Star Trek: 10 Worst Things Captain Janeway Has Ever Done

7. Picking Torres Over Lt. Carey (Parallax)

Star Trek Carey
CBS

In the second episode of Star Trek: Voyager, Janeway discusses the allocation of officer roles and the potential candidates for them. Lt. Joe Carey is the obvious choice for Chief Engineer, as he is next in line in terms of both rank and experience, following the death of the previous chief.

Chakotay wants Torres for the role, which is complicated slightly by the fact that she had recently broken Carey's nose. From Carey's point of view, what follows is both a complete disregard for his injury, but also his position on the ship.

In a similar move to making deals on the golf course, Janeway and Torres get to know each other during a shuttle mission. This results in the captain picking Torres, over Carey, as Chief Engineer. Carey is then relegated to serving under the person who broke his nose and passed him over for a promotion. To add insult to injury, he effectively vanishes for several seasons, only reappearing to serve as Red Shirt during the fateful mission to retrieve Friendship One.

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"