Star Trek: Lower Decks is giving fans a long-awaited Trek return of a famous and beloved Star Trek: Voyager character. So far most of the main characters of the franchise have returned. Kathryne Janeway and Chakotay returned on Prodigy, while Seven of Nine and Tuvok popped up on Star Trek: Picard. The Doctor returned on Prodigy and will once again appear in the upcoming series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, while Tom Paris brought the Voyager vibes to Star Trek: Lower Decks.
The only characters who have not returned yet have been Kes, Neelix, B'Elanna Torres, and Harry Kim. That is until today. News broke that Harry Kim, once again played by Garrett Wang, will return to the world of Star Trek in the upcoming fifth and final season of Lower Decks.
In the closing moments of the last trailer for Lower Decks' final season, Kim can be seen talking to all alternate versions of himself. All of whom are still ensigns, except for, hopefully, the "real" Kim. It appears as though the "real" Kim is now a Starfleet Lieutenant, after serving seven years on the Voyager.
While it's been 23 years since Voyager ended, and nearly 30 years since Voyager debuted, it may seem like Kim only being promoted to Lieutenant is a bit of a disservice. Yet, it should be noted that the events of Lower Decks only started about three years following the return of Voyager from the Delta Quadrant.
It's hard to get an accurate timeline from when Lower Decks started to where it is now in the timeline, but it's fair to say that Kim has only been a Lt. for a matter of years at this point, if not fewer.
So it's very likely that he'll get another promotion soon. Possibly even by the end of the episode that Kim and Wang guest star in.
Now this leaves only three characters who have yet to reappear, though it's unlikely that we see Kes ever again, considering actress Jennifer Lien's numerous issues with her personal life and the law.