Star Trek: Voyager's Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang). Photo copyright of UPN.
In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, Garrett Wang looks back over seven seasons playing Ensign Harry Kim on Star Trek: Voyager.
It was nearly seven years ago when Star Trek: Voyager’s Ensign Harry Kim reported for duty aboard the U.S.S. Voyager. The recent Starfleet Academy graduate was full of anticipation as he prepared to embark on his very first deep space mission to find a Maquis ship in the Badlands. However, what began as a routine assignment for the men and women of Voyager turned into a fight for survival when their ship became stranded in the Delta Quadrant.
Not surprisingly, the young ensign’s Starfleet training had not prepared him for the dangers he and his fellow crewmates would encounter in this unexplored region of space. Harry soon realized that in the Delta Quadrant, instinct and experience were of more use when it came to doing his job. As time passed, this new kid on the block grew into the seasoned bridge officer that he is today. Although Harry has not lost his sense of adventure, it is now tempered with maturity and wisdom.
“Harry definitely started out as a novice,” notes actor Garrett Wang, who plays Ensign Kim. “Here was someone fresh out of the academy, with no field experience and who had never before been on a starship. In my eyes, he was a character that Star Trek fans could relate to. After all, no fan has ever been on a starship, at least none that I’ve met. So they’re seeing everything that happens through his eyes.
“In the show’s first three seasons, my character was what you might call the painee or the receiver of pain,” jokes the actor. “Harry was the one who got kicked, punched, slapped, knocked unconscious, killed, brought back to life, you name it. A lot of the bad things that could happen to a Starfleet officer happened to him. You could almost compare Harry’s situation to the original Star Trek and the crewmen who wore the red shirts. They were usually the ones who ended up getting killed when they went down to a planet. Luckily, for Harry, he always comes back from the dead!
“So my character has had to endure some pretty crazy things, but each experience has helped mold him. We’ve seen Harry definitely develop into his own person. I mean, in the beginning, Tom Paris [Robert Duncan McNeill] took him under his wing. As the show’s progressed, the roles have reversed, and my character sometimes acts as Tom’s voice of reason. Harry has developed and matured to the point where Captain Janeway [Kate Mulgrew] has given him added responsibilities, one of which is to occasionally put him in command of Away Missions. Also, twice a week he’s assigned the night shift on the bridge. I liken that to being night manager of a 7-Eleven [convenience store]. There’s not a lot going on, but Harry still has the power,” laughs Wang.
Taking a look at Voyager’s latest (and final) season, the actor is fairly pleased with the way his character has been utilized. “I’ve had one episode that revolved around Harry, and that was Nightingale,” he says. “However, I’ve also had some solid scenes in a number of other stories. This year they’ve let me do a little bit of comedy and crack a joke here and there to show Harry’s funny side. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me, especially since I’ve been asking to do just that for a long time. I was at a housewarming party recently for one of Voyager’s writers, Bryan Fuller, and another of our writers came up to me and said, ‘We’ve enjoyed coming up with the comedic material we’ve been giving you. You’ve played the lines beyond our expectations.’ This was my first time hearing this. That’s not surprising, though, since the writers are off working in one building while we’re down on the stage. So I was pleased to find this out.
“What I’ve not been pleased with this season – and I’ve talked about this for the last three years – is that Harry hasn’t been promoted. Where’s that gosh darn pip? Earlier this year, we had a reporter from the Los Angeles UPN station come on the set. One of the questions he asked Kate was, ‘When are you going to promote Harry?’ She said, ‘Well, if he minds his manners today then maybe I will.’ So far there’s nothing on the horizon. We still have four more episodes to film, including the finale. That leaves over 100 minutes of screen-time for something to happen.
“The writers know how I feel. We’ve discussed it. I’ve actually talked with someone in the navy and asked them if you begin as an ensign and do your job, etc., where are you usually in the chain of command after seven years? The answer was a lieutenant commander. I said, ‘Oh, thank you for sharing that with me.’ So Harry should’ve been promoted at least once if not twice by now – from an ensign to a lieutenant junior grade to a lieutenant commander. Do you think it’s too late for him to start walking around the bridge carrying a protest sign?” chuckles the actor.
Like Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura) on the original Star Trek, there was a time when Wang considered leaving Voyager because he felt his character was being underused. He sought the advice of two actor friends, both of whom urged him not to quit. Wang heeded their words and, in hindsight, is glad he did. Harry Kim has the distinction of being one of the longest-running Asian American male characters in TV history. Wang could not be more proud of this achievement and would love to see more Asian American actors given the same chances that he has had.
“Once Pearl Harbor was bombed, the image of Asian men became, ‘OK, they’re the enemy,’ ” explains Wang. “This continued from World War II into the Korean War and then Vietnam. Even today, the perception of the Asian American male in this country is not that great. In my opinion, they’re one of the more stifled ethnic groups. When it comes to acting, the opportunities for them are few and far between, and I’m talking about non-stereotypical roles.
“Having worked on Voyager all this time I’ve been sort of insulated from the rest of Hollywood. I hoped that after all this time I’d be able to walk out of my shell and find an equal and changed [acting] industry. Sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The greatest thing for me is that in the past seven years I’ve played a non-stereotypical guy. From the start, the show’s producers and writers wanted Harry Kim to be his own person, and I’m very grateful for that. Now it’s up to me to make sure my future roles measure up to this one.”
When asked what he will remember most about his time on Voyager, the actor is quick to answer. “The laughter on the set that came from the comments, jokes, scenes, vignettes, accents and impersonations made by my fellow cast-members and the crew. I’m also going to miss making them laugh off-camera. We had one of a heck of a good time in the Delta Quadrant. There isn’t much about the experience I’ll soon forget,” he says.
Steve Eramo
As noted above, photo copyright of UPN, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
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