Star Trek

So what rank is O Brien anyway?

We always thought he was called "Chief" because his rank was Chief Petty Officer. Or because he was Transporter Chief. But he has officers working for him on DS9, so he must be higher than an Ensign at least. Perhaps his name "Chief" is honorific, the same way as Odo is called "Constable".

Also, in the TNG pilot he is sitting at Ops, where Data usually sits and Picard calls him either "Colm" or "Column". As "Column" makes no sense at all, perhaps he was calling him "Colm" as in "Colm Meaney", the name of the actor that plays him.

Deliberate or a continuity error?