10 Greatest Redemption Stories In Star Trek

Tom Paris, Tom Paris. Now where have I seen that face before? We don't talk about Locarno, no, no, no! Do we? They may have looked identical (obviously), whether Boimler could see it or not, but unlike his doppelganger, Paris grew out of his bad boy phase. For Locarno, being bad wasn't a phase at all.

Tom Paris never wanted to join Starfleet – he saw a career for himself in the Federation Naval Patrol (ships on the actual sea not ships in the sea of space). However, when your Dad's already top Starfleet brass and gives a yearly 'holiday sermon' on the Prime Directive (probably instead of presents), you've really got little choice but to put down the Jules Verne and pick up the Starship Operations Manual. I believe they call that 'doing a reverse Malcolm Reed'.

Paris just about scraped through Starfleet Academy, but his first posting on the USS Exeter was a disaster. Much like his lookalike, Paris covered up piloting error – on his part in this case – that caused the deaths of three other officers. He was drummed out of Starfleet and joined the Maquis, although not for long. After only a few weeks, Paris was arrested for treason and sent to a penal colony in New Zealand.

Captain Janeway took a punt on Paris, although not planning that her boat would sail all the way to the Delta Quadrant. There, Paris flourished, with just the odd hiccough along the way — one involving his love of the ocean and that fake-out to flush out a certain Michael Judas… Jonas. On Voyager, Paris made friends, a career, and a family. His Dad was mighty proud of him too!