One ofStar Trek: Voyager’s most important episodes chose to center its storyline on an unlikely character.Voyagerran for seven seasonsafter it aired in 1995, with nearly every season of the show clocking in at 26 episodes, aside from season 1 which was only 16. Therefore,Voyagerreached its 100th episode at the beginning of season 5, marking a momentous occasion for the showwhich had struggled to find its footing in the first few seasons. With the 100th episode,Voyageraimed to create a truly memorable installment, and the series did not disappoint.
Season 5, episode 6, “Timeless,” remains one ofVoyager’s best episodes, with an interesting take onStar Trek’s usual exploration of time travel. “Timeless” featured a storyline set 15 years in the future after most ofVoyager’s cast of characterswere killed when the ship crashed into an ice planet.Only Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) made it home, then teamed up to send a message back through time to try and change the past. However, between Chakotay and Harry, only one of the two stood out as the episode’s lead.
Star Trek: Voyager’s 100th Episode Was About Harry Kim
Voyager writer Joe Menosky couldn’t believe “Timeless” was about Harry Kim
Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) from Star Trek: Voyager with the Voyager season 3 cast in the background.
Harry Kim being the main character of “Timeless” was a departure fromVoyager’s usual storytelling. Although Harry was a member ofVoyager’s main cast, he was often overlooked or underappreciated.Harry’s famous “Eternal Ensign” statusis a testament to this, but his issues with popularity cropped up in other ways as well, with his lack of viable love interests, underwhelming episodes, and the writers' habit of using him as the plot’s punching bag, putting him in dangerous or deadly situations more often than other characters.Voyagerwriter Joe Menosky summed up Harry’s predicament perfectly toCinefantastiqueafter “Timeless” aired:
“If someone would have said to me, ‘The hundredth episode, next season, is going to feature Garrett Wang and Ensign Kim,’ I just would have laughed. It was just inconceivable.”
Menosky’s words may seem harsh, but up until that point, Harry had had very few successfulVoyagerepisodes where he was the star. Although episodes like “Emanations” in season 1 showed off Garrett Wang’s talents, others like “Favorite Son” in season 3 gave Harry very little positive recognition.During season 5, it might have seemed likeVoyager’s 100th episode would have benefitted from sticking to what the show knew, with a storyline centered around Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) or Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). However, Harry ended up being the exact right choice for “Timeless.”
Why Harry Kim Was The Perfect Main Character For Star Trek: Voyager’s “Timeless”
Not only did “Timeless” give Garrett Wang a chance to stretch his wings in ways no other episode had, but some of Harry’s most important character traits made him the exact right fit for the episode’s main character. “Timeless” featured a very different Harry Kim from the sunny, optimistic one that was usually portrayed onVoyager.The bitter, jaded, angry Kim who still blamed himself for his friends' deaths 15 years in the future provided the character with a more nuanced personality, something that Wang took full advantage of.
Star Trek: Voyager’s 10 Best Ensign Harry Kim Episodes
Harry Kim’s best Star Trek: Voyager episodes prove his value as a loyal friend and idealistic Starfleet Ensign who just wanted some recognition.
Likewise, Harry’s strong desire togetVoyager’s crew homemade him the best choice to be one of the few characters who survived “Timeless’s” storyline. Harry’s drive to return to the Alpha Quadrant was a core tenant of his character during all ofStar Trek: Voyager’s run, soto show him getting exactly what he wanted but at such a high cost provided some wonderful drama and complexityto his storyline. Even if the future in “Timeless” was erased, the episode proved that Harry Kim deserved to be taken more seriously than he was.
