Tom Paris (Vanguard)

Thomas Eugene Paris, or Tom Paris, is a male Human Starfleet officer in the 24th century who was famous as a crack starship pilot after his eight-year tour as the Conn Officer of the Intrepid class Scout USS Voyager. As of 2385, he has assumed the position of Chief Conn Officer of the Invincible class Fleet Carrier-Heavy Battleship prototype USS Invincible.

Childhood
Tom Paris was born in 2346 to a long line of distinguished Starfleet officers. EArly on, he already had a troubled relationship with the high expectations of his father, an admiral, who joined his friends and teachers to praise him as a child but remained tough and remote, telling him for instance that crying was a sign of weakness.

Starfleet Academy
Paris joined Starfleet Academy in 2364. While there, he almost failed stellar cartography as a freshman. He chose Marseilles, France, as the site of his physical training in the second semester. Despite his stormy four year stay in the Academy, Paris was able to hone his natural aptitude for piloting skills on craft large and small and proved adept at holo-engineering. A gifted pilot, Paris earned an assignment to the Academy's honor squadron.

Dishonor
Soon after his graduation from Starfleet Academy, Paris crashed a shuttle he was piloting in the Vega system near Caldik Prime, killing three other Starfleet officers. Afraid he would lose his commission, Paris falsified records that would reveal the cause of the accident as pilot error. His efforts to cover up the error succeeded. Soon after, Paris was assigned to the USS Exeter and in time was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade. Later, overwhelmed by guilt and regret, he confessed. He was court-martialed for his actions, and was dishonorably discharged from Starfleet. It was only his self-confession at the point he would have been exonerated that netted him a discharge rather than harsher punishment. This caused a major rift in the relationship between Paris and his father.

The Maquis
Paris left San Francisco for Marseille, where he drank and played pool in a waterfront bar. Chakotay, a former Starfleet officer serving with the Maquis, discovered Paris in Marseille and recruited him to serve as a mercenary pilot for the Maquis Rebellion against the Federation. Paris accepted the offer as he sought for fulfillment as a pilot. This adventure went no better than his earlier stint in Starfleet, as Paris was soon captured by Starfleet while piloting his first mission for the Maquis and this time was sentenced to the Federation Penal Settlement near Auckland, New Zealand, wearing an alarm anklet.

The USS Voyager
Paris was given a reprieve of sorts in early 2371 when he was temporarily released from the rehab colony and given a second chance by Captain Kathryn Janeway, who needed him to pilot her new starship, the Intrepid class Scout USS Voyager, through the Badlands in search of her lost Security Officer who had been placed undercover among a Maquis crew Paris had once served with, led by Chakotay. Had he successfully completed the mission Paris could have applied for permanent parole, but ironically he and the rest of the Voyager crew became missing and presumed lost in the Badlands plasma storms.

While searching for the Maquis ship, they were thrown into the Delta Quadrant by a massive energy wave created by an alien known as "The Caretaker". Once there, they successfully located the Maquis ship docked at the Caretaker's Array. The survivors of the incident therefore became stranded about 70,000 light-years away from Earth. The Maquis ship was destroyed and its crew joined the Federation crew on Voyager.

The marooning of Voyager in the Delta Quadrant provided Paris with a new beginning. Janeway gave Paris a field commission as a Starfleet Lieutenant and made him Conn Officer of Voyager. He had a rough start, however, as Starfleet and Maquis alike viewed Paris with suspicion. Paris worked hard to earn his crewmates' respect; during this time, he became best friends with Ensign Harry Kim, a young officer on his first mission who defied his crewmates to befriend Paris. Eventually, Paris was accepted by the crew and became one of Janeway's valued senior officers.

Paris' duties were not limited to piloting Voyager. On Janeway's orders, he trained as a field medic and assisted the ship's Emergency Medical Hologram, The Doctor, until the Doctor recruited Kes as his primary assistant. Following Kes' departure, Paris once again served regular duty shifts in Sickbay.

B'Elanna Torres
Tom Paris became romantically involved with Lieutenant Junior Grade B'Elanna Torres, Voyager's half-Human, half-Klingon Chief Engineer, and soon after married her in 2377. Torres gave birth to their daughter, Miral Paris during the events that led to Voyager's return to the Alpha Quadrant and Earth in 2378.

Voyager First Officer
Paris was "double promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander after the successful return of Voyager to the Alpha Quadrant and was made the vessel's First Officer after Janeway was promoted to the Admiralty and Chakotay succeeded her as Captain and Commanding Officer.

Vanguard Command
In 2385, Tom Paris was transferred to the Invincible class Fleet Carrier-Heavy Battleship prototype USS Invincible and willingly accepted a downgrade to he position of Chief Conn Officer. He saw the transfer as a a great opportunity, being able to pilot the most powerful ship in Starfleet and to stay close to his growing family, as B'Elanna Torres had also accepted a transfer onboard the Invincible as one of the Assistant Chief Engineers.

Starfleet Performance Evaluation
In later counseling, Paris revealed an unsatisfying relationship with women that have fostered no long-term associations, including a relationship with Susie Crabtree as an Academy freshman and a French woman, "Ricky," met during his Marseilles semester. He also has an affinity for antique Earth ground vehicles and Terran American history and culture, especially of the 20th century, and has enjoyed sailing in true life and in holo-programs.

Tom Paris is simply one crack, hot shot pilot. As the Voyager's former main Conn Officer, he has had to get the ship and her crew out of some of the toughest predicaments any starship has ever faced. Without a doubt, Tom Paris is perhaps the most skilled pilot in Starfleet.