Voyager’s Chief Science Officer
Where the Star Trek heck is that person?
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When U.S.S. Voyager got slingshot to the Delta Quadrant, things got tough for Captain Janeway and the remaining 151 crew members. But no matter their hardships, science and engineering often saved the day after brainstorming with all the red and yellow jackets that made up the main cast, plus the Doctor.
The long-range exploration Federation starship came equipped with the latest innovations that were then available. Therefore, it was considered the most technologically advanced Starfleet ship of its time and ready to explore and study the far ranges of space with all its science officers on board. Although… Where is the Chief Science Officer on Voyager?
Among the main cast, there have been two commanding officers, a tactical officer, a helmsman, an engineer, a doctor, a nurse, a moral officer/chef, an astrometrics officer, and an operations officer. But when science was needed to form a hypothesis on their latest dilemma, who was their science officer?
Over the past decades, I’ve not been the only one with this question. The Trek BBS brainstormed on this question back in 2007 with uncertainty. While some thought Janeway left without any science officers, others considered they all died when the Caretaker yanked them across the galaxy. Parallels were drawn with other Trek shows, with most referencing Spock and Data from The Original Stories and The Next Generation, respectively.
The way I see it, there are two candidates to fill the roles of “Chief” Science Officer on the U.S.S. Voyager: Captain Kathryn Janeway or Ensign Harry Kim.
Ensign Harry Kim
The obvious choice would be Ensign Harry Kim. He graduated from Starfleet Academy at the top of his class, having studied sciences like quantum chemistry and quantum theory.
His role on board Voyager was that of operations officer, a job that relied on his knowledge of science and engineering. When a science officer could not be present, the operations officer would take their place.
Ensign Kim has proven himself analytical and well-versed in science and engineering. But, even though he was an operations officer, his suggestions were often part…
