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Star Trek Thread Stardate 47634.44 - That time Tom Paris killed a kid and had to change his name...

DrForester

DrForester

Mod of the Year 2006
Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,835


Yes, 30 years ago today we learned that the first duty of any Starfleet officer is to the truth.

The Setup: Wesley is almost killed in a training accident. He was a member of an elite flight squad at Starfleet Academt, and an accident led to the death of one of the cadets. It was later discovered that the team was covering up that the accident was caused by them attempting a very dangerous stunt (so dangerous that it was actually banned at the Academy). The flight team captain, Nick Locarno pressured the team into attempting the stunt and then to try covering it up. In the end, Picard guilts Wesley into confessing, and Nick is ultimately expelled, willingly taking the full brunt of the punishment so his team members may stay at the Academy.

The other set up: When planning for Voyager, they come up with a totally original character named Tom Paris, who they wanted to be like Nick Locarno, and in the end, even got the same actor to play him. Where Nick Locarno was a cadet who caused a deadly accident and tried to cover it up, Tom Paris was an Ensign who caused a deadly accident and tried to cover it up. TOTALLY different. TOTALLY not changed so they wouldn't have to pay royalties to the writers of The First Duty.



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The First Duty is also one of TNG's best episodes.
 

QuigleyMcShine

Member
Jan 29, 2018
9,455
Is there a source on that "didn't want to pay royalties" thing? I've heard that for years and can't imagine another reason to change the name, but it's crazy to me that's the way TV works.
 
Wanace

Wanace

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,030
Sucks for the writers of The First Duty, but I hope they at least get satisfaction from knowing that their character was compelling until he turned into a salamander after going faster than the speed of light. Sorry, warp 10? I don't know it's been forever since I've watched any Trek.
 
OP
OP
DrForester

DrForester

Mod of the Year 2006
Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,835
QuigleyMcShine said:
Is there a source on that "didn't want to pay royalties" thing? I've heard that for years and can't imagine another reason to change the name, but it's crazy to me that's the way TV works.
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The official explanation is the producers thought Nick's actions were irredeemable, despite there not being any real difference between the two. The minor difference was that Tom came forward of his own accord, and Nick only came forward after Wesley admitted it, but at the same time, It was Nick's choice to take the brunt of the punishment to protect his team.

While we will likely never get an official confirmation that royalties were the reason, the flimsy official response makes it incredibly suspect.

It also wasn't the only TNG character brought onto Voyager with a different name for no apparent reason. There was Vulcan ensign from the episode Lower Decks on TNG that was in a few Voyager episodes as a Vulcan ensign with a different name. The official word is that they're brothers.

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Dremorak

Dremorak

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,778
New Zealand
I think it could be because it was the first trek I watched the whole way through, but I have so much love and nostalgia for Voyager.
I know TNG is technically better, but I genuinely think episodes like "Fear" are at least as good as anything that happens in TNG. And I was so glad Janeway got to have a Picard style speech:


Also Micheal Keaton is one of the most underappreciated actors ever
 

B.K.

Member
Oct 31, 2017
17,093
I like to think they're the same person and Nicholas Locarno was an alias Tom used at the academy so people wouldn't think he was trying to get by on his dad's name.
 
kmfdmpig

kmfdmpig

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
19,448
So you're saying that Locarno is connected not just to Paris, but prefiguring Paris?... in a causal sense.
 
MisterHero

MisterHero

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,934
the first duty of every starfleet officer is to the truth

scientific truth, or historical truth, or personal truth

it is a guiding principle upon which starfleet is based

if you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth you don't deserve to wear that uniform
 
Tavernade

Tavernade

Tavernade
Moderator
Sep 18, 2018
8,735
The royalties thing seems odd (though obviously not impossible) since I'm pretty sure not long before they wanted Ro Laren to be a main character on DS9 but the actress not wanting the job killed it. Presumably that would have also needed royalties, had it come to pass?

Also that episode is awesome.
 

B.K.

Member
Oct 31, 2017
17,093
Tavernade said:
The royalties thing seems odd (though obviously not impossible) since I'm pretty sure not long before they wanted Ro Laren to be a main character on DS9 but the actress not wanting the job killed it. Presumably that would have also needed royalties, had it come to pass?
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Berman and Piller wrote the episode she debuted in and they created DS9, so I guess that would make royalties not be an issue? They'd be paying themselves.

Also, O'Brien and Worf went from TNG to DS9.
 

Deleted member 43

Account closed at user request
Banned
Oct 24, 2017
9,271
Tavernade said:
The royalties thing seems odd (though obviously not impossible) since I'm pretty sure not long before they wanted Ro Laren to be a main character on DS9 but the actress not wanting the job killed it. Presumably that would have also needed royalties, had it come to pass?

Also that episode is awesome.
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Ro was created for DS9, that was pretty much always the plan for her (pulse the show creators would be the ones making the $). O'Brian and Worf were also worth the cost, as getting popular characters from TNG to help prop up DS9 was the point.

Locarno would have been a neat callback, but it really wasn't necessary for him the be the exact same character, so why spend the cash?
 
zombiejames

zombiejames

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,021
You got the stardate wrong, OP. This episode definitely wasn't in the 7th season.

Great episode all around, though. I really liked the episodes of TNG that were about inner conflict. It wasn't some alien influence or a stupid ghost, it was a bunch of kids being morons.
 
Gaucho Power

Gaucho Power

alt account
Banned
Feb 10, 2021
873
Great episode. I wish they had done more with the aftermath of the accident in the future episodes. I felt like Wesley got off way too easy. Well, mainly because he was only in like two episodes after The First Duty.

Also, I have no idea why they even had the same backstory for Tom because in the end his past played very small role in the show.
 
Dictator

Dictator

Digital Foundry
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
4,949
Berlin, 'SCHLAND
I love this episode. I also really enjoy that it shows Wesley as a changed person, not beholden to the hierarchy and life on the Enterprise. Sure he makes mistakes, but the situation he was in (peer pressure, desire for excellence, etc.) are all so relatable. Really awesome ep.
 
Uzzy

Uzzy

Gabe’s little helper
Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,562
Hull, UK
Gaucho Power said:
Great episode. I wish they had done more with the aftermath of the accident in the future episodes. I felt like Wesley got off way too easy. Well, mainly because he was only in like two episodes after The First Duty.

Also, I have no idea why they even had the same backstory for Tom because in the end his past played very small role in the show.
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Mmm, his joining the Maquis after leaving Starfleet is the actually relevant part of his backstory. The hows and whys of him leaving Starfleet isn't really important.

Anyway, The First Duty is an excellent episode. As said above, the perfect kid Wesley having actually relatable issues is a real highpoint of the series, and Picard's speech is one of the best.
 
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