Star Trek: Every Ensign Ranked From Worst To Best

Ensign Boimler was able to reach some success by loyally following orders under any circumstances, but he really started to achieve more thanks to Beckett Mariner's coaching, who taught him that Starfleet regulations are good guidelines, but they're not always best for every particular scenario.

In the first episode of Lower Decks, we saw an example of this Kirk-like attitude. Mariner secretly smuggled farming supplies to some Galardonians during their second contact. Because of the bureaucratic delays of the Federation, they would've starved before they could get the supplies from anyone else, so Mariner bent the rules to help them.

This ability of hers to know what's right without being told it in a rule book is one of the things that puts Mariner a step above most low-ranking officers. It did however also result in her getting demoted once and sent to the brig a number of times in her career.