1:[2,#B],33:[1,#B],37:[1,#B],44:[1,#B],49:[1,#B],67:[1,#B],69:[1,#B],77:[1,#B],86:[1,#B],92:[3,#B],99:[1,#B],105:[1,#B],109:[1,#B],112:[2,#B],119:[3,#B],126:[1,#B],130:[3,#B]@1noncorporeal life@2Literally, without body. Refers to a wide number of life-forms that exist as complex patterns of energy, plasma, or gas, without any tangible physical form. Noncorporeal life-forms have included the Thasians (“Charlie X” [TOS]), Trelane (“The Squire of Gothos” [TOS]), the Organians (“Errand of Mercy” [TOS]), Redjac (also known as Jack the Ripper, Beratis, Kesla, and Mister Hengist) (“Wolf in the Fold” [TOS]), the Gorgan of Triacus (“And the Children Shall Lead” [TOS]), the Medusans (“Is There in Truth No Beauty?” [TOS]), the Zetarians (“The Lights of Zetar” [TOS]), Troi, Ian Andrew (“The Child” [TNG]), the Koinonians (“The Bonding” [TNG]), the transformed Zalkonians (“Transfigurations” [TNG]), the Caretaker (“Caretaker” [VGR]), photonic beings (“Heroes and Demons” [VGR]) and trianic energy beings, also known as the Komar (“Cathexis” [VGR]). SEE: cloud creatures; Meridian.
~1:[2,#B],11:[1,#I],27:[2,#B],36:[1,#I],59:[2,#B],93:[8,#I],107:[3,#B],192:[1,#B],253:[1,#B],279:[1,#B],320:[40,#I]@1O'Brien, Keiko@2(Rosalind Chao). Starfleet botanist, formerly assigned to the Enterprise -D, later reassigned to Deep Space 9.
Born Keiko Ishikawa, she married fellow crew member Miles O'Brien in 2367. Their wedding, held aboard the Enterprise -D in the Ten-Forward Lounge, was a mixture of Japanese and Irish traditions. (“Data's Day” [TNG]). Keiko gave birth to a girl, Molly O'Brien, a year later. Molly was born in Ten-Forward during a ship-wide systems failure. (“Disaster” [TNG]). Keiko was briefly reduced to a child after passing through an energy field in 2369. (“Rascals” [TNG]). (Young Keiko was played by Caroline Junko King.)
Keiko accepted a transfer to station Deep Space 9 in 2369 when her husband was assigned there as chief of operations. Keiko was appalled at the living accommodations on the station, but remained there for the sake of her husband's career. (“Emissary” [DS9]). Keiko and her husband visited Earth that same year for her mother's 100th birthday. (“Dax” [DS9]). As a child, Keiko helped her grandmother with her Japanese brush painting. It had been the young Keiko's special task to fill the old chipped cup that her grandmother, whom she called Obachan, used to clean the brush. (“Violations” [TNG]).
Keiko found adapting to life on the station difficult. She was dissatisfied by the lack of professional opportunities for a botanist on the station, and was concerned about the lack of educational facilities for her daughter. Keiko was able to address this last issue when Commander Sisko granted her permission to establish a schoolroom on the station. (“A Man Alone” [DS9]). Keiko operated the school until early 2371, when enrollment dropped dramatically, possibly because of fears of a possible Dominion attack. Shortly thereafter she accepted an assignment as chief botanist on a agrobiology expedition to Bajor. The assignment kept Keiko and her daughter, Molly, away from the station for much of that year. (“The House of Quark” [DS9], “Fascination” [DS9]). The words Picard spoke in the O'Brien wedding ceremony are almost identical to the ceremony performed by Captain Kirk in “Balance of Terror” (TOS), a deliberate homage by episode writer Ronald Moore. Keiko's first appearance was in “Data's Day” (TNG).
~1:[2,#B],8:[3,#B],56:[3,#B]@1O'Brien, Michael@2The father of Starfleet officer Miles Edward O'Brien. Miles and Keiko considered naming their first child after Michael, if it was a boy. (“Disaster” [TNG]). The senior O'Brien had wanted his son, Miles, to become a cello player. When Miles was 17, Michael sent a recorded audition of his son's music to the Aldeberan Music Academy. He was disappointed when Miles joined Starfleet instead, but eventually became proud of his son's career. (“Shadowplay” [DS9]). O'Brien became widowed in 2368 when his wife passed away. He remarried the following year. Miles O'Brien didn't like the fact that he'd never met his father's new bride. (“Whispers” [DS9]).
~1:[2,#B],47:[1,#I],112:[3,#B],135:[2,#BI],141:[3,#B],154:[1,#I],162:[2,#B],228:[1,#BI],253:[3,#B],283:[2,#B],315:[1,#B],317:[2,#B],323:[2,#B],337:[1,#I],375:[2,#B],393:[3,#B],459:[1,#B],485:[1,#B],554:[2,#B],571:[1,#B],652:[25,#I],701:[1,#B],714:[3,#B],731:[1,#B],779:[1,#I],820:[40,#I]@1O'Brien, Miles@2(Colm Meaney). Starfleet engineer, chief of operations at station Deep Space 9. (“Emissary” [DS9]). Prior to being assigned to Deep Space 9 in 2369, Miles Edward O'Brien had been operating transporters for some 22 years, the last six of which were spent on the Enterprise -D. (“Realm of Fear” [TNG]).
Miles, who was born in the month of September (“Whispers” [DS9]), grew up with two brothers. (“Invasive Procedures” [DS9]). During his youth, O'Brien did poorly in mechanical aptitude tests, but his later skills belied his test scores. (“Paradise” [DS9]). His father, Michael, wanted him to be a concert cellist, but two days before he was to start at the Aldebaran Music Academy, Miles signed up for Starfleet. (“Shadowplay” [DS9]).
Early in his Starfleet career, O'Brien had been the tactical officer aboard the U.S.S. Rutledge under the command of Captain Benjamin Maxwell. O'Brien's first experience with transporters came in 2347, when the Rutledge responded to the Cardassian massacre at planet Setlik III. O'Brien repaired a balky field transporter, preventing himself and 13 Starfleet personnel from becoming Cardassian prisoners of war. He also participated in the rescue of several survivors of that bloodly massacre. The experience of Setlik III scarred O'Brien deeply, and he continued to harbor bitterness against the Cardassians for many years. (“The Wounded” [TNG]). He was rewarded for his resourcefulness by being promoted to Rutledge tactical officer. (“Paradise” [DS9]).
O'Brien was deathly afraid of spiders, until an incident where he had to crawl through a Jefferies tube past twenty Talarian hook spiders to perform a critical repair at Zayra IV. After that considerable act of courage, O'Brien said he wasn't quite so fearful of arachnids, and even kept a Lycosa tarantula named Christina as a pet. (“Realm of Fear” [TNG]). O'Brien once dislocated his left shoulder while kayaking on the holodeck. O'Brien was healed, almost miraculously, by a touch from the Zalkonian named John Doe. (“Transfigurations” [TNG]).
O'Brien married Keiko Ishikawa on stardate 44390 in a ceremony in the Ten-Forward lounge aboard the Enterprise -D. Captain Jean-Luc Picard presided at the ceremony, and Data (who had first introduced Miles and Keiko to each other) served as Father of the Bride. (“Data's Day” [TNG]). O'Brien became a father a year later when Molly O'Brien was born. (“Disaster” [TNG]).
O'Brien was promoted and assigned to be chief of operations on station Deep Space 9 in 2369, and moved there with his wife and daughter. O'Brien's technical expertise and skill at improvisation proved valuable, given the station's generally poor condition and the lack of technical resources at the distant post. (“Emissary” [DS9]).
O'Brien almost died in 2370 after being exposed to nanobiogenic gel while helping the T'Lani and Kellerun governments to neutralize their deadly harvester weapon. He drank coffee, Jamaican blend double strong, double sweet. (“Armageddon Game” [DS9]). Later that year, O'Brien was assigned to assist in preparations for the peace talks between the Paradan government and the rebels with whom the government had been at war. The Pardan government abducted O'Brien and replaced him with a cloned replicant that was physically identical to O'Brien. The replicant, who was programmed by the government to assassinate members of the rebel negotiating team, was given O'Brien's memories, and had no way to know that he was not the original. (“Whispers” [DS9]).
O'Brien died of severe delta-series radioisotope contamination in 2371, when he was timeshifted several hours into a future in which the Romulan government destroyed Deep Space 9. The timeshifting was triggered by interaction of temporal displacement waves from a nearby cloaked Romulan warbird with the radioisotopes in O'Brien's body. Ironically, O'Brien's death made it possible for his future self to travel back in time to his original “present,” where the future O'Brien successfully warned station personnel of the impending Romulan attack. The future O'Brien thereby effectively changed places with the present O'Brien, and continued his life in this altered reality. (“Visionary” [DS9]). This means that every appearance of O'Brien since “Visionary” (DS9) has been the alternate O'Brien from the future, since the original died in that episode. The alternate O'Brien from the future fit in well, showing virtually no difference from the original O'Brien. During a rather remarkable winning streak at darts, this O'Brien suffered a rotator cuff tear and was forced to have humeral socket replacement surgery. It ended his winning streak, but allowed him to finally complete his beloved kayaking program. (“Shakaar” [DS9]).
Besides engineer, husband, and father, O'Brien briefly served as a substitute schoolteacher when his wife visited her mother on Earth. (“The Nagus” [DS9]). O'Brien's off-duty pastimes also included music, and he was seen playing the cello in a string quartet in Ten-Forward aboard the Enterprise -D on at least one occasion. (“The Ensigns of Command” [TNG]). O'Brien like to kayak on the holodeck. (“Heart of Stone” [DS9], “Transfigurations” [TNG]) and enjoyed racquetball, although perhaps not quite so much as did Dr. Julian Bashir. (“Rivals” [DS9]). O'Brien was first seen as the battle bridge conn officer in “Encounter at Farpoint” (TNG), but it was many episodes until he got a last name. He did not get a first and middle name, Miles Edward, until “Family” (TNG).
~1:[1,#B],7:[1,#B],10:[2,#B],31:[1,#B],36:[1,#B],52:[2,#B],90:[4,#B],97:[3,#B],188:[1,#BI],206:[2,#B],322:[1,#B],355:[16,#I],477:[1,#B],575:[2,#B],638:[1,#B],673:[2,#B],677:[2,#B],695:[1,#B],698:[1,#B],807:[1,#BI],822:[2,#B],925:[2,#B],929:[2,#BI],934:[8,#I],948:[6,#I]@1Odo@2(Rene Auberjonois). Security chief aboard Cardassian space station Terok Nor who continued that function when Starfleet took over the facility in 2369.
Odo was a shape-shifter, one of the Founders of the Gamma Quadrant's Dominion. (“The Search, Parts I and II” [DS9]). Odo was discovered as an infant in the Denorios Belt, but those that rescued him had no idea where he came from, or what species he belonged to. (“Emissary” [DS9]).
When discovered, Odo was a shapeless mass of organic broth. He spent several years at the Bajoran Institute of Science being studied by Dr. Mora Pol, who helped Odo assimilate himself into humanoid society. Being the only one of his kind, he attempted to fit into society by being “the life of the party.” He'd turn himself into any object requested by the partygoers, which only increased his feelings of isolation and loneliness. (“The Forsaken” [DS9]). Odo regarded Mora as a father figure, yet felt smothered by his condiment and constant scrutiny. He left the institute and rebelled against Mora's influence for years. (“The Alternate” [DS9]). Odo got his name from the Cardassian word odo'ital., something of a cruel joke, since it translates into “nothing.” (“Heart of Stone” [DS9]).
Odo came to Terok Nor in 2365, and became an unofficial arbitrator for the Bajoran nationals on the station. Later that year, station administrator Gul Dukat asked Odo to investigate a murder on the station. Kira Nerys was a suspect in that case. Dukat was so impressed with Odo's work that made Odo chief of security for the station. (“Necessary Evil” [DS9]).
In 2366, as part of his duties as Terok Nor's security chief, Odo was made an officer of the Cardassian court. This would become advantageous in 2370, following the arrest of Starfleet Officer Miles O'Brien by the Cardassian government. using his position as an officer of the court, Odo was able to have himself assigned as O'Brien's nestor. (“Tribunal” [DS9]).
Odo maintained a humanoid form while at work on the station, but he had to return to his natural form, a viscous orange fluid, every 16 hours. (“The Storyteller” [DS9]). (In “A Man Alone” [DS9] Odo had to return to his liquid form every 18 hours.) Refusing to carry a weapon, (“Emissary” [DS9]). Odo had a great respect for the rights of all life-forms, however simple or evolved. (“Playing God” [DS9]). He didn't need to eat and only had an approximation of a mouth and digestive system. (“The Forsaken” [DS9], “Heart of Stone” [DS9]). Once, not long after he first assumed humanoid form, he tried eating, but did not find it satisfying because he had no taste buds. (“Meridian” [DS9]). Odo had no sense of smell (“If Wishes Were Horses” [DS9], “Improbable Cause” [DS9]). He patterned his own hairstyle after the scientist assigned to study him at the research center on planet Bajor. He did not even know how to gamble (“Babel” [DS9]), but did try to take on new challenges. Odo sometimes joined Miles O'Brien when he ran his kayaking holographic simulation program, and O'Brien used to give him old Earth detective novels to read. (“Heart of Stone” [DS9]). Odo never took a mate, claiming that he would not to want to make the compromises that a relationship would demand. Odo also had an uncompromising view of law enforcement, believing that “laws change, but justice is justice.” (“A Man Alone” [DS9]). Odo let his guard down slightly with Ambassador Lwaxana Troi in 2369 when the two were trapped together in a turbolift on the station. In their different ways, both Odo and Troi were loners, and their enforced proximity caused them to share each other's vulnerabilities. (“The Forsaken” [DS9]).
Odo yearned desperately to learn of his origins, and hoped for years meet another individual of his species. When Crodin of the planet Rakhar gave him a shape-shifting necklace, Odo began to suspect that he might find other shape-shifters in the Gamma Quadrant. (“Vortex” [DS9]). In early 2371, Odo found his people on a sunless planet in the Omarion Nebula in the Gamma Quadrant. He learned that he was a member of a species of shape-shifters who were the elusive Founders of the Dominion. To learn about the galaxy, the Founders had sent a hundred infant members of their species far out into space, and placed a desire to return home into their genetic makeup. Odo was one of these infants. (“The Search, Parts I and II” [DS9]). Odo's encounter with his fellow shape-shifters gave him a greater measure of self-confidence. He even stopped using his bucket for regeneration periods, instead reverting to his gelatinous state in his quarters, where he began to experiment with the sensations of turning into different shapes and textures. (“The Abandoned” [DS9]). Later that same year, Odo was afforded the unique opportunity to participate in Jadzia Dax's zhian'tara. But because of his shape-shifter nature, rather than just temporarily embodying the personality of Curzon Dax, Odo, in fact, became joined with him. The arrangement was very satisfactory for both beings, and for a time they refused to be separated. Even after Odo was persuaded to give up the Curzon personality, he retained memories of being joined with Curzon. (“Facets” [DS9]).
Odo was a security officer for most of his humanoid existence, but he had never found it necessary to fire a weapon or take a life, as he abhorred the humanoid practice of violence. Nevertheless, in 2371, he became the first of his species to harm another Founder when he accidentally killed the Founder posing as Ambassador Krajensky aboard the U.S.S. Defiant. (“The Adversary” [DS9]). Rene Auberjonois had previously played Colonel West in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Odo first appeared in “Emissary” (DS9).
~1:[3,#B],9:[1,#I],57:[1,#I],79:[1,#B],104:[1,#I],140:[3,#B],185:[1,#I],191:[2,#B],195:[3,#I],200:[2,#B],211:[1,#I],229:[45,#I],276:[19,#I],300:[19,#I]@1Ogawa, Nurse Alyssa@2(Patti Yasutake). Member of the Enterprise -D medical staff. (“Future Imperfect” [TNG], “Clues” [TNG], “Identity Crisis” [TNG], “The Host” [TNG], “The Game” [TNG], “Ethics” [TNG], “Cause and Effect” [TNG], “The Inner Light” [TNG], “Man of the People” [TNG], “Realm of Fear” [TNG], “True-Q” [TNG], and “Suspicions” [TNG]). Ogawa dated one of her fellow Enterprise -D crew members. She said she liked him, but wasn't at all sure if she would accept his invitation to visit Risa with him. (“Imaginary Friend” [TNG]). Alyssa was promoted to lieutenant in 2370. Early in 2370, Ogawa began seeing Ensign Markson, another member of the Enterprise -D crew. (“Attached” [TNG]). The relationship did not last, and later that year, she began seeing Lieutenant Andrew Powell. Andrew proposed and Alyssa became pregnant with their first child. During her pregnancy, Alyssa succumbed to Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome, although her fetus was unaffected. Data was able to extract some of the amniotic fluid from her pregnancy and use it to manufacture a cure for the condition. (“Genesis” [TNG]). Ogawa helped to care for injured personnel following the crash-landing of the Enterprise -D saucer section on planet Veridian III in 2371. (Star Trek: Generations). (In another quantum reality, Ogawa served as chief medical officer of the Starship Enterprise -D. She had the unfortunate task of informing Data and Worf that Geordi had died. [“Parallels” (TNG)]). Ogawa was first seen in “Future Imperfect” (TNG), got a first name in “Clues” (TNG), and a last name in “Identity Crisis” (TNG). During Patti Yasutake's first few appearances, she was simply referred to in the scripts as a nameless nurse. Eventually, script coordinator (and Star Trek writer) Eric Stillwell was asked to come up with a Japanese name for Patti's character. Eric called Suzi Shimizu, Star Trek: The Next Generation's budget estimator, for suggestions. They chose the first name Alyssa, for Suzi's daughter, and Ogawa, for Suzi's maiden name.
~1:[2,#B],11:[1,#B],15:[3,#B],19:[2,#B],42:[1,#B],48:[1,#B],68:[2,#B],84:[2,#BI],194:[4,#B],223:[5,#B],271:[2,#B]@1Opaka, Kai@2(Camille Saviola). Spiritual and political leader of the Bajoran people. In 2369, Deep Space 9 commander Benjamin Sisko turned to her in hopes that she could help unite the many contentious factions that threatened to bring civil war to Bajor. (“Emissary” [DS9]). Compelled by the Prophets, Opaka visited Deep Space 9 later that year, and prevailed upon Sisko to allow her to travel through the Bajoran wormhole and visit the Gamma Quadrant. On that trip, Opaka was killed when the runabout Yangtzee Kiang, carrying Opaka, Sisko, Bashir, and Kira Nerys, crashed on a moon in the Gamma Quadrant. She was brought back to life by unusual artificial microbes on that moon. Unfortunately, the nature of the microbes keeping her alive made it impossible for her to leave that world. Opaka accepted this as a sign that the Prophets wanted her to remain there to help bring peace to the warring prisoners incarcerated on that moon. (“Battle Lines” [DS9]). Following the disappearance of Opaka from the Bajoran religious community, an intense power struggle ensued to determine who would ascend to be the next Kai. (“In the Hands of the Prophets” [DS9]). SEE: Bareil, Vedek; Neela; Winn. One such power struggle evolved in 2370 when Vedek Bareil concealed evidence related to the late Kai's son. Opaka lost her son in the infamous Kendra Valley massacre. Prylar Bek was believed to have provided the Cardassians with information that lead to the massacre, but it was never revealed that Opaka had been the actual informant, sacrificing her son and 42 other freedom fighters to save the lives of some 1,200 other Bajorans. Vedek Bareil concealed evidence of her involvement, and years later, even withdrew his bid to become Opaka's replacement as kai in order to protect her name. (“The Collaborator” [DS9]).
~1:[1,#B],5:[4,#B],16:[1,#B],68:[1,#B],87:[2,#B],139:[2,#B],174:[2,#B],230:[1,#B],233:[3,#B],249:[1,#B]@1Orb@2Also known as Tears of the Prophet, the Orbs were mystical artifacts of the Bajoran religion. Nine Orbs, which were hourglass-shaped energy vortices, were discovered in the Bajoran star system over the past 10,000 years. The Bajoran believed the orbs were sent by the Prophets from the Celestial Temple to teach them and guide their lives. All but one of the Orbs were stolen by the Cardassians when they ended their occupation of Bajor in 2369. The remaining Orb planted visions in the mind of Benjamin Sisko that enabled him to relive experiences from his past. The Orbs were enshrined in ornately jeweled cases and had been cared for by Bajoran monks at a monastery on the planet. (“Emissary” [DS9]). The Third Orb which remained with the Bajorans was known as the Orb of prophecy and change. Vedek Bareil invited Kira Nerys to encounter this Orb in 2370. The encounter would have a profound effect on her life. Encounters with any of the Orbs by tradition were to be approved by the Vedek Assembly, though in practice, very few held to that formality. (“The Circle” [DS9]). The 2371 peace treaty between the Bajorans and the Cardassians did not address the issue of whether or not the Cardassians would be required to return the stolen Bajoran Orbs taken during the occupation. (“Life Support” [DS9]). Later that year, Grand Nagus Zek obtained the Orb of Wisdom from contacts on Cardassia III. Using the Orb, Zek made contact with the Prophets and was profoundly, but temporarily changed before he attempted to sell the artifact back to the Bajoran people. (“Prophet Motive” [DS9]).
~1:[2,#BI],4:[1,#B],17:[1,#I],19:[38,#I]@1Orinoco, U.S.S.@2Starfleet runabout attached to station Deep Space 9. Registry number NCC-72905. (“The Siege” [DS9]). The Orinoco was first seen in “The Siege” (DS9). It was also seen in “Invasive Procedures” (DS9), “Shadowplay” (DS9), “Paradise” (DS9), “The Maquis, Part II” (DS9) and “The Jem'Hadar” (DS9). The Orinoco was named after the 1700-mile-long river in Venezuela.
~1:[2,#B],86:[2,#B],90:[2,#B],107:[2,#B],121:[2,#BI],130:[2,#B],166:[1,#B],169:[1,#I],171:[2,#B]@1pattern buffer@2Component of a transporter in which a transport subject's image is briefly stored so that transmission frequency can be adjusted to compensate for the Doppler effect caused by any relative motion between the transport chamber and the target. Because of the criticality of this subsystem, two buffers must be operated in synchronization with each other so that in case of failure of one unit, the beam can be immediately handed off to the backup. Since 2319, pattern buffers have been multiplexed to avoid transporter psychosis. In 2369, quasi-energy microbes were discovered in the Igo Sector that were capable of living within a pattern buffer's matter stream. (“Realm of Fear” [TNG]). Montgomery Scott modified the pattern buffers of the U.S.S. Jenolen in an attempt to keep himself and Matt Franklin suspended in the beam until help arrived. The attempt was partially successful: Scott survived for 75 years, but Franklin's pattern degraded beyond retrieval. (“Relics” [TNG]). The relays of the pattern buffer in the food replicators onboard the Voyager contained bio-neural circuitry. (“State of Flux” [VGR]).
