  Where to Watch

  *Availability in US

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  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

  Cast

  Avery Brooks
  , Rene Auberjonois
  , Cirroc Lofton
  , Colm Meaney
  , Armin Shimerman
  , Alexander Siddig
  , Nana Visitor
  , Michael Dorn
  , Nicole de Boer
  , Terry Farrell
  , Andrew Robinson

  Release Date

  
  January 3, 1993
  

  Seasons

  7

  Writers

  Michael Piller
  , Ira Steven Behr
  , Ronald D. Moore

  Showrunner

  Michael Piller
  , Ira Steven Behr

  Where To Watch

  Paramount+

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• 

  Star Trek: The Next Generation

  Where to Watch

  *Availability in US

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  • rent
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  Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.

  Cast

  Patrick Stewart
  , Marina Sirtis
  , Brent Spiner
  , Jonathan Frakes
  , LeVar Burton
  , Wil Wheaton
  , Gates McFadden
  , Michael Dorn

  Release Date

  
  September 28, 1987
  

  Seasons

  7

  Writers

  Rick Berman
  , Michael Piller
  , Brannon Braga
  , Jeri Taylor
  , Ronald D. Moore

  Showrunner

  Rick Berman
  , Michael Piller
  , Jeri Taylor

  Where To Watch

  Paramount+

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