Hard Time, should O'Brien have died?

In the episode Hard Time, I think it would have made much more of an impact if Miles O'Brien killed himself in the end. I mean, it would have sucked for Colm Meaney to leave the show, but whenever I watch that episode I always want O'Brien to really lash out at Bashir with all the barrels, and say that his "concern" for his frend's wellbeing is nothing more than "patronizing, condescending bullcrap" (or whatever euphemism for B.S. would be acceptable in that TV timeslot) and end the episode with him committing suicide.

Then the episode should end with no music at all.

 

That would certainly have an impact, but I don't think it would be worth losing him for the rest of the series.
It was a stretch that this life-changing event requiring daily counseling is never mentioned again after the end of the episode. But such is the nature of series television.

 

Why would he need to commit suicide? To get back at Bashir?
Sorry, that makes no sense at all.

 

It would make sense if that kind of torture resulted in suicide, but it would be a crappy way to lose such a great character.

He could have possibly killed himself in the simulation.

 

That would really suck from a losing O'Brien standpoint, but would have a huge impact on the story. Sometimes I wish DS9 had revisited his recovery from the ordeal in the following episodes.

Of course, if he did fire the phaser the wormhole would've ejected a chroniton pulse that would have hit that very section of the station, causing a temporal loop that would see him relive that moment for eternity (#OBrienMustSuffer).

 

That seems a little...over the top. I would have preferred a follow-up episode akin to It's Only a Paper Moon. In that episode, they follow up on Nog's recovery from losing his leg at the Siege of AR-558. He's struggling not physically, but mentally and emotionally. It's a really powerful episode that touches on war trauma and PTSD. Something could've been done with O'Brien to acknowledge the trauma he must have been going through after his experience in Hard Time, and maybe eventually tying it into Ezri's role as a counselor on the station.

 

Or it could have figured into a future episode, like The Assignment.

 

Part of me still wishes this episode had been the return of Sito Jaxa, as it was originally pitched.

 

I would have loved to have seen Sito Jaxa again, but it might lessen the punch of Lower Decks.

 

But would he then just "wake up?"

Or possible reset to before the suicide? He was just laying on a couch in the real world, he wasn't actual in the simulation.

 

He's already dead inside:

http://chiefobrienatwork.com/post/169854993786/episode-199-hold-that-thought-read-the-previous

 

If Sito Jaxa had been mercilessly tortured rather than killed it might even increase the punch.

 

No, they're Starfleet officers, not pussies. Used to much, much worse on a weekly basis. Horrible mutilations, weird transporter accidents, abductions into other dimensions, you name it. They'll say that it will take a long time to recover and such, but by next week, it'll just be a vague memory without any impact on him.

 

That's a rather harsh standpoint on mental health. Even the strongest person can be floored by emotional and mental trauma that can affect them in ways that aren't visible.

 

By this time Miles had been married to Keiko for several years so this was probably a nice vacation for him.

 

That's sarcasm for you. I'm critisizing the near total absence of longer term trauma on Star Trek. Sure, we wouldn'tt get to see invisible influences, but usually we don't get to see any beyond the episode run. Apparently Starfleeters are superhuman. The only exceptions I can think of right now are Picard (Borg) and Sisko (loss of wife), who carried their traumas for several years with them.

 

And Beverly Crusher's embarrassment at being nicknamed "the Dancing Doctor." Such a heavy burden for her to carry.