One of the reasons why "THE QUICKENING" is such an excellent episode is it knocks his arrogance down a few pegs. Definitely was the best character episode for Bashir.
Why Didn't Harry Get Promoted?
- Thread starter Akiraprise
- Start date
What WAS the question? Seemed more like a comment to me.
How would you have changed Bashir's character aside from genetic augmentation?
I'd need to think on that one. Coming up with a good curveball is tough. And both Nog's and Bashir's were actually good.
Incidentally, the planned change in "Favorite Son" (Harry was always an alien) wasn't a good one. But they should have come up with something that DID work.
Exactly. Nothing in dialog shows a reason to withhold promotion. It actually tells the audience the character should give up because he demonstrated growth and competency yet won't advance past ensign, the lowest commissioned rank? What?
I'm fine with Bashir's arc as depicted, unless you're asking this question with a specific endgame in mind, such as to make him more generally likeable.
But I don't like the idea that all characters in a TV series should be generally likeable.
The endgame is to imagine you had to give him a compelling backstory, likeable or otherwise, that isn't genetic augmentation.
I don't really understand the question. Much of Bashir's later story elements are driven by the revelation that he's an Augment, so if you cut out that part of his backstory it will have ripple effects throughout the back half of the series.
Beginning with his character up until the point that his augmentation was decided on by the writers and revealed to the audience.
Exactly. Why should Harry feel motivated to give any kind of quality work, given that his Starfleet career has been capriciously ruined by an undeserved reprimand, and lack of deserved promotion?
And if you think his career would realistically survive, just look at all the people taking sadistic delight in him being stuck at ensign forever, because they think he somehow deserves it. A prospective commanding officer might think the same thing.
He has a fondness for spy games. Maybe that could feature. Or his athletic background, or his not wanting the pressure of being valedictorian. Maybe there's an explanation for why he flies at women at Warp speed, and why he's so bad with them. Maybe he lost a parent, or was raised by relatives. Maybe he was born on Planet Mobster or Planet Rome. There's lots of possibilities.
I do agree with Janeway about keeping the reprimand, though.
Kim chose to have sex with Tal, and this was before he got afflicted with the glows. Him doing that put in jeopardy a delicate diplomatic situation with a nearly xenophobic people that was already suspicious of them. It made the ship and the Federation (since they act as a representative of the Federation) look bad.
So I do think the reprimand was deserved.
I still think he could have beaten it, based on his altered state. But tragically (fanfictions aside), I don't think he would have tried.
Since it's open to interpretation whether graphics that weren't meant to be readable (seen in PRO) or Walls of Heroes in previews are in any way canonical, there's really no way to determine where his career went afterwards. It could even be interpreted from "Nightingale" that Janeway really did have it in for him, in which case he's kinda screwed.
Since it's open to interpretation whether graphics that weren't meant to be readable (seen in PRO) or Walls of Heroes in previews are in any way canonical, there's really no way to determine where his career went afterwards. It could even be interpreted from "Nightingale" that Janeway really did have it in for him, in which case he's kinda screwed.
But he wasn't in an altered state before he slept wih her. That was after they had sex.
"The Disease" was pretty weird in that it openly flip flops about whether the reaction was standard and to be expected, any and every Captain would have come down hard for that behavior, or the rules are on the books but generally not really taken seriously by most officers and even Captains.
And Chakotay has no if's, and's or but's about it, he thinks Janeway went too far. It's one of the very few times he openly disagrees with her.
Assuming that there was no biological reaction caused by their proximity for long periods of time, yes, the reprimand might stand in the face of a serious challenge. It would also imply that a Starfleet officer with a spotless record executed a near criminal error in judgment while not in an altered state, hence my theory that he was. Alas, "The Disease" provides insufficient evidence.
However, the reprimand is irrelevant to this conversation since it occured two years after Harry should have been sticking a hollow pip on his collar.
Also, while I choose to see Janeway as the empathetic and nurturing leader that she is most of the time, and log their conversation in "Nightingale" off to incompetent writing, a neutral observer would see Janeway's responses to Harry's reasonable concerns as accusatory and denigrating. So legitimate reprimand or no, she's not off the hook.
I completely agree Kim should have been a Lt. j.g. long before "THE DISEASE". The perfect time was "NIGHT": already spent two months in that starless void, he could just walk onto the bridge with the extra hollow pip. No explanation or ceremony needed... exactly what was done with LaForge (twice), Worf (between season 2 and 3), Jadzia, and Bashir.
Considering that in season 4 onward, the only VOY cast member to have a rank given with their character name was Janeway, this would have confused exactly...
Let me check my tabulation...
Considering that in season 4 onward, the only VOY cast member to have a rank given with their character name was Janeway, this would have confused exactly...
Let me check my tabulation...
Zero people. No one.
Especially since early on, in "Night", Chakotay is running a staff meeting, and calls on Kim:
TORRES: All right, let's see. Warp core's at peak efficiency, just like last week, and the week before that. And my engineering staff is going stir crazy.
CHAKOTAY: Thanks. Ensign.
KIM: Nada.
Change "Ensign" to "Lieutenant Kim", and it's plain as the nose on Barclay/Cyrano's face.
They could even add a throwaway line about Janeway's absence: "Last time anyone saw her was at Harry's promotion party, and she slipped out early."
Good one... but yes, and provably so. Check out "Before and After". Chakotay is captain, and Harry is a ○○ lieutenant. About the rank he should have had after 7 years.
AND there was more than one doctor on the ship. Which only makes sense, because if something went wrong with The Doctor and he was lost, your crew's medical needs have just gone out the window.
