Tom Paris

Grew Up... in the shadow of his father, Admiral Owen Paris. Tom’s interests and his performance at Starfleet Academy were not remarkable enough for his father to pay much mind. As a result, Tom supplemented his existing talents with more reckless behavior, which eventually got him into trouble.

Living... aboard the U.S.S. Voyager, Starfleet’s latest ship. Belonging to Intrepid Class, Voyager boasts a sustainable cruise velocity of warp factor 9.975 – which still may not be fast enough for Tom.

Profession... lieutenant in Starfleet, flight controller for the U.S.S. Voyager, and frequent medical assistant to the ship’s Emergency Medical Holographic Program. Having taken only two semesters of biochemistry while at the academy, Tom is still one of the most qualified crewmen on board the ship, which did not expect to have its chief medical officer or original helmsman killed within hours at the beginning of its inaugural mission.

Interests... flying fast ships, pursuing women, and indulging in late 20^th-Century Earth culture.  Tom is a connoisseur of (what are now an ancient means of transportation) early Earth automobiles, and this factors into how Tom spends a majority of his free time on the holodeck. He’s also rather skilled at engineering holographic programs, and so Tom has developed a home-away-from-home environment based on a bar he used to frequent during his semester abroad in France, which the Voyager crew enjoys. 

Relationship Status... single. Tom is a competent pilot whose devil-may-care attitude may give off an appealing vibe to some would-be partners, or a repelling one for those wishing for more substance in their relationship. A prospective companion once asked, “Do you always come at women at warp speed, Mr. Paris?” Tom’s romantic approach might need a bit of work, although, Tom is deeper than he lets on - or even cares to admit to himself.

Challenge.... redemption. Tom’s initial downfall was falsifying a report covering up his own pilot error which resulted in the deaths of three crewmen. After Captain Janeway recruited Tom directly from the penal settlement in New Zealand to serve as observer on Voyager, his uphill battle towards proving his true character and worth began. With new friend Ensign Harry Kim at his side, Tom currently strives to refute the reputation given to him by his past actions, and – though they are separated by more than one galactic quadrant – maybe even live up to the expectations of his father.

Personality... daring, adventurous, and fun-loving. Tom is also a loyal friend to those who see past his mistakes. Now stuck in the Delta Quadrant, Tom’s enthusiasm for fast starships seems to align perfectly with the rest of the crew’s desire to get home as quickly as possible.