Star Trek Reveals A Link Between Voyager's Tom Paris And His TNG Doppelganger

Star Trek: Voyager's Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) finally has a confirmed link to his Star Trek: The Next Generation doppelgänger, Nick Locarno. Robert Duncan McNeill made his Star Trek debut as Nick Locarno in TNG season 5, episode 19, "The First Duty". A member of Starfleet Academy's elite Nova Squadron, Locarno was involved in a scandalous cover-up that resulted in his expulsion. While Locarno was initially considered as the helmsman for the USS Voyager, the show's producers instead created a more redeemable character in Tom Paris.

Tom Paris had also made mistakes, but unlike disgraced cadet Nick Locarno, he strove to redeem himself throughout Star Trek: Voyager's seven seasons. Paris' work paid off, and he returned to the Alpha Quadrant a hero when Voyager ended. Star Trek: Lower Decks emphasized the differences between Tom Paris and his doppelgänger by bringing back the Voyager helmsman as a hero, and Nova Squadron's disgraced leader as a villain. Now, Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 reveals that Tom Paris and Nick Locarno have something else in common besides their looks.

Star Trek: Voyager’s Tom Paris Has A Nova Squadron Link Like TNG’s Nick Locarno

“Mark 2 Nova Flyers, redesigned by Lieutenant Tom Paris himself”

It was never established whether Tom Paris was a Nova Squadron member at Starfleet Academy, but his older self now has a link with the elite squad. In Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, episode 15, "Ascension, Part I", Nova Squadron are deployed to aid the USS Voyager-A and USS Protostar in their fight against Ascencia (Jameela Jamil). As the pilots race to their shuttles, Maj'el (Michaela Dietz) points out that they're Mark 2 Nova Flyers, designed by Tom Paris. This establishes Paris' link to Nova Squadron as a designer, which further solidifies his similarities to Nick Locarno.

We know from Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 that Paris isn't serving aboard the USS Voyager-A, which makes sense, as he and Lt. B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) have a daughter to raise. Prodigy season 1 revealed that B'Elanna had a role in leading the construction of the USS Dauntless, while Tom is now designing flyers for Starfleet Academy. This means that Tom and B'Elanna are likely on Earth, rather than in deep space. Tom Paris may even be a Nova Squadron instructor, since he's one of Starfleet's best pilots. Given his past, he'd be great at rooting out any potential Nick Locarnos.

Star Trek: Prodigy Redeemed Nova Squadron After Nick Locarno.

Lower Decks' Nova Fleet debacle can't have helped their reputation.

Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 takes place three years after the appearance of Nova Fleet and the death of Nick Locarno. While Lieutenant Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and the Cerritos crew were able to prevent Locarno from enacting his plans, his resurgence may have brought further shame to Nova Squadron. Thankfully, Prodigy's Nova Squadron have shrugged off Nick Locarno's scandals to become the very best of Starfleet. In fact, Maj'el and her teammates' desire to move past the stigma surrounding Nova Squadron could explain why they were so intent on finding out why Dal R'El (Brett Gray) and the Prodigy crew were sneaking around.

Star Trek: Prodigy also continues the redemption of Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) for his role in the Josh Albert cover-up. Now that he's a Traveler, Wesley has the huge responsibility of maintaining the fragile balance of the entire Star Trek multiverse. It's a far cry from the young and reckless Wesley Crusher who followed Nick Locarno's lead in the Nova Squadron cover-up. With the death of Nick Locarno, and the redemption of Wesley Crusher and Star Trek: Voyager's Tom Paris, Nova Squadron once again represents some of the very best officers that Starfleet has to offer.