It almost goes without saying that Star Trek‘s future must embrace its past to keep a lot of its long-term fanbase engaged. Despite the forward-looking narrative of Discovery, it’s hard to ignore the fact that legacy shows Picard and Strange New Worlds generated a lot more positivity when they looked backwards too. And the two most exciting prospective projects on Paramount’s Star Trek slate are probably Star Trek: Legacy, and Star Trek United, which would both bring back older, established characters. That’s the challenge that faces all new Trek shows, and going some way to acknowledge the past is a strong foundation.
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Luckily, Starfleet Academy has already confirmed it will honor the past. First, we got confirmation Wesley Crusher’s redemption, in the revelation that he is considered part of the pantheon of legendary Starfleet officers, and now there’s another hidden detail we need to call out. Because in the same mural that celebrates Crusher, Starfleet Academy reveals that Voyager’s Ensign Harry Kim eventually became an Admiral, reversing one of Star Trek‘s most comical tropes. The confirmation of his rank can be seen in the clip below:
Harry Kim The “Always Ensign” Is No More
Over the course of Voyager’s full seven seasons, despite other characters getting promoted, Harry Kim never advanced beyond his original rank. That might have been excusable if Kim was some sort of malcontent or a rogue presence, but he was actually a key part of Voyager’s bridge crew and more than deserved at least one field promotion. Thankfully, according to Starfleet Academy’s celebration of Starfleet history, he shook off his slow start to rise to the rank of Admiral.
In-universe, there was never really a proper answer given for why Kim’s career path stalled, prompting speculation that it was merely a matter of a lack of upward movement potential. But Tom Paris was busted to Ensign at one point, and then promoted back to Lieutenant, leapfrogging Kim in the process. Externally, Rick Berman apparently told Kim star Garrett Wang that “someone’s got to be the Ensign” when the actor complained. Only, that’s also an imaginary rule that other shows weren’t subject to, and which would also have been easily navigated by leaving Paris at that rank.
This isn’t the first time Kim has been promoted, of course: in Star Trek Online, he was appointed Captain of the USS Rhode Island and Starfleet envoy to the Kobali. That universe, obviously, wasn’t canonical, and Starfleet Academy‘s timeline is subject to debate too, but along with the Crusher revelation, this is the kind of goodwill gesture that should ingratiate the upcoming show with old school fans.
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