Why does Harry Kim never get promoted?
- Thread starter B. L.
- Start date
Which is why anytime the Tuvix question comes up, I wonder glumly how long Tuvix would have had to live as an individual before he would have the right to self-determination.
"Aw, if you'd just lived three more days you would be protected by Starfleet Regulations. So close!!!"
"Aw, if you'd just lived three more days you would be protected by Starfleet Regulations. So close!!!"
I think it's more that Starfleet never had any idea that a "fusion" like Tuvix was possible, so they didn't enact laws to protect him from being separated against his will. Janeway's actions might have been murder in a moral sense, but they weren't illegal. Ergo, while Starfleet can express its displeasure for her decision, I don't think they can actually court martial her for it.
In any case, there is precedent for destroying a fused being against his will: Verad Dax. It might have been justified, either as punishment for symbio-theft or to save Jadzia. But Verad Dax, a distinct person who did not want to cease to exist was nonetheless snuffed.
Harry Kim enters the topic...
HARRY: "Wait a minute... Tom stole my promotion, and now Neelix and Tuvok have taken over my topic? What's next?"
ODDISH: "Well, it looks like Neelix is wearing your uniform."
Harry goes to the ops station and begins beating his head against the console.
Tuvix seemed to have the memories of both Tuvok and Neelix. I wonder whether both Tuvok and Neelix had memories of what it was like to be Tuvix, afterward (and perhaps understood each other a bit better).
Why do you think Janeway seemed so anxious to get on with it immediately and not delay it any longer? They were probably already scraping that deadline ...
It would have been karmic justice at its finest for a similar accident to happen a few months later: Janeway gets combined with Harry. The combined being is called January!
Of course, Harry's Ensign Perennial debuff overshadows Janeway's Cool Captain vibe, so it's ENSIGN January from then on.
Of course, Harry's Ensign Perennial debuff overshadows Janeway's Cool Captain vibe, so it's ENSIGN January from then on.
Even the Borg, who are supposedly completely egalitarian, demote poor Harry when they get the opportunity...
<from The Omega Directive>
SEVEN: Six of Ten, this is not your assignment.
KIM: Please, stop calling me that.
SEVEN: You are compromising our productivity. I'm reassigning you to chamber maintenance. Your new designation is Two of Ten.
KIM: Wait a minute, you're demoting me? Since when do the Borg pull rank?
SEVEN: A Starfleet protocol I adapted. I find it most useful.
<from The Omega Directive>
SEVEN: Six of Ten, this is not your assignment.
KIM: Please, stop calling me that.
SEVEN: You are compromising our productivity. I'm reassigning you to chamber maintenance. Your new designation is Two of Ten.
KIM: Wait a minute, you're demoting me? Since when do the Borg pull rank?
SEVEN: A Starfleet protocol I adapted. I find it most useful.
Ah, so the ranking goes Kazon (unworthy of assimilation) - Kim- other people?
Borg are immortal.
Seven could have turned back Kes' clock, and she would have buried Neelix.
Seven could have turned back Kes' clock, and she would have buried Neelix.
Memory Alpha says they live their natural lifespans. Though, their memories might remain embedded in the collective consciousness.
One thing that's interesting is the number of people whose head canon or theories involve Harry spending the rest of his career as an ensign. There is no evidence that he was incompetent at his job, or that either Janeway or Starfleet were targeting him for gratuitous abuse. It should also be noted that he was promoted (or came close) in five alternate timelines, all occurring when he was no longer under Janeway's command. While this could be seen as a vendetta on her part, it is more likely that one of Janeway's idiosyncrasies was that she was unwilling to offer field promotions except in very specific circumstances. This was a deplorable decision on her part*, but not necessarily malicious.
*Actually on the writer's part, or Berman's, or whichever clueless individual was responsible for setting character rank.
One thing that's interesting is the number of people whose head canon or theories involve Harry spending the rest of his career as an ensign. There is no evidence that he was incompetent at his job, or that either Janeway or Starfleet were targeting him for gratuitous abuse. It should also be noted that he was promoted (or came close) in five alternate timelines, all occurring when he was no longer under Janeway's command. While this could be seen as a vendetta on her part, it is more likely that one of Janeway's idiosyncrasies was that she was unwilling to offer field promotions except in very specific circumstances. This was a deplorable decision on her part*, but not necessarily malicious.
*Actually on the writer's part, or Berman's, or whichever clueless individual was responsible for setting character rank.
I read that same statement there a few weeks ago too, tried to find a canon source for it (because the statement surprised me, I had imagined Borg drones to be basically ageless or at least very long-lived, until perhaps they were 'beyond repair'), and couldn't. Even though Memory Alpha is an extremely useful resource I use a lot myself, I have noted in the past that some details mentioned there can be due to very specific interpretation of something said on the show. That's not to say this specific statement is incorrect, just that I couldn't corroborate it.
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1. 20 years later the Hansens had not aged. Nanoprobes reverse ageing as it happens. Regeneration you might call it even.
2. The Borg in "hybernation" in the arctic circle retrieved by Starfleet a Hundred years after First Contact. Reanimating very dead flesh. Zombies.
3. The Queen is from species 125. The Borg are less than a thousand years old (Dragons Teeth). Humanity is species 5678. 8 years later they met species 8472. Even though we are looking at selective growth, then it's also geometric. It may have taken decades a piece to assimilate the first dozen species the Borg labeled.
2. The Borg in "hybernation" in the arctic circle retrieved by Starfleet a Hundred years after First Contact. Reanimating very dead flesh. Zombies.
3. The Queen is from species 125. The Borg are less than a thousand years old (Dragons Teeth). Humanity is species 5678. 8 years later they met species 8472. Even though we are looking at selective growth, then it's also geometric. It may have taken decades a piece to assimilate the first dozen species the Borg labeled.
I expect that canon will be set decisively one way or the other at some point. Since there are no known Ocampa Borg, it's not really verifiable.
Geordi, Worf, Deanna, Dax, Bashir, Sisko, Kira, Tuvok, and Tom all received promotions without changing jobs. It's the canonical norm, and the writers undoubtedly knew this.
Geordi went from helm boy to chief engineer.
Worf went from assistant security chief, security chief, tactical officer to starship nightwatchman.
Deanna, didn't get a rank bump, she just got the right to work on the bridge.
Dax, got murdered and switched bodies.
Bashir, the prestige of the mission changed. everyone including sisko should have got a bump.
Sisko, see above
Kira, Sisko died.
Tuvok, went from security, to security and tactical.
Tom "probably" stopped being the department head for helm. He no longer made the rosters and over saw promotions. He just flew for a couple hours every day.
Geordi went from LTJG to Lieutenant, and was made chief engineer. He then went from LT to LCDR, remaining chief engineer.
Worf, same thing. He changed jobs in S2, going from LTJG tactical officer to Lieutenant security chief. He later was promoted to LCDR, without being reassigned (though the Enterprise D's destruction made it moot).
Deanna did change rank, from LCDR (○○● on collar) to Commander (○○○).
Dax, Bashir, and Sisko all added a rank without changing jobs. Kira was promoted a year before Sisko's disappearance.
Did Tom stop attending senior staff meetings in S6, when he was an ensign? For that matter, why was Harry at them?
Worf, same thing. He changed jobs in S2, going from LTJG tactical officer to Lieutenant security chief. He later was promoted to LCDR, without being reassigned (though the Enterprise D's destruction made it moot).
Deanna did change rank, from LCDR (○○● on collar) to Commander (○○○).
Dax, Bashir, and Sisko all added a rank without changing jobs. Kira was promoted a year before Sisko's disappearance.
Did Tom stop attending senior staff meetings in S6, when he was an ensign? For that matter, why was Harry at them?
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