Thomas Eugene Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) (placeholder)

Lieutenant Thomas Eugene Paris, played by Robert Duncan McNeill, is a character in the television series “Star Trek: Voyager”. He serves as helmsman aboard the USS Voyager.
Thomas Eugene Paris (“Tom Paris”) is the son of Admiral Owen Paris and a scion of a family with a long history of illustrious service in Starfleet. Following in his family’s tradition, Paris attended Starfleet Academy sometime in the 2360s and majored in astrophysics. A gifted pilot, Paris earned an assignment to the Academy’s honor squadron.

Soon after his graduation from Starfleet Academy, Tom crashed a shuttle he was piloting near Caldik Prime, killing three other Starfleet officers. Afraid he would lose his commission, Paris falsified records that would reveal the cause of the accident as pilot error. His efforts to cover up the error succeeded, but later, overwhelmed by guilt and regret, he confessed. He was court-martialed for his actions, and was dishonorably discharged from Starfleet. This caused a major rift in the relationship between Paris and his father.

Following his discharge, Paris left San Francisco for Marseille, where he drank and played pool in Sandrine’s, a waterfront bar. Chakotay, a former Starfleet officer now serving with the Maquis, discovered Paris in Marseille and recruited him to serve as a mercenary pilot for the Maquis Rebellion against the Federation. This adventure went no better than his earlier stint in Starfleet, as Paris was soon captured by Starfleet while piloting his first mission for the Maquis.

Tried and convicted of treason for aiding the Maquis Rebellion, Paris was sentenced to serve time in the Federation Penal Settlement near Auckland, New Zealand. Kathryn Janeway, captain of the starship USS Voyager, obtained Paris’ temporary release from the penal colony. Janeway, charged with finding and capturing the Maquis ship commanded by Chakotay, offered Paris early parole in exchange for serving as her informant on Chakotay and the Maquis.

Janeway and the crew of Voyager successfully located the Maquis ship, but as Voyager’s crew attempted to capture the Maquis vessel, both starships were caught up and thrown into the Delta Quadrant by a massive energy wave created by an alien known as The Caretaker, stranding them 70,000 light-years away from Earth. The Maquis ship was destroyed and its crew joined the Federation crew on Voyager.

The marooning of Voyager in the Delta Quadrant provided Paris with a new beginning. Janeway gave Paris a field commission as a Starfleet Lieutenant and made him chief pilot of Voyager. He had a rough start, however, as Starfleet and Maquis alike viewed Paris with suspicion. Paris worked hard to earn his crewmates’ respect; during this time, he became best friends with Ensign Harry Kim, a young officer on his first mission who defied his crewmates to befriend Paris. Eventually, Paris was accepted by the crew and became one of Janeway’s valued officers.

At one point he was demoted to Ensign for disobeying direct orders, and thrown in Voyager’s brig for a period of 30 days. About a year later, after working diligently at his duties, he regained his former rank.

While serving on Voyager, Paris nurtured a long-hidden talent for holo-programming, devising several programs for the entertainment of his fellow crewmembers. His most popular programs included a re-creation of Sandrine’s bar, and a 1930s-era sci-fi movie serial entitled Captain Proton.

Tom Paris married Lieutenant B’Elanna Torres, Voyager’s half-Klingon chief engineer, in 2377. Torres gave birth to their daughter Miral Paris during the events that led to ‘Voyager’s return to the Alpha Quadrant and Earth.
Tom Paris at times displayed resentment toward his father, Owen Paris. This situation improved substantially over the course of the journey, due to Janeway’s willingness to offer him redemption, and later, to his relationship with B’Elanna Torres.

Paris was also one of the most strongly human characters within the Voyager series, enabling the traditional Trek contrast between human and non-human characters. His exchanges with Tuvok during the episode “Gravity” in particular are reminiscent of some of the sparring between McCoy and Spock. He also engaged in some occasional minor and relatively friendly squabbling with the Doctor and Seven of Nine, as well as often making MST3K-type quips about communications with various aliens while on the ship’s bridge. Paris also had a deep interest in 20th-century Earth pop-culture.

He became good friends with Harry Kim from the start, and at times displayed protectiveness in the face of Harry’s customary naivete. The only member of the crew with whom Paris had a somewhat difficult relationship was Chakotay, because of their history in the Maquis; however, they generally remained civil.

Verbally, his manner was generally informal and witty. He had a tendency toward cynicism and self-hatred and a temper that could be impressive when roused, but overall he was a highly moral man who was determined to rise above his failings. He normally stayed away from discussing his emotions, but displayed tenderness toward B’Elanna on a few occasions, as well as gratitude to the Captain for her faith in him.