Garrett Wang An actor out of Riverside , California , Garrett Richard Wang is most famous for his role as Ensign Harry Kim on . Several costumes and uniform components worn by Wang during the run of " Star Trek : Voyager " were sold off on the It ' s A Wrap ! sale and auction on eBay . Personal . Wang ' s first schooling was in Bermuda , after which he moved back to the US at the age of nine . Graduating from Harding Academy High School in Memphis , Tennessee , he studied at UCLA , where he began to major in Asian studies until a theater instructor there convinced him to pursue acting . He began performing in a number of productions , and continued to do so after graduating . In 1997 , he was chosen by " People Magazine " as one of the " 50 Most Beautiful People in the World " . And in 2001 , E ! ( Entertainment Television ) selected Wang as one of the " 20 Coolest Bachelors " in the country . Wang is also a fan of . In an interview with TV Zone magazine in 1998 , he stated his favorite episodes as being , , , and . While not an official participant of the ceremony , Wang was the only main actor of any " Star Trek " series to attend the closing ceremony of " " in Las Vegas on 1 September 2008 . Wang is of Chinese descent . His Chinese name is 王以瞻 ( Wang Yizhan or Wang Yi Chung ) , translating to " One who is admired by many " . His last name is pronounced " wong " . During the hiatus between " Voyager " s third and fourth seasons , Wang was rumored to be written out of the show , at the start of its fourth season or shortly thereafter . He later admitted , " " There was " definitely " concern on my part [ . . . ] Had they decided not to bring Harry back , it would not have been the end of my world , just as Jennifer ' s leaving is not the end of her world [ . . . ] Of course , nobody likes to be dropped from a show . " " Wang was not entirely sure why the producers decided to keep him in the series , but suspected that several factors were responsible . " " In terms of what happened during that span of time , I ' m not even going to ask , " " Wang said . " " Demographic - wise , Kim plays to an audience that other people don ' t play to . You ' re also getting into a little sticky area with the ethnic issue . On top of that , it was a coup that I got into " People Magazine " [ as one of the world ' s 50 most beautiful people ] . I think Patrick Stewart was the only other person from the " Star Trek " world to get in . The timing of that , right during our hiatus , certainly couldn ' t have hurt me in terms of them keeping me on the show . " " ( ) Wang had strong criticisms of " Voyager " co - creator and executive producer Rick Berman . During a chat with the website GeeksOn . com , Wang claimed Berman had visited the set of " Star Trek : Voyager " only twice in seven years , called him " " an idiot " " and made the claim that " " if there is a hell in this existence that we have that people can go to , he ' s first on the list . " " Wang was also the first " Star Trek " actor to be denied a chance to direct the show . Since 2010 Wang has been director of the Star Trek track of the popular Dragon Con science fiction convention that takes place in Atlanta on the Labor Day weekend . Career . Wang landed his first television appearance in 1994 , co - starring with in an episode of her short - lived sitcom " All American Girl " ( with Clyde Kusatsu as her father ) . That same year , he was signed aboard " Star Trek : Voyager " . Outside of " Voyager " , Wang also appeared in a number of independent films and short subjects , including " Angry Cafe " ( 1995 , with France Nuyen ) , " Hundred Percent " ( 1998 ) , and " Ivory Towers " ( 1998 , with Time Winters ) . He also appeared along with star ( and co - star ) Armin Shimerman and star Dominic Keating in the 1999 comedy " The Auteur Theory " . He more recently starred in the B - movie horror " Demon Island " . In 2005 , Wang appeared in the epic television Western mini - series " Into the West " , playing the role of Chow - Ping Yen . Fellow " Star Trek " performers Keith Carradine and Clayton Rohner were also a part of the series ' cast . In 2006 , Wang co - starred with numerous other " Star Trek " performers in the fan film s , " Star Trek : Of Gods and Men " , directed by and co - starring his former " Voyager " castmate Tim Russ . While Russ reprised his " Voyager " character of Tuvok in the series , Wang ' s role is a new character . Other past " Star Trek " performers participating in the series are Walter Koenig , Nichelle Nichols , Alan Ruck , Grace Lee Whitney , Cirroc Lofton , Celeste Yarnall , Gary Graham , Chase Masterson , Crystal Allen , J . G . Hertzler , Jack Donner , Lawrence Montaigne , and Arlene Martel . Wang can be seen briefly in the video for the Rage Against the Machine song " Sleep Now in the Fire . " The band ' s guitarist is none other than Tom Morello , who made a cameo appearance on . Wang recently shot an independent comedy with star Anthony Montgomery called " Why Am I Doing This ? " . On May 8 , 2014 , Wang revealed on that , best known for portraying the character " Short Round " in the 1984 blockbuster " Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom " , was seen coming out of the same audition room Wang was at where others were trying out for the role of Harry Kim . On August 2 , 2014 , it was revealed that he would reprise his role as Harry Kim for the video game " Star Trek Online " ' s second expansion , " Delta Rising " , alongside fellow " Voyager " alumnus Tim Russ .