Robert Duncan McNeill compares his two Star Trek characters, Lieutenant Tom Paris of Star Trek: Voyager, and Nicholas Locarno, who was last seen as the villain in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4. McNeill’s first appearance in Star Trek was as Locarno, who he played as a Starfleet Cadet in the Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5 episode, “The First Duty.” As Lt. Tom Paris, McNeill starred in 7 seasons of Star Trek: Voyager. Robert voiced both of his roles in the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks.
Appearing on The Shuttlepod Show, Robert Duncan McNeill explained to hosts Connor Trinneer, Erica LaRose, and Mark Cartier that he sees his two Star Trek roles, Nicholas Locarno and Lt. Tom Paris, as “polar opposites.” This is in spite of the fact that Paris and Locarno look identical, which was a hilarious joke in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4’s finale. Read his quote and watch The Shuttlepod Show video below:
I always thought that Nick Locarno… I’ve said to people Nick Locarno and Tom Paris, to me, were polar opposites. I feel like Tom Paris was kind of a jerk on the outside, especially in the beginning. But underneath, he was really a good guy. He just had a lot of walls up and a lot of defenses up, and over time, he developed into the Tom Paris that married B’Elanna and people realized he’s really a good guy underneath. Nick looked like a good guy on the outside but was really kinda rotten underneath. So they were sort of, in my mind, very opposites. They looked a lot alike, though! It’s weird!
Robert Duncan McNeill Is Having A Star Trek Moment
Could Tom Paris appear in Star Trek: Prodigy season 2?
Robert Duncan McNeill is deservedly back in the spotlight thanks to his reprising the devious Nicholas Locarno in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, but his return also created more interest in Lt. Tom Paris. After all, Paris and Locarno look “weirdly” identical, which was debated by Lieutenants Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) and Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) in Lower Decks‘ season 4 finale. And McNeill is on point that Tom Paris had a redemption arc on Star Trek: Voyager that showed he was a good guy all along, while Nick Locarno appeared as a model Starfleet Cadet but was always rotten on the inside.
It’s possible, however, that Lt. Tom Paris can make another comeback in Star Trek: Prodigy season 2. Netflix’s Star Trek acquisition is essentially a sequel to Star Trek: Voyager, with Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), The Doctor (Robert Picardo), and Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran) all part of the series. Janeway’s Prodigy season 2 mission is to rescue Chakotay from an alternate future timeline aboard the new USS Voyager-A. Could Janeway recruit her top gun pilot, Lt. Tom Paris, to fly the new Voyager? If so, it would be amazing to see Robert Duncan McNeill play Tom Paris again in yet another Star Trek series.
Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Voyager are streaming on Paramount+.
Star Trek Lower Decks
- Release Date:
- 2020-08-06
- Cast:
- Jack Quaid, Gillian Vigman, dawnn lewis, Noel Wells, Eugene Cordero, Fred Tatasciore, Jerry O’Connell, Tawny Newsome
- Genres:
- Animation, Adventure, Action
- Seasons:
- 3
- Summary:
- The animated comedy series Star Trek: Lower Decks follows the support crew on one of Starfleet’s least significant ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, in 2380. Ensigns Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Boimler (Jack Quaid), Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), and Tendi (Noël Wells) have to keep up with their duties and their social lives often. At the same time, the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies.
- Story By:
- gene roddenbury
- Writers:
- Gene Roddenberry
- Network:
- Paramount
- Streaming Service(s):
- Paramount+
- Franchise(s):
- Star Trek
Star Trek: Voyager
- Release Date:
- 1995-05-23
- Cast:
- Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Jennifer Lien, Robert Duncan McNeill, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Tim Russ, Garrett Wang, Jeri Ryan
- Genres:
- Action, Sci-Fi
- Seasons:
- 7
- Story By:
- Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor
- Writers:
- Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor
- Network:
- UPN
- Streaming Service(s):
- Paramount+
- Franchise(s):
- Star Trek
- Directors:
- David Livingston, Winrich Kolbe, Allan Kroeker, Michael Vejar
- Showrunner:
- Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor, Brannon Braga, Kenneth Biller
