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The Parralel Lives of Harry Kim.

Amaraen said:
In The Next Generation, they promoted Geordi (2 ranks), Worf (1 rank), Deanna (1 rank), Wesley (1 rank), Nurse Ogawa (1 rank), and some others that I can't remember. That feels like a lot of promotions. :)

When Lore asks Data if he can have a uniform like his, Data says something about "Spend 2 years as an Ensign ...". That makes it really rough for poor Harry. :(
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Berman must have forgot or didn't care. He REALLY wanted a rainbow of ranks for the senior officers and damned if it made any sense to promote them in seven years. idiot.
 
Amaraen said:
In The Next Generation, they promoted Geordi (2 ranks), Worf (1 rank), Deanna (1 rank), Wesley (1 rank), Nurse Ogawa (1 rank), and some others that I can't remember. That feels like a lot of promotions. :)

When Lore asks Data if he can have a uniform like his, Data says something about "Spend 2 years as an Ensign ...". That makes it really rough for poor Harry. :(
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True that but.... well Worf is promoted because another cast member leaves, Geordie is moved since they wanted a different set etc... Ogawa doesn't show up all that much and Deanna's promotion comes late in season 7. Once they got everyone into their roles the didn't change it up much. They even had to change Riker's character so that he would stay in his role.

What I mean is not just rank but their role in the show, Harry outgrowing being a rookie would be like if Troi/Riker or Picard/Crusher actually progressed their relationships during the show... just doesn't happen on Trek! ;)
 
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This is where Wesley Crusher was useful. If you can endure Wesley and come out the other end, then you pretty much an immunity to bad Trek actors. I'm indifferent to Kim, more or less. He doesn't conspicuously inspire nor disturb me.
 
In another reality, the Borg Queen's line "We'll see you soon, Harry" in Unimatrix Zero pt.1 actually meant something and went somewhere...
 
Ethros said:
In another reality, the Borg Queen's line "We'll see you soon, Harry" in Unimatrix Zero pt.1 actually meant something and went somewhere...
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That was such a creepy line; not to mention hilarious.

I don't blame Harry for wondering... what did she mean by that?

The Borg's first foray into mind games?
 
I recently saw the episode "Before and After", and it seems that once Chakotay was captain, he handed out promotions like candy. Neelix was an Ensign, Harry was a Lieutenant, Tuvok was a Commander, and so on. I think Captain Janeway was just stingy, and also picked favorites (she did promote Tuvok and Tom Paris, people she liked).

I do not believe that there are limits to the number of people who can be a certain rank, I believe that Starfleet is more merit based than that. We have seen ships with 2 captains, multiple commanders, and so on. This isn't like the Klingon military where advancement comes from replacing your "weak" superiors. :)
 
Amaraen said:
I recently saw the episode "Before and After", and it seems that once Chakotay was captain, he handed out promotions like candy. Neelix was an Ensign, Harry was a Lieutenant, Tuvok was a Commander, and so on. I think Captain Janeway was just stingy, and also picked favorites (she did promote Tuvok and Tom Paris, people she liked).

I do not believe that there are limits to the number of people who can be a certain rank, I believe that Starfleet is more merit based than that. We have seen ships with 2 captains, multiple commanders, and so on. This isn't like the Klingon military where advancement comes from replacing your "weak" superiors. :)
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Don't you think that these promotions were due a pretty likely scenario, specifically the death of a large number of crew personnel during the prolonged struggle with the Krenim?
 
I'm feeling pretty neutral about Harry...but I also haven't seen VOY in a very long time now.

That Paris had the time to get demoted and re-promoted while Harry stayed the same rank is pretty damn funny. I laughed at "I didn't find a little box on my chair!"

I also second Ghislaine; thank you for that Emilia! :)
 
Here I was thinking this was a thread about how "Deadlock's" Ensign Kim's life could have been different.... or how "Timeless'" Harry Kim had a different life.... or "non-sequitir" Harry Kim.... boy, there have been a lot of them....

I figured it was quite odd how Buster Kincaid never got a promotion. I always chocked it up to Voyager being in the Delta Quadrant, thereby limiting Janeway's ability to promote all her crew (Although she did promote Tuvok, promote/demote Tom Paris..."

I think I read on these boards once in some interview or at some convention, Garret Wang made a joke about how during contract negotiations, in lieu of a pay raise, the producers offered to give him a promotion on the show. He appropriately responded, "Oh yeah, that's great. I'll just tell my landlord "Don't worry, I just made lieutenant.....""
 
As for Harry Kim, unfortunately they made him the serie's "whipping boy".

The "whipping boy" syndrome sometimes shows up in certain series or movies. It's often about a certain type of character, a young, unsecure guy who mess up everything, gets cheated, beaten up and mistreated just for the sake of it so certain viewers should feel sorry for him. Sometimes it can be overdone in an almost embarrasing way.

Where I live, there is a Western series which became very popular in the 70's or 80's called "How The West Was Won" or "The Macahans". It has been on re-run a couple of times on different channels since then. A good series, I like it!

However, there is a character there called Josh, the younger brother in the family. While his older brother and uncle are involved in a lot of exciting adventures, poor Josh can hardly go out and fetch a bucket of water before messing something up. Not to mention going to the nearest town and being cheated, beaten up or arrested. Te typical "whipping boy" if any. He actually beacme a joke among many fans of the series.

Or Bud, that character in JAG who also was sort of a a "whipping boy". Somewhat clumsy and unsecure. He even lost his leg in Afghanistan ( now what was he doing there actually) which led to a lot of melodramatic scenes when he was trying to adapt to his new situation. Poor guy.

However, there are situations when the "whipping boy" can be transformed to a more "normal" character. Like this Bud who actually overcame his problems after losing his leg and continued to be a reliable member of that team of Navy lawyers.

And not to mention McGee in NCIS who started as a "whipping boy", unsecure and clumsy, constantly being the victim of Tony DiNozzo's funny jokes but who has developed to a skilled and effective agent and team member.

Nothing of that for poor Harry. He continued to be something of Voyager's "whipping boy" during the series, ending up in weird situations (Emanations, Non Sequitur, Favorite Son), being beaten up (The Chute) and also killed off or almost killed off (Emanations, Deadlock, Scorpion) and forever the young inexperienced ensign.

He's actually better in the books where he is a more contributing member of the crew. However, the "whipping boy" syndrome is visible in the books too because in many of those he ends up in sickbay severely injured.
 
I just put him in the same category as Chekov, Laforge and O' Brien. They aren't all necessarily 'young and inexperienced' but the writers seem to like to beat up on them or put them untenable situations for some reason.
 
I don't know if I would label O'Brien as a "whipping boy". He got in some trouble from time to time but he saved the day too many times to be regarded as someone to only show pity for or feel sorry for.

Maybe Chekov and maybe Laforge but not in the same way as Harry.
 
There has to be a universe where Garrett Wang didn't get called one of the sexiest men, he was killed by Species 8472 and Kes stayed on Voyager.
 
Well, whether that was actually the scenario which played out to that effect, one can only sigh with genuine and marked disappointment, that the latter result was the oh so lamentable consequence.:sigh:
 
JirinPanthosa said:
There has to be a universe where Garrett Wang didn't get called one of the sexiest men, he was killed by Species 8472 and Kes stayed on Voyager.
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I've been trying to find a way or a wormhole to that universe for many years.
But as U2 use to sing: "I've still haven't found what I'm looking for! :shrug:

However, when I find it, I might start posting on the Trek BBS and there will be a crazy lunatic called "Jaguar" or something similar who would constantly complain over how ill-treated Harry Kim was. ;)
 
I bet Jaguar will have a goatee too!

Or, if you have a goatee, Jaguar will not have one...

Wait, if you have a goatee, I'd like to know about that. :)
 
I wonder what Tom would think if he knew Harry had married his Ocampan speed-aging daughter in another reality.

Speaking of which, how soon must Harry have begun his courtship of her. Creepy soon?
 
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