Is This THE SAME Character In Star Trek? - Nick Locarno - Star Trek Explained

[@bloglazer9410]

The actor for both Robert Duncan McNeill said it best: I think Locarno was a bad guy who pretended to be a good guy. Deep down inside, he was rotten. In contrast, inside Tom was a good guy who pretended to be a bad guy. He sort of wanted everybody to think he didn't give a damn and that he was a lone wolf, but deep down he wasn't like that.

[@mcrobielord1503]

the Star Trek novels Establish of those characters were cousins

[@fgdj2000]

Exactlyy

[@sterlingdennett]

NOT the same character, but more a case of they loved the ACTOR, and wanted to use him again in a new role. Some minor differences between the two are: 1.) Locarno did NOT graduate Starfleet Academy, he was kicked out in his final year as a cadet; Paris DID graduate, and was later discharged, due to his piloting accident. (although the writers got this issue confused later on in the episode "Drive", claiming Paris was kicked out of the Academy - he was NOT kicked out, that was Locarno) 2.) Locarno's accident claimed ONE life (Joshua Albert), Paris' accident claimed THREE lives (three unnamed officers)

[@Big_Black_Dick]

🤔 cool

[@christinacody8653]

There's been evidence that they wanted Locarno for Voyager, but couldn't get Writer's permission (and the related credit that goes with that) so they rearranged the backstory and kept the personality traits of Locarno.

[@sterlingdennett]

@@christinacody8653 I'm pretty sure they decided they couldn't use Locarno because what he did made him irredeemable. That's why they had to use a new character.

[@AzraelThanatos]

@@sterlingdennett I'm pretty sure that explanation came later.

[@schoreschdavoodi9930]

yeah and then they wanted to have a " Robert Duncan McNeill" type for Paris And Robert Duncan McNeill said he can play it the best, and then when he got the role everyone freaked out because they have hired the same actor, And so we got that paradox.

[@jamiemerian9736]

I'm surprised they used a "Steamrunner" class as the getaway ship and not a "Nova" class. Would fit the Nova Squad theme of the episode more. The Nova class is like a B-Rate Intrepid class, so you also would have that funny parallel as Nick Lacarno is the B-Rate Tom Paris.

[@sabonim1979]

Nick and Tom are twins but their parents split when they were very small. And each parent gave their own last name after the separation to the child of which they took custody

[@amg503]

So… The Parent Trap?

[@jasontoddman7265]

@@amg503 Quite a coincidence that each parent had a last name matching a European city (Locarno being a city in Switzerland).

[@panelvixen]

Rutherford: "He not only looks like Tom Paris, he sounds exactly like Tom Paris." Boimler: "I was beaten up by Tom Paris, that guy is no Tom Paris."

[@lezking5060]

They should have made nick a "transporter clone" of Tom Paris - maybe created due to a transporter accident when Tom was a young teenager, and he went on to have his own life with the Locarno family (maybe Mrs Locarno was a Federation scientist who was there when Nick was "created"?)... that could explain the similar traits/characteristics and identical appearance!?!?

[@AzraelThanatos]

I've got the theory that they're just related, perhaps Locarno was Tom's mother's maiden name

[@christinacody8653]

I think that it's plausible, because he has Admiral pedigree, that would have led to him having a "father" in high places that would have been a symbol of high abilities.

[@AzraelThanatos]

@@christinacody8653 You might also have Nicks actions be part of what exacerbated the issues between Tom and his Father. While Tom had authority issues, he does mention that his older sisters and him had pretty much cut contact with their father at some point, and it was only in the time Tom spent in lockup on Voyager where he'd really thought he was starting to understand the Admiral there. Tom also never mentions having a brother, so unless Locarno ends up being something like a bastard half brother that Tom never knew about (Which would be extremely difficult since they look way to similar when younger (I'd assume that over the years they ended up looking more different, but similar enough that the resemblance could still be seen with Lower Decks) and they'd have been in the Academy at the same time. For Tom getting kicked out, from the sound of things he had issues...and his father might have pulled a few strings to get him back in at the time.

[@shawn092182]

So, basically, what you're saying is that what happened to Riker also happened to Paris. Both Toms joined Chakotay's Maquis Cell.

[@christopherkraft1327]

Hey Captain Jack, thanks for this explanation!! Of course Nick Locarno & Tom Paris are completely different characters!! They were both played by Robert Duncan Mc Neil!!! 🖖🖖

[@mcrobielord1503]

In a Star Trek novel, establish Tom, Paris, and Nick larcando. There cousins

[@malith1321]

U can't remember which book it was but they separated Tom and Nick a long time ago. Although I really wish they had kept them the same person.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

In Star Trek: Coda: The Ashes of Tomorrow, Wesley Crusher mistakes Paris for Locarno. Paris states that he gets this a lot.

[@calanon534]

That's kinda neat, actually.

[@NoFormalTraining]

Are they the same person? Insert Captain Liam Shaw "No" Meme.

[@TCTurner]

"No" 😆

[@Soul-cry1]

They should have said they were half brothers, the same mother different fathers and they didn't grow up together which would be why Tom never mentioned him on the show.

[@nightyk6]

Lower Decks did it great with these two characters. Loved it.

[@RecalledSpark31]

Two words Transporter clone

[@chucka.3520]

We'll always have Tom Paris!

[@theMightywooosh]

Come on we all know he changed his name and reenlisted I heard he's got connections

[@ericmadsen7470]

Now that is plausible theory.

[@jackmusker]

They don’t even look the same!

[@stargazerblue186]

It was a fun retcon for sure

[@martinnickell2883]

It is plausable that Nick Lacarno is Tom Paris if you look at the fact that Paris was the son of ADM Paris of Starfleet Command. To keep Tom from being treated differently from being a son of Starfleet "royalty" he could have been given a fake name so he would be treated like everyone else. If you watch Down Periscope, Engineman 1st Class Stipanic was the son of 3-star Admiral Winslow. He took his mother's maiden name possibly to avoid being treated differently and/or not having a father-son relationship with his old man. No one knew until the end of the movie. Tom didn't have a great relationship with his dad either. Interesting parallel story. Same circumstances.

[@jaggedtharn8977]

This also confirms that Thomas Riker made it out of whatever Cardassian prison he was in, which is nice.

[@kanebunce3791]

It was obvious they were not the same character based on a very important difference in their histories. Tom Paris completed his training at Starfleet academy whereas Nick Locarno got kicked out of the Academy. Janeway would not make someone that been kicked out of the Academy a lieutenant immediately. Hence Neelix and Seven having no rank.

[@thomashong2938]

Actually, it would have made more sense for Locarno to be in DS9 than in VOYAGER. I can totally see him being recruited by Section 31 or Starfleet Intelligence as soon as he was kicked out of the Academy. It was a lost opportunity not having Locarno be part of PICARD season 3 as a colleague of Ro Laren or as a changeling pretending to be Nick. Not all that convincing to have Locarno trying to create a Nova Fleet of lower deckers in LD, given that he was never one himself. That’s something more like what Tom Paris might have done if he hadn’t ended up with Janeway. Having said all that, it was really nice to have Shannon Fill return as Sito Jaxa. One of my all-time favourite Trek characters.

[@DanBen07]

In an episode of Star Trek Voyager Tom Paris dad has a photo of his son on his desk but it's an image from the TNG episode.

[@thomashong2938]

The producers made the right decision in replacing Nick Locarno with Tom Paris. Locarno, as a character, had career ambitions that Paris did not seem to have. He would have been a disruptive force both in the Maquis and on Janeway’s ship. Likely, he would have allied with Seska and would have schemed with her on ways to seize control the starship. It would have been a very different show had Locarno been part of it. Tuvok’s tactical simulation would have been a reality, with the Maquis and Starfleet officers at each other’s throats. Locarno would have been the equivalent of BSG’s Tom Zarek. In contrast, Paris was content being the pilot of Janeway’s starship and a lieutenant. Just like Harry Kim seemed to be satisfied being an ensign and never getting a promotion. One big happy crew.

[@TheJohnSmith1963]

But they're cousins, Identical cousins all the way. One pair of matching bookends, Different as night and day.

[@9Tailsfan]

Well non family member people can look alike. Lots of people keep telling me I look like a very popular local hooker. Some of her customers even thought I was her. And we have never met. Due to my personal experience I just think Tom and Nick are just look-alikes nothing more.

[@jeffr9945]

Nick Locarno and Tom Paris could be half brothers/long lost twins? or A top secret star trek cloning program ran by Admiral Owen Paris that was a failure? or a mirror universe version of Tom Paris who joined star fleet under a fake name? Any one else have other conspiracy theories?

[@piemcclung2502]

Why couldn't they just be twins instead being the same person!?! With one taking on the mothers maiden name! Or maybe a clone like Thomas riker!?!

[@Lordoftheapes79]

I've always had this scene in my head where Westley and Tom meet, talk about knowing each other at the academy, then go their separate ways, without ever actually clearing up the Tom/Nick situation.

[@schoreschdavoodi9930]

Maybe Wesley later came by as a traveler.... could be interesting for a short Trek,

[@Lordoftheapes79]

@@schoreschdavoodi9930 well, since they settled the debate in cannon, the whole idea lost it's charm. I appreciate the encouragement tho.

[@sarahberkner]

While it's of course the same actor, in the thumbnail it didn't actually look like the same person.

[@jimkirk4357]

"In universe" they are 2 people who look identical. That's all. It happens.

[@stevencorrea8032]

Oh no there been cloned

[@fgdj2000]

I never bought into the theory. They had similar stories but were very different people deep down as another commenter has already said. If anything I find it curious when lead actors of some shows show up in other shows as guests both as unknowns before or as celebrated guests after. In the latter case they sometimes even play with your expectations a little.

[@Diablo_Himself]

The actor who played Neelix was in First Contact It doesn't mean they are the same guy.

[@RyansDad947]

Haha extra comedy telling Rodney Mackay from stargate to go suck a lemon one character trait he’s had since day one is being deathly allergic to citrus

[@cooltaylor1015]

My head cannon is that yes, they are. Tom used an alias to avoid special treatment in the academy.

[@anthonylowder6687]

Well it’s like they say everyone has a lookalike…..there’s someone out there who looks just like you or me.

[@NeilSalemMAUSA]

Somebody made a cartoon out of Star Trek? 😮

[@EnterpriseKnight]

They look the same

[@gerrylee1687]

I still don’t see it 😂😂😂😂

[@EnterpriseKnight]

​@@gerrylee1687They have like, the same face! They're identical!

[@chucka.3520]

Twins separated at Birth? They coincidentally look like Robbie McNeill.

[@stevencorrea8032]

Clones

[@ArtistryBranson]

Well done, Cap'n! I enjoy it when you let your sense of humor have a little more length of leash. You're my kind of geek. Let it fly! And thanks for your work.

[@TrekCentral]

Thanks, will do! - Jack

[@rhodrage]

Nah, they don't even look alike

[@michaeldemarco9950]

You missed Taurik and Vorik.

[@DartmanX]

I'm tired of pretending it's not, just so they could screw a writer out of royalties.

[@Big_Black_Dick]

😂 facts lol

[@shanejayell]

Well, it would have been interesting if Tom Paris joined Starfleet as 'Nick' to avoid the pressures of being the son of Admiral Paris. He wanted to be judged as himself, not his dad's son. Obviously, that's no longer possible now....

[@garrettbodwell61]

Meredith McKay

[@richardajoy79]

There is such a thing called a 'living doppleganger' and with the amount of planets in the Federation, it could be possible for the dopplegangers to enrole in Starfleet, but both training as pilots... thats unusual.

[@juanc5149]

I don’t see it.

[@setsuna200]

What's impressive is this one of the few official kit bash ships that look great. Never though kit bashing the steamrunner and saber class together.

[@kurtsnyder4752]

Funny the starburst symbol on Nick's jacket moves.

[@chloedevereaux1801]

the phrase is " arse over elbow " not head.....

[@TrekCentral]

There are multiple versions of the phrase :) - Jack

[@ZappaBlues]

... moopsy

[@ozelhassan8576]

The early TNG episodes had palm sized phasers and they were pocketable

[@HM2SGT]

*N(yes)O*

[@lightningleopard8877]

Oh well that makes more sense when they kept saying that 😅😂

[@jamesonstalanthasyu]

it was very distressing and a dick move to not use the same character for both series because they didn't want to pay the writer for the long-term use of Locarno.

[@robertnovak6806]

I'm not convinced Nick is dead. He got caught in a Genesis explosion, which ended up creating a planet. While Spock's death occurred before a similar Genesis explosion, he was caught up in the effects of it and look what happened to him. I think the creatives have options on what to do with Nick now - he could get a Spock-like reincarnation or come back in a different way. If they do follow that route, good chance his character is changed in such a manner that Nick's character will be much more distinctive from Tom Paris. I can see Lower Decks doing something like that.

[@thomashong2938]

Nick is as dead as Khan. HE didn’t come back. Same type of explosion and circumstance should yield the exact same result.

[@McAster99]

Next people will say Devor from Starship Mine and Tuvok are the same person. Which is just crazy as they all look drastically different.

[@videofox]

Devor's twin brother served in Starfleet on the Enterprise-B...right? Right?

[@calanon534]

@@videofox No, that was legit retconned as being Tuvok. They even rounded up ALL the same bridge extras from the film to shoot new scenes.

[@videofox]

@@calanon534 I was referring to Tim Russ' human character on the bridge of the Enterprise-B in "Generations", not Tuvok on the Excelsior. :)

[@shiroyuma2876]

forgot to mention the line he said in voyager to Henry Kim. he basically told the what happened and why he was a bad way with people, he lied and try to get away with it but end the end a little birdy got him to confese to the crime. the way it was told implied heavily it was the sMe person but they renamed which isn't uncommon to do as you pointed out. i believe it was indeed same character was reused just name changed is all, his life on voyager made him a better man as he admit later on in the show. and it show what he was like if haven't been on the ship

[@sjTHEfirst]

And mentioning Thomas Riker is kind of a similar story, where one actor played 2 roles and were definitely not the same person. 😂😂😂

[@ArtistryBranson]

...while literally being the same person. 🤯

[@Timberjac]

In all the series we have several characters played by the same actor. In Star Trek, which is also a lot of series, this is even more true. Don't look for strange explanations. And honestly, the stupid things they say or come up with in Lower Decks, have negative value.

[@bloglazer9410]

Star trek lower deck is canon, go suck an egg.

[@Big_Black_Dick]

🤔 i always thought that nick was Tom Paris, and the whole incident wit Wesley Crusher at the Academy was why he was in jail when Janeway came to get him 😅 that's my head canon lol

[@Big_Black_Dick]

😮 so Tom Paris is Lacarno they're the same character, it's just that the producers didn't wanna pay the writer who invented Lacarno so instead the producers invited a almost exactly the same character Tom Paris 😂 lol

[@bloglazer9410]

it should be noted that when Paris came clean, he did it willingly, whereas Wesley forced Locarno's hand

[@wendyheatherwood]

Has anyone involved in Star Trek in any way ever confirmed the royalty issue? I see people say it whenever the character gets brought up but I've never seen any kind of source for the claim.

[@Big_Black_Dick]

@@wendyheatherwood 🤔 i don't know

[@Big_Black_Dick]

@@bloglazer9410 minor differences 🤔 but it changes a lot tho, it means Tom is a more thoughtful person and less narcissistic than Lacarno