Sorry, But Star Trek: Voyager Would Have Been Better Without This Beloved Character

Star Trek: Voyager could have been better if Robert Duncan McNeill played a different character than Lieutenant Tom Paris. Star Trek: Voyager's characters are iconic. In Voyager's seven seasons, Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) leads the USS Voyager through some of the greatest stories in all of Star Trek history. Whether it is Robert Picardo serving as the Emergency Medical Hologram with a very human soul, or Jeri Ryan learning to embrace individuality after a life as a Borg drone, every member of the crew of the USS Voyager shines throughout the show.

One of Star Trek: Voyager's most compelling characters is Lt. Tom Paris, the USS Voyager's conn officer. At the start of the show, Tom Paris was in a New Zealand penal colony after serving as a mercenary with the Maquis. By Voyager season 7, Tom is married to Chief Engineer Lt. B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) and has a distinguished Starfleet career. But, no matter how much I love Tom Paris, I can't help but think that Star Trek: Voyager would have been better off if Robert Duncan McNeill played his previous Star Trek character instead.

Nick Locarno Would Have Been Better For Star Trek: Voyager Than Tom Paris

Locarno Inspired The Character, And He Would Have Been An Interesting Addition To Voyager

Star Trek: Voyager would have been better off with its original plan of Robert Duncan McNeill playing Nicholas Locarno. Locarno appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5's "The First Duty," as the leader of Nova Squadron. Locarno was the ringleader in Nova Squadron lying to cover up another cadet's death. Notably, Locarno's backstory as a disgraced former member of Starfleet with a criminal past and pilot expertise is identical to Tom Paris' when he was created for Star Trek: Voyager.

This similarity exists because Nicholas Locarno was the original inspiration for Tom Paris on Star Trek: Voyager. Because we already got to know Locarno in TNG, his dark past is well known, unlike Lt. Paris's relatively abstract history that Voyager had to disclose. Even Locarno's experience as an expert pilot is established in Star Trek, whereas at the start of Voyager, Tom Paris' expertise is essentially hearsay.

Robert Duncan McNeill playing Nicholas Locarno instead of Tom Paris would have given Star Trek: Voyager a stronger connection to Star Trek: The Next Generation. Locarno's status as a disgraced Starfleet cadet would have been a more interesting character for Voyager's writers to play with. Locarno's selfishness and history of lying are character traits that he could have overcome in the Delta Quadrant.

Why Star Trek: Voyager Created Tom Paris Instead Of Using Nicholas Locarno

Locarno's Darker Past Would've Meant More Interesting Voyager Stories

There was, of course, a reason that Star Trek: Voyager's creative team decided to replace Nicholas Locarno with a new character, Tom Paris. Voyager writer and executive producer, Jeri Taylor, explained why they changed McNiell's character from Locarno to Paris:

"We had liked the idea of a character like Tom Paris ever since we had done "First Duty" and had Locarno. We didn't make Locarno the con officer, because he was somewhat darker and more damaged. We felt Locarno couldn't be redeemed and we wanted to be on a journey of redemption."

While it is true that Nick Locarno's backstory is darker than Tom Paris's - as far as we know, Tom Paris was never responsible for any innocent deaths - that darkness would not necessarily have been a bad thing for Star Trek: Voyager. On the contrary, because what Locarno did in TNG was so dark, seeing him overcome it would be an even more powerful message of redemption for Star Trek. Voyager had to tell us that Tom Paris was bad in season 1, but with Locarno, that dark past was shown onscreen.

Nicholas Locarno In Voyager Would've Avoided A Problem Star Trek: Lower Decks Mocked

It's A Funny Scene, But Voyager Would Have Been Better With Locarno

No matter how interesting Nick Locarno would have been on Star Trek: Voyager, in the end, the showrunners had Robert Duncan McNeill play Tom Paris instead. Of course, this did mean that Locarno and Paris were Star Trek dopplegangers. A few decades later, Star Trek: Lower Decks used their physical resemblance as a punchline in season 4's episode, "Old Friends, New Planets."

Both Lt. Tom Paris and Nick Locarno appeared on Star Trek: Lower Decks, voiced by Robert Duncan McNeill. As such, Ensigns Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) even get into an argument about just how identical Locarno and Paris really are. It's a fun scene, and it works for Lower Decks, but it draws attention to an incongruity that making Nicholas Locarno the Conn officer on Star Trek: Voyager would have avoided.