Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s first teaser trailer spots Harry Kim moving up the ranks—finally granting the perpetually stuck ensign a future Starfleet admirals can plausibly own. It’s a quiet canon correction rooted in the long-running backlash over Harry Ki
For 26 years. Star Trek fans have looked at Harry Kim and wondered the same thing: how does someone do everything right and still stay an ensign?. Now. in Starfleet Academy’s very first teaser trailer. the show offers an answer—by putting Kim’s name on the wall of Starfleet officers inside the future of the franchise.
In the teaser, Starfleet Academy cadets stand before a wall bearing the names of Starfleet officers throughout Star Trek history. Some names are instantly recognizable to long-time viewers. including Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Julian Bashir from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. But it’s Harry Kim—played by Garrett Wang—who pulls the attention of Trekkies.
Why? Because Kim appears there after earning the rank of a Starfleet Admiral. For fans who have spent years watching Voyager keep him stuck, it feels like a long-delayed correction.
On Star Trek: Voyager, Harry Kim remained an ensign throughout the entire series. The explanation offered at the time was built around the U.S.S. Voyager’s relatively small crew and the fact that the ship was trapped in the uncharted Gamma Quadrant. leaving little room to disturb the chain of command. But that reasoning hit a nerve during the iconic two-part episode “Unimatrix Zero.”.
In “Unimatrix Zero, Part I,” Voyager faces off against the Borg. In the middle of that confrontation. Harry Kim’s friend and fellow officer. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeil). had been demoted to ensign for defying orders—yet “Unimatrix Zero. Part I” sees Paris regain his rank as Lieutenant Commander. Fans felt the mismatch sharply: Paris regains rank. while Kim—who had done his share of pushing forward in the toughest moments—stays put.
Years after Voyager went off the air, Garrett Wang brought that frustration into the open. Wang unpacked his anger over Kim’s lack of advancement and pointed to issues involving producer Brannon Braga. In Wang’s account. he called Braga during the fourth season to ask why his character hadn’t received a promotion. and Braga’s response was baffling:.
“During the fourth season, I called writer/producer Brannon Braga and asked him why my character hadn’t received a promotion yet. His response? ‘Well, somebody’s gotta be the ensign.’ Geez, thanks. Thanks for nothing.”
That wall in Starfleet Academy’s teaser trailer doesn’t just signal that Kim grows beyond the role fans saw for years. It also lines up with how Voyager set up a potential future in its series finale. “Endgame.” In that finale. older Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) attempts to travel back in time with the help of Kim. who is now the captain of his own starship. It was a glimpse of leadership that made many viewers wonder why the real-time show never matched the promise of that future.
Starfleet Academy’s confirmation—Kim becoming an admiral—answers that question, at least for the canon viewers care about now.
The teaser also arrives after other Star Trek shows have tried to acknowledge how underused Kim could be. In Star Trek: Lower Decks, the episode “Fissure Quest” features alternate-universe versions of iconic Star Trek characters, including Kim. In that comedic universe-swerve, only one of the Kims receives a promotion to Lieutenant, leading to some hilarious interactions. Star Trek: Picard also had plans that would have helped spell out Kim’s future: showrunner Terry Matalas revealed that budgetary concerns kept the character from appearing as the captain of the U.S.S. Voyager-B in its final season.
Seen all together. Starfleet Academy’s teaser reads like the franchise finally catching up with what fans have been asking for since Voyager made “ensign” feel like a permanent destination. With Starfleet Academy’s second season set to be its last. this trailer moment lands as more than a tease—it’s the long-awaited promotion that the story refused to deliver in real time.
Star Trek Starfleet Academy Harry Kim Garrett Wang Voyager Unimatrix Zero Endgame Data Julian Bashir Lower Decks Fissure Quest Picard Terry Matalas Brannon Braga
So they finally fixed Harry Kim? About time.
Wait I thought Harry Kim was literally cursed to be an ensign forever. Like the Gamma Quadrant ate his career or something lol. If they put him on that wall as an admiral then I guess Voyager was just wrong?
I don’t even remember this “Unimatrix Zero” thing, but wasn’t Tom Paris the one who got demoted and then instantly fixed? So now they’re saying Harry just… got skipped? Makes no sense but I guess fans wanted it.
The teaser wall with the names sounds cool, but am I the only one who thinks they’re just retconning the whole Voyager timeline? Like okay, Harry Kim becomes an Admiral, sure, but how did nobody notice for 26 years? Also “Starfleet Academy” was probably made after people complained online, so yeah, instant fan service. I’ll watch it though.