It’s like it’s part of their job description.
Maybe its a classic situation of failing upwards. They suck too much to keep a ship of people alive but not enough to be kicked out of Starfleet, well they are getting into their sixties, what do we do? Promote them I guess, unless it’s Harry Kim.
Meanwhile the ones that are amazing at their jobs like O’Brien are stuck at Chief Petty Officer.
First of all, O’Brien becomes the most important person in Starfleet history.
Second, that means Eddie Sherman is about due to move up from writing copy to being fleet admiral.
Did you know that eventually Voyager’s EMH was able to achieve holographic rights? In doing so, his fellow EMH’s were released from dilithium mining, core scrubbing, and other degrading tasks.
Fortunately Starfleet was able to fill these lowly but needed roles by using transporter technology to duplicate Harry Kim thousands of times. It was considered a highly ethical solution by the project manager, one Admiral Janeway.
