And he could point at diagrams just as well with ○● on his collar. Just as Tom Paris flew equally well during his year and a half of ensignhood.
He is overseeing some measure of the starship's operations, which involves directing staff and resources in some capacity. He should be promoted.
Not at all. TOM PARIS: Crime: Disobeying orders, no mitigating circumstances. Punishment: Reduced in rank, 30 days in brig. End Result: Restored to lieutenant in 1-1/2 years. HARRY KIM: Crime: Disobeying orders, mitigating circumstances. Punishment: A reprimand. No brig time. The expected end result would be the same, or lighter. And, "The Disease" is largely irrelevant anyway. Harry should have had his hollow pip by the third season.
Irrelevant. Janeway died 17 times over the course of the series, and still made admiral. Certainly Harry could make lieutenant. There is no argument defending Harry's 7-year ensignhood that I can't torpedo with minimal effort, because it was, simply put, an unbelievably stupid decision on the writers' part.
But he is a COMPETENT everyman. And a competent everyman, especially one with Harry's accomplishments, should have a hollow pip on his collar after two years of service, maybe three. This is doubly true if he is assigned responsibilities above his rank. An officer is only an ensign for 7 years if he is (a) hopelessly incompetent, (b) taking an extended leave of absence, or (c) in cryogenic suspension because of some exotic disease that current medical technology can't cure.
Well, at least he didn't end up as food for a giant wormlike creature like that guy on the planet with volcanoes and cavemen.... You know the one.
My wife made an observation about Kim not long ago, and I totally missed it all these years. We always think of Tom Paris as the playboy and ladies' man. It's actually Harry Kim who is the playboy, not Tom. A lot of his episodes in later seasons dealt with him and a woman... "FAVORITE SON", "ALTER EGO", "THE DISEASE", "SPIRIT FOLK", "ASHES TO ASHES". Yes, it seems like he simply keeps falling for the wrong woman, like Tom says with the running joke over the years. But my wife thinks he's just being a playboy, and it's Tom who gets the wrong reputation. Especially once he got with B'Elanna. Rewatching with my wife now, I think Harry Kim was the one who got the most romantic action in the series. Let's review... Janeway - was engaged, Chakotay? ("RESOLUTIONS"), fancied Kashyk ("COUNTERPOINT"), Michael Sullivan hologram ("FAIR HAVEN"/"SPIRIT FOLK"), Jaffen ("WORKFORCE" two-parter) Chakotay - fancied Janeway (possibly slept together in "RESOLUTIONS"), Riley Frazier ("UNITY"), Kellin ("UNFORGETTABLE"), Seven ("ENDGAME") Tuvok - no action, but two women fancied him. ("ALTER EGO", "GRAVITY") Torres - only got with Tom Paris - was hitting on Lt. Stadi, Mrs. Ren ("EX POST FACTO"), fancied Kes but kept it just friendly, B'Elanna Harry - Libby, fancied Marayna ("ALTER EGO"), fancied by Taresians ("FAVORITE SON"), fancied Seven for a bit in season 4, one of the DeLaney sisters ("THIRTY DAYS"), Darren Tal ("THE DISEASE"), Maggie hologram ("FAIR HAVEN"/"SPIRIT FOLK"), Lyndsay Ballard ("ASHES TO ASHES") Doctor - Denara Pel, someone in "BLINK OF AN EYE", fancied Tincoo ("VIRTUOSO"), fancied Seven, fancied the nurse ("BODY AND SOUL") Seven - had a date ("SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME"), fancied and used to be with Axim ("UNIMATRIX ZERO" two-parter), Chakotay ("ENDGAME") Neelix - relationship with Kes until the early part of season 3, Mari woman fancied him ("RANDOM THOUGHTS"), Ch'Rega ("PROPHECY"), ends up with Dexa ("HOMESTEAD") Kes - relationship with Neelix until early season 3 and then a Mikahl traveler ("DARKLING") Looking back, Harry seemed to be the total playboy of the leads. The only one more celibate than Tuvok was B'Elanna! Maybe the writers were throwing him a bone...
That's a very thorough job. I'd like to add though that if Harry is a player, he's a very unlucky one. Favorite son: They wanted to mummify him. Alter Ego: She was really interested in Tuvok The Disease: She was a kind of terrorist and it cost him a formal reprimand. Spirit Folk: She was a hologram and Tom turned her into a cow. Ashes To Ashes: She was a dead person who couldn't stay and they didn't get together at any rate. Drive: He falls for a terrorist who tries to kill him! He also falls for Seven and we know how that went... There's also Libbie but he didn't enjoy being with her as he was only thinking of going back to Voyager the whole time. If there's a more unlucky guy in the world I don't want to know about him... it would be too depressing.
That was BEYOND stupid. Harry has a choice between: 1. An awesome job he's great at, rapid promotion, living on Earth, marriage to the girl of his dreams, and an unlimited supply of Vulcan mocha. 2. Seven years as an ensign under a captain who secretly has it in for him, living in the Delta Quadrant meat grinder, dying multiple times, a long succession of unsuccessful romances, an unlimited supply of Neelix's cooking, and (if Voyager ever gets home) being unable to get a decent posting because he was a @#*$!-ing ensign for 7 years. What does he choose? A little like choosing between dating the cheerleader prom queen and getting swirlied every single day of high school, really.
Is it possible you're a little bit too hung up on Harry's lack of promotion? You're not entirely wrong, he could have been promoted but what would have changed? More pay? No because he doesn't get paid at all. More responsibilities? No, because he's already a department head, senior officer and gets to attend all the meetings where important decisions are made. And how would staying an ensign for 7 years prevent him from getting a decent posting? Starfleet clearly has no problem with officers keeping the same rank staying in the same position for years. Look at Riker and how long he hung around the Enterprise as a commander before he finally decided to accept the promotion he could have had 15 years earlier.
More than a little. But I'm still right. Imagine this conversation on the USS Fancy Feast, discussing a new ops officer. CMDR. CATMAN: "Here's one... Ensign Harry Kim, formerly of Voyager. His fitness reports are very good." CAPT. CODFISH: "Hmmm... says here he's been an ensign for seven years, though." CATMAN: "Wonder why that is. Well, guess I better pick someone else." Riker was offered a command after either 7 or 12 years (Jonathan Frakes was 34 when he started on the show, but Riker's seniority was retconned later on). At the rate he was going, he probably would have been an admiral by age 45. As it was, he never got past Captain.