why was ensign kim not promoted at all in 7 years?

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Voyager' started by bluepicard27, Sep 30, 2012.

  1. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    See I think Kes drains all the sexual energy from the room with her scary borderline child vibe and her is she or isn't she Neelix questions. You wouldn't even know if it was appropriate to make the mildest of lewd jests around her.
     
  2. Timo

    Timo Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    ...Or because no one can?

    It's not as if we ever really saw a promotion in that series, after all. Tom Paris got his Lieutenant pips apparently as part of the deal made with Starfleet back on Earth; he then got half a pip taken away for some reason, and then again half a pip taken away. And then he got half a pip back, which wasn't really promotion but reversal of punishment. Tuvok got half a pip taken off his collar for some reason, and then very publicly was given it back.

    Perhaps Janeway simply felt that she did not have the right to give any field promotions to anybody? At least not regular Starfleeters, that is - but even the Maquis only ever got demotions after they had received their initial rank bars.

    Out-universe, I doubt rank of a character was ever an issue a writer, a producer or even an actor would feel the need to think about. Except of course when the plot involved the rank changing. But demotion would have been as good publicity for all the parties involved as promotion, surely.

    Timo Saloniemi
     
  3. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I bet it's some nebula's fault.

    Now that's interesting. Would the actors be just as happy about a big fat demotion if it gave them a big fat storyline?
     
  4. RB_Kandy

    RB_Kandy Commander Red Shirt

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    Harry Kim never got a promotion for the same reason no one else did.

    After the Maquis crew were assigned by the second episode (which ever episode Torres was made chief engineer), they stayed that rank forever.

    Tom got promoted, only after he got demoted, so he finished with the same rank he started.
    Of course another poster already mentioned this.

    I think it is foolish for an actor to want to up their character's rank considering rank had nothing to do with either pay check or the amount of dialogue you got.
    Chakotay was the second highest rank, and I think he got as much dialogue as Kim.
    Seven Of Nine didn't even have a rank, and she often had the second highest amount of dialogue in that show.
     
  5. Timewalker

    Timewalker Cat-lovin', Star Trekkin' Time Lady Premium Member

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    Regardless of the reason, I was glad when Kes' character was written out. I never liked her.

    I wish there had been a "Captain Sulu" TV series. :(
     
  6. Therin of Andor

    Therin of Andor Admiral Moderator

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    Don't forget that, as hated as Wes was with many older fans, Wil Wheaton got more fan mail than anyone else while he was with the show.
     
  7. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Has Takei taken his shirt off since TOS?? I bet he hasn't. I bet he was saving it all up for Captain Sulu's dashing swordplay.

    The things we have been denied.
     
  8. Timewalker

    Timewalker Cat-lovin', Star Trekkin' Time Lady Premium Member

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    Taking one's shirt off is not actually a requirement to be a starship Captain (although it seems to happen a lot - even Janeway took hers off, plus a lot more...).

    But I did see a recent video of Takei dancing, and he's still got the moves. :)
     
  9. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    OH YES.

    So lets do a tally..

    Archer: constantly taking his shirt off

    Kirk: duh

    Picard: yes this happened but there were also scary scenes revealing his chest underneath a silk dressing gown which detracts points

    Sisko: never happened.. what is up with that??

    Janeway: backless scenes and points added for revealing her chest underneath a silk dressing gown

    Let's just study this picture for a while..

    [​IMG]

    What we really needed was some Erika Hernandez scenes.
     
  10. F. King Daniel

    F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Harry Kim was an ensign for seven years because Starfleet pays attention to it's recruit's ability levels. Not everyone can be James T. "Four years? I'll do it in three" Kirk.

    Compare Star Trek with the Voyager episode "Nightingale" to see how Kirk and Kim's first commands compare.

    Here's to the next 40 years of Harry Kim's ensignhood!:beer:
     
  11. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Janeway broke the Prime Directive for giving medical supplies to one side of an interstellar war, and once kim finally figured out that he was transporting weapons and not medical supplies to one side in an interstellar war he throws a wobbly and holds his breath until he decides to continue breaking the Prime Directive worse than janeway did for peopel that lied to him and blackmailed him and pulled a gun on him and mutinied on him.

    Just stupid.

    The cloaks didn't even work until Seven of Nine fixed them with Borg/Romulan knowhow which is an even worse breach of the Prime Directive than what kim and janeway done done already!
     
  12. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I watched Flashback last night and found myself thinking, "I like this Captain Sulu! He's exciting!" I wonder how he would have gone with a whole show. He'd be a diplomat like Picard only with swords and a whole lot more humor.
     
  13. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Question is would he have pulled an Ellen?

    Gay actor dealing with the Hypocrisy of playing straight for only so long until measures have to be taken.

    Yes, it's also hypocritical that Takei isn't a Starship Captain, but it still would have been nice to have the whole thing represented just once that it didn't end on the cutting room floor like with Hawke.
     
  14. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    He announced his sexuality in 2005 so the Ellen arc is a possibility, had they actually given him a series at some point. So much nicer if they had just given him a series.. or a few miniseries! with him as the gay captain. I wonder if he wishes he was the first gay trek character AND a captain. I bet it torments him :lol:

    Hawk was out in the books.
     
  15. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Two dudes with a daughter?

    Adoption, cloning or did they get some dna from a female friend as well.

    Then again, "the character" might have figured out he was gay after he married a woman.

    Or married her as a beard and the sex isn't that unsettling once a year on her birthday.
     
  16. R. Star

    R. Star Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    There was a lot of speculation that we'd get an Excelsior series instead of Enterprise. All things considered, I think that would have worked out better.
     
  17. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    But how good an actor is Takei? He's very fetching in Flashback but it's a brief part and much of the fetchingness is fandoration generated I suspect.
     
  18. Dream

    Dream Admiral Admiral

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    It was funny how Riker was intended to be the sex symbol in early TNG, but Picard completely took over that role with many women that were watching. Patrick Stewart also was able to stay in much better shape than Frakes through the entire series and the movies too.:lol:
     
  19. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    On one note I can say that he played the 80 story tall space god Galactus Devourer of Worlds for a few episodes on the Superhero Squad Show... but his 12 episodes on Heroes as Hiro's Dad was pretty good from before the entire series went to the dogs.

    Fuck.

    He played Doctor Strange's manservant Wong in a Spider-Man cartoon.

    Dude must have really needed to eat to give into such an extreme racial stereotype... But then Bruce lee played Kato and that's almost as bad.
     
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2012
  20. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I don't think either of them are sexy and Riker is of course utterly repulsive to me. Picard is a nice guy but I can't ever remember looking at him as remotely hot.