Star Trek: Voyager's eternal Ensign, Harry Kim (Garrett Wang), finally receives a promotion he waited 29 years for in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5. The final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks on Paramount+ premieres on Thursday, October 24, with two episodes dropping that day. Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 continues the comedic voyages of the USS Cerritos with all-new hi-jinks involving Orions, Klingons, and an encounter with multiple Harry Kims as seen in the newly released final trailer for Lower Decks season 5.
Star Trek: Voyager premiered on UPN in 1995 with Garrett Wang's Ensign Harry Kim part of the main cast led by Kate Mulgrew's Captain Kathryn Janeway. Because the USS Voyager was trapped in the Delta Quadrant and faced a 70,000 light-year journey back to Earth, Janeway froze Voyager's crew's ranks after integrating members of the Maquis into her ship. This meant Harry Kim remained an Ensign for all seven seasons of Star Trek: Voyager, which became a punchline, especially since Harry's heroism throughout Voyager meant he deserved promotion several times over.
Star Trek: Voyager’s Harry Kim Is Now A Lieutenant
Harry Kim has... two pips?!
Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5's final trailer ends with the reveal that Harry Kim is now a Lieutenant, which is pointed out by a room full of Harry Kim duplicates who are all still Ensigns. Clearly, Star Trek: Lower Decks is having a lot of fun with the fact that Harry Kim waited an excruciatingly long time to receive a second pip on his collar. It's also great to hear Garrett Wang voicing all of the Harry Kims in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, making him the latest Star Trek: Voyager guest voice to join the animated comedy.
Star Trek: Lower Decks has lovingly spoofed Star Trek: Voyager throughout its five seasons. Robert Duncan McNeill returned to voice Lieutenant Tom Paris in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2. (McNeill also voiced his other Star Trek character, disgraced ex-Starfleet cadet Nicholas Locarno in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4.) The USS Voyager itself played a central role in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4's premiere, where the Lower Deckers had an adventure on Captain Janeway's former starship and faced a trio of Star Trek: Voyager's holographic villains.
Why Star Trek: Lower Decks Is The Perfect Show To Reveal Lt. Harry Kim
Harry Kim is the ultimate Lower Decker
There is no better series than Star Trek: Lower Decks to debut Lieutenant Harry Kim. As the USS Voyager's Eternal Ensign, Harry could be considered the patron saint of Lower Deckers. After all, Harry was part of countless bizarre circumstances in Star Trek: Voyager, including getting replaced by his own duplicate. Still, Ensign Kim always performed his duties as a Starfleet Officer admirably. Considering the USS Cerritos' Warp Core Five all got promoted to Lieutenant junior grade in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, it would have been embarrassing for Harry to still be an Ensign.
Harry Kim is also a full Lieutenant in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, which means he outranks junior grade Lieutenants Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), D'Vana Tendi (Noel Wells), and T'Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz). A plan for Captain Harry Kim to appear in Star Trek: Picard season 3 was, unfortunately, scrapped, but it's great to see and hear Garrett Wang reprise Harry Kim after over 20 years. It's not clear yet if Lt. Harry Kim will interact with Lower Decks' main cast aboard the USS Cerritos, but it's already fun to anticipate Boimler geeking out over the latest hero from Star Trek: Voyager to appear on Star Trek: Lower Decks.
