Summary
- Harry Kim's lack of promotion throughout the Star Trek franchise is highlighted by the rapid advancements of other characters, such as Michael Burnham and Saru, who earned higher ranks in a shorter amount of time.
- Characters like Geordi La Forge and Worf demonstrate that a rapid rise through the ranks is possible within seven years, making Harry Kim's stagnant Ensign status even more frustrating.
- Ensigns from Star Trek: Lower Decks and characters like Sidney La Forge were promoted before Harry Kim, showcasing how his lack of advancement is a glaring issue compared to his counterparts.
Harry Kim's eternal Ensign status is legendary in the Star Trek franchise, but what hurts even more is the amount of characters who received promotions much faster than he ever did. Harry was one of the main characters on Star Trek: Voyager, serving as Operations Officer on the bridge of the USS Voyager for all seven seasons of the show. Although Voyager operated under a slightly unique set of rules when it came to promotions and demotions because of the ship being stranded in the Delta Quadrant, there were still plenty of opportunities for Harry to be promoted to a higher rank.
Sadly, even while other characters around him received promotions, Harry never made it past Ensign. Not only did other Voyager characters continue to move up the Starfleet ladder while Harry stood still, but the Star Trek franchise is chock-full of officers with just as much talent as Harry who were promoted much faster, sometimes even more than once, during the run of their shows. Of course, the franchise has yet to reveal what happened to Harry after Voyager's finale, so it's possible he did receive a promotion. Until anything is confirmed, however, other characters have continued to show him up.
15 Michael Burnham
Despite being Starfleet's first mutineer, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) earned a captaincy within only three seasons of Star Trek: Discovery. Michael began the show as a commander under Captain Phillipa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), so her rank was already high to begin with. However, her rise from disgraced ex-officer after being stripped of her rank to Captain of the USS Discovery by season 3 is quite impressive. Although Discovery's time travel to the 32nd century makes it hard to pinpoint exactly how many years it took Michael to earn her captaincy, it was almost certainly less time than Harry remained an Ensign on Voyager.
14 Saru
Like Michael, Saru (Doug Jones) received several promotions over the course of Star Trek: Discovery. He began the show as a Lieutenant Commander, but was promoted to Commander during the Klingon war and then obtained the rank of Captain in Discovery season 2. Saru acted as Captain for Discovery off and on over seasons 2 and 3, and although he chose to step down, still retained the rank and the respect he'd gained in Starfleet even in the 32nd century. Again, given Discovery's unique circumstances, which were not dissimilar to Voyager's, especially in season 3, Saru's rise through the ranks is impressive.
13 Nyota Uhura
Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) is perhaps the character most similar to Harry Kim in of circumstances and personality, which makes her double promotions before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series even more of a slap in the face to the franchise's "eternal Ensign." As depicted in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Uhura was promoted from Cadet to Ensign quite quickly on her first assignment aboard the USS Enterprise. Additionally, since she began TOS as a Lieutenant, it's safe to say that Uhura will receive another promotion within seven years of the first, even if Strange New Worlds has yet to depict it.
12 Geordi La Forge
Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) experienced a series of impressive promotions in the early days of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Geordi began as Lieutenant Junior Grade in the first season of TNG but was promoted not only to full Lieutenant but also to Chief Engineer in season 2. Over the rest of the show, Geordi rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and even continued to climb the Starfleet ladder even later in life, with Star Trek: Picard season 3 revealing that he'd been made a Commodore by 2401. Geordi's early promotions, however, are undoubtedly the most impressive, mainly for the speed at which they occurred.
11 Worf
Worf's (Michael Dorn) trajectory in TNG mirrored Geordi's closely. Starting out as a Lieutenant JG, Worf was promoted to full Lieutenant and given the job of Security Chief after the death of Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) at the end of season 1. Also like Geordi, Worf rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander by the end of the show, but never made it past the rank of Captain after TNG ended. Still, his multiple promotions are a testament to how strange it is that Harry Kim was never promoted on Voyager, since both Worf and Geordi demonstrate that a rapid rise through the ranks is completely feasible within seven years.
10 Deanna Troi
One final member of the TNG cast who received a promotion was Deanna Troi (Marina Siritis), the ship's Counselor who started off with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Although Troi's duties mainly revolved around her role as Counselor, TNG season 7 saw her take the Bridge Officers Test and be promoted to the rank of full Commander. After this, Troi began to incorporate command duties into her weekly shifts and even wore a Starfleet uniform more often. Although Troi eventually left Starfleet after TNG ended, her promotion was a significant event, especially for an officer who wasn't shown to follow the traditional Starfleet career path.
9 Benjamin Sisko
Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) was the first Star Trek lead who didn't already hold the rank of Captain when his show started. Sisko began as a Commander on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine but was promoted to Captain in the season finale of season 3. Given how short of a time it took for Sisko to attain the rank, his promotion is just another in a long line that makes Harry Kim look bad. Sisko might have continued to rise through the ranks, but his status as the Bajoran Emissary and accession near-Godhood in the DS9 series finale meant that he left Starfleet behind, seemingly for good.
8 Kira Nerys
Although her promotions took a bit longer, Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) has the distinction of being promoted both within Starfleet and as a member of the Bajoran Militia. Kira started out as a Major in the Militia, which lasted until DS9 season 7 when she was promoted to Colonel and occasionally given command of the space station when Sisko was away. Also in season 7, Kira was given the rank of Commander in Starfleet as part of Starfleet's efforts to help the Cardassian resistance against the Dominion. This was a great accomplishment considering she had not held a Starfleet rank for the entire show.
7 Jadzia Dax
Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) was another DS9 character who received a promotion during the series. Between seasons 3 and 4, Dax was promoted from Lieutenant to Lieutenant Commander, something that ended up happening off-screen. In real life, Dax's promotion was done so that she would not be outranked by Worf, who ended up ing the cast of DS9 in season 4. Given Worf and Dax's relationship going forward, the real-world rationale for her promotion made sense, but in the show, it just served to make her yet another character who was promoted faster than Harry Kim.
6 Nog
Nog (Aron Eisenberg) began DS9 as a civilian but was accepted into Starfleet Academy in season 3. In season 6, he was promoted to Ensign after only two years of being a Cadet instead of the usual four. During the Dominion War, Nog also received a few promotions; a field promotion to Lieutenant Commander to aid Red Squad, and then an official promotion to Lieutenant JG as one of Captain Sisko's final acts before he departed Starfleet. As someone who, like Uhura, was on a very similar career path to Harry Kim, Nog's promotions particularly show just how much Harry lost out on.