I recently purchased VOY Season One and have been enjoying it thoroughly. However, I have a question: Why does it appear than LT. Tuvok is wearing Lt. COMMANDER pips? Am I wrong? My understanding thus far is: 1 pip = Ensign (1 gold pip + 1 black pip = Lieutenant Junior Grade) 2 pips = Lieutenant 2 gold pips + 1 black pip = Lieutenant Commander 3 pips = Commander 4 pips = Captain While I love watching the series again, this detail bothers me. I used to have a link to a very good website showing all the Trek rank insignia, but have lost it over time.
I've heard people spouting "fix the canon" theories about it, but majority opinion considers his pips and mismatched rank a blooper. Watch and you will notice them change to two solid pips later, and then still later, he'll get promoted properly to Lt. Cmdr. with the correct number of pips.
Thanks for the help. It was really taking me out of the moment whenever I would see it. I started with Caretaker (Ep1) and just finished Ex Post Facto (Ep8). I'll be looking forward to the correction.
They noticed the mistake eventually said "Oh shit" and then promoted Tuvok on Camera near the beginning of the second season so that retroactively we would forget that there was any cockup.
This was a mistake that was corrected later in the first season. Likewise, at around the same time Tom Paris's rank is corrected to Lieutenant JG.
Amusingly, when in later seasons they do flashbacks to season one, they show Tuvok wearing that same, wrong, rank insignia. I remember a reviewer (Delta Blues?) saying he was unsure how to flag that, since it was wrong, but it was also consistent. Congratulations on having spotted the first of many errors. I hope they don't interfere with enjoying the show.