I have always wondered this. Every time there is an emergency or meeting of the Voyager officers there is Kim standing out like a sore thumb. You also see him bossing other crew members about like he is the big cheese. From my understanding he was a raw recruit ensign, but was always way above his station. Obviously, Janeway's bit on the side.
shareThe flaw in your question is that you don't understand the ranks involved, or, as noted by another, that Kim *was* an officer. And he was a bridge officer and senior staff. No, the question about Kim is why the hell did they not promote him? Could they not replicate any additional rank pips?
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WORDS MEAN THINGS! Also, before you come to bitch about a plot hole, rewatch the show/movie.
I always felt he was there to be Damsel in distress most of the time. That´s why they kept him around :D
I don't think he was lame. To me Ensign Kim was like a renaissance man. He knew all parts of the ship, he did engineering, conn, tactical, he also create holo-images, etc. Also, he man the bridge. I never seen Torres, or Paris doing that. I thought by the end of the series he will get promoted to Lt. To me the least interesting characters were Chakotay and Paris. I always felt Tuvok should've been the second in command, and Seven as the tactical officer.
shareSeven was to trigger happy for tactical
End of line
I'm rewatching the series right now, and I've come to the conclusion that Harry's character is there for two main reasons:
He's a foil for Paris. In later episodes, this is also taken on by Torres, but Harry is the good boy-rule follower-Renaissance man to Paris' rule bending-adventure seeking-ladies' man (before Torres). Harry is Paris' first and closest friend on Voyager, and he helps Tom become more organized, more loyal, more respectful of authority. (And in turn, Paris helps Harry become more adventurous and daring).
He represents Voyager's primary mission. *Starfleet's* primary mission is to explore, yes. But Voyager's main goal is to return to the Alpha Quadrant. And of all the crew, Harry is the one who openly mentions missing his family the most. When the ship first receives letters from home, he is the most anxious to receive one. Early in the series, he is reluctant to initiate romantic liaisons with others on the ship (although this changes), and comments about waking up in the middle of the night, saying his girlfriend's name. Whether conscious on the part of the writers or not, Harry is the physical representation of Voyager's need to return home.
The majority of personnel on Voyager were enlisted not officers. He was assigned to the bridge. Being bridge personnel comes with a certain status and need-to-know that is not reflected by rank.
It was he position not his rank that dictated his presence.
No Sitcoms! No Sports! No Reality!
An ensign is an officer, which is probably why he was with other officers.
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