Unveiling the Quintessential Starship Captains: The Unmatched Charisma of Kirk and Riker in Star Trek: Voyager

Summary

Despite trying to model Tom Paris after iconic characters like Kirk and Riker, Voyager made the wrong choice, focusing solely on his womanizing tendencies.

Tom's initial fixation on women and his relentless pursuit of them made him unappealing, overshadowing his other positive traits.

Voyager later acknowledged this problem and resolved it by introducing a stable relationship for Tom and giving him more substantial storylines. This improved the overall quality of the show.

Despite Star Trek: Voyager's best efforts, attempting to model the character of Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) after Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) proved to be the wrong choice. Paris served as the helmsman of the USS Voyager and was a prominent member of the show's cast throughout its seven seasons. Tom's character underwent a significant transformation during his time in the Delta Quadrant, starting off in a completely different place from where he eventually ended up.

Initially, Tom was known for his flirtatious and womanizing behavior, which seemed to define his personality. The Star Trek franchise has had its fair share of playboy characters, with notable examples being James T. Kirk from Star Trek: The Original Series and William Riker from Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, Voyager mishandled the portrayal of Tom's tendencies, ultimately setting him apart in an unfavorable way from characters like Kirk and Riker, despite the intention for him to be similar to them.

Star Trek: Voyager Making Tom Paris Like Kirk & Riker Didn't Work

Kirk and Riker's romantic lives did not define them entirely, unlike Tom, whose initial personality solely revolved around his relentless and often unpleasant pursuit of women, making him highly unlikeable. This fixated focus on Tom's somewhat lascivious tendencies may have been due to his lesser prominence compared to Kirk and Riker. Kirk, being the main character of TOS, and Riker, second only to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) on TNG, required more comprehensive character development. Tom, on the other hand, seemed to be acceptable for stories that revolved around a single aspect of his persona, as his character received less overall attention.

However, concentrating solely on Tom's womanizing made him a significantly inferior character. His general attitude towards women in Voyager's early seasons leaned towards being unpleasant, and the repetitive storylines depicting his involvement with complicated love interests became tiresome and less enjoyable with each reuse. Unlike Tom, Kirk and Riker in TOS and TNG had a wider range of activities outside of romantic subplots, which made their dalliances appear less uncomfortable overall and more captivating to watch.

How Voyager Fixed Tom Paris' Character Problems

Fortunately, Voyager recognized the problem with Tom's portrayal in later seasons and took measures to rectify it. This primarily involved replacing Tom's string of casual romantic escapades with a more stable and meaningful relationship, which he found with B'Elanna Torres, Voyager's Chief Engineer. Throughout their relationship, Tom and B'Elanna not only became the most secure couple on Voyager but also showcased one of the most profound romantic connections between two main characters in the Star Trek franchise.

Moreover, Voyager provided Tom with the opportunity to engage in substantial storylines, allowing his character and personality to grow beyond being solely the ship's flirtatious member. For instance, delving into Tom's tumultuous relationship with his father and his struggle to meet the latter's expectations provided a rich backstory, while his passion for 20th-century culture and classic science fiction resulted in entertaining and comical episodes. Ultimately, the development of Tom's character not only enhanced his individuality but also contributed to the overall success of Star Trek: Voyager.