Colm Meaney credited as playing...
Chief Miles O'Brien
- O'Brien: We have to realign the entire power grid. We'll all be burning the midnight oil on this one.
- Lt. Cmdr. Data: [passing] That would be inadvisable.
- O'Brien: Excuse me?
- Lt. Cmdr. Data: If you attempt to ignite a petroleum product on this ship at 0000 hours, you will activate the fire suppression system, which would seal off this entire compartment.
- O'Brien: That was just an expression.
- Lt. Cmdr. Data: Expression of what?
- O'Brien: A figure of speech. I was trying to tell him that we'd be working late.
- Lt. Cmdr. Data: Ah. Then 'to burn the midnight oil' implies late work?
- O'Brien: Yeah, that's right.
- Lt. Cmdr. Data: Hm. I am curious. What is the etymology of that idiom?
- O'Brien: Hm?
- Lt. Cmdr. Data: How did it come to be used in contemporary language?
- O'Brien: I-I don't know, sir.