Most seasoned Trekkies will know how Robert Duncan McNeill ended up playing aStar Trek: Voyagercharacter after already debuting as someone else in a different corner of the franchise, but it’s easy to forget that the actor actually played a third character during hisStar Trektenure. As a prominent member of theStar Trek: Voyagercast,McNeill’s Lt. Tom Paris was the primary helmsman of the show’s titular vessel. If it hadn’t been for Paris' innate flying talents, the crew might never have reached the Alpha Quadrant.
Robert Duncan McNeill appeared inevery season ofStar Trek: Voyager, but his characters have also popped up at other points in theStar Trektimeline. While it’s not uncommon for actors within the iconic sci-fi franchise to play more than one character, it’s rare for them all to share a connection. So, this makes McNeill’s triple-Star Trekcasting especially interesting. One of his three characters only appeared once, but the forgotten figure still fits in nicely with McNeil’s more well-knownStar Trekroles.
Robert Duncan McNeill’s 3 Star Trek Characters Are All Named After European Cities
2 French cities and 1 Swiss city get shout-outs
Lt. Tom Paris is McNeill’s most famousStar Trekcharacter, as well as the role he’s played the most overall. He not only appeared in 168 episodes ofVoyager, but McNeill also made a rare return to acting to voice Lt. Paris inStar Trek: Lower Decks, which is set in the wake ofVoyager’s return to Earth. Before playing Tom Paris, McNeill made his franchise debut as Cadet Nick Locarno inTNG. Just as Paris is a city in France, Locarno is a city in Switzerland. McNeill also reprised the role of Locarno inLower Decks, but twice.
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As I’ve already mentioned, it’s well-known among certain circles that Robert Duncan McNeill played both Locarno and Paris, despite the pair having no canonical connection. However, portions of theStar Trekfan base are likely unaware thatMcNeill also played Lt. Marsielles, whose first name is never revealed. Marseilles is the name of another city in France, just like Paris. He appeared in just one installment -Star Trek: Voyagerseason 7, episode 19, “Author, Author.”
Robert Duncan McNeill’s Star Trek Characters' Names Explained
Nick Locarno sparked a naming trend
Nick Locarno was the first of McNeill’sStar Trekcharacters to be created, so there was no naming pattern when he made his debut. That particular convention only came into existence when the possibility was explored of placing Locarno under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) inStar Trek: Voyager. Sadly, it would have been too expensive for this to happen, as the original creators of Locarno would need to receive royalties for every episode ofVoyagerin which he appeared, which would have created budgetary issues.
Tom Paris' surname is a subtle reference to the fact that he was introduced as a replacement for McNeill’s firstStar Trekcharacter.
Regardless, theVoyagerproducers still wanted McNeill for a big part in their show, even if it meant creating a new character for him to play. So, Tom Paris' surname is a subtle reference to the fact that he was introduced as a replacement for McNeill’s firstStar Trekcharacter, with both being named after European cities. Marseilles made this quirk into a real pattern whenMcNeill was tasked with playing his third franchise character in “Author, Author.”
In the universe ofStar Trek: Voyager,Lt. Marsielles is a holographic character created by Voyager’s EMH(Robert Picardo) and is part of the Doctor’s controversialPhotons Be Freeholo-novel. Picardo’s character populated his fictional world with characters who were too heavily based on members of the Voyager crew. He changed their names rather clumsily and without much tact, so Lt. Paris became Lt. Marseille. So, while the Doctor named his character after a European city like Paris and Locarno, Picardo’sStar Trek: Voyagercharacter wasn’t exactly one for subtlety.
