WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4.It’s entirely possible that both Star Trek: Voyager‘s Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) and his Star Trek: The Next Generation lookalike Nick Locarno may have crossed paths at Starfleet Academy. Locarno was Robert Duncan McNeill’s first role in the Star Trek universe, and recently returned as the main villain in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4. As they were both played by the same actor, Nick Locarno and Tom Paris looked identical, something which was hilariously sent up in the Lower Decks finale. Presumably, Locarno and Paris were also similar ages, meaning that they may have attended Starfleet Academy at the same time.
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The First Duty”, disgraced Starfleet Academy Cadet Nick Locarno oversaw the cover-up of a fatal accident during a Nova Squadron training exercise. Locarno’s actions made him irredeemable, which was why the character of Lt. Tom Paris was created for Star Trek: Voyager. As Locarno was a one-shot character, nothing was made of the similarity between the two Robert Duncan McNeill characters. However, now that Star Trek: Lower Decks has reminded viewers that both characters existed within the same institution, it’s worth exploring whether or not they spent time together at Starfleet Academy.
Were Both Of Robert Duncan McNeill’s Star Trek Characters At Starfleet Academy At The Same Time?
The first concrete date in the history of Star Trek: Voyager‘s Tom Paris is 2371, the year in which he was reassigned to Starfleet by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew). Prior to this, Tom spent four years at Starfleet Academy during the 2360s. Star Trek: The Next Generation revealed that Nick Locarno was on the cusp of graduation when he was expelled from Starfleet Academy for the Nova Squadron disaster. “The First Duty” takes place in 2368, meaning that Locarno must have enrolled at some point in 2364, making it entirely possible that both of Robert Duncan McNeill’s Star Trek characters crossed paths.
The only thing known about Tom Paris’ Starfleet career prior to Star Trek: Voyager is that it was brief. Tom’s first Starfleet assignment was the USS Exeter, during which he – like Locarno – covered up a fatal flying accident. After his dismissal, he only spent a few weeks in the Maquis before being sentenced to hard labor for 18 months. He was still carrying out that sentence when Janeway approached him in 2371. Given what’s known about Tom Paris’ Starfleet career prior to the USS Voyager, it seems likely that he graduated from Starfleet Academy no later than 2367, meaning that there were two young men with the same face in separate student intakes.
Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Brilliant Tom Paris Lookalike Joke Explained
Star Trek: Lower Decks‘ Tom Paris joke is hilarious for several reasons. The most obvious is how Lower Decks irreverently sends up Star Trek‘s habit of using the same actors to play multiple characters with nobody noticing the difference. The inability of Lieutenant Bradward Boimler (Jack Quaid) to see the similarities between Nick and Tom is the same form of face blindness that afflicts Starfleet officers who don’t notice the similarities between Penny Johnson Jerald and Michelle Forbes’ two Star Trek characters. However, it’s a joke that gets even funnier from a behind-the-scenes perspective.
As well as looking alike, Tom and Nick are also both guilty of covering up a fatal flying accident, further emphasizing the similarities beterrn the two men. The biggest laugh about differentiating between Tom Paris and his Star Trek: The Next Generation character is that Tom’s father, Admiral Owen Paris (Richard Herd) doesn’t even notice the difference. A photo of a young Cadet Tom Paris is seen on the Admiral’s desk during Star Trek: Voyager, but it’s clearly a production still of Cadet Nicholas Locarno from “The First Duty”!
All episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks are streaming now on Paramount+.
