26 Years Ago Today, Star Trek: Voyager Started an Insult to An Iconic Character That Was Only Fixed In 2026

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, and while there are no TV shows actively in production right now, the future should still be very promising for the sci-fi franchise. Paramount’s new leadership are promising dedication to the IP, with one movie already in the works and a rumored Comic Con appearance that could map out more of what’s to come. And if you’re impatient, the best thing about Star Trek is that there’s an awful lot of history to spend your time going back over. Even the francise’s new shows and comics seem particularly invested in that nostalgia.

Exactly 26 years ago, on May 24, 2000, Star Trek: Voyager made one of the most notorious insults in Star Trek history infinitely worse, and kicked off a near three-decade tale of redemption that only ended thanks to one of those new shows. In the excellent episode “Unimatrix Zero” (the first part, to be precise), which remains one of the most important episodes about the Borg in all of Trek history. It was also a high-point for Seven of Nine, so if you’re still sore about her not returning for the rejected Star Trek: Legacy series, it’s a good place to start. It wasn’t, however, as favorable an episode for Harry Kim (Garrett Wang), whose “always an ensign” insult hit a new height.

Star Trek Finally Resolved Voyager’s Harry Kim Insult in 2026

At the start of “Unimatrix Zero” Part 1, Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeil) was still an ensign, having been demoted for disobeying direct orders and violating the Prime Directive by commandeering a shuttle to attack a Monean oxygen refinery and save the Moneans from their own ecological catastrophe. A noble act, yes, but a gross violation, and he was only saved from outright dismissal because of circumstances that acted in his favor. But in “Unimatrix Zero”, Paris was repromoted back to Lieutenant Junior grade, his previous rank, thanks to exemplary service.

In other words, while Harry Kim was seemingly forced to accept that a field commission was impossible because of the lack of officer rotation typical to a Starfleet vessel, that suddenly wasn’t an issue for Paris. Instead of Kim’s own exemplary service being rewarded with a promotion into Paris’ old rank, the position was seemingly just kept warm until Janeway suddenly decided that he could be reinstated. That’s not only favoritism, it’s insulting to Kim, who was apparently the victim of the producers’ insistence that “someone had to be the ensign”. A long-simmering fan campaign to recognize the injustice to Kim has generated lots of discussion online, and it doesn’t help that Harry felt sidelined by the later seasons of Voyager when Seven of Nine stepped in.

It took until 2026 for that injustice to finally be reversed. In the first episode of the now-canceled Starfleet Academy, a mural celebrating the achievements of some of Starfleet’s most auspicious officers included Harry Kim. And not only that, it revealed that Kim had risen to the rank of Admiral in the years following his unfortunate adventures in the Delta Quadrant. Justice was finally served, and while we may never see any of the missions that led to his promotions, the honor belatedly went some way for atoning for the dishonor done to him by “Unimatrix Zero.” And it only took 26 years to get there.

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