In general, kudos are due to the Trek writers in terms of how and when their characters level up in rank. These promotions might be crucial plot points (Troi's bridge officer exam), briefly heralded (Jake pinning a fourth pip on his father's collar), or completely unnoticed (Geordi starting season three with lieutenant commander's pips). But, they indicate the passage of time and the character's increase in status. Some shows did this impeccably (you will not see a DS9 character on this list), others didn't have time (the three-year original series gets a pass as well). But despite the overall excellent adherence to this rule, there were some characters who simply got shafted. Five of them in particular stand out.
5. Hoshi Sato - Lieutenant □□
There are several reasons why these first two officers are lowest on the list, despite going unpromoted for the longest time chronologically (about ten years). One, there seems to be no Lieutenant Junior Grade rank in 2150's Starfleet, or any Lieutenant Commander rank, either. Personnel who would normally be a JG presumably remain ensigns, and those who should be LCDR's remain lieutenants. Two, this discrepancy only appeared for one episode; the bulk of the series covered a much more reasonable four years. If the JG rank doesn't exist, a four-year ensignhood is right in line with 21st Century naval guidelines. It's even conceivable that Will Riker's holodeck program used old stock footage of the characters, which explained why they didn't age a day or change their hairstyle in six years. For all we know, these two characters WERE promoted sometime between 2155 and 2161.
Anyway, to Hoshi. She struggled on Enterprise. The spacer's lifestyle was hard for her: the sounds and rattles made by a ship at high warp, having to struggle with decoding alien languages, and the notion of actually going through a device as exotic as a transporter to name but a few. However, humanity's first deep-space mission would not have succeeded without her. She was smart, she was gutsy, and she made enormous progress. No matter how you slice it, she deserved to be a lieutenant.
4. Brad Boimler - Lieutenant Junior Grade ○●
While I understand that Lower Decks is essentially a fanfiction parody, and that this was a plot device to return Boimler to the original group at status quo ante... the poor guy was still shafted. While I agree that twin Boimlers on the Titan would be just as big a problem as twin Rikers on the Enterprise, Brad should have received a JG's berth elsewhere (probably plenty of shoreside berths where a boot-polisher like him could do quite well), or been allowed to keep his rank on the Cerritos.
3. Travis Mayweather - Lieutenant □□
Like Hoshi, Travis served on Enterprise long enough to rate advancement. However, he gets a much higher position on the list because he was a veteran spacefarer, more so than anyone else on the ship. It's completely reasonable to promote an officer with so much relevant experience well ahead of schedule, or even commission him at a more appropriate rank. Also, Mayweather never seemed to struggle with adapting to the Starfleet way of life, the way Hoshi did. He helmed the ship through some very difficult encounters. He managed to placate the Kreetasians with a few sincere words (later on, Capt. Archer would require dreads and a chainsaw to accomplish the same). On his own time, he turned an ancient cargo hauler's unimpressive weapons into pirate-smashing death rays. Yes, his character was often seen as boring and overlooked, but that was because he was an unfailingly competent space traveler, and there just wasn't as much room for growth.
2. Data - Commander ○○○
Despite over thirty years of exemplary service, half of it as a lieutenant commander, Data was the only character on the Enterprise who was not either promoted to a higher rank in situ or offered a promotion elsewhere (as both Picard and Riker were). Ironically, the only officer to acknowledge our favorite android's command potential was the oft-reviled Edward Jellico, who was happy to make Data his acting first officer, complete with snazzy red shirt. Given that Beverly and Deanna both held Commander rank, there's no reason why the third-ranking officer in Starfleet's flagship couldn't do so as well, especially since he was blocked from the first officer's post he had spent years earning by Will Riker's recalcitrance. Besides, he has more command potential in one cheek of his smoother-than-Riker's-chin android bottom than Deanna Troi has in her whole blasted body, so he shouldn't have to call her "sir".
1. Basically Every Ensign on Voyager - Lieutenant Junior Grade ○●
As I stated, I did not list the most visible person of this rank by name, but I certainly could have because his seven-year ensignhood was a travesty. It is typically ranked up with separating Tuvix and not leaving a time bomb on the Caretaker array as Capt. Janeway's most derided command decisions. However, we must never forget that Voyager had quite a few other ensigns onboard. Some of them, like Samantha Wildman, had probably already had their single rank pip while that other ensign we won't name here was still daydreaming in a classroom in San Francisco. If he was an ensign for seven years, some of them might have been the same for eight or nine. To that end, we will remember every single ensign who will have to call that Ferengi delinquent who was busing tables on DS9 when they left "sir", and hope that Starfleet was willing to do for them what Janeway was not.
These are my thoughts. What are yours?
5. Hoshi Sato - Lieutenant □□
There are several reasons why these first two officers are lowest on the list, despite going unpromoted for the longest time chronologically (about ten years). One, there seems to be no Lieutenant Junior Grade rank in 2150's Starfleet, or any Lieutenant Commander rank, either. Personnel who would normally be a JG presumably remain ensigns, and those who should be LCDR's remain lieutenants. Two, this discrepancy only appeared for one episode; the bulk of the series covered a much more reasonable four years. If the JG rank doesn't exist, a four-year ensignhood is right in line with 21st Century naval guidelines. It's even conceivable that Will Riker's holodeck program used old stock footage of the characters, which explained why they didn't age a day or change their hairstyle in six years. For all we know, these two characters WERE promoted sometime between 2155 and 2161.
Anyway, to Hoshi. She struggled on Enterprise. The spacer's lifestyle was hard for her: the sounds and rattles made by a ship at high warp, having to struggle with decoding alien languages, and the notion of actually going through a device as exotic as a transporter to name but a few. However, humanity's first deep-space mission would not have succeeded without her. She was smart, she was gutsy, and she made enormous progress. No matter how you slice it, she deserved to be a lieutenant.
4. Brad Boimler - Lieutenant Junior Grade ○●
While I understand that Lower Decks is essentially a fanfiction parody, and that this was a plot device to return Boimler to the original group at status quo ante... the poor guy was still shafted. While I agree that twin Boimlers on the Titan would be just as big a problem as twin Rikers on the Enterprise, Brad should have received a JG's berth elsewhere (probably plenty of shoreside berths where a boot-polisher like him could do quite well), or been allowed to keep his rank on the Cerritos.
3. Travis Mayweather - Lieutenant □□
Like Hoshi, Travis served on Enterprise long enough to rate advancement. However, he gets a much higher position on the list because he was a veteran spacefarer, more so than anyone else on the ship. It's completely reasonable to promote an officer with so much relevant experience well ahead of schedule, or even commission him at a more appropriate rank. Also, Mayweather never seemed to struggle with adapting to the Starfleet way of life, the way Hoshi did. He helmed the ship through some very difficult encounters. He managed to placate the Kreetasians with a few sincere words (later on, Capt. Archer would require dreads and a chainsaw to accomplish the same). On his own time, he turned an ancient cargo hauler's unimpressive weapons into pirate-smashing death rays. Yes, his character was often seen as boring and overlooked, but that was because he was an unfailingly competent space traveler, and there just wasn't as much room for growth.
2. Data - Commander ○○○
Despite over thirty years of exemplary service, half of it as a lieutenant commander, Data was the only character on the Enterprise who was not either promoted to a higher rank in situ or offered a promotion elsewhere (as both Picard and Riker were). Ironically, the only officer to acknowledge our favorite android's command potential was the oft-reviled Edward Jellico, who was happy to make Data his acting first officer, complete with snazzy red shirt. Given that Beverly and Deanna both held Commander rank, there's no reason why the third-ranking officer in Starfleet's flagship couldn't do so as well, especially since he was blocked from the first officer's post he had spent years earning by Will Riker's recalcitrance. Besides, he has more command potential in one cheek of his smoother-than-Riker's-chin android bottom than Deanna Troi has in her whole blasted body, so he shouldn't have to call her "sir".
1. Basically Every Ensign on Voyager - Lieutenant Junior Grade ○●
As I stated, I did not list the most visible person of this rank by name, but I certainly could have because his seven-year ensignhood was a travesty. It is typically ranked up with separating Tuvix and not leaving a time bomb on the Caretaker array as Capt. Janeway's most derided command decisions. However, we must never forget that Voyager had quite a few other ensigns onboard. Some of them, like Samantha Wildman, had probably already had their single rank pip while that other ensign we won't name here was still daydreaming in a classroom in San Francisco. If he was an ensign for seven years, some of them might have been the same for eight or nine. To that end, we will remember every single ensign who will have to call that Ferengi delinquent who was busing tables on DS9 when they left "sir", and hope that Starfleet was willing to do for them what Janeway was not.
These are my thoughts. What are yours?
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