Garrett Wang

Lots of people have forgotten history. Like when both the liberal and conservative parties got all "don't vaccinate your kids". Like "hey! I have a wonderful idea! Let's bring back the days when church cemeteries were full of tiny little graves!"

Not just him. Bashir and Sisko have a similar conversation at the end of "Past Tense".

It's less about "boring" and more about "distracted".

You beat me to it.

Every era has had its issues.

- Ancient Rome had a degree of comfort and civilization that humanity wouldn't enjoy for another 1200 years or so... it also had slavery, crucifixion, and some really crazy emperors. Not to mention rampant pedophilia.
- Early America was exciting, seeing the birth of a new nation... but it had slavery as well, and genocide, and one kid in three died of disease before age five.
- The 1950's were in many ways a simpler, happier, more innocent time... but people thought smoking was good for you, segregation was still a thing, there was the constant fear of nuclear annihilation, and if you were a woman you could do any job... as long as it was a teacher, secretary, nurse, or housewife. And homosexuality was illegal and severely punished, pretty much everywhere.

There's a lot I don't like about the 2020's... but it does have its advantages as well.

 

Honestly, I don't look down on peole who lived in earlier times. They did what they did in different times. Too easy to judge them when you know the outcome of what they did.

But there are times when I do question some of them and their actions.

Yes, Harry Kim said it in one Voyager episode: "May you live in interesting times".
In that case the2020's are interesting.
But even boring.

I do read a lot of history. I find it very interesting.

That can be true. But boring and annoying as well.

The only "advantage" I have found with the 2020's is that I save more energy by not watching as much TV series and listen to as much music as I once did. On the other hand, I sit at the computer instead so maybe I don't gain anything.

 

Contradiction in terms.

And yet current peoples are not granted this grace.

 

Well, I think things are going to heat up soon enough. With the Taliban back in control of Afghanistan, it's only a matter of time before one of their "guests" hits us again. Only I think it'll be a lot bigger next time.

 

Something occured to me, when I was reading about the cameos that didn't happen in "Picard"...

Picard is over.
Lower Decks is ending.
Prodigy's future is in doubt.
There are no other series set in the TNG timeframe.

Harry's post-Voyager fate may never be revealed.

 

I've been assuming that since VOY ended.

 

Yeah, but then they brought back Janeway in Nemesis, Seven and Tuvok in Picard, Chakotay and the EMH in Prodigy, Paris in Lower Decks, and B'Elanna in Janeway's Admiral's log. And you figure, well, surely it's only a matter of time before the last one left gets his turn.

 

...I never figured that.

 

And apparently, you were wise not to. Picard's over, and I haven't heard anything about Season 5 LD (though they do like surprising us). And, from what I heard about PRO, only one major VOY character was set to return in S2... and we've seen the Doctor.

Harry's been stuck at ensign for 30 years now... if LD and PRO both end with their next seasons, that could easily convert to forever.

 

Or we could just assume that when Voyager got home Harry was promoted. Yes, we won't have onscreen evidence to support it, but I think it's highly probable.

That, or he resigned his commission.

 

I hope that if he did resign, he did it after his promotion.

It would be a shame if his entire career of 7 years was the lowest officer rank...

 

If Harry returned, and he was still in Starfleet, he would almost unquestionably be a higher rank. I don't think even LD would have kept him at ensign, since all its protagonists have been promoted realistically. Indeed, multiple non canon sources have given him his own command. But as long as he never appears onscreen, his canonical rank remains the same. And that means he can legitimately be derided as the "forever ensign".

I sure wouldn't blame him, after seven years of gaslighting. "Oh, yeah, Harry, you're one of our best people. Which is why we're treating you like an incompetent."

It's possible that even if he ranked up, the damage to his career from 7 years as an ensign plus a completely undeserved reprimand ensured that he would never get a decent posting again. So yeah, I could see him jumping ship. Or going rogue and joining Section 31.

 

This is my greatest wish for the majority of the DS9 crew.

 

I don't know that I blame you, at least with some of them. I think O'Brien has been through enough, and found Bashir/Ezri sufficiently uninteresting that I have little desire to see more of it. And of course, we've seen Kira and Quark. If it was up to me, I'd say that Sisko ultimately returned and reunited with his family, and lives in a nice little cottage on Bajor somewhere. But that's out of respect to Avery Brooks's conviction about fathers staying with their families.

But remember, DS9's showrunners had a completely different attitude toward their cast: they took their characters somewhere. Voyager just taunted us by showing what happened to the cast in the future and then slamming the Big Red Reset Button one last time.

 

I got a Harry Kim never getting promoted idea:


WHAT IF we get some show with the old Voyager crew and follows ups? How about if Harry NEVER got promoted. I don't mean that as a joke, I am being serious. My explanation: So, Voyager got back to Earth. Janeway got promoted, but Harry never could get over the acts she committed, and once back home is plagued him. Then he found some cause of race at odds with Starfleet and pulled Chacotay and left to try and do -- what is in his mind -- better things.

This would give the character room for growth and have a story worth telling.

 

Harry leaving Starfleet is an idea that has been discussed before, by Garrett himself among others.

 

In a position that maybe pits him against Tom at some point, too.

Unless there is a traveling gay-porn space vessel looking for new talent.

 

I think they already grabbed up Garak and Bashir.

 

Even better for Harry! ;-)

 

Aaaaand... cue the Blue Oyster theme!