If you could recreate Harry Kim....

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Voyager' started by Kilana2, Jul 26, 2015.

  1. Kilana2

    Kilana2 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    We all know that Harry wasn't one of the popular characters.

    - he is bland
    - no promotion - the eternal Ensign
    - Voyager's Wesley
    - useless
    etc. etc.


    If you had the chance to improve the character, how would you create him?

    Tasks aboard Voyager, hobbies, love life, friends, holodeck, adventures and so on.

    I'd like to have seen more of Libby Webber, his AQ girl-friend, for instance. She was one of the more interesting family members. For me, Janeways partner Mark was bland as hell.

    Playing the clarinet is also not popular with women. I'd equip him with a contrabass.....:lol:

    You may also change Harry's name. Killing the character off or dropping him is not an option.

    I'd like to see a new Harry. Feel free to add an interesting background. I'm not a Harry hater, but his parents bore the hell out of me.
     
  2. Lynx

    Lynx Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I would have done it the same way as Tim McGee in NCIS has developed.

    He started up as something similar to Harry. The series whipping boy who was messing things up, unsecure, clumsy and under constant attacks of ridicule from his colleague Tony DiNozzo.

    But during the seasons, McGee has turned into a valuable member of the team.

    It wouldn't have taken that much to beef up Harry. Just look at the Voyager books where he's actually doing something. OK, there is still some of the "whipping boy" syndrome even in the books because he ends up in sickbay too many times.

    But he was still better in the books where he did help to save the day a few times.

    I wrote this about Harry a couple of years ago, about "the curse of Harry Kim":

     
  3. Bry_Sinclair

    Bry_Sinclair Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I would've made him an Andorian, in the beginning deeply troubled over being lost years from home and unable to be involved with his Bondgroup and sire a child, with the guilt that would bring him, given Andors declining population.

    Later on, his trisexual manner (since as an Andorian he would have intercourse with two "female" and another "male" gender) would've opened him up to relatiosnhips with female and male crewmembers/characters.

    Have him come to a point where he actively tries to push himself further, becoming a "protege" of sorts to Tuvok, learning more about combat and tactics from him. Made him and Paris more of a bromance, and looked at the dynamic between him and Torres--him as the standup example of Starfleet and her as the more independently minded Maquis.
     
  4. Takeru

    Takeru Space Police Commodore

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    My Harry wouldn't be fresh out of the academy, he'd still be an ensign but with a bit of experience, Voyager would be his second assignment. He's still young but not completely green, he specifically requested a reassignment to Voyager because he preferred serving on a smaller ship.

    He's a quarter betazoid but only empathic when he's in physical contact with somebody, he likes to keep his distance from other people at first because it makes him a bit uncomfortable to feel a strangers emotions but with family and close friends he's very touchy-feely (literally).

    His hobbies are cycling and kayaking and that's how he spends every minute of his holodeck time. He let's people tag along sometimes but generally prefers doing sports it alone. When he spends time with friends he likes cooking together and watching movies, he's not the type who likes to party or go out (too much unwanted touching in clubs and bars).

    Harry's gay but not really interested in a new relationship because he has a boyfriend at home, he's crushing a bit on Tom though who becomes one of his closest friends along with Kes. The thought of Kes bringing Neelix to their cooking and movie evenings makes him shudder because of Neelix leola root obsession.

    I'm too tired to completely reinvent him so I just tweaked a few things.
     
  5. hux

    hux Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Firstly, can someone explain to me why Libby was with such a tedious, yawn-inducing nice boy like Harry? What exactly is she getting from this relationship? Maybe she has a clarinet fetish.

    Harry? Well I didn't mind that he was young and inexperienced but they needed to develop that over the seven years and show him evolving into a confident, trial by fire, crew member but it never happened. He basically just stayed the same throughout and rarely butted heads with mummy. Even his friendship with bad-boy Paris failed to give him any edge.

    Why was Harry even on the bridge? Mortimer Harren had more hutzpah and intelligence yet was festering down on deck 15 for some reason. Couldn't Mortimer press the same buttons Harry pressed? Couldn't anyone?

    To be glib, I would have made Harry much more interesting. I would have made him, um, a better character.

    I actually like him (more than most) but the truth is, you could have replaced him with a photograph of a shoe and lost very little.
     
  6. Kilana2

    Kilana2 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I was waiting for this statement to come....:lol:

    Libby is hot. But I don't know, if their ralationship would have lasted, even if Harry were a different person.

    Harry had bland romances in th DQ, I can hardly remember them. According to the litverse Libby has cheated on Harry - several times

    So let's say Harry's name would be - say - Henry Kimbal....:guffaw:. How would he be like?
     
  7. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

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    He'd be on the run, after being accused of murdering his wife.
     
  8. stardream

    stardream Commodore Commodore

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    Looking at that list he did seem to be a whipping boy for the series. It's a bit unfair because we did get the parallel 'b' arcs that I like to call The redemption of Tom Paris and the Journey of self acceptance of B'elanna Torres. He got...zilch. I like the idea of of making him half Romulan except unlike Torres he actually went to the trouble of having cosmetic surgery and falsifying his medical records because he was assigned to Voyager as a spy. The Doctor will find out of course...so the green insecure newbie thing would be an act but his friendship with Tom would still be real...which will of course cause conflict and angst.

    Concerning Libby in the Litverse I got the impression that she was doing the same thing Harry was...falling in love with unattainable unsuitable men because while she felt she should move on but deep down she really was not ready to.
     
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2015
  9. Kilana2

    Kilana2 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Interesting. We had already Seska being Cardassian with cosmetic surgery. But Harry as Half-Romulan would have been fun. Maybe a political refugee posing as human. The Doctor discovers his Romulan heritage. Rom-Harry gets the same chance like the Maquis. Now we need a job for Rom-Harry.... :rommie: :)
     
  10. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

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    Harry "Danger" Kim

    Former undercover agent for Starfleet Intelligence who's gone "off the grid" as a lowly Ensign.

    Women want to be with him

    Men want to be him.

    Marital Artist

    Marksman

    Master of Disguise

    Mixologist

    Man About Town
     
  11. Triskelion

    Triskelion Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Lucy Liu.
     
  12. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I would throw the clarinet into the replicator and out would come something similarly shaped but far more interesting.
     
  13. C.E. Evans

    C.E. Evans Admiral Admiral

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    I'd simply make Harry less gullible and more prickly in demeanor.

    He would be officially the chief science officer (we needed one more "blue shirt" among the main characters, IMO). He graduated second in his Academy class with honors in astrophysics and was a lieutenant junior grade from start, having skipped the rank of ensign. He has a bit of a chip on his shoulder ("I'm the smartest one on the ship."), but he is frequently taken down a peg when he gets too full of himself by Paris. Later becomes friends with both Paris and the doctor--together, they are the three amigos! When Seven of Nine arrives, Kim immediately dislikes her as Janeway begins to rely more on her for science stuff. By season four, he is promoted to full lieutenant. By season seven, he and Seven aren't necessarily a couple, but the potential is there for them to become one later by the time the series ends.
     
  14. hux

    hux Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Yeah, I'm gonna have to go ahead and veto this idea (everyone gets one veto on the Voyager board). I'm using mine here. Seven and Harry. No!

    No!
     
  15. Bry_Sinclair

    Bry_Sinclair Vice Admiral Admiral

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    +1

    The mind boggles at the possibilities :lol:
     
  16. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    You have my support hux and if needs be, my money.
     
  17. C.E. Evans

    C.E. Evans Admiral Admiral

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    Neither of you have a say in the matter like you didn't with any of the actual relationships in Trek.
    :p
     
  18. Kilana2

    Kilana2 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    This time I have to agree with hux. Kim and Seven? No, no,no.
    Recreated Harry with both of the Delaneys...... yes...:devil: :techman:
     
  19. C.E. Evans

    C.E. Evans Admiral Admiral

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    Too bad, too sad. Not your call to make.

    Defeats the whole purpose of this thread otherwise.
     
  20. Ithekro

    Ithekro Vice Admiral Admiral

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    What was missing was having the third character of the tri-force. They needed a Richard.

    It is always Tom, Dick, and Harry. They were missing the important part for Kim.