Garrett Wang

[Timewalker]

If he'd been eliminated early, few people would have. I mean, the only thing anyone noticed about him are:
1. He wasn't promoted.
2. He and Tom were pals.
3. Uhhh... he played the clarinet (or was it the sax?)

The big one being #1. If he'd died in Year 3, when his rank was still appropriate, #2 would probably be forgotten because the Tom/B'Elanna romance would supplant it, and #3 just isn't that memorable.

Clarinet. It was Riker who played the sax. And as a general fyi, Picard played the flute, and Data played the violin. Geordi tried playing the lute until Worf got angry and smashed it into a tree. Picard's girlfriend played a roll-up piano in the episode where they ripped off "The Skye Boat Song", pretending it was an old Ressican melody.

I don't see anything wrong with Harry and Tom being friends. I've noticed I prefer the series where there is a friendship among the crew. They can't be on-duty all the time.

DS9 had Miles and Julian with their holodeck adventures, the aforementioned Tom and Harry on Voyager, and there's a lot of TOS fanfic in which Sulu and Chekov get into some interesting adventures off-duty (of course there's Kirk and Spock and their interminable games of 3-D chess). There was even an off-duty friendship between Geordi and Data.

One thing I noticed about Harry is that he was interested in improving himself, and his training. That's one of the reasons why he was willing to do graveyard shifts on the Bridge. Janeway should have promoted him for that, as he became more experienced, but... for some reason she just didn't. If the excuse was that someone had to be the Ensign, then they should have had more for Sam Wildman to do. It's flabbergasting how many episodes had Naomi, but not her mother.

Plus he never got the girl in the end.

Only in alternate universes.

 

[Oddish]

When he was told that it is his destiny to bang and marry the child of Tom and Kes, it all became algebraic.

I think that was more to demonstrate the oddities of romance between humans and Ocampa. Because it was one episode, they could have things that normally would have made the audience uncomfortable (such as Harry marrying a person he was babysitting a few seasons ago). But, given that by the time Kes "died", Linnis was probably the equivalent of being in her 40's, while Harry was barely 30.

Crazier still, unless Andrew's lifespan was extended because he was 3/4 human, Harry would have been in the unenviable position of attending his son's funeral before he turned 40... when his son died of old age!

don't see anything wrong with Harry and Tom being friends. I've noticed I prefer the series where there is a friendship among the crew. They can't be on-duty all the time.

Oh, I liked them as well. Just like I liked Harry. His character deserved better.

One thing I noticed about Harry is that he was interested in improving himself, and his training. That's one of the reasons why he was willing to do graveyard shifts on the Bridge. Janeway should have promoted him for that, as he became more experienced, but... for some reason she just didn't. If the excuse was that someone had to be the Ensign, then they should have had more for Sam Wildman to do. It's flabbergasting how many episodes had Naomi, but not her mother.

It wasn't a legitimate excuse. DS9 did just fine without an ensign in the main cast. Best not to get me started on how stupid Harry's 7-year ensignhood was... I mentioned it so much, the mods were starting to complain.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I don't see why they would send him to rehab if he didn't need it, but it scarcely matters. Using controlled substances and not showing up on time are both completely legitimate reasons to terminate an actor's contract.

My extreme and oft-stated dislike of what was done with his character does not come from any special regard for the actor (I'm sure he's very handsome, but men aren't my thing) or the character (I liked him, but I liked most of them). I would have been fine if they had killed him off, removed the character from the show non-lethally, developed him, or shifted him to the back burner in a manner that showed respect for the audience. Somehow, they failed to meet even my low standards.

How I heard it described, was that he would show up to work, from a hard nights clubbing, sober, but stinking of booze, with a string of floozies in tow.

So, that means unshowered.

Yuck.

He was young and Asian.

Asians go beetroot red when they drink.

They can't process some enzyme.

It's embarrassing.

If he drinks too much, he can't pick up women.

A razors edge.

 

[timtonruben359]

I like Garrett Wang, I've met him at the Vegas convention twice and he's super nice and fun with fans, but he has a propensity for playing the victim so I take some of his claims as not always being wholly accurate.

I've heard other Voyager actors (Kate Mulgrew and Robert Picardo in particular) talking about Garrett showing up to the set after wild nights and not knowing his lines. A few years back in Vegas, Mulgrew made a very crude joke about the state of Garrett's trailer due to frequent visits from "female admires" in the early seasons.

I don't know about the claims about Wang being forced to go to rehab but if you read Voyager: A Celebration, it discusses some behind the scenes issues with Jennifer Lien who was dealing with mental health & addiction issues but was never forced to go to rehab. According to Jeri Taylor, the producers tried to get Lien help but she was not having it and it was one of the reasons she was ultimately written out.

What is fact is that Wang was written out of two episodes of the third season (Blood Fever & Fair Trade) after a pattern of arriving to the set late and not knowing his lines. I also believe producers were planning to write Kim out which was why his character was injured by Species 8472 in Scorpion Part I. It's no secret there were issues between Berman and Wang so I can see Berman wanting to write Garrett out.

 

[Oddish]

Sounds like both actors deserved to be given the boot.

 

[timtonruben359]

Sounds like both actors deserved to be given the boot.

Basically it sounds like Garrett Wang was young, making a lot of money, and achieving a degree of fame which got to his head and probably would've been fired had he not be listed as one of People's 50 Most Beautiful People at a time when Voyager was falling in the ratings.

As for Jennifer Lien, I take issue with the idea she "deserved" the boot. It's clear now that she was dealing with some serious mental health issues. In the Voyager: Celebration book, Jeri Taylor (at least I think it was Taylor) expressed regrets at how the dealt with Lien. Now we can have an argument about whether or not Kes as a character was working well on the show, but I think Lien (as Taylor admitted) was harshly treated for something that didn't have to do with her actual performance or action on set. Whereas, Wang was just being an idiot and holding everyone up.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Clarinet. It was Riker who played the sax.

Erm....

Funniest looking sax ever

 

[Timtamttime]

Harry played both the clarinet and the sax. Easy confusion!

 

[Oddish]

As for Jennifer Lien, I take issue with the idea she "deserved" the boot. It's clear now that she was dealing with some serious mental health issues.

You have a point; I was too harsh there. As someone who has struggled with his own mental health issues (both in adolescence and during the quarantine), I can sympathize. Sounds like they kicked her while she was down, all too common in showbiz.

Sadly, Kes, Chakotay, and Harry were three characters that Voyager's less than stellar writers just didn't know what to do with. So, Kes's actress was unceremoniously sacked, Chakotay was shifted to the back burner, and Harry was turned into an internet meme.

 

[Qonundrum]

Erm.... View attachment 23492

Funniest looking sax ever

Hmmm, the phrase "It's so big!" comes to mind. Seems typical for Riker.

 

[Oddish]

Hmmm, the phrase "It's so big!" comes to mind. Seems typical for Riker.

So does "in and out"...

 

[Qonundrum]

So does "in and out"...

As I recall, the diminutive colloquialism for "trombone" is often referred to via and merely its second syllable, which is also synonymous as slang for something rather different in turn...

 

[Oddish]

As I recall, the diminutive colloquialism for "trombone" is often referred to via and merely its second syllable, which is also synonymous as slang for something rather different in turn...

In 11001001, Riker requests a trio for music making: "Piano, bass, and drums, and a 'bone for me."

Too bad they didn't have a femur or something appear there...

 

[Timewalker]

Erm.... View attachment 23492

Funniest looking sax ever

Okay, I sit corrected. Riker's by far not my favorite character and TNG is by far not my favorite series. It's been a long time since I watched any of it.

At least I got it right that it was a brass instrument.

 

[Timtamttime]

Okay, I sit corrected. Riker's by far not my favorite character and TNG is by far not my favorite series. It's been a long time since I watched any of it.

At least I got it right that it was a brass instrument.

Well, made of brass, technically. But a saxophone isn’t in the brass family. It’s a woodwind instrument.

 

[Timewalker]

Well, made of brass, technically. But a saxophone isn’t in the brass family. It’s a woodwind instrument.

Yeeaah, like the piano is actually a percussion instrument, and the organ is a reed instrument. No matter what they look like.

I play the organ, recorder, accordion, have rudimentary ability on the piano (my organ teacher told me to practice my scales on the piano, to strengthen my fingers so it would be easier when it came time for that portion of my Western Board of Music practical exams), and recently ran across some instructional videos on how to play the spoons.

My neighbors are going to love me when I get into the latter.

 

[Oddish]

Riker's by far not my favorite character and TNG is by far not my favorite series.

I liked TNG a lot, but agree that Riker should have been off to his own command round about Season 3.

 

[timtonruben359]

Sadly, Kes, Chakotay, and Harry were three characters that Voyager's less than stellar writers just didn't know what to do with. So, Kes's actress was unceremoniously sacked, Chakotay was shifted to the back burner, and Harry was turned into an internet meme.

I 100% agree! I think Voyager had too large of a principle cast from day one and this was compounded by the fact the writers (particularly in the later seasons) were not all that interested in writing character based stories. In the early years, I would argue Kim, Kes and Neelix were the least well-utilized characters, but after Seven's addition virtually everyone but Seven, Janeway and the Doctor faded into the background with Torres and Tuvok occasionally given some good material.

Personally, I feel like Neelix was the most useless character on the show and should have been the one to have been written out when Seven came aboard. At least Kim and Kes had proper roles aboard the ship. I actually think it would've been interesting to see how Kes and Seven interacted. Kes played a significant role in "humanizing" the Doctor, and I think she might have been able to play a similar role to Seven. But was the show adversely affected from writing Kes out? No. But frankly, Jennifer Lien was a better actor than Wang and when her character actually had something to do, Lien usually nailed it, whereas Wang's acting was rather one dimensional.

 

[Oddish]

I think Voyager had too large of a principle cast from day one and this was compounded by the fact the writers (particularly in the later seasons) were not all that interested in writing character based stories. In the early years, I would argue Kim, Kes and Neelix were the least well-utilized characters, but after Seven's addition virtually everyone but Seven, Janeway and the Doctor faded into the background with Torres and Tuvok occasionally given some good material.

Funny that you didn't mention Chakotay. Did you forget about him? Given that he was in the same category as Kes and Harry, it's easy to do.

Personally, I feel like Neelix was the most useless character on the show and should have been the one to have been written out when Seven came aboard.

I disagree. I liked Neelix, and thought him a good foil to Tuvok. But I agree that his character was under-utilized.

But frankly, Jennifer Lien was a better actor than Wang and when her character actually had something to do, Lien usually nailed it, whereas Wang's acting was rather one dimensional.

When Harry Kim was actually given something to do, Garrett Wang generally managed just fine. He was wooden early on because he was told to be wooden, one of the many poor decisions the showrunners made.

The only cast member in any 2005 or earlier Trek who is consistently regarded as limited in an actor was Anthony Montgomery on Enterprise, and I would take even that with a very large grain of salt. He was another character who saw way too little use.

 

[A Chimpanzee & 2 Trainees]

When Harry Kim was actually given something to do, Garrett Wang generally managed just fine. He was wooden early on because he was told to be wooden, one of the many poor decisions the showrunners made.

I agree his acting gets dumped on a bit too much. Generally, he is OK, but doesn't quite rise to the occasion IMO, at the emotional high/low points. I just recently watched The Disease again, and for almost all the episode I thought it was just fine. Not a great tour de force or anything, but perfectly acceptable performance. That monologue where he confronts Janeway just falls flat to me. Maybe it's the writing, but it felt like a delivery problem to me.
Acting is a tough job, even to get to that level of competency, and sometimes I feel the actors don't get enough credit.