Carlson was a Maquis fighter who served on the raider the SS Zola under Chakotay until 2371. In 2371 the SS Zola and the USS Voyager were both stranded in the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker's array. The SS Zola was destroyed by ramming a Kazon warship while fighting the Kazon-Ogla, as a result the crew of the SS Zola, Carlson included, joined the crew of the USS Voyager as Starfleet personal and traveled on the USS Voyager on its historic trek home from the Delta Quadrant. (VOY: "Caretaker")
A hologram of Carlson helped Chakotay take the ship in Tuvok's holodeck program intitled Insurrection Alpha which became popular among the crew in 2373. (VOY: "Worst Case Scenario")
See also:
- List of USS Voyager personnel
- List of Maquis personnel