Star Trek: Voyager, like so many Star Trek series, follows the crew of a Starfleet vessel as they explore uncharted space. When the starship Voyager is stranded in the Delta quadrant, she and her crew have a long journey home. Fortunately, the ship's crew is comprised, as usual, of a stellar cast of characters, making for a series of fascinating adventures.
One of those crewmembers is Lieutenant Tom Paris, the ship's pilot and navigator. His hotheaded personality has gotten him into trouble plenty of times during his life — he was expelled from Starfleet in his youth, and later arrested for his activities with the Maquis. Janeway gave him a second chance, offering him the opportunity to serve on Voyager. Janeway herself calls him an exemplary officer — but in Season 5, Tom shows that his renegade nature has not entirely left him. Despite his noble intentions, his actions almost cause disaster, and result in his demotion in rank.
What Happens In The Episode "Thirty Days?"
Season 5, episode 9, "Thirty Days," opens with Paris standing before Captain Janeway, as she reduces him to the rank of Ensign and sentences him to thirty days in the ship's brig. Once there, Paris pens a letter to his father. As he describes how he ended up in jail, the events leading to his demotion unfold onscreen.
On their journey through the Delta Quadrant, Voyager has stumbled across a planet that appears to be one giant ocean. Upon approach, ships rise out of the water, firing weapons. Once Captain Janeway manages to open a channel, she is able to convince the ocean's inhabitants that they mean no harm and are simply curious about the strange phenomenon. Despite the rocky start, the man on the other end of the call — Consul Burkus of the Monean Sovereignty — expresses curiosity of his own and accepts Janeway's invitation to tour Voyager.
A team of Moneans tour the ship, including Consul Burkus and a science officer named Riga. Tom, upon meeting them, is immediately intrigued, bursting with questions about the ocean, its origins, and how it formed. As a boy, Tom grew up on stories of ocean exploration, and dreamed of reliving Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. Now, he is just as fascinated with this unfamiliar ocean and its inhabitants. Burkus and Riga explain that the Moneans were once a nomadic people, and discovered the ocean some 300 years ago. Over time, they built underwater structures and factories to extract oxygen from the water, and came to live in harmony with the ocean's native life.
However, the Moneans are facing some difficulties. The containment that holds their ocean in place is starting to falter, and the waters that make up their home are dissipating. Riga speculates that visiting the ocean's core might yield answers, but Monean ships are not capable of withstanding those depths. Tom immediately jumps in with an idea: one of Voyager's shuttles could easily be modified to make the journey. Janeway agrees to his plan, and giddy with childlike excitement, Tom assembles his crew: Harry Kim, Seven of Nine, and Riga.
The mission reveals a massive, elaborate structure at the core of the ocean, keeping it intact. Tom deduces that it was built by an advanced civilization, and removed the ocean and all of its contents from another planet several hundred years ago. They have no way of finding out why — Tom speculates that it may have been a means to avoid disaster, or simply an experiment.
Regardless of their reasons, Tom tells Riga that the Moneans have bigger concerns. Their oxygen mining has been increasing the pressure on the machine, which has been rerouting power to protect itself. This has caused the containment field surrounding the planet to weaken, resulting in the water loss.
Why Did Tom Paris Disobey Orders?
Back on Voyager, Tom and Riga present their findings to Consul Burkus, stressing the need to cut back on oxygen mining. Tom offers up Starfleet technology that will provide an alternative oxygen source, ensuring that the Moneans will continue to flourish. Burkus, however is concerned only with the political ramifications. Knowing he will face backlash for suggesting that the mining operations cease, he simply says that he will "take it under advisement."
It's a moment that resonates with audiences, even today. Burkus' attitudes reflect those of many modern-day politicians who remain noncommittal in the face of climate change and its increasingly dire consequences. When confronted with the reality that their home may be gone in five years or less, Burkus simply shrugs and suggests the calculations might be wrong. He refuses to listen to Riga, a scientist of his own people, and it's clear that he doesn't plan to listen to Riga's urging.
Angered by Burkus' attitude, Tom rebukes him, trying to get him to see sense. Burkus is insulted and leaves the room, Riga following in defeat. Janeway lectures Tom, stressing that even though she agrees with him, it's up to the Moneans what they choose to do now. Starfleet has given them information and offered solutions, but they cannot tell the Moneans what to do with their own home. Despite Janeway's orders, though, Tom is determined not to give up.
Why Did Janeway Demote Tom Paris?
Tom approaches Riga with an idea: using one of Voyager's shuttles, take out the oxygen refineries with a missile. Destroying them will halt the mining operations, and the drastic action may force the council to take notice and implement redesign features when rebuilding the refinery. Despite the danger, Riga agrees.
Tom and Riga take the shuttle down to the planet and prepare to fire the missile, but Janeway and Burkus are both waiting for them. Despite Janeway's warnings that she won't hesitate to fire on the shuttle, Tom refuses to back down. He and Riga fire their missile, but Voyager deflects it with a torpedo of their own, preventing the refinery from harm. Voyager locks onto the shuttle, pulling them back onboard. The Moneans depart, the future of their planet (and Riga's potential consequences) still unclear.
Tom, meanwhile, must face up to his actions. Janeway charges him with insubordination and unauthorized use of a spacecraft, reminding him that his actions nearly caused armed conflict with the Moneans. Tom defends himself, standing by what he said earlier in the episode. His goal was to help save the ocean that so many called home. He wanted to help Riga, whose voice would have gone unheeded by his people's bureaucracy.
Janeway acknowledges his principles, and by the look on her face, it's clear that she agrees with him to an extent. She knows that the Monean council might not listen. She knows that the ocean might still be at risk long after they leave. But she also can't deny that Paris' choices put people in danger. His actions showed her that his reckless nature has not entirely left him. There has been a loss of trust between them, and that's what leads Janeway to demote Tom Paris to Ensign — she no longer has faith in his judgment as a Lieutenant.