"Hard Time"...easy time?

[Ragitsu]

Good evening.

Were there ever any plans to show that Miles had been adversely affected by the mental prison he inhabited for at least a generation? A similar kind of "mental time compression" happened to another character on a different Star Trek series; while the repercussions of that experience weren't - in my opinion - given the weight they deserved, there was at least one follow-up episode that addressed how that character was influenced by their odyssey on the inside. As far as I am aware, nothing concerning Miles' miscarriage of justice was ever brought up again.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

No, but then I doubt anyone rushed to push highly effective future medications on Picard in order to stop him from thinking lovingly about the family he never had.

I'm sure they would have kept O'BRIEN full of all sorts of drugs.

 

[kkt]

Yes, it was unfortunate that they never showed any followup consequences for O'Brien. That sort of event would be life-changing for the victim and the family and friends around him. That's why we care about it when it happens. I don't think drugs are going to help much.

 

[ED-209]

He was healed by the power of script.

 

[at Quark's]

More generally, how do these people recover from just barely surviving a hostile encounter with Romulans one week, being de-evolved into a predator that kills a few of their own colleagues next week, then being possessed by an evil alien presence in the third week, only to have macroviruses fly out of several body orifices in the fourth?

Either those Starfleet types must have been selected (or have been trained) to have unprecedented levels of psychological stability, or they must have fantastically efficient form of therapy to deal with the aftermath each time.

He was healed by the power of script.

"The power of script compels you! The power of script compels you!"

 

[UssGlenn]

Either those Starfleet types must have been selected (or have been trained) to have unprecedented levels of psychological stability, or they must have fantastically efficient form of therapy to deal with the aftermath each time.

Between the psychological tests they take in TOS, and the prominence of Counselors in the 24th Century, its clearly a mix of both.

 

[DonIago]

I'd like to think that if the episode had aired later in DS9's run than they would have done more to follow-up on it...

...and nevermind, I just realized it's a S4 episode. Alas.

 

[fireproof78]

As far as I am aware, nothing concerning Miles' miscarriage of justice was ever brought up again.

Welcome to Star Trek.

Either those Starfleet types must have been selected (or have been trained) to have unprecedented levels of psychological stability, or they must have fantastically efficient form of therapy to deal with the aftermath each time.

I would be inclined to say both. As Q would note that space travel is not for the faint of heart. Which means that a certain amount of training and conditioning is going to be required in order to face the wilds out there. Counselors and therapy would also be a requirement.

 

[Ragitsu]

Additionally, there would have been diplomatic fallout between The Federation and the alien government that incarcerated Miles. While not every species is worth revisiting, a sentence (hell, a paragraph, if the writer was feeling generous) should have cleared up the matter while providing a welcome touch of continuity.

Welcome to Star Trek.

Granted, but DS9 in particular usually paid greater attention to events of this significance.

 

[fireproof78]

Granted, but DS9 in particular usually paid greater attention to events of this significance.

It just depended. There are a lot of events that would have significant fallout for the mental health of an individual that were never addressed again. So, while I appreciate DS9's attention to detail it was the exception, not the rule.

 

[flandry84]

Maybe a helpful Vulcan helped him to “Forget..”

 

[Trekker09]

I agree there should have been some explanation for how O’Brien was able to function normally after “Hard Time.” But, basically every regular character on the show was subjected to excruciating situations they recover from in the next episode. They’re all written as superhuman.

The permanent memories installed in Picard were so benign…and the sharing of them with Nella Darren worked nicely.

I guess Tom Paris' false murder memories in "Ex Post Facto" were removed by Tuvok-- can't recall exactly.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I agree there should have been some explanation for how O’Brien was able to function normally after “Hard Times.”

I always assumed that (offscreen) he attended regular counseling sessions to help him deal with the trauma.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Talking about O'Brien mental struggles would be difficult to drop casually into a conversation. The only main character who would be at all concerned with his experiences would be Bashir, unless his suicidal tendencies continued. Obviously, the hypo was supposed to take care of that. It's unlikely anyone else would know about it.

Practically, Rosalin Chao's disappearance from the show in the late seasons to pursue a movie career would make any truly personal stories about O'Brien to be awkward.

It if matters, maybe it was implicitly part of Empok Nor. Obviously, Garak wasn't going to say, "Remember the time you nearly throttled your daughter?, to prove that O'Brien enjoyed killing Cardassians. However, O'Brien does admit he was trying to kill Garak in the end.

 

[Ragitsu]

Yeah, but - gross exceptions aside - stuff like running around and killing bad guys is old hat for Star Trek; any associated trauma on that front is something we/the characters have grown accustomed to over the years. Mental rape and/or torture is typically on a whole other level as far as the narrative is concerned.

 

[fireproof78]

Yeah, but - gross exceptions aside - stuff like running around and killing bad guys is old hat for Star Trek; any associated trauma on that front is something we/the characters have grown accustomed to over the years. Mental rape and/or torture is typically on a whole other level as far as the narrative is concerned.

It should be. Alas, rarely treated as such.

 

[Oddish]

My theory is that Bashir (a highly adept physician, and Miles's friend) did some research into mind control of this type, possibly even delving into the archives from that planet (which they sent over due to heavy diplomatic pressure from the Federation, who were displeased that one of their citizens had been gratuitously tortured). He was ultimately able to craft a treatment that reduced the intensity of the implanted memories, making them kind of like you'd remember a wild three-day tequila bender once you sobered up. That, plus the intellectual knowledge that he never actually harmed anyone, allowed O'Brien to recover fairly quickly and completely.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'm still wondering whether or not the Federation considered any kind of retribution against the Argrathi for what they did to O'Brien.

I mean, wouldn't their treatment of him be considered an act of war? The Argrathi are damn lucky that they (presumably) didn't see their homeworld surrounded by a Starfleet battle group.

 

[Ragitsu]

Rosalin Chao's disappearance ... to pursue a movie career

A tale as old as Tasha.

 

[Oddish]

I'm still wondering whether or not the Federation considered any kind of retribution against the Argrathi for what they did to O'Brien.

I mean, wouldn't their treatment of him be considered an act of war? The Argrathi are damn lucky that they (presumably) didn't see their homeworld surrounded by a Starfleet battle group.

Probably a diplomatic protest, and possibly some sanctions. Much as I'd have preferred a precision phaser blast to the "prison" facility, this is the Federation.