In Greek mythology, Icarus was a figure that together with Daedalus tried to escape their prison by fashioning wings from wax and feathers. However, Icarus flew too close to the sun and his wings melted.
The story of Daedalus was one of Tom Paris' favorite myths; however he bemoaned the fact that Alice left out the part about Icarus' fate when she retold the myth to him in 2376. When called out on this, he dismissed the detail as Poetic license. (VOY: "Alice")
A second season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation was entitled "The Icarus Factor".