Corrected entry: Chief O'Brien seems to have undergone a serious demotion from The Next Generation to Deep Space 9. In TNG, he was a lieutenant, and when he started on DS9, he wasn't even an ensign.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
1 corrected entry in show generally
Revealing mistake: As Kurn is chastising Worf in the infirmary, the actor's prosthetic nose has become detached from the rest of the Klingon make up. You can see the nose wobbling around as he talks.
What You Leave Behind (2) - S7-E26
Quark: The more things change, the more they stay the same.
More trivia for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Trials and Tribble-ations - S5-E6
Question: Wouldn't Sisko have created a paradox by identifying himself by his real name to James T. Kirk before returning to the future?
Chosen answer: No. He's given his name, that's all. Nothing there that might lead to a paradox. If he's gone into detail about his time travelling, that might cause an issue or two, but simply stating his name does nothing.
Answer: No more so than Sisko posing for a photo in the 21st century while pretending to be Gabriel Bell.
Answer: His last name is something Kirk will forget, since he was on temporary assignment and essentially passing through.
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Correction: In The Next Generation, O'Brien is seen to be wearing Lieutenant pips, but in an early DS9 episode, it is mentioned that if he left DS9 he would have to "give up (his) promotion", so it appears he didnt get demoted. And in several episodes, ("Armageddon Game" for example) O'Brien notes that he is not an officer in starfleet, merely an enlisted man, or petty officer. Petty officers dont get ranks like lieutenant. When he got transferred to DS9, he was promoted to Chief Petty Officer, hence why everyone calls him Chief. I would guess that the creators of The Next Generation didnt expect him to be such a major character later on, so didnt give much thought into his rank and history when he was created, hence why he was a lieutennant in TNG.
In TNG O'Brien occupied a position usually held by a lieutenant, which for whatever reason, did not have an officer of that rank assigned. Therefore O'Brien with the position of Transporter Chief, was given the technical rank of Lieutenant, but his actual rank was still an NCO rank. Doesn't explain how Worf's dad recognised him as an NCO in "Family" though.