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

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

  1. bluepicard27

    bluepicard27 Lieutenant Junior Grade Red Shirt

    it seems kinda counter-productive to have an actual commisioned starfleet officer stay the same rank whilst making people like tom paris,chakotay lieutenants, and lt commanders respectively :rommie:
     
  2. ALF

    ALF Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I think it was because he was a fairly unremarkable ensign. You need to stick out, take risks and get noticed. A Q-universe Riker tells that to Lt. Picard in TNG's "Tapestry,"
     
  3. R. Star

    R. Star Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Because no one else would apply for the position of Janeway's whipping boy.
     
  4. C.E. Evans

    C.E. Evans Admiral Admiral

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    If was the way the chain of command was set up on the Voyager, with Kim always being junior to Torres and Paris on Janeway's staff. Had the ship been in Federation space, Kim likely would have got a promotion by moving to another ship after a few years, IMO.

    Another possibility is that Kim might have been the only officer in his operations department with everyone else below him being enlisted.
     
  5. JanewayRulz!

    JanewayRulz! Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Punishment.

    Pure and simple.

    In their first months in the DQ... Harry Kim's untimely arrival prevented Janeway from receiving her first liplock in the DQ. (Prime Factors)

    :rolleyes:
     
  6. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    It was the serial dating.

    Tom made him have a run at at least half the women on the ship.

    This pissed off those women who had awful dates, pissed off those few women who liked him but then were rejected as he moved on, pissed off those women who didn't make the cut for consideration and pissed off the rest of the blokes who didn't have the stones to find someone special or every time they get intimate with their soul mate they have to accept/rationalize that they're going where Kim has gone before.

    Kim painted himself into a corner.

    With his wang.
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2012
  7. NrobbieC

    NrobbieC Commander Red Shirt

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    I thought Kim wasn't promoted because of comments Garrett Wang made.
     
  8. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Comments like "This is racist, it's because I'm Asian."?

    That all came much later.
     
  9. NrobbieC

    NrobbieC Commander Red Shirt

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    No, no, something about him expressing some concerns or something to a reporter apparently early in Voyager's run. He was also denied the chance to direct iirc.
     
  10. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    the Asian thing was about being not being asked to direct an episode.

    The return from everyone else involved is that he was just waiting to be asked, meanwhile the rest of the cast who were offered directing jobs stayed late, went above the call, got involved, tried to prove that they cared beyond their paycheck.

    Wang on the over hand was dropped from two episodes for constant tardiness.
     
  11. Dream

    Dream Admiral Admiral

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    Because not everyone can be promoted on Voyager.
     
  12. NrobbieC

    NrobbieC Commander Red Shirt

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    Wow, I'd have thought that would be putting your head in a guillotine.
     
  13. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    After the carnage of Caretaker, almost 30 people left or died, and they only had 5 replacement crew awarded who were academy trained.

    It's possible that rather than promoting juniors into empty senior positions that she was consolidating jobs, so that everyone one did more work while the ratio of enlisted to officers stayed consistent.
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2012
  14. Therin of Andor

    Therin of Andor Admiral Moderator

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    Yep. The actors were expected to go to "director's school" if they were to win a directing stint, ie. organise to shadow an experienced director for the entire length of that episode's prep, shooting and editing. Wang never got around to doing that, so was continually overlooked.

    As for the character's non-promotion, I think it became a game for the writers. The more he asked, the more they resisted. Similarly, Jake in DS9 got the episode of his life ("Nor the Battle to the Strong"), with action and emotional scenes that had him exhausted... to kinda teach him a lesson for saying he never had enough to do - ie. the episode marked the day the actor became "of age" and no longer had to have union-enforced juvenile-actor breaks for tutoring.
     
  15. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    What I don't get is why Wang asked in the first place. Asked to have more storylines, sure, but asked to be promoted?
     
  16. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    He had agreed to play the same guy for possibly seven years and maybe several movies.

    Arrested development is not sexy.

    Like Garret wanted to be pigeon holed into the same stories he was when he was 20 as the little girl who plays Naomi is getting promoted to admiral controlling the imaginary fates of imaginary civilizations.
     
  17. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Let's say they did promote him. Why does he think this will give him more stories other than possibly a bit of a story in which he does something that earns him the promotion.
     
  18. Dream

    Dream Admiral Admiral

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    Sulu pretty much asked to be made Captain, even if it meant less screen time for him in TUC. It's a respect thing.
     
  19. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Yes I am sure every person in the street thinks of him as Captain Sulu.
     
  20. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Naked guy with a sword in the end credits to TOS is my first thought.