The Best Star Trek Actor From Each State
By Jeremy Dick
Tom Paris – courtesy of CBS/UPN
North Carolina – Robert Duncan McNeill
Raleigh born actor Robert Duncan McNeill found success early into his acting career This was starting with a part on All My Children, as well as the feature film Masters of the Universe. Eventually, he would move to California to pursue television work. He found more success before long, appearing on shows like Quantum Leap and The Twilight Zone.
McNeill first entered Star Trek lore as Nick Locarno, a Starfleet Academy cadet. In the episode “The First Duty”, McNeill pressures his fellow cadet Wesley Crusher into covering up their infractions. It was an entertaining appearance, but McNeill was far from over with Star Trek.
Later, McNeill was cast as a series regular on the series Star Trek: Voyager. On Voyager, McNeill plays Tom Paris, a Starfleet officer similar to his The Next Generation character. He’s featured very prominently throughout its run, but McNeill slowed down his acting career when the series ended. He had developed a taste for directing, which began with helming several Voyager episodes.
In the years since, McNeill has had plenty of work as a prolific television director. Fans of Voyager will always remember him best as Tom Paris, however, and the fun he would have with Ensign Harry Kim.