Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) fromStar Trek: Voyagershares one embarrassing fact with James T. Kirk (William Shatner) fromStar Trek: The Original Series. Paris was the USS Voyager’s pilot and medic, and a main member ofVoyager’s cast of charactersfor all seven seasons of the show. By contrast, Captain Kirk was theCaptain of the USS Enterprise, the main character ofTOSand theTOSfilm series, andarguably the most recognizable man in the entireStar Trekfranchise.
Although Paris and Kirk were from very different periods ontheStar Trektimeline, the two ended up having a few important things in common.Both were the resident bad boys of their respective shows, with hotheaded personalities and a tendency to break the rules. Along with this, both Paris and Kirk were notorious ladies' men, famous for the reputation of having many romantic partners during their respective series. However, there is a more interesting way Paris and Kirk resemble each other.
Star Trek: Voyager Demoted Tom Paris, Just Like Admiral Kirk In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Paris and Kirk were the franchise’s only main character demotions for a long time
TheStar Trek: Voyagerseason 5 episode “Thirty Days” saw Tom Paris be demoted to the rank of Ensign and thrown in the brig after violating the Prime Directive. This was a surprising move given thatStar Trekdidn’t often show its main characters receiving such harsh punishments. In fact,the only other main character in aStar Trekseries to get demoted before Tom was the then-Admiral Kirk, who was reduced back to the rank of Captain after his actions in the filmStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Kirk being made Captain again was less of a punishment than a reward, since it came after he and the Enterprise crew had saved Earth from a significant threat.
It’s important to note that there were significant differences between Kirk’s and Paris’s demotions. Kirk being made Captain again was less of a punishment than a reward, since it came after he and the Enterprise crew had saved Earth from a significant threat. In contrast, Tom being made an Ensign was truly a punishment fromCaptain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), and the accompanying 30 days in the brig drove this home. However,Tom’s demotion was significant at the time because it was the first for a main character since Kirkwas remade Captain.
Other Star Trek Main Characters Have Been Demoted
Modern Star Trek has seen more demotions
SinceVoyagerended, however,the modernStar Trekfranchisehas shown other main character demotions. The most obvious of these wasMichael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) being completely stripped of all rank after her mutiny inStar Trek: Discoveryseason 1. Although Michael eventually worked her way back up to Captain of the USS Discovery, her initial punishment was perhaps the harshest demotion anyStar Trekcharacter has received, fitting the shocking crime of mutiny and her involvement in starting the Federation-Klingon war.
The other main character in a modern series to be demoted was Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) fromStar Trek: Lower Decks. BeforeLower Decksseason 1,Mariner had already been demoted to Ensign for her contentious relationship with authority. However, in the season 1 episode “Moist Vessel,” Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) decided to punish her daughter by promoting Mariner to the rank of full Lieutenant and then re-demoting her after Mariner insulted a visiting Admiral. Thanks toDiscoveryandLower Decks,Star Trek: Voyager’s Tom Paris is now in better company in the ranks of the franchise’s demoted characters.
