A Star Trek fan in Ireland has begun a petition to build a statue of Miles O’Brien to be displayed in the city of Dublin for all to see.
Of all the characters that appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation, perhaps none had the bizarre growth and development that Miles O’Brien did.
Portrayed by Colm Meaney, Miles O’Brien didn’t even have a name at first and appeared in two episodes over the course of the first season, including “Encounter at Farpoint.” It wasn’t until the second season that O’Brien took up the position of transporter chief and it wasn’t until the seventh episode of that season that he finally got a last name.
A first name would have to wait until Season 4 and it was later during that same season that O’Brien was given a key role to play in an episode. In “The Wounded” it was up to O’Brien to help and stop his former captain from destroying Cardassian ships. It was one of the best episodes from a season that saw The Next Generation finally hit its stride and become the show we all know and love.
Next O’Brien would leave The Next Generation and become a lead character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. There he would fight in the Dominion War, raise a family and become one of the most beloved characters in the Next Generation Era of Star Trek.
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In fact, O’Brien is so loved by some fans that they want to build a statue in the character’s honor. It is being reported by Comic Book.com that a fan by the name of Alex Smyth has started a petition in order to convince the City Council of Dublin, Ireland to build a statue of Miles O’Brien.
It has been said by many that Colm Meany, who is Irish, portrayed one of the most positive representations of the Irish culture ever seen on television. There was never any question of O’Brien’s heritage and he wore it proudly all through The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.
And before you just laugh this off as just another nutty Star Trek fan going too far, keep in mind that this wouldn’t be the first time a statue has been erected to commemorate a fictional character. There is a very large statue of Rocky Balboa that stands outside the Art Museum in Philadelphia and Detroit has a statue of Robocop (yes, Robocop) in their downtown.
The petition had a goal of just 1,000 signatures but it has just over 1,800 as of this writing. If that’s the case, it sure seems to me that folks want a Miles O’Brien statue to sit under in Dublin as they eat their lunch.
Do you think Miles O’Brien deserves to be remembered forever with a statue? Think it over and if you do, go ahead and sign the petition. There are way worse things we could build monuments to.