to his love for the sea, Owen wanted him to enlist at Starfleet Academy. Admiral Paris often disapproved of his son's tendency to get into fights and his resulting punishments. After his graduation from Starfleet Academy, Paris was assigned to the USS Exeter. During his initial tenure at Starfleet, Paris crashed a shuttle he was piloting near Caldik Prime, killing three other Starfleet officers. Afraid he would lose his commission, Paris falsified records to conceal the cause of the accident. His efforts to cover up his pilot error succeeded, but overwhelmed by guilt and regret, he confessed. He was court martialed for his actions and dishonorably discharged from Starfleet. This caused a major rift between Paris and his father. Following his discharge, Paris left San Francisco for Marseille, where he started spending his time drinking and playing pool in Sandrine's, a waterfront bar that he frequented during his academy days. There, Chakotay, a former Starfleet officer now serving with the Maquis, recruited him to serve as a mercenary pilot for the Maquis Rebellion against the Federation. This adventure went no better than his earlier stint in Starfleet as Paris was captured by Starfleet while piloting his first mission for the Maquis. Tried and convicted of treason for aiding the Maquis Rebellion, Paris was sentenced to serve time in a Federation penal settlement near Auckland, New Zealand. Events of Voyager While serving time, Paris is visited by Kathryn Janeway, captain of the starship USS Voyager. Voyager's first mission was to travel to the Badlands and locate a missing Maquis ship commanded by Chakotay, which also has Janeway's chief of security Tuvok aboard as a spy. Janeway recruits Paris due to his previous experience working with the Maquis, obtaining his temporary release. In return, Paris would serve as an informant during the mission. Janeway and the crew of Voyager, while searching for the Maquis ship, are thrown into the Delta Quadrant by a massive energy wave created by an alien known as the Caretaker. Once there, they successfully locate the Maquis ship docked at the Caretaker's array. The survivors of the incident become stranded about 70,000 light-years from Earth. The Maquis ship is destroyed and its crew joins the Federation crew on Voyager. The marooning of Voyager in the Delta Quadrant provides Paris with a new beginning. Janeway gives Paris a field commission as a Starfleet lieutenant and makes him the chief