Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Harriet Beaumont Sims-Roberts,

USN The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

(played by

Karri Turner Karri Kathleen Turner (born December 21, 1966) is an American television actress who is best known for playing Lieutenant Harriet Sims in the television series '' JAG'' (1997–2005). Biography Turner was born in Fort Worth, Texas and raised i ...

) is a fictional character in the '' JAG'' TV series. She made her first appearance in Season 2.

Background

Sims comes from a Southern "

old money Old money is "the inherited wealth of established upper-class families (i.e. gentry, patriciate)" or "a person, family, or lineage possessing inherited wealth". The term typically describes a social class of the rich who have been able to ma ...

" family and faced some prejudice when she joined the Navy. Her mother is particularly displeased with her career choice and decision to marry "a man named after a dog" – namely, Bud.

Career

Sims is promoted twice during the series, first in the fourth season episode to

Lieutenant Junior Grade Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies. United States Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), is ...

after two years as an

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

, then to Lieutenant in the sixth season. Harriet Sims first appears in the second season as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

aboard the

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier The ''Nimitz'' class is a class of ten nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service with the United States Navy. The lead ship of the class is named after World War II United States Pacific Fleet commander Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, w ...

''USS Seahawk'', replacing her future husband, Lt.

Bud Roberts Bud J. Roberts Jr. is a fictional character in the '' JAG'' TV series (played by Patrick Labyorteaux), created by Donald P. Bellisario as a work-for-hire for Paramount Television. Bud Roberts made two appearances in the first season of ''JAG'' ...

, as a public affairs officer. Later in the season, she transferred to JAG headquarters in

Falls Church, Virginia Falls Church is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is included in the Wash ...

, attached to the administrative staff, and began a relationship with Roberts. Despite some last-minute second thoughts, Sims marries Roberts in the penultimate episode of the third season. While Navy regulations strictly prohibit

fraternization Fraternization (from Latin ''frater'', brother) is "to become brothers" by conducting social relations with people who are actually unrelated and/or of a different class (especially those with whom one works) as if they were siblings, family membe ...

, Admiral Chegwidden manages to pull some strings and has Sims transferred to the Office of the Naval Inspector General while remaining attached to the JAG headquarters administrative staff.

Family

Sims and Roberts have had five children together: * A.J. (named in the honor of RAdm A.J. Chegwidden, however not taking his proper first names ''Albert Jethro.'') * Sarah (named in the honor of Lt.Col

Sarah MacKenzie Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie is a fictional character and lead role in the American television series '' JAG'', played by Catherine Bell. The character was created by Donald P. Bellisario, as a work for hire for Paramount Television, in the script for ...

. Unfortunately, the child died shortly after birth.) * James Kirk (named in the honor of Capt

James T. Kirk James Tiberius Kirk is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Originally played by Canadian actor William Shatner, Kirk first appeared in ''Star Trek'' serving aboard the starship USS ''Enterprise'' as captain. Kirk leads ...

since Roberts was a big "Star Trek" fan.) * Unnamed twins (a boy and a girl) born towards the end of the series (girl is called Nikki in one episode). In the final episode of the ninth season, Sims announces she is pregnant with twins and is having her commission in the Navy sent to an inactive reserve billet, so she can stay home and raise her growing family. Although she, in essence, resigns her commission, she is still seen for the rest of the series.

Awards and decorations

In Order of Precedence Between episodes S05E01 and S08E10, Lt. Sims mistakenly wore the

Naval Reserve Medal The Naval Reserve Medal is a decoration of the United States Navy which was created by order of Secretary of the Navy Claude A. Swanson on 12 September 1938. The medal was first issued in 1938 and was an active award until 1958. On 12 September ...

. That medal was awarded for 10 years of honorable service in the Naval Reserve, and it was discontinued in 1958.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sims, Harriet JAG (TV series) characters Fictional Judge Advocate General's Corps (United States) personnel Television characters introduced in 1997 Fictional United States Navy officers Fictional ensigns Fictional lieutenants