Convincing Star Trek Theory Explains Why Tom Paris Is Still A Lieutenant After Voyager

By Daniel Bibby

Published Feb 15, 2025

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Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) demoting Paris to the rank of ensign, but he eventually managed to regain his lost pip.

Lt. Paris' innate piloting abilities were required in every season of Star Trek: Voyager. The show's titular vessel was constantly encountering dangerous space anomalies and almost impossible-to-navigate areas that would have meant the end for the crew if not for Paris' effortless skill. The franchise has revealed very little about what happened to McNeill's character upon his return home, but Star Trek: Lower Decks has at least progressed his post-Voyager arc a little.

Tom Paris Is Surprisingly Still A Lieutenant in Star Trek: Lower Decks

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Tom Paris smiling in Star Trek: Lower Decks

Most of Voyager's crew has been confirmed to have received at least one promotion since the show's 2001 finale. This includes Lt. Paris, who was once more played by McNeill in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2, episode 3, "We'll Always Have Tom Paris." During the 2021 episode, Paris is revealed to have been promoted at some point from lieutenant junior grade up to full lieutenant. Although it's unsurprising that he's been promoted, his service in the Delta Quadrant would surely have earned him a senior officer's rank by the time of Lower Decks.

Robert Duncan McNeill as Tom Paris in Star Trek Voyage

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Some of Paris' former Voyager crewmates were permitted to skip certain ranks due to how irably they performed during their seven-year exile. For example, Captain Janeway byed the ranks of commodore and rear iral to become a vice iral. Similarly, Jeri Ryan's return to the franchise as part of the Star Trek: Picard cast revealed Seven of Nine eventually became a Starfleet officer, but started as a commander. Lt. Paris contributed just as much to the ship's safety in Star Trek: Voyager as anyone else, so it's a little surprising that Starfleet has given him such a meager reward.

Theory Of Why Tom Paris Didn't Get Promoted Higher After Star Trek: Voyager

Lt. Paris probably refused any further promotions to extend his piloting career

The next step in the Starfleet hierarchy for Tom Paris would be the rank of lt. commander, which would make him a senior officer within the organization. Although this would be a welcome development for many Star Trek characters, it's probably not something Paris is eager to achieve. His only real ambition has been to be a pilot, and Starfleet gives him a great platform for him to do that. It's not completely outside the realm of possibility that a lt. commander could also remain as a ship's primary helmsman, but it is traditionally a position reserved for junior officers.

If he became Lt. Commander Paris, he would have to take on other responsibilities beyond taking a ship where it needed to be.

So, Paris has likely resisted further offers of promotion. If he became Lt. Commander Paris, he would have to take on other responsibilities beyond taking a ship where it needed to be. The fact he wears a red uniform also means he's on Starfleet's command track. Therefore, at least some of his flight hours would need to be sacrificed to accommodate training in other areas in case he one day becomes captain. Plus, he's no longer needed to help Voyager's EMH (Robert Picardo) in sickbay, so it's probably a nice change for Paris to focus solely on flying again.

Why Seeing Tom Paris As A Senior Starfleet Officer Would Be Weird

McNeill's character isn't really the leadership type

Tom Paris never really takes much very seriously, until he absolutely has to. He's incredibly laid back and often borders on informal when addressing his peers and superiors. He's not disrespectful, it's just that he doesn't really seem to care all that much about structure. Although Paris also has an affinity for 20th-century memorabilia, his primary ion is still flying, and he doesn't see it as a career. Instead, it's his calling, and Starfleet allows him to pursue it. Therefore, making a decision that would take him away from flying, even a little, just isn't within his character.

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Furthermore, Lt. Paris never displayed a desire to hold a command position, nor any kind of real leadership ability. He got Voyager out of some tight spots in moments of inspiration, but that was about it. If he became Lt. Commander Paris, then he'd eventually need to sit in the captain's chair - even if temporarily - and he'd be ill-prepared and out of his depth. There's no doubt he could learn how to be a better leader, but doing so would likely take away from some of the signature playfulness he displays in Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Lower Decks.