Why does Harry Kim never get promoted?

[Oddish]

Let's say Janeway had dished out promotions regularly over the course of the series, and the Maquis' provisional ranks would've been confirmed as permanent by Starfleet as well, what do you reckon would be reasonable ranks for our heroes by the time of "Author, Author"/2377?

Let's assume the standard military schedule for promotion, and assume that Janeway does not offer accelerated advancement, either for exemplary service or to replace dead personnel (aside from her field commissions at the start of the voyage). And, as you say, we will assume that all Maquis gained seniority from their commissioning.

Also, since I'm not quite sure where in the timeline AA is, I will go by Endgame instead.

After 7 years, Harry would be eligible for ○○ lieutenant. Ensigns Wildman, Vorik, and others probably would as well. Given that a USN officer is expected to serve 5y as an LT before promotion to LCDR, none of them are likely to be higher. However, if, say Wildman, had been an ensign for around two years, she might be eligible for LCDR rank.
Tom, reduced to ensign two years previously, would be a ○● lieutenant at this point.
Torres, promoted to ○● lieutenant early in Y1, would be eligible for promotion to LCDR (○○●).
Tuvok, promoted to LCDR in Year 4, would have two more years before eligibility for CDR rank.
Chakotay was reinstated at his prior rank of LCDR. He would be eligible for CDR rank (○○○) at the end of his sixth year on Voyager, assuming no previous seniority was counted.
Given a shortage of replacement ensigns, Janeway could choose to promote crewmen to ensign. Such personnel are called "mustang" officers in the USN. If she did this in year 5 of earlier, they would be ready to be ○● lieutenant as well.

 

[Unimatrix Q]

I always had the sneaking suspicion that Janeway and Kim were fuckbuddies (at least for some time). Would explain why she never promoted him (perhaps some starfleet fraternization rules?) and reacted as harshly when he had sex with this alien girl

If Starfleet has some fraternization rules at this time, it's possible that promotions and degradations are just more difficult to make for the higher ranking officer in such a relationship and not completely forbidden.

Maybe Kathy didn't want to go through all this headache and ignored the issue because of that.

Or in the case there are no such regulations, either it was a personal rule for her (no special promotions in such a case) or it was simply because she was so pissed of Harry for his tryst with the girl

 

[Oddish]

Would explain why she never promoted him (perhaps some starfleet fraternization rules?) and reacted as harshly when he had sex with this alien girl

I think that if Janeway was going to bang a member of her crew, she'd have gone with Chakotay. Her relationship with Harry seemed more maternal than anything else.

Not saying J/K is impossible, just a little disturbing, because it seems like it would be a very unequal pairing.

If Starfleet has some fraternization rules at this time, it's possible that promotions and degradations are just more difficult to make for the higher ranking officer in such a relationship and not completely forbidden.

Maybe Kathy didn't want to go through all this headache and ignored the issue because of that.

Exceot there was no Starfleet bureaucracy to deal with. Until contact was established, Janeway's word was basically law.

And indeed, if Janeway had been keeping Harry as her thang (dubious at best, but I'll play), she'd have wanted to minimize uncomfortable questions. That means she treats him the way she would any competent officer, duly promoting him to lieutenant after the indicated two or three years.

Or in the case there are no such regulations, either it was a personal rule for her (no special promotions in such a case) or it was simply because she was so pissed of Harry for his tryst with the girl

I torpedoed that one long ago. Harry's tryst came in Season 5. He should have been wearing a hollow pip on his collar a good two years earlier.

I think that by the start of S5, the writers had wholeheartedly committed to the decision to leave Harry at ensign forever. Had they not, the two-month hiatus in "Night" would have been the perfect time to quietly bump him up. Thus, the reprimand was either a non-issue or a halfhearted attempt at an excuse.

 

[Unimatrix Q]

I think that if Janeway was going to bang a member of her crew, she'd have gone with Chakotay. Her relationship with Harry seemed more maternal than anything else.

Maybe she banged with Harry instead of Chuckles, because there were no deeper feelings that would complicate things. Just mutual sexual attraction

 

[Oddish]

What happens in the Delta Quadrant stays in the Delta Quadrant, I suppose. And as long as it's consensual and uncoerced, I don't judge.

But still, given that Kathy was a stickler about non-fraternization, she'd have wanted absolute discretion. And the safest way to do that is to have Harry's career proceed in a way that won't draw unwanted attention. That means his collar gets pips when it should get pips.

 

[Unimatrix Q]

What happens in the Delta Quadrant stays in the Delta Quadrant, I suppose. And as long as it's consensual and uncoerced, I don't judge.

But still, given that Kathy was a stickler about non-fraternization, she'd have wanted absolute discretion. And the safest way to do that is to have Harry's career proceed in a way that won't draw unwanted attention. That means his collar gets pips when it should get pips.

I see it the same way. But Janeway was often a stickler for rules. And perhaps the promotion thing was actually something both agreed upon.

Could be that Harry got his overdue promotion(s) the first day after their homecoming.

 

[Oddish]

And perhaps the promotion thing was actually something both agreed upon.

Interesting thought, but consider that Harry expressed concern about his lack of advancement on two different occasions: in "Unimatrix Zero" and "Nightingale".

I think that the powers that be were responding to years of fan correspondence, demanding to know why Harry was still an ensign... there was a hint of "we're going to do this and there's nothing you can do about it" to those scenes.

 

[Unimatrix Q]

TE="Oddish, post: 13861607, member: 81080"]Interesting thought, but consider that Harry expressed concern about his lack of advancement on two different occasions: in "Unimatrix Zero" and "Nightingale".

I think that the powers that be were responding to years of fan correspondence, demanding to know why Harry was still an ensign... there was a hint of "we're going to do this and there's nothing you can do about it" to those scenes.[/QUOTE]

Good point. Had totally forgotten about this.

Perhaps it was simply a smokescreen, to keep others from guessing things.

 

[Oddish]

In "Nightingale", they were alone together. A smokescreen would have been pointless.

Remember that in the end, if Janeway was covering up awkward activities on her part, the policy she would have followed would be "zero questions". She wouldn't want to be sitting in Owen Paris's office and having him ask why she promoted Tuvok, commissioned several Maquis, and restored Paris to lieutenant... and ignored Kim completely, despite his seven years of outstanding service, doing lieutenant level work.

Even if we followed the incredibly hypothetical notion that J/K was a thing, Harry's 7-year ensignhood still doesn't add up.

 

[oldtrekkie]

What's funny is that when Voyager started, Nog was working in his uncle's bar with a history of petty thievery, and was still about a year from even being admitted to Starfleet Academy. By the time Voyager hit its sixth season Nog had already been promoted to lieutenant. Plus in the alternate timeline, the one where Harry is on Earth about to be married to "the love of his life", he was about to be promoted to lieutenant or was very close to being. The doom of Harry's career really was to be assigned to Janeway. She never even gave him a token reward (like the medal she gave the EMH) in all that time. The only thing he ever got from her is a formal reprimand because for once in so many years he got the girl (instead of striking out like he usually does). There's no doubt about it. It sucks to be Kim.

 

[Oddish]

What's funny is that when Voyager started, Nog was working in his uncle's bar with a history of petty thievery, and was still about a year from even being admitted to Starfleet Academy. By the time Voyager hit its sixth season Nog had already been promoted to lieutenant.

There's a great meme to that very effect. It has four rows of pics of Harry and Nog, with the captions:
CIVILIAN ---- ENSIGN
CADET ------- ENSIGN
ENSIGN ------ ENSIGN
LIEUTENANT ------ ENSIGN

The doom of Harry's career really was to be assigned to Janeway. She never even gave him a token reward (like the medal she gave the EMH) in all that time.

He gets promoted just fine when he's no longer (or never was) under her command. "Non Sequitur", like you described. "Before and After", Janeway is gone, Harry's a lieutenant. "Timeless", he undoubtedly got a nice rank-up before he resigned. And in "Endgame" and "Online", he's a captain.

The fan theory that she secretly has it in for him shouldn't hold water... but it does.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

Minor nit but:

LIEUTENANT ------ ENSIGN

Should actually read LT JUNIOR GRADE ----- ENSIGN

as Nog was never promoted beyond JG on screen.

His TrekLit only promotion to full LT didn't take place until 2377, which was only a year before Harry would finally be promoted to LT himself. Harry would also be nominally promoted to Second Officer of Voyager shortly after, whereas Nog remained low on the station and Defiant's chain-of-command through at least 2384.

 

[Oddish]

Should actually read LT JUNIOR GRADE ----- ENSIGN

True, but a JG is still referred to as "lieutenant". In any case, I didn't create the meme.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

True, but a JG is still referred to as "lieutenant". In any case, I didn't create the meme.

Fair enough.

 

[Unimatrix Q]

What's funny is that when Voyager started, Nog was working in his uncle's bar with a history of petty thievery, and was still about a year from even being admitted to Starfleet Academy. By the time Voyager hit its sixth season Nog had already been promoted to lieutenant. Plus in the alternate timeline, the one where Harry is on Earth about to be married to "the love of his life", he was about to be promoted to lieutenant or was very close to being. The doom of Harry's career really was to be assigned to Janeway. She never even gave him a token reward (like the medal she gave the EMH) in all that time. The only thing he ever got from her is a formal reprimand because for once in so many years he got the girl (instead of striking out like he usually does). There's no doubt about it. It sucks to be Kim.

It's interesting that despite of all of this, Janeway and Kim are apparently still on friendly terms in all of the alternate futures we have seen in the show and he (almost) never said anything bad about her.

That's another reason why i think they had a secret affair and Kim knew why he was never promoted, during their time in the Delta Quadrant.

 

[at Quark's]

It's interesting that despite of all of this, Janeway and Kim are apparently still on friendly terms in all of the alternate futures we have seen in the show and he (almost) never said anything bad about her.

Of course they are. For Kim, Janeway still outranks him significanty so she might still be able to put all kinds of obstacles in his way if he were less than friendly to her. For Janeway, it's always useful to have some lowly Captain grunts willing to do her bidding in the field even if Starfleet is against it.

 

[Unimatrix Q]

Of course they are. For Kim, Janeway still outranks him significanty so she might still be able to put all kinds of obstacles in his way if he were less than friendly to her. For Janeway, it's always useful to have some lowly Captain grunts willing to do her bidding in the field even if Starfleet is against it.

I doubt that. Because despite not promoting him, most of the time she seemed to be very fond of Harry and to really like him.

 

[at Quark's]

I doubt that. Because despite not promoting him, most of the time she seemed to be very fond of Harry and to really like him.

Yeah, I was being facetious. Their relationship isn't that cynical and manipulative (though Janeway does use her pull for illicit goals, there's no denying that).

 

[Oddish]

It's interesting that despite of all of this, Janeway and Kim are apparently still on friendly terms in all of the alternate futures we have seen in the show and he (almost) never said anything bad about her.

That's another reason why i think they had a secret affair and Kim knew why he was never promoted, during their time in the Delta Quadrant.

Consider Harry's actions in "Resolutions". Harry comes up with a laughable excuse for contacting the Vidiians, which Janeway had expressly ordered Tuvok not to do, and has a meltdown on the bridge when Tuvok refuses. He's more like a third-grader throwing a tantrum than a professional Starfleet officer.

While that might give credence to your theory about him and Janeway having a secret romance, it does not explain his non-promotion. Again, if Janeway was trying to keep the affair secret, she would have bumped him to lieutenant at around the two-year mark, exactly what a good officer could expect. No special treatment, so no awkward questions.

 

[Unimatrix Q]

Consider Harry's actions in "Resolutions". Harry comes up with a laughable excuse for contacting the Vidiians, which Janeway had expressly ordered Tuvok not to do, and has a meltdown on the bridge when Tuvok refuses. He's more like a third-grader throwing a tantrum than a professional Starfleet officer.

While that might give credence to your theory about him and Janeway having a secret romance, it does not explain his non-promotion. Again, if Janeway was trying to keep the affair secret, she would have bumped him to lieutenant at around the two-year mark, exactly what a good officer could expect. No special treatment, so no awkward questions.

Good points. I can only guess if my theory holds true that it wasn't so much about the crew not knowing about it, but Janeway's personal ethics and rules for such a relationship.