Happy Birthday Garrett Wang!

Kim was probed, beaten, tortured and held the distinction of being the first Voyager crew member to die and come back to life. What more does a guy have to do to get promoted to Lieutenant for frak's sake? To add further insult to injury, other crew members such as Tuvok and Paris were being promoted, demoted and then re-promoted throughout the seven-year run of Voyager. I'm not trying to be negative here; just saying it like it is. During the fourth season, I called writer/producer Brannon Braga and asked him why my character hadn't received a promotion yet. His response? "Well, somebody's gotta be the ensign." Geez, thanks. Thanks for nothing.

So I walked up to him and said 'Mr. Shatner, I finally get to meet you.' Shatner's handshake it was limp wristed, he gave me this, like he was the Queen of England or something. So he gives me that, then in the middle of the handshake, he looks away, then he pulls his hand away and he wipes it off on his shirt, right in front of me. All I saw was red. You know what? God help me, I want to punch his fat belly right now. I was so mad. I want to tell you guys, I love Captain Kirk, but I fricken' cannot stand William Shatner. I'm gonna say that right now. That is no way to treat someone.

I was the first actor in Star Trek history to be denied the chance to direct. The irony of the situation was that, unlike my predecessors, who only wanted to direct for the sake of directing and acquiring their DGA cards, I was the only one who wanted to direct Trek and make it the best it could be, drawing upon my knowledge and experiences as a lifelong fan of science fiction. I truly believe that if I was given the chance, it would have been the best freshman effort by a Trek actor because of my passion for sci-fi. This missed opportunity has haunted me ever since.

If there is a Hell in this existence that we have that people can go to, he's first on the list.

Now that it's all said and done I would say that there are certain things that I would have kept exactly the same and certain things I would have changed.

One positive thing regarding maturation that happened from being on the show was the elimination of the racial chip on my shoulder. Eight years in Memphis, TN, being the target of daily racial epithets, made me overly sensitive to the stares and looks of strangers. In college, I had developed an almost militant attitude in that I would respond to prolonged looks by strangers with a defiant scowl or a combative, "What are you staring at?!" I strived to be the complete opposite of the quiet, non-confrontational Asian. Well, once 'Voyager' started, I quickly realized that the majority of the staring was by strangers who recognized me from the show and not active members of some white supremacist group.