Star Trek’s Robert Duncan McNeill Hilariously Explains Getting Cast As Voyager’s Tom Paris

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Summary

Robert Duncan McNeill, who played Nicholas Locarno in "The First Duty" episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, was cast as Tom Paris in Star Trek: Voyager because the producers wanted someone like him.
Despite their identical appearances, McNeill sees Tom Paris and Nick Locarno as polar opposites, with Paris going through a redemption arc in Voyager while Locarno was shown to be "rotten on the inside" in Star Trek: Lower Decks.
McNeill's roles as Tom Paris and Nicholas Locarno are different but he reprised both characters in Star Trek: Lower Decks, showcasing his versatility.

Robert Duncan McNeill recounts the hilarious story of how he was cast as Star Trek: Voyager's Lieutenant Tom Paris after he played Nicholas Locarno years earlier on Star Trek: The Next Generation. McNeill's turn as Locarno in the TNG season 5 episode, "The First Duty," was very well-received. There was even an early idea for Nick Locarno to join the cast of Voyager before the character was reconceived as Tom Paris. Yet Star Trek: Voyager's producers still wanted "a Robert Duncan McNeill type" for the role.
Appearing on The Shuttlepod Show, Robert Duncan McNeill recounted to hosts Connor Trinneer, Erica LaRose, and Mark Cartier how he found out about the Tom Paris role in Star Trek: Voyager, and how the producers were looking for someone just like McNeill. Check out his quote and watch the video of The Shuttlepod Show below:

I get a call. My agent says, “Hey, remember that Star Trek episode you did a few years ago?” He goes, “They’re making a new show called Voyager and they literally put out a casting notice saying “a Robbie Duncan McNeill type.” They put my name. Kinda like the character on TNG. Like, my name was in [it]. And I’m like, “I’m right here! That’s me!” And so [my agent says], “I think you should… you can do this.”

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