Could the reason Kim never got promoted be...

[USS Triumphant]

Aside from the fact that Voyager was far from home and probably focused on bigger concerns at least some of the time, could part of the reason Harry Kim never got promoted beyond Ensign be that Chakotay wasn't very good at being a first officer?

Calm down, that wasn't a dig at him, let me explain: We know from TNG that it is the first officer's job to perform crew performance reviews and make recommendations about promotions and such. Nothing in canon specified that Chakotay had ever even served aboard a Federation Starship before. (His character bible suggests he served aboard the U.S.S. Merrimac at some point in his past, but that never made the screen, and even if true, it may have been as a junior officer.) His role in Starfleet before he resigned to join the Marquis was as an instructor in Starfleet Academy's Advanced Tactical Training - not exactly a course that focuses on the bureaucratic elements of command, I wouldn't think. One might assume that there would be some training materials onboard Voyager, using the holodeck, perhaps - but how much time did Chakotay spend with them? How much time did he get to spend with them? He was already doing the job.

So maybe he never did the reviews. Maybe he did them, but let them sit unsubmitted to Starfleet, even after communications was restored, because bandwidth was at a premium - or because he just didn't think about it!

 

[starlitegirl]

Probably that was part of it.

I also was thinking about this topic the other day, and I concluded that while they did lose crew from time to time, essentially, there was no way to really promote people because I think that requires openings to move into different positions, doesn't it? And Harry was at the bottom of the pile. So he could have and should have gotten his rank promoted, which would have been Chakotay's failure, but since nobody else was promoted that I can remember it might have been a decision to not promote. Paris was demoted then promoted, and Neelix got other duties but he wasn't really considered a crew to get promoted.

I think the only promotion I actually remember aside from Paris' was B'elana to chief engineer. So maybe it was Chakotay or maybe it was also that there were no changes because it was a set staff that never moved anywhere else. On TNG, there were always new crew members as pilots and in engineering, etc. And they would also have the chance to transfer to different ships or Starfleet itself. Voyager had none of those options.

 

[USS Triumphant]

It has occurred to me that perhaps they decided not to promote at all, and that makes a certain amount of sense. But heck, even time-in-service promotions - which I would think Starfleet would do short of elevation to flag rank - would have gotten him to Lt. j.g. by the end of the 4th year of the show, and wouldn't have affected anything (other than maybe pay in their accounts back home, if they get such, which is a whole other topic) since seniority would have kept the chain of command exactly the same anyway, even if everyone other than Janeway had made Commander before they got home.

Which is what brought me to the idea that maybe the person whose job it was to process promotions wasn't doing it.

 

[starlitegirl]

I think deciding to not promote at all probably did make the most sense. Actually, if you think about it, being stuck in the Delta Quadrant, 75 years from home, and getting promoted, that might leave the more ambitious people frustrated for yet another reason. They can't move up the ranks. Looking back, Kim probably should have gotten something. At least Lt j.g. after 7 years. He even commented in one episode (maybe somewhere between season 5-7, but I think season 7) that he wasn't green anymore and was going to speak up. It was a reply in response to Paris giving him kudos for speaking his mind in a meeting about something. That's what got me wondering about why he never even got another one of those pips on his collar. Almost makes me wonder if it was just another way to not write anything for his character, which I suspect it was. In the early years, he had some episodes but after Kes left, I think he only had a couple and other than that he was more like a crew that was always there, but not particularly relevant to anything. He had no storyline or character development at all. Could have just been a guest star at that point. It's like they kept him there just for another voice and face on the bridge and in the meetings and even as someone for Paris to play off, which became even more minimal once they paired him with B'elana.

Edited to add: I wonder if it might have had to do with the Marquis as well because they weren't officially part of the crew by Starfleet regs. So technically I don't think they could promote. Actually, I bet that was the logic to it because a few times when they thought they were getting back to earth through some technology it became a topic - how certain characters would be received and what they would do, and it was always the Marquis or ones that had never been to earth.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Tuvok was promoted in Revulsion.

A change in wardrobe would suggest that Ayala was promoted at some point early on.

Kim asked where his little box with lieutenant pips was in Unimatrix Zero when Tom was reinstated to Lieutenant. The bridge crew smirked. And Janeway outright laughed at him when he declared in private during Nightingale that he might be a Lieutenant Commander by now if he was still in the Alpha Quadrant.

Including Kes and Neelix, (I saw a list with citations years ago) almost 30 crew died or left the ship on camera.

Kim isn't the lowest rank. There's the unenlisted crew like O'Brien everywhere. The ratio of unenlisted to officers on a military ship today is 10:01.

In Warhead, that cute blonde said that all the Junior officers respected Kim and really looked up to him for saving the day.

Voyager got lost on Harry Kims first day.

Every nonMaquis Ensign and above had seniority over him.

Thing about the unenlisted, is that like O'Brien, they have been doing the grunt work for donkeys and don't look up to junior officers as gods, but more so as idiots who will get them killed if they give them half the chance.

 

[USS Triumphant]

Tuvok was promoted in Revulsion.

Tuvok may have known that he was due for a time-in-service promotion, and so he just went ahead and handled it in the computers, because that was the most logical, efficient way to deal with the matter. He wasn't worried about Kim's rank, because Kim wasn't in Security.

 

[Ninjacore]

Simple, Kim was the whipping boy, he had no skills with the ladies, he was awkward and kinda naive, he served as the weakest lamest male character...even Neelix was sexing up Kes...Kim sucked so other guys would look better by comparison...

 

[Guy Gardener]

After what he did in Prime Factors it's a frakken miracle he wasn't demoted to able crewman.

Although was the espionage worse than the "lying" (disobeying orders behind Kathryn's back) in the Captain's eyes?

Kim was Operations chief.

He had a staff.

Wrote their duty shifts and filled out reports deciding if they were worthy of promotion.

Was Kim responsible for other Ensigns being promoted above him?

In Operations, you can't get any higher.

Using anything greater than an ensign in that position is a callous waste of resources since any ensign can do it and there are many other jobs that do require a higher rank to staff responsibly.

Kim would have to change fields/position to be in the running for a promotion, and if he accidentally got a promotion, he would be removed as Operations chief and become some other officers Bitchmonkey in the crowd, under a full lieutenant who had a few lieutenant junior grades to push around.

Promotion to a junior position in some other department would mean that he loses his seat at the captain table during staff meetings and emergency briefings.

I'm told that in the real military that if an officer levels out and stops being capable of promotion, just coasts, that they are put some where quiet (but not necessarily safe or risk free of course.) to wait out till retirement since they are no longer the best and the brightest because it's a waste to give them opportunities they are just going to fumble.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Simple, Kim was the whipping boy, he had no skills with the ladies, he was awkward and kinda naive, he served as the weakest lamest male character...even Neelix was sexing up Kes...Kim sucked so other guys would look better by comparison...

Neelix might not have been sexing up Kes.

I personally think that that is ridiculous considering how much they loved each other in the beginning, but they did have separate Quarters which is an odd thing to do if they were having an adult relationship and Neelix was always so jealous contemplating that she was having sex with other men all the time.

If he didn't sleep in the same bed and hold her tight, Tom frakking Paris was going to swoop the fuck in and... Unless she wasn't willing to be sexual with anyone because of religious/social/biological limitations.

 

[starlitegirl]

Tuvok was promoted in Revulsion.

A change in wardrobe would suggest that Ayala was promoted at some point early on.

Kim asked where his little box with lieutenant pips was in Unimatrix Zero when Tom was reinstated to Lieutenant. The bridge crew smirked. And Janeway outright laughed at him when he declared in private during Nightingale that he might be a Lieutenant Commander by now if he was still in the Alpha Quadrant.

Including Kes and Neelix, (I saw a list with citations years ago) almost 30 crew died or left the ship on camera.

Kim isn't the lowest rank. There's the unenlisted crew like O'Brien everywhere. The ratio of unenlisted to officers on a military ship today is 10:01.

In Warhead, that cute blonde said that all the Junior officers respected Kim and really looked up to him for saving the day.

Voyager got lost on Harry Kims first day.

Every nonMaquis Ensign and above had seniority over him.

Thing about the unenlisted, is that like O'Brien, they have been doing the grunt work for donkeys and don't look up to junior officers as gods, but more so as idiots who will get them killed if they give them half the chance.

Damn, you're good! I didn't notice most of that stuff. I was just watching the episodes and not paying attention to any of that.

When I rewatch the series, I'll be paying attention to that stuff.

Maybe it's as simple as they hated Wang and wanted to show it in subtle ways. It's like code for guys like you that don't miss the details, and the details are screaming Wang sucks!

 

[Laydin]

TC's explanation is as good as any, but I seriously doubt the writers/producers say "Hey we can't promote Kim because Chucky sucks at being a 1st officer".

My personal explanation of choice is still the "someone has to be an ensign". It's not like they are in the Alpha Quadrant with officer on field training/tour of duties that can transfer all over Star Fleet to have an "ensign of the day".

 

[JoeZhang]

It's because he creeped everyone out by making statements like "I remember being in my mother's womb" and once off-camera to Tuvok - "I want to be in your mother's womb". Which led Tuvok to say that he was 'highly illogical' and make notes on his service record.

 

[Guy Gardener]

According to TNG Lower Decks, the First officer and the Ships Councillor review the entire crew every 6 months.

Voyager didn't have a councillor.

Also Voyager wasn't a city in space.

Voyager was a short range tactical vessel which skittered between starbases.

I doubt enough of Voyagers staff on the lower decks was even permanent enough to justify dolling out actual promotions rather than just adding to the 75 percent transient crews jacket particulars as they wofted in to make heir resume look good and bogged out when they had mastered every they could form the Voyager experience.

So counting himself, Janeway, the cmo and the Chief Engineer that's only 15 people Cavitt or his "replacement" was suppposed to keep track of, and as mentioned earlier any one on Voyager who actually receives a promotion while stationed on Voayegr would actually have to shift job on Voyager or transfer off Voyager.

Voyager's crew compliment was not designed to have a consistant and static crew, but you adapt to your situation or you die.

 

[Shazam!]

Kim asked where his little box with lieutenant pips was in Unimatrix Zero when Tom was reinstated to Lieutenant. The bridge crew smirked.

That's my single favourite moment in Voyager.

 

[Python Trek]

Kim asked where his little box with lieutenant pips was in Unimatrix Zero when Tom was reinstated to Lieutenant. The bridge crew smirked.

That's my single favourite moment in Voyager.

LOL! And even when ol' Harry becomes a captain in "Endgame", they give him a tiny science vessel, and name it after the smallest state in the Union! Poor, pathetic, small-cock Harry Kim.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Garrets middle name is Richard. Richard is big for Dick. It's funny how the universe gets in front of you sometimes Python Trek.

After the events of Timeless and Endgame or even Non Sequitor Harry Kim should have never been entrusted with any ship or device capable of Time travel gods forbid his own personal freedom. A proper captain in charge of the Rhode Island would not have let Admiral Janeway destroy the Universe, and a proper friend would not have let her kill herself.