The actors playing Neelix, the EMH, and Tom Paris are all male white regulars, IMHO. Arguably, Neelix wasn't cast as such, and technically, as a hologram, the EMH wasn't either -though I'd still consider the EMH a 'white male regular' on the show.
Getting Rid Of Kim?
- Thread starter Bry_Sinclair
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The actors playing Neelix, the EMH, and Tom Paris are all male white regulars, IMHO. Arguably, Neelix wasn't cast as such, and technically, as a hologram, the EMH wasn't either -though I'd still consider the EMH a 'white male regular' on the show.
I'm sure it was both budget issues and on-set behavior. They wanted someone new, and with their budget limitations that meant someone else had to go. Who's going to be first up when that happens? The actors you're having difficulty working with already. Any form of lateness is a huge deal in television production that rapidly starts racking up it's own budget overruns. Presumably neither Wang nor Lien was behaving badly enough to fire them just on that basis alone, but when you decide you need to make a cast change anyway...
Creatively I did always think it was a mistake, Kes had much more to offer as a character than Harry (and I'd say Lien was certainly a better actor than Wang, but individual mileage may vary). That "we just ran out of story" excuse is what you always say to save face, but I've rarely found it more transparently false than it was here -- the alien with the developing super powers, whose 9 year life span offers a blank check to reinvent the character as much as you want, who was regularly featured in great episodes until the minute she left. Sure, you just couldn't think of stories for her, that's believable.
Creatively I did always think it was a mistake, Kes had much more to offer as a character than Harry (and I'd say Lien was certainly a better actor than Wang, but individual mileage may vary). That "we just ran out of story" excuse is what you always say to save face, but I've rarely found it more transparently false than it was here -- the alien with the developing super powers, whose 9 year life span offers a blank check to reinvent the character as much as you want, who was regularly featured in great episodes until the minute she left. Sure, you just couldn't think of stories for her, that's believable.
Did he ever do anything worthy of being promoted? We talk about im not getting promoted, but nobody except for Janeway's old friend got promoted (favoritism?)
In Basics Tom was pretty much completely responsible for getting Voyager back and rescuing the whole crew from that planet. That didn't get a commendation or promotion or even a thanks for saving us. Nothing Harry did ever came close to that level so did he earn a promotion?
Some people say that going from an ensign to a lieutenant is a certainty after some amount of time. Personally i think that every promotion has to be earned and Harry didn't earn one.
Just my opinion
Picardo, O'Neil and Phillips. I think the Doctor, Paris and Neelix would all count as regulars.
I wonder if Garret Wang leaving would have raised an issue in regards to diversity. I'm sure there would have been people complaining about the only Asian actor being dismissed
I've always thought the story about keeping Wang because of the magazine was mostly apocryphal, in that it was a little true, but really just a small piece of the puzzle. .
I think it was a toss-up right down to the wire. I mean, the spent all season setting up Kes's trapdoor.
I my mind, Berman, Taylor, and maybe Pillar or Brags, were all sitting down watching the "Warlord" dailies when one finally turned to the others and said, "Yeah. She needs to go."
I think it was a toss-up right down to the wire. I mean, the spent all season setting up Kes's trapdoor.
I my mind, Berman, Taylor, and maybe Pillar or Brags, were all sitting down watching the "Warlord" dailies when one finally turned to the others and said, "Yeah. She needs to go."
He did earn a promotion in Season Four's "The Killing Game". Janeway wasn't particularly inclined to promote her crew during Voyager's trek in the Delta Quadrant, with the exception of Tuvok. And Tom Paris was never really promoted. He merely regained his old rank of Lieutenant J.G. near the end of Season Two.
In the real navy, becoming a Lt. J.G. is basically a given after a certain length of time, just for doing a competent job as ensign; nearly all ensigns move up to Lt J.G. An ensign has to mess up somehow to end up not being recommended for promotion to J.G.
Even alternate Picard in TNG's Tapestry, "a dreary man in a tedious job," who didn't really stand out in any way at all, was a Lt. J.G.
Kor
I'd call Neelix more orange than white
It seems they had set up an exit for Wang to be let go after Scorpion pt 1. But having someone near death doesn't necessarily mean they are leaving. TV is all about ratings. Certainly having someone featured in such a huge publication would be considered important for ratings
Right...nobody besides Tuvok was promoted. I think a few people did things that should have earned a promotion
Well if he did nothing to earn a promotion....
You've got to do more than work "hard" to be promoted. What does it mean to work "hard", anyway, really? Does it mean being diligent, doing difficult work, or merely being constantly busy?
It's like the old saying goes, "Work smarter, not harder". Innovative and creative work gets you promoted, not simply working "hard". Any Borg drone can work "hard".
The ethnicity thing is so interesting in Trek, as it interacts with the aliens. Ethan Phillips is hidden enough that Neelix doesn't register as white, but Tuvok registers as black (wasn't that even the pre-premiere hook on that character? I seem to remember some "we're finally doing a black Vulcan!" press). I remember realizing after awhile that I was supposed to read Torres as Hispanic, until then all I had perceived was "Klingon" without associating her with any human ethnicity, despite the obvious cues of the name.
But as to the Kim issue, no idea if it was determinative, but I guarantee someone was bringing this up behind-the-scenes at the time. There was definitely someone saying it would just be easier to swap white woman for white woman.
But as to the Kim issue, no idea if it was determinative, but I guarantee someone was bringing this up behind-the-scenes at the time. There was definitely someone saying it would just be easier to swap white woman for white woman.
It's no use really, promoting everyone that deserves it if there are no jobs that fit the rank.
I alwas imagined that they would end up in an accelerated promotion track after returning from the Delta Quadrant, just to make up for the lost time. On the other hand, I could imagine that before earning a next promotion, you still need some experience in a ;'higher' function.
I alwas imagined that they would end up in an accelerated promotion track after returning from the Delta Quadrant, just to make up for the lost time. On the other hand, I could imagine that before earning a next promotion, you still need some experience in a ;'higher' function.
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