Star Trek’s Garrett Wang Talks About Returning In The New Era For Lower Decks After Previous Project Didn’t Work Out

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As a long-time Star Trek enthusiast who has followed Garrett Wang‘s career since Voyager, I can’t help but feel a sense of excitement tinged with a touch of nostalgia. The return of Harry Kim to the Trek universe in Lower Decks is not just a delight for fans like me, but also a testament to Wang’s enduring appeal and his dedication to the franchise.

After a considerable wait, Garrett Wang has returned to the Star Trek universe. Fans can look forward to seeing more of Harry Kim in the near future, as he features prominently in the second-to-last episode of Lower Decks, one of the last Star Trek episodes scheduled to air before the 2025 television schedule commences. In a recent interview with TopMob, Wang himself confirmed that Harry’s return has been long overdue, hinting at a potential project that may have surfaced sooner.

In a pre-release conversation, Mr. Wang kindly discussed with me about “Fissure Quest,” a future episode that appears to address one of the perceived injustices towards Harry Kim in “Star Trek: Voyager” by featuring a promoted version of his character. This particular episode seems to compensate for the abandoned project that would’ve reunited Garrett Wang with “Trek” earlier. Regarding this possible production, the actor could only provide general insights about it.

It seems an event unfolded, yet another one occurred beyond my influence. I had no power to prevent it. Essentially, the offer was withdrawn, as much as I can share without further details.

There isn’t much to work with here, but I bet many Star Trek enthusiasts would find it intriguing nonetheless. For a long time, I’ve been pushing for a Voyager-focused movie, and even Kate Mulgrew has shown interest. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean discussions have taken place or anything is set in stone, but I can’t help but wonder about the rumors of what Wang might have been offered.

There are numerous possibilities regarding which Star Trek series might feature Harry Kim, and Garrett Wang has been closely watching all the latest Trek productions. He’s shared with me his expectations of being invited to appear on each new season that aired.

As a gamer, I couldn’t help but hold my breath in anticipation as Picard made its grand entrance. Season 1, I thought, “Nope, Harry doesn’t seem to fit here.” But then, as Season 2 unfolded, I found myself hoping, “Maybe, just maybe, they’ll bring Harry into the mix this time.” Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. With Seven of Nine’s inclusion in Season 3, I secretly wished that I, Harry, would somehow become part of her storyline. But the writers took Michelle Hurd’s character in a direction different from what I had hoped for. Three seasons, three opportunities for Harry to make an appearance – but it wasn’t meant to be. Discovery was out of the question, and Strange New Worlds is set in another time period, so my chances seemed slim.

Despite the fact that I found myself smiling at the mental image of Mr. Harry Kim, it seemed that numerous individuals, including Jeri Ryan, might have preferred a different scenario, perhaps with Seven or Chakotay instead. However, in Picard, there was no return for Garrett Wang’s character, leaving him to maintain his patience and eagerly await the next opportunity.

Lower Decks”, a show where Wang’s podcast co-host Robert Duncan McNeil has previously made appearances. Wang mentioned he had been eagerly anticipating being on this animated comedy series, and his appearance in the near-final episode more than compensates for the wait.

In the first season of Lower Decks, I thought perhaps they might introduce Harry in later seasons, maybe even the second, third, or fourth. However, it wasn’t until season five that he made his appearance. This happened seven times that I expected Harry to appear but didn’t, until finally we have multiple characters named Harry Kim.

It’s great to have more than one Harry Kim character, given the numerous instances where he came close to or actually died on Star Trek: Voyager. While the switch from the original prime Harry (who is canonically dead) to a counterpart from an alternate timeline didn’t make my “What the Fremani” moments list for Voyager, it certainly deserves a spot. Without a doubt, Star Trek: Lower Decks will acknowledge some of his more extraordinary feats from his previous series, as it frequently references guest stars in this manner.

Speaking as an ardent Trek fan, I have a hunch that Garrett Wang might make a reappearance in future Trek series. Considering Robert Picardo’s EMH has been accepted into Starfleet Academy, there’s potential for him to summon a Holo-Harry, thereby paving the way for a guest appearance. If the writing team is open to it and hasn’t already planned something similar, this could be an exciting twist!

Catch Harry Kim once again in action as “Star Trek: Lower Decks” airs on Paramount+ this Thursday. Having personally watched the episode, I must admit it’s my top pick from the series, and I eagerly anticipate the responses from fellow enthusiasts.

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2024-12-11 22:37