From the Star Trek Continuum

This chat was part of the live coverage of Paramount's official 
celebration of Star Trek's 30th anniversary, held in Huntsville, 
Alabama. These chats were held at http://startrek.msn.com, 
and were attended by fans from around the world.
STAR TREK: CONTINUUM Host: 
We are pleased to welcome Robert Duncan McNeill, "Tom 
Paris" from "Star Trek: Voyager." Thanks for visiting with us today.
Mrs. B: 
Had you ever watched Star Trek before your role in the next 
generation?
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
Of course I have...who hasn't watched Star Trek...it's been 
around forever. I was more a fan of Lost In Space though, 
but ever since I was on the Next Generation, I always hoped to 
come back and do more Star Trek.
Craig Gilley: 
How do you see Paris' changes from being the "outcast" to now 
being accepted as a member of the crew, but not being able to 
realize it himself? 
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
I think it's important for Paris to become integrated with the group...
I think he's got a lot of unique qualities that they can't let go of. He's 
got the quality of a rebel that can be helpful sometimes. They need 
to not lose his uniqueness.
Pierre: 
Where you aware of what playing in Star Trek would represent? I 
mean, all the fandom, your face everywhere... Love your character 
BTW.
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
I think it was scarier at first because the Next Generation cast had 
become such a phenomenon that it was a little overwhelming. I sort 
of imagined what all of this was like, and reality is much nicer than 
my imagination. The people are great, the events I've been to 
have been really fun, and I really feel like part of the Star Trek 
family. It's a good thing, it's not overwhelming. It's not too much.
Mike: 
Dear Mr. McNeill, Tim Russ said that they can never get you 
back during filming because you face away from everyone. 
Have they ever gotten you back during breaks.
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
You mean practical jokes...because my back is to everyone, 
they've resorted to throwing balls of tape at me from behind, so 
I'm constantly being bombarded with projectiles from the 
stations behind me, even during filming.
Question: 
What role did you first audition for in any of the Star Trek shows?
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
Nicholas Locarno on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
John Edmonson: 
How do you compare the role of Tom Paris to Nick Locarno in 
"The First Duty"? 
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
Even though there are similarities that both were outsiders, 
Locarno was deep down, a bad guy who everyone thought 
was a good guy. Paris is kind of the opposite...at first you think 
he's not a nice guy, but deep down I think Paris is a real caring 
person and wants to do the right thing. So, they're almost 
opposite in my mind, in a weird way.
Ray: 
We know that Star Trek takes place centuries from now. However, 
is it your belief that the technology necessary for space travel will 
come before the time specified in the Star Trek films and episodes?
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
I think the only way we're going to create new scientific ideas 
and discoveries is to dream and to imagine these things. I don't
 know the time frame, but I know the only way we're going to 
travel to other planets or other stars is to dream about these 
things. Hopefully that will inspire people to make it a reality.
John Edmonson: 
Your character of Tom Paris seems much less troubled now 
than at first. Do you think Tom has finally come to terms with his past?
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
No. I don't think he's come to terms with his past, but I think 
he's discovered a way to redeem some of the mistakes he made. 
I think there's still a part of him that believes that thinking 
independently is valuable, and to break the rules is not always 
the wrong thing. Star Trek has this code of teamwork being the 
most important thing, and I think Tom Paris is unique in that 
he finds value in thinking for yourself, and that the group isn't 
always right and the individual has to assert himself and do 
what he believes in.
CSU Monterey Bay: 
Have you worked with Will Weaton in any other media since 
Star Trek: The Next Generation? 
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
No, but I saw him at the Screen Actors Guild Awards last 
year, and was really happy to see him. We had a great time 
and really bonded during that episode.
Dan: 
What's in store for the USS Voyager and her crew this season?
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
I think there's going to be a noticeable change in attitude of 
the crew this year. I think you're going to see the crew embracing 
this adventure rather than stewing in the fact that we're lost. I 
think there will be a positive effect from that attitude change and 
that'll lead to a lot more exciting stories.
Tim Mack: 
It's an old question; but as an "insider" what do you attribute 
the series popularity to?
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
It's an old question, but I have a new answer...I realized 
week, watching Joseph Campbell being interviewed, that humans 
have always moved forward by dreaming, through mythology 
or religion, and today we know so much about our world, and 
through science there's so much that we can explain. The only 
thing left is space, and I think that space offers that sort of heroic 
mythology that you can't find in stories about our world anymore. 
You have to look to the frontier, and that's the only one left. 
I think it's a basic need to dream those dreams and look to those 
heroes to find our way to the unknown, and I think that's why it's 
so successful.
Michelle: 
Do you think that Tom Paris is a reflection of your own personality?
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
I think there are qualities of Tom Paris that I can very much 
relate to. Some of those qualities I suppress more than others, 
but what works best for any actor is when they find a personal
way to portray their character in their scenes, and make it 
personal. I think my best work is when I find myself in Tom 
Paris, or Tom Paris in myself.
Joel: 
My wife & I were asking ourselves what Star Trek: Voyager 
character we like as much as Data, from Star Trek: The Next 
Generation (who is our ultimate favorite)...Lt. Tom Paris was 
the winner. We hope to see more shows focus on your 
developing relationship with the crew. Where would you like 
to see your character go? and Would you like to see the 
crew make it back to federation space and interact with Star 
Fleet?
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
I'm very honored, thank you. I would like to see a more 
balanced portrayal of my character. I think that the rebellious
 smart-aleck side of the character was portrayed a little to 
heavily the first season or two. There's a real intelligent, 
heroic sort of character underneath that I think needs some 
more exploration. I also think there's a romantic side. They
 brought Tom Paris on to be sort of your classic romantic 
lead, but the doctor's had five more girlfriends than I have 
in the last two years, so I think a more old-fashioned love-story 
would be good for my character.
John V.: 
Is there one episode of Star Trek: Voyager that stands out 
as your favorite?
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
My favorite was "Sacred Ground", the episode I directed 
last season. It was a spiritual story for Capt. Janeway and 
besides being demanding creatively I felt that the theme of 
the story, about spiritual discovery was very important to me.
John Edmonson: 
Do you spend any time on the Internet yourself?
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
No. My hard drive's really screwed up, and I can barely play
 my daughter's kids games :).
Question: 
I know its early in the game, but realistically, do you think you'll 
ever get tired of doing Star Trek?
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
Ever is a long time, but right now I feel like I could do it for 
many years to come as long as I balanced it with some outside 
projects. I could do it for a long time. 
Brian: 
What's your favorite outtake? 
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
There are a lot of them, but last week I had a quick shot of 
me where I see a bad guy and I yell to Tuvok and the 
guest star to get down. We did a couple of takes with the 
camera rolling, then I asked for one more and yelled "get 
down!" and started dancing.
Everyone laughed in dailies.
CSU Monterey Bay: 
Do you think you will be sitting down at a computer typing 
responses to fans in another 30 years?
Robert Duncan McNeill: 
I saw Walter Koenig and DeForest Kelley at breakfast, and 
they're still answering questions, so anything's possible. 
STAR TREK: CONTINUUM Host: 
We'd like to thank Robert Duncan McNeill for chatting with 
us today. 
Copyright (C) 1996 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved