This article contains discussions of depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideation.
Robert Duncan McNeill and Roxann Dawson were split over one complicated storyline in Star Trek: Voyager season 5. McNeill and Dawson played Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres, two members of Voyager's cast of characters. Besides being main characters on Voyager, Tom and B'Elanna's arcs became closely involved after the two began a romantic relationship in season 4. However, both characters still had their own storylines which involved the other to greater or lesser degrees depending on the episode. One episode that was more B'Elanna-focused was the Voyager season 5 episode "Extreme Risk."
The episode dealt with B'Elanna putting herself in increasingly dangerous holodeck simulations with the safety protocols off to test her ability to feel strong emotions. B'Elanna's suicidal ideation came from her depression over Star Trek's Maquis, who had been wiped out in the Alpha Quadrant earlier in the season. Despite their romance, Tom was not the one to help B'Elanna through her feelings, instead leaving that to Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) while he worked on building the Delta Flyer. After the episode aired, Tom and B'Elanna's actors were split on their opinion of how their storyline was handled.
B’Elanna Torres’ Depression In Star Trek: Voyager Season 5 Divided Roxann Dawson And Robert Duncan McNeill
The actors were split in their opinion of how the episode should have gone
Speaking with Cinefantastique after the episode, Robert Duncan McNeill expressed his disappointment that Tom hadn't been more involved in helping B'Elanna through her difficulty. Although "Extreme Risk" hadn't ignored Tom and B'Elanna's relationship entirely, McNeill made it clear that he thought their romance should have meant Tom played a bigger role in being there for B'Elanna through her bout of depression and coping with her feelings about what had happened to the Maquis. Read McNeill's full quote below:
"I wish they had used Paris more. I thought that would have been a really nice opportunity to let Paris, as her significant other, be really concerned and proactive there."
However, Roxann Dawson seemed to have the opposite opinion when she spoke to the same edition of Cinefantastique. Read her response to the question below:
"That was very true to nature, because often when we dissolve into those parts of ourselves, the ones that are closest are the ones that have the hardest time. They are the first people that you cut off. It seemed very right, his struggle to try and get through to me, and his inability to do so. I felt that it showed the relationship in a very real way, instead of an ideal way. What she was going through put tension into the relationship and caused an inability for them to communicate, and that was realistic."
In some ways, McNeill and Dawson's differing opinions almost reflect how their respective characters felt during the episode. Tom did demonstrate realistic concern for B'Elanna, even if it wasn't the storyline's focus, and B'Elanna's refusal to explain what was going on was also a realistic depiction of how mental health concerns can come between two people in a close relationship. Narratively, it made more sense for Chakotay and B'Elanna to confide in each other as two former Maquis, but ultimately, that isn't the only reason Roxann Dawson was more right than Robert Duncan McNeill about "Extreme Risk."
Why Roxann Dawson Was Right About Tom And B’Elanna’s Relationship In Star Trek: Voyager
Ultimately, Roxann Dawson's opinion of Tom/B'Elanna is more accurate
Dawson's more nuanced take on Tom and B'Elanna is not only accurate for the episode but indicative of how Star Trek: Voyager consistently portrayed their relationship. Dawson is absolutely correct that the people we love are also the first people we often cut off when we are dealing with something heavy, and "Extreme Risk" was not the last time B'Elanna tried to cut Tom out of something difficult she was dealing with. B'Elanna's go-to method of handling her feelings was often to turn inward, but this led to her and Tom's relationship becoming consistently stronger through conflict.
In general, Tom and B'Elanna were Voyager's most realistic romance. Voyager actually had very few romantic storylines compared to some other Star Trek TV shows, but compensated for this by giving their one stable couple a wonderfully realistic and satisfying arc. From their initial get-together through the birth of their child in Voyager's series finale, Tom and B'Elanna's highs and lows always felt relatable but also exciting to watch. Although they may not be the franchise's most popular couple, Star Trek: Voyager deserves credit for how well it depicted Tom, B'Elanna, and the entire scope of their relationship.
