Star Trek: 10 Worst Things Captain Janeway Has Ever Done
7. Picking Torres Over Lt. Carey (Parallax)
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.