star trek number one riker

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A Brief History of Star Trek 's 'Number Ones'

A lot of times in Star Trek, we tend to focus on the captains. After all, it’s their ship, right? Everyone else is just following orders. But I think it’s high time the second-in-commands got their day in the captain’s chair—after all, the heroine of the newest Star Trek TV series will be among their ranks.

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Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Bryan Fuller appeared on Nerd World Report last week and said the protagonist of the next Star Trek series would be called “Number One.” This confirmed what we already knew about the main character, that she would be a commanding officer but not the captain of her ship.

Number One was originally a moniker adopted by the Royal Navy to describe a first officer or second-in-command on a ship. (It’s also one of Captain Picard’s favorite things to yell out as he’s entering or leaving a room.) Fuller said the name choice is actually an homage to Star Trek ’s original Number One from the unaired pilot. However, every single Star Trek series has had a dynamic second-in-command, each with their own story and perspective.

Star Trek: The Original Series unaired pilot, “The Cage” Played by: Majel Barrett

Number One, the unnamed character from “The Cage,” was Pike’s first lieutenant who defied her alien captors and helmed the ship in the captain’s absence. She was calm, cool-headed and didn’t let her emotions get in the of her duty.

According to creator Gene Roddenberry, NBC didn’t like that. They felt it would be best not to have a woman in a leadership role on a starship, because it would make audiences uncomfortable. Producer Herbert Solow denied it in his book, Star Trek: The Real Story , saying it was actually because Roddenberry and Barrett were having an affair. However, NBC still insisted Roddenberry give the role to a man.

Roddenberry ended up using a lot of Number One’s traits for Spock’s character, and Barrett stayed on as a vital part of the Star Trek franchise. She voiced the computer for most of the Star Trek series and films. She also played Nurse (later Doctor) Christine Chapel on The Original Series and Ambassador Lwaxana Troi, Deanna Troi’s mother, on The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine . Footage of Barrett’s role as Number One was later used in the “Menagerie” episode of The Original Series.

Commander Spock

Star Trek: The Original Series Played by: Leonard Nimoy / Zachary Quinto

Spock was the only recurring character to transition from the unaired pilot to Star Trek: The Original Series . The half-Vulcan, half-human science officer is one of the most distinguished members of the federation.

Working alongside Captain James T. Kirk, we saw Spock (whose first name is apparently impossible for humans to pronounce) settle into a role as the calm and logical one, to balance out Kirk’s brashness. But he wasn’t completely devoid of emotion, given the fact that he was half human.

Spock quickly became a fan favorite and a sex symbol, with actor William Shatner sometimes fearing that Spock was overshadowing him on the series. In fact, the show’s controversial interracial kiss was originally supposed to be between Uhura and Spock, but Shatner asked for it be him instead.

Even though Leonard Nimoy always had a love-hate relationship with the character of Spock (he especially hated the ears), he still recognized how important the character was, and still is, for millions of Star Trek fans. After the series ended, he said, “If I had to be someone else, I would be Spock.”

Commander William Riker

Star Trek: The Next Generation Played by: Jonathan Frakes, Jonathan Frakes’ beard

The quintessential “Number One,” Captain Picard called Riker that so many times I swear we almost forgot his name. Commander Riker definitely went through some changes over the course of the series. In the first couple of seasons, he was the young, hot-headed first officer to balance out Captain Picard’s calm demeanor. However, over time he became more patient and reserved, learning and growing from Picard’s leadership.

Through it all, Riker’s loyalty to the Enterprise was never in question. He repeatedly turned down offers of his own command, only accepting one at the end of Star Trek: Nemesis . His loyalty to the cast is also famous. The Next Generation cast continually calls him the best director they ever had on the series.

One of the most famous things about Commander Riker was his beard. Riker was clean-shaven for the first season of the show, but between seasons he acted in a Civil War mini-series, so he grew a beard. Gene Roddenberry thought it looked “more nautical” so he told Frakes to keep it. That beard is synonymous with TNG’s improved show quality, hence the phrase “growing the beard” (the opposite of “jumping the shark”).

Colonel Kira Nerys

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Played by: Nana Visitor

Kira Nerys was not a part of Starfleet, but that’s exactly why Commander (later Captain) Sisko wanted her on board. When the Federation agreed to keep an eye on Bajor after the Cardassians retreated, Sisko requested a Bajoran first officer onboard the Deep Space Nine outpost to improve relationships with the budding government.

Kira Nerys, a former underground revolutionary, started out as stubborn and hot-headed, opposed to the Federation’s presence in the Bajoran province. Over time, she and Sisko developed a warm and loving friendship of mutual respect- thanks in no small part to Sisko’s role as the emissary to the Prophets.

One of Kira’s most defining qualities was her unquestionable faith. Throughout her entire life, her faith in the Prophets was what kept her going through occupation, slavery and the resistance. It showed a softer, more compassionate side of the character, but it also came with its problems. Mainly, when Kira put faith before duty, like when she defended teaching Bajoran creationism in public school. She did grow to be more tolerant over the series, but her faith didn’t waver.

Side note, the producers of the series originally wanted Ensign Ro Laren to play Sisko’s first officer in Deep Space Nine , but the actress refused the role, so they created a new (and much better) character instead.

Lieutenant Commander Chakotay

Star Trek: Voyager Played by: Robert Beltran

Umm... well... yikes. Where do I start with this guy? He was Native American, I guess, and he had a cool face tattoo. Let’s face it, Chakotay was boring . And, if you go by the criticisms from people in the Native American community, divisive. Some praised his role as ground breaking, others compared him to Tonto from The Lone Ranger .

Chakotay was a Maquis fighter who, alongside his crew, got pulled some 70,000 light years away into the Delta Quadrant, where the group joined forces with the Voyager to ensure their mutual survival. Captain Kathryn Janeway gave Chakotay the field commission of Lieutenant Commander, hoping to close the divide between the Federation officers and Maquis rebels.

Chakotay served as Janeway’s quasi-enforcer on the ship. He wouldn’t tolerate any bull from those serving under him, and was not afraid of dressing down someone if it helped get the job done. As fellow io9 writer James Whitbrook put it, “If Voyager was a family, Chakotay was the stern dad who’d tell those damn kids like it is.”

Commander T’Pol

Star Trek: Enterprise Played by: Jolene Blalock

T’Pol was the first Vulcan officer to serve for a long time on a human ship. She served as Sub-Commander for the Vulcan High Command to keep an eye on Captain Jonathan Archer and his crew, because the Vulcan High Command were a bunch of dicks who didn’t think Scott Bacula could steer a ship. She grew to care for them, partially because she was more emotional than the typical Vulcan. The Vulcans kept trying to get her off the ship, but she said no, eventually resigning from High Command to join Starfleet.

The character also caused a bit of controversy, mainly regarding her outfits. Her catsuit-like wardrobe was criticized for needlessly over-sexualizing the character. The producers denied this early on, but started leaning more heavily on Blalock’s figure as the show’s ratings tanked. T’Pol got more costumes (40 altogether) and her cleavage continually got lower. She also was the subject of Star Trek ’s first nude scene, showing her full naked backside, which actually got censored in the U.S.

I’ve got to be honest, I’ve never seen a single episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, so any details I give about the character are second-hand. If you enjoyed T’Pol and want to add something you especially liked about the character, more power to you.

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The best Riker episodes of Star Trek, without question

Pay respect to the #1 Number One

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He’s always been our Number One.

The show is called Star Trek: Picard , but right now — three episodes into the third and final season — it’s Jonathan Frakes’ performance as Captain William T. Riker that’s charging the dilithium crystals in the warp core. That’s not a dis against Patrick Stewart or Jeri Ryan or Michael Dorn or Gates McFadden or Michelle Hurd or Todd Stashwick as Captain Liam Shaw (where did this awesome guy come from?), but Picard ’s vision of Riker feels like a fulfillment of a promise Trek fans have been waiting on for over 20 years.

As First Officer of the Enterprise, watching Riker turn down his own command was something of a recurring gag over Star Trek: The Next Generation ’s run. He finally moved to the center seat of the USS Titan (and married his imzadi , Counselor Deanna Troi) in time for Star Trek: Nemesis , but we never actually saw him on his bridge. (Also, that movie stinks like a plate of week-old tube grubs from the least profitable restaurant on Ferenginar!)

As disappointing as Picard ’s first season may have been, watching him warp in to save the day as acting captain on the USS Zheng He was a get-off-the-couch-and-cheer moment for fans of the Alaska-born commander, adventurer, occasional lawyer, lover, and, after TNG season 1, beard-haver. (Eternal bar trivia: Despite 10 tie-in novels set aboard Riker’s Titan, the first time we ever saw him at the helm was on Star Trek: Lower Decks — including some toe-tappin’ jazz , to boot!)

Today’s Riker, long out of any commanding officer’s shadow — even Admiral Picard’s —invokes a feeling of “oh, look how far he’s come” pride. When roles get reversed in the episode “Seventeen Seconds,” and Jean-Luc says to call him Number One, it brings a tear to the eye. This turns chillingly Shakespearean when Riker is forced to bark, “Remove yourself from the bridge, you’ve just killed us all!” (Don’t worry, this all gets resolved in episode 4, but no spoilers.)

The point is that Riker is strutting his stuff as a center-stage badass, and it’s terrific.

To celebrate and reflect on the character’s greatness, and to piss off fans of every stripe with our omissions and our placement, we now list the top 10 Riker episodes of pre -Picard Star Trek, which unsurprisingly all come from The Next Generation . Please send your outraged emails to [email protected].

10. “Rascals” (season 6, episode 7)

This is not a Riker episode per se , but Jonathan Frakes plays the key scene like a Ressikan flute. Thanks to a wacky transporter accident, Captain Picard, Ensign Ro, Keiko O’Brien, and Guinan (what a fab four!) end up reverting to their 12-year-old selves. When Ferengi take over the ship (!) only the quasi-younglings (aided by real youngling, Alexander Rozhenko, son of Worf!) can save the day. Key to their success is “Young Picard” creating a ruse in which he pretends to be Commander Riker’s son.

It’s obviously a very funny scene, but it also totally works as drama. How Frakes was able to pull this off with a straight face is a mystery deeper than what lurked at the center of Sha Ka Ree.

9. “The Measure of a Man” (season 2, episode 9)

Wait, hold up; this isn’t a Riker episode either! Yes, that’s true; this was one of the early-ish episodes in which Patrick Stewart showed off what would one day make him Sir Patrick Stewart — acting his brains out while arguing, in court, that Lt. Commander Data, an android created by Dr. Noonian Soong, is, in fact, a sentient being.

To make it stick, and to save Data’s life, someone had to present for the prosecution, and that duty fell to Commander Riker. What’s more, he couldn’t half-ass it.

“I can’t. I won’t,” Riker protests. “Data’s my comrade. We have served together. I not only respect him, I consider him my friend.” Of course, he must, and luckily Data is humane enough to never condemn him for it.

The following season Riker himself is put on trial in the Rashomon -inspired episode “A Matter of Perspective.” Trek writers Ira Steven Behr, Ronald D. Moore, and the late Michael Piller all later said this one never turned out like they’d hoped, but we can, and should, celebrate it for giving us the Riker facepalm .

8. “A Matter of Honor” (season 2, episode 8)

I may be getting old, but at least I can say I got to see this when it first aired, and got to come back to middle school the following Monday waving around a baggie of gummy worms and shrieking, “Gagh is always best when served live!” (When I refused to stop, Mrs. Welch gave me detention.)

This spectacular episode is a targ-out-of-water story in which Riker does some exchange-student business on a Klingon ship, the IKS Pagh. The Klingon captain jumps to conclusions about something, and soon prepares for battle against the Enterprise. Riker must figure a way to save both ships, and do it in a way that retains his (temporary) oath to Klingon honor. He uses a variant of the Corbomite Maneuver, proving that the alpha-when-necessary Riker is cut from the same cloth as Captain James T. Kirk, and not just ’cause he’s an interstellar stud.

7. “The Pegasus” (season 7, episode 12)

As with TOS ’ Spock and Kirk, DS9 ’s Kira and Sisko, and Voyager ’s Chakotay and Janeway, what’s key to Riker and Picard is loyalty . That’s why this episode hurts. Just like it’s kinda weird to see your current significant other with an old flame, watching Riker salute a previous commanding officer somehow feels indecent . What’s more, when it appears that they may be keeping some kind of secret from Picard, it’s downright scandalous.

Naturally, our guy is simply caught up in a (non-Tholian) web of ethical complexities — his old boss, played by Terry O’Quinn, broke a slew of Federation rules by dabbling with cloaking technology, killing many — and the worst you can say is that it takes him a little time to do the right thing. Perhaps to mitigate the darkness of all this, the top of this episode features one of the daffiest moments in all of Trek — the Enterprise’s youth contingent prepping for “Picard Day,” all leading to Jonathan Frakes doing a spot-on Patrick Stewart impression .

For a follow-up episode dealing with Riker struggling with his loyalty, check out “Allegiance” (season 3, episode 18), in which the bridge officers are forced to mutiny when they become convinced Picard has been captain-napped and replaced by a clone. (Luckily, their hunch ends up being correct.)

6. “Second Chances” (season 6, episode 24)

Oy, the transporter. Always causing trouble. Just ask Tuvix ! This time a malfunction causes an existential crisis for Will Riker, but a delight for us — double the Jonathan Frakes.

The Enterprise returns to a planet where, years ago, Riker led an evacuation. Little does he know that when beaming back he created, and stranded, a duplicate of himself. And whatever the opposite of Narcissus is, that’s Riker. Rikers.

The two butt heads and soon things get weird when the new Riker starts to romance our Riker’s ex-girlfriend, Counselor Troi. In time the two form an accord and “Thomas” Riker is transferred elsewhere within Starfleet. (Of course, he’ll return for an episode of Deep Space Nine for one of the best surprise twists in the entire franchise.)

5. “Frame of Mind” (season 6, episode 21)

The closest TNG ever came to The Twilight Zone . This is a wheels-within-wheels paranoia exercise that proves a pet theory of mine — production of TNG ’s sixth season coincided with DS9 ’s first, which meant the creatives still working on the last show felt empowered to get a little nuts while all eyes were on the new one. (Note: When did DS9 kick into a new gear with the Dominion War arc? When Voyager was getting started and every exec at Paramount was freaking out about Kate Mulgrew’s hair.)

Anyway, “Frame of Mind”: Riker going nuts facing the abyss of his own fractured sanity. Just watch it. It inspired the song linked above. And when you really want to see our beloved Commander lose his mind, check out that one scene in season 7’s “Parallels” when an alternate, unkempt Riker is at the end of his rope, begging for pandimensional sanctuary. It makes an excellent cosplay option .

4. “Future Imperfect” (season 4, episode 8)

So many great moments in Trek are about taking our heroes and putting them in unexpected versions of their own reality. That’s what TOS ’ “Mirror, Mirror” is, that’s what Voyager ’s “Flashback” is, that’s what TNG ’s “Tapestry” and “Yesterday’s Enterprise” and, to a degree, what “All Good Things…” are, too.

Riker gets to experience this all on his own with “Future Imperfect,” but with a twist: What if Riker woke up one day and discovered it was 16 years later? Well, he’d discover he had some handsome Reed Richards-esque gray in his hair, for starters.

One of the best things about this episode is how it rewarded dedicated fans. The first clue to solving the riddle is recognizing that Riker’s “ex-wife” is actually Minuet from the season 1 episode “11001001.” But she was a holodeck character! So if she’s real, then maybe… aha!

3. “First Contact” (season 4, episode 15)

When Gene Roddenberry was creating The Next Generation , he was determined to have a more cerebral captain in Jean-Luc Picard. This created an opening for some James Kirk-esque swashbuckling with the second-in-command, Will Riker. It is false to suggest either character was bedding alien babes all over the galaxy, but some of that cliche has a basis in reality. Though always kind and attentive, Riker did have his dalliances .

Anyway, this gets turned on its head in the absolutely brilliant episode “First Contact,” when an undercover scouting mission goes awry. Posing as an alien in a culture probably closer to our own than the Federation’s, Riker’s only way home is via the embrace of Bebe Neuwirth, in one of the finest guest shots in the entire franchise.

2. “The Outcast” (season 5, episode 17)

In this episode, the crew of the Enterprise meets up with the J’naii, a humanoid race without gender. Riker is working closely with an individual named Soren, and they hit it off. Soren, as it turns out, privately identifies as female, but must stay closeted, as J’naii culture will not allow such a thing. The two grow to have feelings for one another. Soren is eventually “caught” and will be forced to undergo conversion therapy. Riker prepares to rescue Soren, but is reminded of the Prime Directive. When does one draw the line in respecting a culture if it means denying an individual’s rights?

It’s important to remember that this was released in 1992. It was intended, at the time, to be a metaphor for gay rights. Today it reads more matter-of-fact as a story about gender nonconforming people. Whether its message is righteous or steeped too heavily in stereotypes is up for debate . (Indeed, I dedicated an episode of my old Star Trek podcast to this conversation .) One thing that I think all would agree on is that this is one of the all-time great dramatic moments for Riker. It is also the polar opposite of the corny season 1 episode “Angel One,” in which the studmuffin commander ends up on a planet ruled by women.

1. “The Best of Both Worlds” Part 1 (season 3, episode 26)

Let me tell you something about the summer of 1990: Even in that pre-internet era, there were rumors floating around that Patrick Stewart wanted to leave the series. It had only been two years since the shocking death of Lieutenant Tasha Yar. Her murder by that evil Hefty bag, Armus, was a constant reminder that TNG didn’t play by the rules: Major characters could croak at any given time on this show.

So when Picard showed up as Locutus of Borg, and Riker told Mr. Worf to fire (cueing the most heart-pounding orchestral brass this nerd ever heard), it sure was something. Was it over for Picard? Would Riker, who had been considering leaving the Enterprise for his own command, assume the captaincy with Elizabeth Dennehy’s Shelby nipping at his heels as first officer? It seemed plausible!

Obviously, Jonathan Frakes kills it in that moment, and while part 2 of this cliffhanger is more of a Picard-focused episode, “The Best of Both Worlds” is really Riker’s show. The drama stems from his unease with Shelby, making the showdown with the Borg all the more relatable. There’s a direct line from the bedeviled, younger Riker to the worldlier (and beefier) Riker of Picard season 3. And we’ve been with him every lightyear of the way.

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Jonathan Frakes on Riker's comeback, directing Picard, and Discovery's bright future

Credit: CBS

For Jonathan Frakes, bringing Will Riker back to the screen for Star Trek: Picard wasn't as easy as throwing a microwave pizza in the oven. In fact, the adored Next Generation actor and longtime director was "very nervous coming back to act again," so much so, that he meticulously crafted every Riker moment to perfect precision. Jean-Luc may have joked about Will becoming a "pizza chef," but talking to Jonathan Frakes reveals that this is a man who carefully considers every ingredient for the art he cooks up.

As Star Trek: Picard speeds towards its final two episodes of Season 1, SYFY WIRE caught up with Number One himself to discuss everything from his longtime devotion to shipping Riker/Troi, how he directed two starkly different episodes of Picard , and what's next for Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery .

**Light spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Picard Episode 7, "Nepenthe."**

Like Jeri Ryan and Jonathan Del Arco , Jonathan Frakes makes it clear that the process of finding Riker's voice was one of pure collaboration with the creators of Picard , specifically showrunner and writer Michael Chabon .

"I had very long, very specific conversations with Michael about Riker’s turn-of-phrase. For every scene," Frakes explains. "He slipped me the script early, and I worked on it for a long time. We had a line-by-line, word-by-word process. He understood completely and what ended up on the page was a total collaboration. I didn’t change the story, but I changed certain rhythms. I’m not sure if they felt more like Frakes or more like Riker."

Part of Frakes' devotion to getting Riker so precisely correct is connected to his longtime belief that Will and Deanna's romance on The Next Generation should have never been side-lined. Basically, Frakes was shipping Riker/Troi before TNG was even on the air.

Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Troi (Marina Sirtis) in 'The Next Generation.' (Credit: CBS)

"When they introduced this story that Marina [Sirtis] — Counselor Troi and I — have a family and live on a planet that looks like rural Maine, it felt like a gift. The obvious gift being that we got to play together with our friends from 33 years ago, but it's also the idea that Marina and I had both held onto a very specific story for these characters. We held it close to our hearts for many years, and the writers had seemed to give up on it," Frakes says, before getting a little salty that it took sooooo long for Deanna and Will to reconnect.

"At the beginning of The Next Generation , Troi and Riker were lovers before they transferred to the Enterprise , and then that [story] was buried so that they could be whatever — available to relationships with random aliens," Frakes laughs the Riker laugh and then continues. "But, we held onto this relationship and insisted to each other that we maintain it. And as a result —I think — it resurfaced in the final movie [ Nemesis ] in which the two characters were married. It was very important, this relationship, we take it very personally and we feel wonderfully vindicated to see them return."

The return to the role of Will Riker is hardly the first time Frakes has beamed back into the world of Star Trek since the ending of The Next Generation . He famously directed the films Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection and numerous episodes on Deep Space Nine and Voyager . He's also directed episodes of Star Trek: Discovery , starting with the Season 1 episode "Despite Yourself," and in Season 2, both "New Eden," and "Project Daedelus." In Picard , Frakes directed two of the most exciting episodes in Season 1; "Absolute Candor," and "Stardust City Rag."

Enjoy🖖🏾 ⁦ @SirPatStew ⁩ ⁦ @JeriLRyan ⁩ ⁦ @IAmJohnAles ⁩ ⁦ @SantiagoC ⁩ ⁦ @ItsMichelleHurd ⁩ ⁦ @TheIsaBriones ⁩ #AlisonPill #HarryTreadway ⁦ @PeytonList ⁩ ⁦ @startrekcbs ⁩ ⁦ @michaelchabon ⁩ ⁦ @Alex_Kurtzman ⁩ ⁦ @AkivaGoldsman ⁩ pic.twitter.com/zC5YyfJ3VJ — Jonathan Frakes (@jonathansfrakes) February 20, 2020

"They could not have been more different in style," Frakes explains. "It was a wonderful challenge. 'Absolute Candor' felt like a classic Trek , and it also felt like a western. While 'Stardust City Rag,' had this noir-ish, night club, Westworld -vibe. The look and the cinematic influences on both were very different. And ironically, we shot them as a block, overlapping. So, we had to maintain an awareness that they were two different things."

Was this like shooting two totally different movies at the exact same time?

"Yes," Frakes says, and you can hear the smile his voice. "Luckily, a lot of the same characters were in both stories."

In terms of cinematic style, fans of Star Trek have Frakes to thank for making First Contact as edgy as it was back in 1996. This sense of danger certainly translates to Star Trek: Picard , something Frakes says is a natural progression from the way Trek was made several decades ago, to the way its made now. "If it's meant to be horrific and it’s meant to be terrifying, then the story will do it, the acting will do it, and the visual effects, are now the third part of that collaboration."

As someone who dressed-up as Riker for Halloween in fifth grade in the year 1992, this writer can say, with some authority, that the generation who grew up with The Next Generation , is, in some ways, the faction of fandom most open to change. And no one is more aware of the ever-changing whims in fandom as Jonathan Frakes.

"A lot of the feedback is coming from your generation and maybe the one after it. If you grew up in a Star Trek house, our show was the Star Trek of your generation. And that has impacted the viewers of both Discovery and Picard , but specifically Picard ," Frakes says. "For the first time, the audience was inclined to be accepting and was looking forward to and not dreading it or suspicious. Which hasn't always been the case! Our show [ TNG ] was received with great skepticism, some would say, hostility. People wanted their Kirk, Bones, and Spock. Discovery was received with skepticism because fans had just adjusted to the J.J. world of Trek . But Picard brought with it, your generation, my generation, and whoever else we could bring along. There was a very palpable and positive appetite."

Speaking of the future, and a sense of optimism , Frakes' most recent Trek project isn't just the return of Will Riker on Picard . And that's because he's just finished more work behind the camera, directing a block of episodes in Star Trek: Discovery Season 3. So, not only has Number One just revisited Next Generation nostalgia, but he's also seen into the far future of the Trek franchise.

"As we know, they’ve gone 930 years into the future. And in that is optimism. Certainly for Michael Burnham," Frakes teases. "She's had a life-changing experience over the break between seasons. The new season isn't driven by fears of the past. It’s driven primarily by this second chance that the crew of Discovery is given. It's brighter. More complex. I think it's thrilling ."

Star Trek: Picard will air its final two episodes over the next two weeks on CBS All Access. Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 premieres sometime this year.

• Jonathan Frakes
• Star Trek: Discovery
• Star Trek: Picard

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William Thomas Riker is a 24th century Starfleet officer known for serving as first officer on the U.S.S. Enterprise-D and U.S.S. Enterprise-E under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard . In 2361, a transporter accident resulted in the creation of his duplicate, Lt. Thomas Riker .

The addition of Jazz Musician Riker on December 28, 2016 made Riker the first crew member to have a unique character available at each rarity level.

The presence of Riker in Star Trek Timelines was first revealed in a dev blog .

Related Dev Blogs

External links.

• William T. Riker at Memory Alpha
• Thomas Riker at Memory Alpha
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• Complete Rarity Set
• Appears in The Next Generation
• Appears in Deep Space Nine
• Appears in Voyager
• Appears in Enterprise
• Appears in Picard

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Star Trek: What Happened to Thomas Riker?

William Riker was Captain Picard's well-known Number One, but he wasn't the only William Riker in Star Trek.

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Who is thomas riker on star trek: the next generation, what happened to thomas riker, does thomas riker appear in other star trek series.

Clones and evil doppelgängers of main characters are a common trope in science fiction. They're typically the focus of an episode within a series, with their story tying up by the end of the episode. That's not the case in Star Trek . This science fiction franchise can always use a good doppelgänger story, and it did so when it created the duplicate of Commander William Riker. The existence of Thomas Riker went a different route, subverting the "evil" clone trope because they were nearly identical in every way.

Thomas Riker served as an introspective piece for Commander William Riker , giving him a glimpse at the kind of person he was, especially at the time of the transporter accident that created Thomas. William evolved into a duty-driven officer with integrity, while Thomas was the same arrogant, reckless person that William was eight years prior. Unlike other stories that feature clones, Thomas didn't go away at the end of his episode. He made several appearances throughout the Star Trek franchise.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best Riker Episodes

When William Riker was a Lieutenant in 2361, stationed aboard the USS Potemkin, he led an away mission on Nervala IV. When it came time to return to the Potemkin, William was the last to beam out. However, atmospheric distortions threatened the transfer from the surface to the ship, forcing the transporter chief to do what they could to complete the beam. Unbeknownst to most, this created an exact duplicate of William, who remained on the planet's surface for eight years. The one who would eventually call himself Thomas had just as much claim to be the original Riker as William did since, at the time of the event, they were carbon copies of each other on a molecular level.

It wasn't until 2369, when the Enterprise retrieved scientific research data, that anyone learned about Thomas's existence. Enterprise brought him aboard, where the two Rikers learned about each other for the first time. They didn't get along at first, because it was difficult to reconcile the thought that one of them was a clone while the other was the original, but it was impossible to ascertain which. Thomas had the same personality and demeanor that William had eight years prior, causing more tension between the two.

After spending some time together, William was able to accept that there was another Riker in the universe and that they were like brothers. Thomas went by their middle name, and continued pursuing a career with Starfleet, thanks to Captain Picard getting him a posting on the USS Gandhi.

Thomas Riker had been stranded on the planet Nervala IV for eight years, not giving him much opportunity to evolve as a person like William did. However, after his discovery and interaction with his clone and the rest of the Enterprise crew, Thomas begins to form a number of beliefs and ideals that deviate from William's. While the two had a tense relationship at first, they parted on good terms, with William giving Thomas their prized trombone as a parting gift.

During Deep Space Nine's tenure, a new faction known as the Maquis formed . The Maquis consisted of Federation citizens who refused to give up their territory in the demilitarized zone to the Cardassians, which the Federation ceded. While the Maquis were a less organized resistance force than the organizations they challenged, they received support from many Starfleet officers, including Thomas Riker. This put him at odds not only with the ideals of William, but also in direct contention with Commander Benjamin Sisko of Deep Space Nine.

Thomas used William's identity to board Deep Space Nine and commandeer the advanced starship USS Defiant. With Major Kira as a prisoner, Thomas and his crew plotted a course for the Orias system where they believed the Cardassians were constructing a new fleet of warships. Gul Dukat, whom Commander Sisko was working with to locate and intercept the Defiant, claimed he had no knowledge of Cardassia building any ships in the Orias system. However, Thomas's intelligence proved accurate. The Obsidian Order , Cardassia's top secret intelligence organization, was indeed building a new generation of warships.

However, Dukat was also telling the truth. He knew nothing about the Obsidian Order's operations in the system, which were against Cardassian law. Dukat managed to intercept Thomas, and Commander Sisko successfully negotiated a lighter sentence for Thomas as long as he handed over the Defiant's sensor logs of the Orias system. This compromise landed Thomas in Cardassia's labor camp on Lazon II for the remainder of his life.

After being imprisioned in a Cardassian labor camp in Deep Space 9 , nobody, including William, heard from Thomas Riker again. There were a couple of stories in novels and comics that featured Thomas, including one where Thomas's involvement with the Maquis is expanded on. In this story, it was shown to be Voyager's Chakotay who formulated the plan to steal DS9's Defiant. Another novel showed Thomas being freed from the labor camp and becoming entwined in an assassination plot.

However, none of his appearances in novels or comics are considered canon. The only other canonical appearance by Thomas was a brief mention in the Star Trek: Lower Decks episode "The Inner Fight," in which the crew of the USS Cerritos are tracking down former Starfleet officers at risk of being recruited by a mystery villain. On the list of former officers is Thomas Riker. Since he was last known to be imprisoned in a Cardassian labor camp, this appearance suggests his story is progressing and fans might get to see him in the near future.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

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• Starfleet personnel (24th century)
• Starfleet operations personnel
• Maquis personnel
• USS Pegasus personnel

Thomas Riker

• View history

William Thomas "Tom" Riker was a result of a transporter accident in 2361 that created two William Thomas Rikers , genetically indistinguishable from each other, with personality and memories identical up to the point of the duplication. One of the duplicates continued to be known as William Riker. The other chose to use his middle name and be known as Thomas Riker.

• 1 Early life
• 2.1 Starfleet Academy
• 2.2.1 Service aboard the Pegasus
• 2.2.2 Stationed on Betazed
• 2.2.3 Service aboard the Potemkin and Duplication Incident
• 3 Eight years later
• 4 Joining the Maquis
• 5 Imprisonment
• 6 After prison
• 7.4 Other interests
• 8.1.1 William T. Riker
• 8.2.1 Deanna Troi
• 8.2.2 Kira Nerys
• 9 Key dates
• 10 Memorable quotes
• 11.1 Appearances
• 11.2 Background information
• 11.3 Apocrypha
• 11.4 External links

Early life [ ]

A descendant of Yankee forebears , William Thomas Riker was born on August 19th , 2335 to Kyle and Betty Riker in Alaska on Earth . ( TNG : " The Last Outpost ", " The Icarus Factor ", " Conundrum ", " Second Chances ", " Lower Decks "; PIC : " The Bounty ") His distant ancestors included Thaddius Riker , a Union Army colonel who fought during the American Civil War of the mid- 19th century , and a particularly rugged great-grandfather of note. ( VOY : " Death Wish "; TNG : " Shades of Gray ")

Betty died when Will was only two years old, leaving his father to raise him alone. ( TNG : " Interface ", " Time Squared ") The Rikers remained in Alaska at Betty's wish. The only thing which kept Kyle going was Will, but he did not feel as if he could discuss the situation with him, even when Will was older. The memories of Betty's presence at their Alaska home were also painful for both. This initial trauma created a rift between the two Rikers which lasted thirty years. ( TNG : " The Icarus Factor ")

When Will first started school in 2340 , the five-year-old told all of his new friends that his mother was still alive. Eventually, he told the story so often that he began to believe the lie . Soon, his teacher learned of this problem, and both she and Kyle had to talk to Will and make him realize that his mother was dead and was not coming back. Will cried the entire night following, but later realized it was an important step in accepting his mother's death. ( TNG : " Interface ")

However, Will's relationship with Kyle continued to deteriorate into his early teens. He was often left to care for himself, learning such skills as cooking. ( TNG : " Time Squared ", " Future Imperfect ")

Will was never able to concentrate much on subjects such as math , as he constantly daydreamed about starships . ( TNG : " The Royale ")

Young Will Riker with a nice catch

In 2344 , Will and his father went on a fishing trip. Will was able to hook a large fish , but Kyle insisted on reeling the fish in. This incident bothered Will for many years.

He also practiced anbo-jyutsu with his father. By 2347 , when Will was twelve, Kyle admitted that his son's skills at the sport were superior. Will did not know that the only reason he always lost was because his father used illegal hachidan kiritsu moves.

Kyle completely abandoned Will by 2350 , when Will was fifteen. Will held a grudge against his father for the following fifteen years. ( TNG : " The Icarus Factor ")

Starfleet career [ ]

Starfleet academy [ ].

Will entered Starfleet Academy in 2353 . Paul Rice was at the Academy at the same time, and they were friends. Riker's superintendent was a Vulcan , who had taken the time to memorize the personnel files of each and every cadet . ( TNG : " Chain Of Command, Part I ", " The Arsenal of Freedom ", " The First Duty ")

During his first year, Riker felt at odds with everyone, as if the world was against him. ( TNG : " Frame of Mind ")

At one point, Riker calculated a sensory blind spot on a Tholian vessel and hid within it during a battle simulation . ( TNG : " Peak Performance ")

Upon graduation in 2357 , Riker was ranked eighth in his class and was commissioned as an officer with the serial number was SC 231-427. He set lofty goals for himself and hoped to reach captain before thirty-five years of age. ( TNG : " Chain Of Command, Part I ", " Gambit, Part I ", " Second Chances "; PIC : " The Bounty ")

Early postings and assignments [ ]

Service aboard the pegasus [ ].

Seven months after graduation, Ensign William Riker's first posting was to the USS Pegasus under the command of Captain Erik Pressman . He was the ship's conn officer, and his youthful appearance earned him the nickname " Ensign Babyface ," coined by fellow crewmember Lieutenant Boylen . ( TNG : " The Pegasus ") Phil Wallace was another of Riker's friends aboard the Pegasus . ( ENT : " These Are the Voyages... ")

Fresh from the Academy, Riker was still somewhat serious about his work. Loyalty and obedience to his commanding officer were top priorities, with his ears still ringing with words like "duty" and "honor". This attitude caused him to behave against the principles of the Treaty of Algeron during a crisis on board the ship.

Captain Pressman had been illegally testing a prototype phasing cloaking device aboard the Pegasus . This top secret project was in violation of the Treaty of Algeron , not to mention extremely dangerous to the crew, leading most of the Pegasus officers, such as the first officer and chief engineer, to mutiny against Pressman. Riker was the only bridge officer to defend the captain, picking up a phaser and instigating a running firefight all the way to the escape pods . Only a few other members of the crew joined Riker and Pressman. Once safely away, Riker and the others watched as the Pegasus apparently exploded, killing the remaining seventy-one personnel.

Although Pressman commended Riker for his unquestioning loyalty, over the years Riker began to have doubts about whether he had made the right decision. The Starfleet Judge Advocate General investigated the Pegasus incident, but the survivors participated in a coverup. The JAG discovered evidence of a mutiny aboard the Pegasus before its destruction. While further investigation was recommended, Starfleet Intelligence declared the entire incident classified and no follow-up was ever conducted. ( TNG : " The Pegasus ")

Stationed on Betazed [ ]

Riker and Troi on Betazed

Following the Pegasus incident, Riker was stationed on Betazed . While there, he met Deanna Troi. The two began a relationship which lasted several years. ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " Ménage à Troi ", " Second Chances ")

Sometime during his early career, Riker needed to wear a feathered costume while on a diplomatic mission to Armus IX . Similarly, he wore furs to meet with the leadership council on Kabatris . ( TNG : " Angel One ")

Service aboard the Potemkin and Duplication Incident [ ]

By 2361 , Riker was promoted to lieutenant and served in the operations division aboard the USS Potemkin . Aboard the Potemkin , he developed a tactic which involved using a planet 's magnetic pole and shutting down all ship's systems to confuse an enemy vessel's sensors. He also took up poker so he could ingratiate himself with the senior officers in their games, which came across as rather obvious brownnosing. Fortunately, they realized he was young and inexperienced and decided not to hold it against him. ( TNG : " Peak Performance ", " Lower Decks ")

Later that year, Riker led an away team to Nervala IV to rescue researchers stranded at the outpost on that world. Riker was the last to beam out. Atmospheric distortions threatened to dissipate his pattern, so the Potemkin transporter chief compensated by creating a second confinement beam. Only one beam was needed for rematerialization on the ship, so the second beam was shut down. In an odd twist of fate, the second transporter beam, which had exactly the same phase differential as the distortion field, maintained its integrity and was reflected back to the planet's surface, where it also successfully rematerialized Riker. The Potemkin crew did not realize that the beam had been reflected to create duplicate Rikers, resulting in Riker remaining stranded there for the next eight years. Up until the moment of transport, both Rikers were the same person. As a result, both had an equal claim to being the "real" William T. Riker. ( TNG : " Second Chances ")

Eight years later [ ]

Riker, rescued from seclusion

The existence of this other William Riker (hereafter referred to as "Thomas") was discovered on Nervala IV eight years later in 2369 when the USS Enterprise -D returned to retrieve scientific research that had been left behind. With the aid of Thomas, who had altered the computer systems on the planet to aid in his survival, the Enterprise away team was able to access the information and return to the ship with Thomas.

Thomas and William clashed almost immediately due to the resentment each felt towards the other. The eight years of living different lives made them entirely different men – William evolved into a cautious and duty-driven officer while Thomas remained impulsive and reckless. As a result of conflicts with William – who was by that time a superior officer (a commander ) – Lieutenant Riker decided to leave the Enterprise . He chose to use his middle name, Thomas, to distinguish himself from his counterpart. Captain Jean-Luc Picard managed to get Thomas a posting on the USS Gandhi where he could continue his Starfleet career. Upon Thomas' departure, William seemed to have accepted Thomas' existence and gave him his (or rather, their ) trombone as a parting gift . ( TNG : " Second Chances ")

Joining the Maquis [ ]

Thomas and Kira aboard the Defiant

In 2370 , Thomas expressed dismay at the Federation 's policies towards the Cardassians and the Federation colonies in the Demilitarized Zone , and later joined the Maquis resistance. In early 2371 , Thomas, posing as William Riker, came aboard Deep Space 9 and stole the newly-commissioned USS Defiant .

With Major Kira as his unwilling passenger, Thomas took the Defiant to the Orias system , deep in Cardassian space, where the Maquis believed that the Cardassians were building a fleet of warships. Major Kira accused Thomas of still acting like a Starfleet officer instead of a terrorist; more concerned with intelligence reports and interstellar politics than with simply hurting the enemy. Trying to locate the Defiant with the assistance of Commander Sisko , Gul Dukat swore that he knew nothing of the fleet in the Orias system. He was telling the truth, as the fleet had been constructed by the Obsidian Order in direct violation of Cardassian law. As the Defiant arrived at Orias, it was intercepted by a number of Cardassian warships .

Imprisonment [ ]

Sisko achieved a compromise with Dukat and negotiated Thomas' surrender – in exchange for the Defiant 's sensor logs of the secretive Orias base, Thomas' sentence would be reduced to life imprisonment in the Lazon II labor camp , while the Defiant would be escorted back to the Federation-Cardassian border returning the rest of the Maquis crew to the Federation for trial. Thomas was initially wary of accepting the terms offered to him, but Kira pointed out that it would accomplish his mission and let his crew escape Cardassian imprisonment, even challenging his reluctance as some kind of death wish, a desire to go out in a blaze of glory in order to distinguish himself from the further-advanced William Riker.

Immediately after Thomas surrendered the Defiant to the Galor -class cruisers of the Cardassian Central Command , the Kraxon extended its shields around the Defiant to protect her from the fast approaching ships from Orias (upgraded Keldon -class cruisers with markedly higher top speeds than regular ships of the class). Dukat was confident that the Orias ships would not dare fire on Cardassian ships. Upon seeing this, the ships from Orias – under the command of the Obsidian Order and not technically part of the Cardassian military – turned around and returned to the Orias system.

Just before Thomas transported over to the Kraxon , Kira promised to return for him one day. ( DS9 : " Defiant ")

After prison [ ]

By 2381 , Thomas Riker was on a list of former Starfleet officers that Starfleet Command ordered to be located and escorted to Earth following a series of mysterious attacks on starships of different species. ( LD : " The Inner Fight ")

Personal interests [ ]

Riker was a jazz aficionado, and his favorite musical instrument was the trombone . Although he had trouble with certain pieces, including " Night Bird " as he spent ten years practicing it. ( TNG : " Second Chances ")

Riker first began playing poker as a junior officer aboard the Potemkin . ( TNG : " Lower Decks ")

Riker had several sports-related hobbies. Anbo-jyutsu was one such interest, ( TNG : " The Icarus Factor ") as were Parrises squares ( TNG : " Future Imperfect ", " Timescape ") and handball . ( ENT : " These Are the Voyages... ") He had skills in the martial arts, tai chi chuan in particular ( TNG : " Second Chances ")

Other interests [ ]

Riker had an interest in cooking from when he had had to fend for himself as a child. ( TNG : " Time Squared ", " Remember Me ") He also enjoyed fishing . One of his favorite fishing spots was Curtis Creek , which he recreated in a holoprogram . ( TNG : " The Icarus Factor ", " Second Chances ") His favorite vacation spot was Risa . ( TNG : " Captain's Holiday ", " The Game ")

Relationships [ ]

William t. riker [ ].

Thomas and William

The Enterprise was sent to Nervala IV in late 2369 when the atmospheric disturbances began to subside. Commander William T. Riker led an away team to the surface, and discovered his duplicate, later known as Thomas Riker. The two quickly clashed over various issues, including Tom's resistance to direct orders and his attempts to rekindle a relationship with Deanna Troi. Tom felt that Will was the one who had benefited from his misery of being stuck on the planet for eight years. After working together to retrieve log files from the station computers and saving one another's lives, they began to accept one another. Thomas transferred to the USS Gandhi , and Will gave him their trombone as a parting gift. ( TNG : " Second Chances ")

By 2371 , Tom had resigned his post to join the Maquis . He pretended to be Will Riker in order to gain access to the USS Defiant , which he then stole for use by the Maquis. ( DS9 : " Defiant ")

Romances [ ]

Deanna troi [ ].

Thomas and Deanna

During the time he spent on the planet, Thomas had remained deeply in love with Deanna Troi , his girlfriend at the time. Thomas had planned to meet Deanna on Risa the year of the transporter mishap, a fact upon which he had dwelt while stranded. In contrast, the Riker that beamed off-planet eight years prior was soon promoted and made his career a priority over their relationship, and never made the trip to Risa with Deanna.

Upon his rescue, Thomas told Deanna that he could not believe Will had failed to meet her as planned and that he was hoping their relationship could resume. Initially, Deanna was opposed to the idea, but found herself won over despite her objections. In the end, however, Thomas decided that he could not remain on the Enterprise alongside his counterpart, while Troi's feelings for him were not strong enough for her to leave the Enterprise with him. ( TNG : " Second Chances ")

Kira Nerys [ ]

Riker "says goodbye" to Kira

Riker met Kira Nerys at Quark's Bar when he traveled to Deep Space 9 . The two hit it off and spent three hours talking. Before Riker transported over to the Kraxon , Riker kissed Kira. ( DS9 : " Defiant ")

Key dates [ ]

• 2335 : Born in Alaska on Earth .
• 2337 : Will's mother, Betty , dies.
• 2350 : Fifteen-year old Will is abandoned by his father, Kyle Riker .
• 2357 : Riker graduates from Starfleet Academy . Seven months later, he is assigned to the USS Pegasus under Erik Pressman .
• Participates in a countermutiny after the Pegasus senior staff rebel against Pressman and his use of an illegal phasing cloaking device . Is one of a few survivors after the loss of the ship.
• Sometime between 2357 and 2361 : Stationed on Betazed . Meets Deanna Troi and begins a serious romantic relationship.
• 2361 – 2369 : Trapped on Nervala IV after a transporter accident creates duplicated of Riker
• Is rescued by the USS Enterprise -D
• Assigned to the USS Gandhi
• Between 2369 and 2371 : Leaves Starfleet and joins the Maquis
• Hijacks the USS Defiant
• After relinquishing control of the Defiant , is convicted in a Cardassian court and sent to the Lazon II labor camp .

Memorable quotes [ ]

" I'm Commander William Riker from the Federation starship Enterprise . " " That's not possible. I'm Will Riker. "

" I am Will Riker. I don't know who or what made it back to the Potemkin that day but it wasn't me. "

" You know, I've been thinking we should probably let Dad know what happened. " " I'm sure he'd be thrilled to know there are two of us. "

" You always had the better hand... in everything. "

" I waited a long time. I guess I can wait a little longer. Take care of her. "

" The last time I was here, I was only able to spend a couple of hours at Quark's – but by the time I left, I had all of his latinum and a date with one of his dabo girls, so I thought I might try my luck again." (laughs) " You be careful – Quark's dabo wheel has been a little stingy lately, and one of his dabo girls is dating my son…"

" The Maquis have been hearing rumors about shifting loyalties in the Cardassian government. Certain hardline elements were unsatisfied with the Federation treaty and are doing whatever they can to scrap it. We had our hands on an intelligence report outlining a suspected military buildup in the Orias system. A secret buildup that even the Central Command isn't aware of. " " You're telling me you did all this to attack some secret base that may or may not exist? " " I'm convinced that it does. They are building an invasion fleet. If we let them finish it, these renegade Cardassians are going to use it. "

" You shouldn't go fishing today, you won't catch anything. "

" Tough little ship. "

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• TNG : " Second Chances "
• DS9 : " Defiant "

Background information [ ]

Thomas Riker was played by actor Jonathan Frakes , who also portrayed Will Riker.

The TNG writing staff toyed with the idea of having Thomas Riker permanently replace Will Riker in "Second Chances". With Will killed off, Thomas Riker would have been given a position at the Enterprise 's helm , and Data would have been moved to the first officer position. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (1st ed., p. 249))

Jonathan Frakes described Thomas Riker as being " much less confident than Will. But he's also tender and sweeter. I think I like Tom better! " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 191)) Troi actress Marina Sirtis concurred, " I preferred Thomas Riker. I thought he was cuter than Will. " ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 113 , p. 19)

Jonathan Frakes filmed his scenes for "Defiant" between Wednesday 5 October 1994 and Tuesday 11 October 1994 on Paramount Stages 4 , 17 , and 18 . According to the call sheet, he received a hair and beard cut prior to filming on 5 October 1994. The call sheets also distinguished the parts of "Will Riker" and "Tom Riker" in the cast section by using the numbers 9A and 9B.

The DS9 Companion notes that Thomas' return was on a list of stories the DS9 writers were not interested in hearing pitches on. In an interview with Jonathan Frakes provided with the TNG Season 6 DVD box set, however, he stated that he had approached Ronald D. Moore regarding a Thomas Riker DS9 episode involving Damar 's rebellion, an idea that was not brought to fruition by the conclusion of the series. Towards the end of DS9, a rumor that Tom was to be revealed as a member of Section 31 emerged, although Moore said it was not true. ( AOL chat , 1998 )

Ira Steven Behr commented: " I thought that character... we could have had fun with that character on DS9. At that time, unfortunately for Jonathan Frakes who really liked doing it, that was the moment where I said, “We have to cut ties with the past, for sure.” As much as I liked that character, I said, 'We can’t bring him back. Sorry'. The guys kept saying, “We can use him.” We could never have used him enough in order to really get the good storyline going, continuing. That was a problem, to be honest, but that’s the character I would have liked to have driven ". [2]

Apocrypha [ ]

In John Vornholt 's novel Quarantine , set in 2371 , Thomas transferred from the operations division to the sciences division after a conflict with the Gandhi 's first officer . He wore a blue Starfleet uniform and served as a medical courier pilot. It was in this function that he abandoned Starfleet for the Maquis, joining Chakotay and B'Elanna Torres ' cell after working with them to stop a dangerous virus. According to Quarantine , it was Chakotay's idea to steal the Defiant from Deep Space 9.

In Peter David 's novel Triangle: Imzadi II , also set in 2371, Thomas was freed from the Lazon II labor camp by Romulans , and had a brief affair with Sela , who believed that he was the original Riker. Driven by jealousy over news of Worf and Deanna's recent engagement, Thomas was manipulated into aiding an assassination attempt on Klingon Chancellor Gowron and Emperor Kahless , but it was averted due to Odo 's interference, as Riker and Worf managed to replace the bottle that Thomas had been given – he had been told it contained poison that would only kill Gowron but it actually contained a dangerous nano-virus that would annihilate the Klingon race – with Odo. Thomas managed to escape capture, but his actions actually strengthened the Klingon-Federation alliance; believing the bottle to be poison, Thomas had been prepared to drink it himself before Gowron, thus prompting Gowron to reflect that there was still value in the alliance with the Federation if even a discredited Starfleet officer was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of their alliance. This novel also featured some reflections on Thomas' reasons for abandoning Starfleet, including the idea that he sees himself as an "alternate" for Riker – having witnessed what Riker became as a loyal Starfleet officer, he decided to find out for himself how he would do as something else – as well as Troi speculating that Thomas had come to idealise their relationship, to the extent that he appeared to have forgotten how their last few days on Betazed had actually unfolded ( Imzadi revealed that Riker and Troi's last meeting on the planet occurred when Troi walked in on Will in bed with another woman when he was drunk and believed that Lwaxana had convinced Troi to abandon any future relationship).

Riker in Cardassian custody in late-2371

In the Malibu Comics Deep Space Nine title, two stories were published extending Riker's story. " Sole Asylum, Part One " and " Part Two ", set at the end of 2371, showed that Riker had been taken to Cardassia Prime and that Cardassian scientists were trying to discover the secret of his duplication in order to create an army of duplicates. It was also revealed that Riker's cells were only nine years old, suggesting their complete creation at the time of the accident. Unable to rationalize the accident against the Law of Conservation of Mass and proven transporter theory, one of the scientists, a Dr. Nol, told the Cardassian High Council that he must be from an alternate dimension. Because of this, the Council decided to send him back to a labor camp.

In the computer game Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Dominion Wars , set between 2372 and 2374 , a Federation Alliance mission involves rescuing Thomas from a Cardassian convoy, after which point he is available as a commander for your ships. A Dominion mission in the same game requires the player to destroy the Galaxy -class starship under his command.

In Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens ' novel series Millennium , an alternate timeline found Thomas rescued from the labor camp by the Grigari. Feeling abandoned by Starfleet , Thomas joined the Bajoran Ascendancy, although he secretly worked as a double agent for Starfleet. By 2399 , he was the commanding officer of the USS Opaka and was killed on Christmas Day of the same year after failing to kill Kai Weyoun 5 . This timeline was later reset thanks to Benjamin Sisko and the crew of Deep Space 9 .

The eBook A Weary Life revealed that, shortly before the events of Star Trek: First Contact , Will Riker still felt betrayed by Thomas' actions in stealing the Defiant . In a conversation with Deanna Troi, it was revealed that Thomas had left the Gandhi and her crew to join the Maquis. Thomas had been recaptured by the Cardassians after the attempt to assassinate Gowron, and had been returned to the labor camp on Lazon II. All of these feelings had Will questioning his inclusion on a mission to the DMZ assigned by Picard. The feelings came to the surface again when Will met with Kalita and discovered that Thomas had allowed himself to be captured to save his Maquis conspirators. Discovering this led Will to feel pride for his "twin," the first positive feeling he'd had since Thomas joined the Maquis.

According to the Star Trek: The Fall novel The Poisoned Chalice , Thomas Riker was still alive in 2385 and had been recruited into a Starfleet Intelligence black ops team known as Active Four, working with Tuvok and Nog to find those responsible for the recent assassination of the Federation President, only to nearly be killed as part of a conspiracy to frame the Typhon Pact – a recent collection of anti-Federation powers – for the crime rather than the Cardassian terrorists truly responsible. In the next novel Peaceable Kingdoms , he assists Doctor Crusher and a Cardassian contact in finding evidence that the current Federation pro tem president – then holding the position for sixty days after the assassination until a full election can be held – is actually a former collaborator with the Cardassians during the Occupation of Bajor who adopted another Bajoran 's identity to fake his death.

External links [ ]

• Thomas Riker at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Thomas Riker at Wikipedia

Star Trek: Generations (1994)

Jonathan frakes: riker.

• Photos (16)
• Quotes (16)

Photos 

Quotes 

Riker : I'm going to miss this ship; she went before her time.

Picard : Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. But I rather believe than time is a companion who goes with us on the journey, and reminds us to cherish every moment because they'll never come again. What we leave behind is not as important how we lived. After all, Number One, we're only mortal.

Riker : [smiling]  Speak for yourself, sir. I plan to live forever.

Picard : Mr. Worf, I always knew this day would come. Are you prepared to face the charges?

Troi : Answer him.

Worf : I am prepared.

Riker : [unfurling an old-school scroll]  "We, the officers and crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, being of sound mind and judgment, hereby make the following charges against Lieutenant Worf. One, that he did knowingly and willfully perform above and beyond the call of duty on countless occasions. Two, most seriously, that he has earned the admiration and respect of the entire crew."

Picard : Mr. Worf, I hereby promote you to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, with all of the rights and privileges thereto. And may God have mercy on your soul.

[last lines] 

Riker : I always thought I'd get a shot at this chair one day.

Picard : Perhaps you still will... somehow I doubt this will be the last ship to carry the name "Enterprise".

[looks at Riker for a beat, then taps his combadge] 

Picard : Picard to Farragut, two to beam up.

[the two men demateralize] 

[Worf has fallen into the ocean, after Riker ordered the computer to remove the holographic plank] 

Picard : Number One, that's *retract* plank, not *remove* plank.

Riker : Of course, sir.

[leans over the side towards Worf] 

Riker : Sorry!

Picard : [on a holodeck-simulated sailing ship]  Just imagine what it was like. No engines, no computers, just the wind and the sea and the stars to guide you.

Riker : Bad food, brutal discipline. No women.

Klingon Helm : We are cloaking!

B'Etor : What?

Klingon Helm : Our shields are down!

Riker : [on the Enterprise]  Fire.

Riker : Maybe they're not out there.

Picard : They're just trying to decide if a 20-year-old Klingon Bird-of-Prey can be a match for the Federation flagship.

Troi : Perhaps they're on the surface.

Worf : Sir, according to my calculations, a solar probe launched from either the Klingon ship or the planet surface will take 11 seconds to reach the sun. However, since we do not have an exact point of origin, it will take us between eight and fifteen seconds to lock our weapons onto it.

Riker : That's a pretty big margin of error.

Picard : Much too big. Mr. Data, how long before the ribbon arrives?

Data : Approximately 47 minutes, sir.

Picard : [sitting with Riker in their command chairs]  We have got to find some way to get to Soran.

Lursa : Captain. What an unexpected pleasure.

Picard : Lursa, it is very important that I speak with Soran.

Lursa : I'm afraid the doctor is no longer aboard our ship.

Picard : Then I will beam to his location.

B'Etor : The doctor values his privacy. He would be quite upset if an armed away team interrupted him.

Picard : Then I will beam to your ship and you can transport me to Soran.

Riker : We can't trust them. For all we know, they killed Geordi. They might kill you, too.

Lursa : We did not harm your engineer. He's been our... guest.

Riker : Then return him!

B'Etor : In exchange for what?

Data : Me, sir.

Picard : Me. I will be your prisoner. But first, you must beam me to the surface so that I can speak with Soran.

B'Etor : [in an audible whisper]  The captain would make a much more valuable hostage.

Lursa : We'll consider it a prisoner exchange.

Picard : Agreed.

[heading to the turbolift] 

Picard : Have Dr. Crusher meet me in transporter room 3. You have the bridge, Number One.

Riker : [the Enterprise is fired on]  Mr. Worf, what do we know about that old Klingon ship? Any weaknesses?

Worf : It is a Class-D12 Bird-of-Prey. They were retired from service because of defective plasma coils.

Riker : Plasma coils? Is there any way we can use that to our advantage?

Worf : I do not see how. The plasma coil is part of their cloaking device.

Geordi : [evacuating Engineering after a coolant leak]  Bridge, we have a new problem. We're five minutes from a warp core breach. There's nothing I can do.

Riker : [on the bridge]  Deanna, evacuate everyone to the saucer section. Mr. Data, prepare to separate the ship.

Riker : Data, would a defective plasma coil be susceptible to some sort of ionic pulse?

Data : Perhaps. Yes, yes. If we sent a low-level ionic pulse, it might reset the coil and trigger their cloaking device. Excellent idea, sir!

Worf : As their cloak begins to engage, their shields will drop.

Riker : They'll have two seconds of vulnerability. Mr. Data, lock on to plasma coil.

Beverly : [reading about Soran]  He's an El-Aurian. Over 300 years old. He lost his entire family when the Borg destroyed his planet. Soran escaped with a handful of other refugees aboard a ship called the Lakul. That ship was later destroyed by some kind of energy ribbon. But Soran and 46 others were rescued by the Enterprise-B.

Riker : That was the mission where James Kirk was killed.

Beverly : I checked the passenger manifest of the Lakul. Guess who else was on board.

Worf : [searching the Amargosa Observatory]  These blast patterns are consistent with a type-3 disruptor.

Riker : Great. That narrows it down to Romulan, Breen, and Klingon.

Riker : We found two dead Romulans on the station. We're analyzing their equipment to see if we can determine what ship they came from.

Picard : And there's still no indication of why they attacked the station?

Riker : They practically tore the place apart. Accessed the central computer, turned the cargo bay inside out. Obviously, they were looking for something.

Picard : This could signify a new Romulan threat in this sector. Inform Starfleet Command.

Riker : You want me to contact Starfleet?

Picard : Is there a problem?

Riker : No, sir. There was something else, Captain. One of the scientists, a Dr. Soran, insisted on speaking with you. I told him you were very busy. He said it was absolutely imperative that he speak with you right away.

Picard : Understood. That'll be all.

Riker : [turning to leave, then stopping]  Sir, is there anything more...

Picard : [curtly]  No, thank you.

Worf : We have analyzed the Romulans' tricorder. They were scanning for signature particles of a compound called trilithium.

Riker : Trilithium?

Worf : Yes, an experimental compound the Romulans have been working on. Trilithium is a nuclear inhibitor. In theory, it could stop all fusion within a star. However, the Romulans never found a way to stabilize it.

Riker : Why would they look for it on a Federation observatory? That doesn't make any sense.

Worf : I do not know.

Riker : Have Geordi and Data go over with the next away team. Tell them to scan the observatory for trilithium.

Riker : A quantum implosion has occurred within the Amargosa star. All nuclear fusion is breaking down.

Picard : How is that possible?

Worf : Sensor records show the observatory launched a solar probe into the sun a few moments ago.

Riker : The star is going to collapse in a matter of minutes.

Worf : Sir, the implosion has produced a level-12 shockwave.

Troi : That'll destroy everything in this system.

Transporter Chief : Transporter room to bridge. I can't locate Commander La Forge or Mr. Data, sir.

Riker : Have they come back to the ship?

Worf : No, sir. They are not on board.

Picard : How long before the shockwave hits the observatory?

Worf : Four minutes, 40 seconds.

Picard : Number One.

Riker : [heading to the turbolift]  Mr. Worf.

Worf : [following]  Aye, sir.

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Star Trek: Every Time William Riker Commanded the Enterprise

Though he never stayed in it very long, William Riker frequently sat in the Enterprise's captain's chair throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Commander William Riker remains the most beloved first officer in  Star Trek , if only because he clearly remained so intent on being the first officer. Unlike the dynamic between Kirk and Spock in The Original Series , which was more akin to a partnership, Riker took command only as a last resort in Star Trek: The Next Generation . It even became a point on the show, with Starfleet periodically offering him his own ship, only for him to remain on the Enterprise.

In spite of that, he still managed his share of stints in the captain’s chair, including the Enterprise-D's final mission in Star Trek: Generations . A list follows, organized chronologically by season. However, these don’t apply to situations where Picard is off the bridge but still in command of the Enterprise: only when he is either incapacitated or off the ship entirely. The list also omits incidents where Riker’s command is presumed but not stated or where no relatable incident occurs.

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Episode 3, “Code of Honor." Riker’s first stint in command made a point of how irregular the practice was. With Lt. Yar abducted by the ruler of an alien planet, Picard must beam down to the surface and negotiate for her release. Riker doesn’t like it, but Picard overrules him: leaving Number One in the captain’s chair for a largely uneventful stint.

Episode 6, “Lonely Among Us.”  An energy-based lifeform infiltrates the Enterprise and takes over Picard . Dr. Crusher uncovers the truth and -- when she relieves him of command -- he vanishes from the ship, along with the creature possessing him. Riker leads the search for his captain until Picard is restored.

Episode 8, “The Battle.” An old enemy of Picard’s uses a thought-influencing machine to lure the captain onto his former vessel the Stargazer. Riker takes command as the older ship moves off, then turns against the Enterprise: first confronting the vengeful Ferengi controlling Picard and then evading the Stargazer’s attack.

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Episode 11, “The Big Goodbye.”  This episode introduced the concept of Dixon Hill: a hard-boiled PI who serves as the protagonist for a series of holodeck novels. Picard indulges in the program as a means to relax before a vital diplomatic task and ends up trapped there, leaving Riker in command to figure out a way to get him out.

Episode 15, “Too Short a Season.”  The Enterprise learns that a Starfleet admiral caused a 40-year civil war in a botched breach of the Prime Directive, and Picard leads an away-team mission to rescue a group of hostages seized by terrorists. Riker does little more than tending to the ship.

Episode 25, “The Neutral Zone.”  “The Neutral Zone” begins with Riker in the captain’s chair, making the opening log entry for the episode. Picard was summoned to a nearby starbase to discuss increased activity in the Romulan Neutral Zone . While in command, Riker oversees the revival of a trio of humans who have been in cryogenic stasis aboard an ancient ship.

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Episode 11, “Contagion.”  Picard takes charge of an away team over his first officer’s objections in an attempt to gain information on an Iconian probe. While he and Data seek answers on the planet’s surface, Riker has to fend off a Romulan warbird from the bridge of the Enterprise.

Episode 16, “Q Who”   Q abducts Picard and holds him on a shuttle far from the Enterprise. Riker takes command and orders the ship to begin looking for its wayward captain. Q returns Picard to the bridge soon enough, shortly before launching the ship into its fateful first encounter with the Borg.

Episode 17, “Samaritan Snare.”  Picard travels to a distant starbase for a medical procedure with Wesley Crusher. While he’s gone, Riker faces off against the Pakleds, who abduct Geordi in order to “make their ship go.” Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1, Episode 10, “No Small Parts,” echoes the encounter with Riker -- now captaining the Titan -- thwarting a Pakled attack.

Episode 19, “Manhunt.”  Lwaxana Troi arrives and begins romantically pursuing Captain Picard. When informed that she’s undergoing the Betazed equivalent of menopause, which elevates her libido considerably, Picard retreats to the holodeck, leaving Riker in command of the bridge.

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Episode 6, “Booby Trap.” Citing “captain’s prerogative,” Picard leads the away team to a derelict vessel rediscovered after 1,000 years. Riker oversees some scientific sleuthing onboard the Enterprise while his captain explores the ship.

Episode 9, “The Vengeance Factor.” Picard departs to negotiate peace with a group of raiders. Riker stays behind on the Enterprise and oversees the crew’s examination of a related “microvirus.” He later beams down to stop the terrorist their analysis has uncovered and is forced to vaporize her rather than let her carry out an attack.

Episode 12, “The High Ground.” First Dr. Crusher, and then   Picard, are abducted by political agitators eager to drag the Federation into the conflict with their planet’s government. Riker first pinpoints the terrorists’ location, then leads the raiding party to get Picard and Crusher back.

Episode 18, “Allegiance.”  Picard is a prisoner while an imposter takes his place on board the Enterprise. The crew spends most of the episode slowly deducing the ruse: climaxing when Riker takes command of the ship. The entire affair was caused by aliens who wished to test the crew’s loyalty to their captain as part of a study of “leadership.”

Episode 19, “Captain’s Holiday.”  Picard takes a vacation on Risa, which is interrupted by time-traveling art thieves and a scheming Ferengi. Riker conducts repairs on the ship while his captain is away, then returns to help him wrap the caper up by destroying a dangerous piece of technology with the transporter.

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Season 3, Episode 26 and Season 4, Episode 1, “The Best of Both Worlds.”  The Borg return, abducting Picard and turning him into their mouthpiece Locutus in the Season 3 finale. Riker becomes captain of the Enterprise, and in the Season 4 opener, must thwart the Borg’s attack on Earth and rescue Picard from their clutches.

Episode 2, “Family.”  Picard spends the bulk of the follow-up episode recovering from his abduction at his family’s winery in France. Riker oversees repairs on the Enterprise in the interim, leaving him in command. The episode was notable for depicting Picard’s trauma after being assimilated: such developments were rare for the era.

Episode 9, “Final Mission.”  Picard and Wesley crash land in a shuttle on the way to arbitrate a peace treaty. While in command of the Enterprise, Riker has to tow a barge leaking radioactive energy through an asteroid belt and into a nearby sun before conducting a search for the ship’s two missing crew members.

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Episode 2, “Darmok.”  The Enterprise contacts a species whose language consists solely of metaphors. The alien captain abducts Picard and transports them both to a nearby planet, where they achieve a communications breakthrough in the face of various threats from the local ecology. Riker must face the alien ship in a stymied effort to retrieve Picard from the planet’s surface.

Episodes 7 and 8, “Unification.”  Ambassador Spock is spotted on Romulus, and Riker takes command of the Enterprise while Picard and Data travel incognito to reach the wayward Vulcan. Riker stays in the chair for the remainder of the two-part episode, assisting Picard’s efforts by investigating the theft of a Vulcan surplus ship involved in the affair.

Episode 15, “Power Play.”  Alien entities take over the bodies of Data, Troi and O’Brien and attempt to take over the ship, When that fails, they take hostages but agree to release the injured prisoners in exchange for Picard. While he tries to rationalize with them, Riker first attempts a rescue, then surreptitiously aids Picard in leveraging the aliens to surrender.

Episode 25, “The Inner Light.”  An alien probe fires a beam at Picard: causing him to relive the life of an “iron weaver” on a long-dead planet. Though he lives that life for decades, he is unconscious for only 25 minutes, during which time Riker is in charge.

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Episode 1, “Time’s Arrow, Part 2.”  After leading an away team into 19 th  century San Francisco Picard finds himself trapped there. Riker returns to the 24 th  century, along with a stowaway Samuel Clemens, then turns the ship’s resources toward retrieving the captain and returning the famous author to his proper place in history.

Episode 7, “Rascals.”  A transporter accident turns Picard and three other crew members back into twelve-year-olds. Riker is placed in command, but the Enterprise is soon taken over by marauding Ferengi, who intend to sell the crew into slavery. The youthful Picard and his de-aged cohorts are able to surreptitiously reclaim the ship from the invaders.

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Episode 9, “The Quality of Life.”  With Captain Picard trapped in a deteriorating space station and unable to beam back to the ship, Riker attempts to beam a series of robots called exocomps over and trigger an explosion to disrupt the energy stream threatening the station. Data defies him, eventually proving that the exocomps possess will and intellect.

Episode 12, “Ship in a Bottle.” The sentient program of Professor Moriarty captures Picard, Data and Lt. Barclay and imprisons them in a holograph replica of the Enterprise. Meanwhile, the real Riker negotiates with Moriarty for Picard’s release, achieved by tricking the holographic personality into a program depicting what he believes to be the “real” world.

Episode 25, “Timescape.” With Picard, Geordi, Data and Troi returning from a conference via shuttle. Riker responds to a distress call from a Romulan warbird, conducting temporal experiments that end up engulfing both ships. Riker is frozen in time, while Picard and the shuttle occupants have to restore the normal flow of time.

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Episode 2, “Liaisons.”  Captain Picard departs as part of a cultural exchange mission, then crashes on an alien world and attempts repairs while Number One struggles to meet the sometimes strange demands of their guests. Both his experiences and Riker’s are part of the same “test” from the ambassadors, who are interested in seeing how humans respond to emotional situations.

Episode 4, “Gambit, Part 1."  “Gambit” begins with Picard apparently being killed while off-ship. Riker, now in command, pursues what he believes to be his former captain’s killers until he too is captured. Data continues to lead the Enterprise in pursuit throughout the remainder of the first half of the two-part episode and the entirety of the second.

Episode 8, “Attached.” Picard and Dr. Crusher are captured by a paranoid race calling themselves the Pyrtt, who share half of a planet while the other half have applied for membership to the Federation. Riker is left to seek out their missing officers and engage in the delicate diplomacy required to keep the situation from unraveling.

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Episode 11, “Parallels.”  Worf finds himself skipping across parallel universe after returning to the Enterprise from a Bat’leth tournament. That includes an alternate history in which Picard died at the Battle of Wolf 359 and Riker continued on as captain.

Episode 19, “Genesis.”  Picard and Data depart the Enterprise in a shuttle in search of a wayward torpedo, leaving Riker in command. The crew soon begins to display bizarre behavior and strange physiological changes. Picard and Data return to find them de-evolving into various more primal life forms, including Riker transformed into a Neanderthal.

Episode 25, “All Good Things…”  The Next Generation  finale features Picard transported to a hypothetical future in which Admiral William T. Riker continues to command the Enterprise. That future hasn’t come to pass: Riker took command of the Titan after  Star Trek: Nemesis  and captained the Zheng He during Star Trek: Picard Season 1.

Star Trek: Generations.  Generations climaxes with the destruction of the Enterprise-D, and Riker is in the captain’s chair at the time. The ship destroys a Klingon bird-of-prey , but a warp core breach immediately afterward disables the still-separating saucer section. Riker and the rest of the crew survive the crash landing.

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Commander Riker Had A Star Trek: TNG Clone Before Thomas Riker - He Murdered Him

• Riker faced his own clone early on in TNG, refusing to be replicated for the sake of individuality.
• Mariposans cloned Riker and Pulaski without consent, leading to Riker taking matters into his own hands.
• Later, Riker discovered his own transporter duplicate in a twist of fate, navigating the complexities of having a double.

Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) had a clone in Star Trek: The Next Generation long before he found out about his transporter duplicate, Thomas Riker. For seven seasons of TNG and four movies, Riker served as First Officer of the USS Enterprise-D under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). The Enterprise and her crew encountered many strange phenomena over the years, including the occasional evil twin or surprise doppelganger. In TNG season 7, Riker met his transporter clone, but he had a much more violent reaction the first time he was cloned.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2 , episode 18, "Up the Long Ladder," the USS Enterprise-D crew encounters two different colonies that both originated from the same ship, the SS Mariposa. One of the colonies, the Bringloidi, has embraced a simple life of farming and the Enterprise brings them aboard when their planet begins experiencing solar flares. The Bringloidians inform Captain Picard of the other colony, Mariposa, which has become a more advanced society made up of clones. With an original population of only five colonists, the Mariposan clones have begun degrading, and they want more DNA samples to add to their gene pool.

The Bringloidians are based on cliched Irish stereotypes that were outdated even in 1989 when the episode aired.

10 Star Trek Characters Who Met Their Doppelganger

Commander riker murdered his first clone in star trek: tng's "up the long ladder", the mariposans steal riker and dr. pulaski's dna so they can clone them..

Soon after the USS Enterprise-D contacts the Mariposans, Commander Riker beams down to the planet with Dr. Katherine Pulaski (Diana Muldaur) and Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) . After the Mariposans reveal themselves as clones, they ask for samples of DNA from Enterprise crew members to repopulate their gene pool. Because they have been continuously copying and recopying the same five people, the clones have begun to experience replicative fading and will be nonviable within a few generations. When the Mariposans ask for DNA samples, Riker is the first to speak up, saying:

No way, not me. [...] One William Riker is unique, perhaps even special. But a hundred of him, a thousand of him diminishes me in ways I can't even imagine.

The Prime Minister of Mariposa, Walter Granger (Jon De Vries), seems to accept their refusal, asking if the Enterprise crew could still help repair their equipment. As Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) and an engineering team work on repairs, the Mariposans steal DNA from Riker and Pulaski and clone them anyway. As they were unconscious through the process, Riker and Pulaski did not notice anything amiss, but, with his VISOR, Geordi could tell that Granger was lying. Riker, Pulaski, and La Forge then beam back down to Mariposa's cloning labs, and Riker kills both clones. Although Pulaski cringes, she supports Riker's decision, and though Granger calls them murderers, the away team suffers no consequences for killing two defenseless lifeforms.

Will Riker's Greatest Fear Later Came True With His Clone Thomas Riker

Will riker is no longer unique after this tng season 6 episode..

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 24, "Second Chances," the Enterprise visits the planet Nervala IV to investigate a Federation research station that was abandoned eight years ago. Commander Riker leads an away team down to the planet, and they discover an exact double of Riker claiming to be Lt. Will Riker. Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) determines that the man is genetically indistinguishable from Commander Riker. Riker had been on a mission to Nervala IV eight years before and was the last to beam up from the planet. La Forge realizes that the transporter beam must have split, resulting in one Riker being beamed to the ship and one being left on Nervala IV.

"Second Chances" is the directing debut of LeVar Burton, who would go on to direct another Riker-centric episode in TNG season 7, episode 12, "The Pegasus."

Lt. Riker decides to go by the name Thomas and transfers to another ship at the end of "Second Chances," before eventually joining the rebel group known as the Maquis and popping up on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . By TNG season 6, Riker has experienced many strange adventures since his encounter with the Mariposans in "Up the Long Ladder." While he is still clearly unsettled that he has a clone, he never considers killing his duplicate. The situation is different, of course, as Thomas Riker's creation was an accident, but it's clear Riker does not feel quite as strongly about having a duplicate as he did earlier on Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Cast Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden

Release Date September 28, 1987

Showrunner Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Rick Berman

Where To Watch Paramount+

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Published Mar 20, 2019

What Does it Take to be 'Number One?'

Hint: Grit, discretion, and a cool head on your shoulders are a great place to start.

StarTrek.com

"Number One." This simple nickname used by many captains when referring to their first officers, is deceptively descriptive. The second-in-command ranks "number one" for multiple points of contact, ranging from being the first person subordinate contacts if they have an issue with a superior, to being their captain's closest confidant when guidance is needed during a difficult mission.

The first officer carries out their captain's orders, suggests alternative strategies, deploys personnel effectively, spearheads away teams, and even handles crew evaluations and transfers. Captains may set the destination, but first officers ensure safe arrivals. Being able to handle that type of pressure takes a special person with a few essential qualities that every first officer needs.

1. Protect Your Captain

Whether dangers manifest themselves as physical threats or emotional strains, a first officer's duty is to know how to prevent those hazards from harming their senior officer. As their landing party surveyed Gamma Trianguli VI in " The Apple ," Spock noticed that a deadly plant with the ability to launch poisonous thorns targeted Captain Kirk. Spock maneuvered swiftly, pushing Kirk to safety just in time for the fatal projectiles to strike the Vulcan instead. Fortunately, Dr. McCoy's medical treatment revived Spock, who had been prepared to die to shield his captain from harm.

2. Place Your Loyalty to the Crew Over Your Own Well-Being

Circumstances in which a Number One's duty clashes with their reputation may arise, prompting them to decide whether or not they should compromise their morals to protect themselves. Forced to choose between obeying Admiral Pressman and saving the U.S.S. Enterprise-D 's crew from Romulan imprisonment in Star Trek: The Next Generation 's " The Pegasus ," Commander Riker willingly divulged the illegal cloaking technology he and Pressman recovered, preferring to risk a court martial rather than jeopardize his colleagues. In the revelation's aftermath, Captain Picard supplied this sage advice to Riker: "You chose to tell the truth and face the consequences... I will still be proud to have you as my first officer."

3. Don't Criticize the Captain in Public

An executive officer must show respect for the command structure, and support their captain in front of the crew. This fosters trust among the lower ranks and reinforces the notion that the commanding officer reserves the right to a final say in an y situation. Michael Burnham erred when she openly challenged Captain Georgiou's judgment to avoid conflict with the Klingons in Star Trek: Discovery 's "The Vulcan Hello." When Picard and Riker were otherwise occupied in " Gambit, Part II ," Data and Worf acted as their temporary replacements. Worf breached etiquette by questioning Data's decisions on the bridge, leading Data to privately brief Worf about a true Number One's adherence to protocol.

4. Tell the Captain Exactly What Is on Your Mind

While captains do not wish to be contradicted before crew members, they do want their Number One to confide in them and offer strong opinions in a private setting. Commander Chakotay held significant reservations about Captain Janeway's proposition to ally with the Borg Collective in order to repel Species 8472 in Star Trek: Voyager 's " Scorpion, Part I ." Chakotay relayed his concerns in a one-on-one discussion with Janeway while reinforcing his intention to follow her directives despite his disagreement. The first officer purposely refrained from voicing his dissent in front of the bridge crew, demonstrating his regard for her rank.

5. Have Trust in Your Capabilities and in Your Subordinates

Responsibilities abound in a first officer's daily routine, and a Number One needs to have confidence in themselves and in those that report to them. Number Ones oversee department heads who are specialists in their fields, requiring them to temper their own approach to problems with the expertise provided by their subordinates. Commander Saru doubted himself when the Klingons captured Captain Lorca in " Choose Your Pain ," allowing his emotions to run wild and hamper him from heeding crucial opinions about the tardigrade from Burnham, Paul Stamets, and Dr. Culber. Stamets gambled with his life to safeguard Ripper, provoking Saru to rethink his choices upon Lorca's return. Realizing his errors, Saru opened up to Burnham, permitted her to release the tardigrade, began believing in himself to a greater extent, and acquired valuable command experience in the process.

6. Always Be Ready to Take the Center Seat

From shore leave to a sudden death, various events can cause a first officer to sit in the big chair. Usually brief, these situations inevitably place the burden of command firmly on a Number One's shoulders. The most extreme example occurred during the Borg incursion depicted in the TNG two-parter " The Best of Both Worlds ." With Picard assimilated by the Collective, Riker took charge over in unenviable conditions which entailed defeating the Borg, and facing off against the tactical knowledge the Borg absorbed from his mentor. After receiving advice from Guinan, Riker employed an unorthodox scheme that harnessed Picard's awareness of their previous plan to fool the Borg and successfully retrieve the captain. Riker magnificently adapted to the evolving hostilities and proved more than worthy to continue as the Enterprise-D 's executive officer.

Jay Stobie is a freelance science fiction writer who contributes articles to the official Star Trek website and Star Trek Magazine . He can be found on Twitter at @CaptStobie and Instagram @JayStobie.

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10 awesome star trek things lower decks brought back that we love.

Lower Decks is crammed full of callbacks to Star Trek's rich past and here's a selection of awesome things that the show has brought back.

• Star Trek: Lower Decks celebrates the TNG era with beloved characters and fun interactions like Riker on the USS Titan.
• The show brings back legacy elements like Voyager, Cetacean Ops, and Holodeck episodes with nostalgic flair.
• Lower Decks enhances the Trek universe by reviving characters from DS9, showcasing new storyline updates with humor.

Every episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks is packed full of callbacks and references that have brought back many beloved elements of the Star Trek franchise. Inspired by the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Lower Decks", Mike McMahan's animated comedy is a love letter to the TNG era . Following the adventures of the USS Cerritos and focusing on the starship's lower decks characters like Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), it provided a fresh perspective on the wider Star Trek universe.

With Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 set to be the show's finale, it's a good time to reflect upon the many additions it made to the Star Trek canon. If it weren't for Lower Decks , fans wouldn't have received updates on beloved characters from Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Lower Decks has also brought back some classic Star Trek aliens like the Ferengi and the Orions, and has expanded Starfleet's understanding of their culture, and updated their standing in relation to the Federation.

Every Star Trek Legacy Character Guest Star On Lower Decks

10 star trek: lower decks brought back tng’s 24th century era, lower decks bridges the gap between nemesis and star trek: picard..

The 24th century era of Star Trek: The Next Generation and beyond is a golden age for the franchise . However, with nearly 20 years between the end of Star Trek: Nemesis and the modern era, live action Trek could never hope to dive back into the TNG era. However, animated shows like Star Trek: Lower Decks could bring back the TNG era and have its characters interact with some big names and deep-cut characters like Captain Sonya Gomez (Lycia Naff) . Despite this, Lower Decks never felt like it was indulging in empty nostalgia or fan service.

These nods to legacy characters gave a sense of a sprawling fictional universe, with bigger players in the Star Trek universe inspiring the Lower Deckers on their own smaller-scale missions.

Instead, Star Trek: Lower Decks continued the story of Starfleet and the Federation in the years after the final Star Trek: The Next Generation movie . It updated viewers on Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his secret financial support for the Archaeologist's Guild, and even briefly revealed what Captain Morgan Bateson (Kelsey Grammer) was up to after he and his crew ended up in the 24th century. These nods to legacy characters gave a sense of a sprawling fictional universe, with bigger players in the Star Trek universe inspiring the Lower Deckers on their own smaller-scale missions.

9 Star Trek: Lower Decks Brought Back Captain Riker, Counselor Troi & USS TItan

"let's see how these pakleds do with their aft hanging out".

While Star Trek: Picard brought back Captain William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) first, audiences got to see the USS Titan's commanding officer in his pomp during Star Trek: Lower Decks . The Lower Decks season 1 finale brought back Riker and Counselor Deanna Troi-Riker (Marina Sirtis) to help the USS Cerritos battle the Pakleds. Boimler then got a temporary posting to the Titan, serving under Riker as they got into repeated skirmishes with the Pakleds in Lower Decks season 2, episode 2, "Kayshon, His Eyes Open" .

Captain Riker's ship was succeeded by the USS Titan-A in Star Trek: Picard season 3, which was eventually refitted and renamed the USS Enterprise-G.

Hilariously, Riker's doppelgänger in Star Trek: The Next Generation gave the Titan captain the experience needed to handle the two Boimlers created by the transporter accident on Karzill IV. Riker also reflected on missing the day-to-day science and exploration of his time aboard the USS Enterprise-D, and encouraged Boimler to " enjoy it while you have it ". Star Trek: Lower Decks ' Riker episodes were great fun, and finally gave fans a chance to see how TNG 's perennial Number One handled the center seat .

Riker Is A Great Star Trek Captain, But Not In This TNG Episode

8 star trek: lower decks brought back uss voyager, "it's voyager, **** got freaky".

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 brought back the USS Voyager for one final flight, this time as a museum which exhibited many of the stranger things encountered by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and her crew. In typical Lower Decks fashion, the Voyager mission went wildly out of control, as members of the Cerritos crew got "Tuvixed". Aboard the USS Voyager, Boimler and Mariner faced off against Star Trek: Voyager 's multiple holodeck villains after they accidentally resurrected the macroviruses .

Robert Duncan McNeill reprised the role of Star Trek: Voyager 's Lt. Tom Paris in the season 2 episode "We'll Always Have Tom Paris".

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 1, "Twovix" was an irreverent celebration of Voyager's Delta Quadrant mission . Full of nods to some of Star Trek: Voyager 's wilder episodes, "Twovix" repositioned the USS Voyager as a starship of historical importance, regardless of how " freaky " things may have got . The final scene in which Voyager is visited by Federation citizens was a great way to communicate how important Janeway's mission was to enhancing the 24th century's knowledge of the Delta Quadrant.

7 Star Trek: Lower Decks Brought Back Cetacean Ops

"they like you very much, but they are not the hell your whales.".

Cetacean ops had only ever been briefly mentioned in Star Trek: The Next Generation , but it took on a life of its own following the publication of the 1996 reference book Star Trek: The Next Generation USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D Blueprints . That book revealed that on Deck 13 and 14, the Enterprise had cetacean ops facilities, including a navigation lab and lifeboats. Cetacean ops was staffed by dolphins and whales that helped with the starship Enterprise's navigation . Dolphins have a natural ability to navigate in three dimensions, which is what made them such an important addition to the crew of the Enterprise.

Cetacean ops was first mentioned in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 15, "Yesterday's Enterprise".

After living in the imagination of Star Trek: The Next Generation fans for years, cetacean ops appeared in multiple episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks , staffed by Lieutenants Kimolou and Matt, two beluga whales . Cetacean ops is something that felt naturally suited to animated Star Trek , not least because the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual referenced the Japanese OVA anime Gunbuster in its description of the facility. It also continues Star Trek 's important connection with whales , first established in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home .

Star Trek: TNG's Enterprise Had Dolphin & Whale Crewmembers

6 star trek: lower decks brought back tng movies’ argo & captain’s yacht, "i will always be puzzled by the human predilection for piloting vehicles at unsafe velocities.".

The Star Trek: The Next Generation movies featured two brand-new Starfleet vehicles; the Argo ground vehicle from Star Trek: Nemesis , and the Captain's yacht from Star Trek: Insurrection . The Argo was deployed to desert expanses like the surface of Kolarus III, where Captain Picard, Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), and Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) discovered the head of B-12. Mariner used the Argo in Star Trek: Lower Decks ' season 1 premiere, "Second Contact", to deliver supplies to the Galadornian farmers . Although the Argo in Nemesis felt like an indulgence for car enthusiast Patrick Stewart, Lower Decks used it as a useful vehicle in Starfleet's inventory.

Patrick Stewart revealed on The Late Late Show With James Corden that he has a collection of classic cars including a McLaren 650S, Porsche Panamera and Porsche 911.

The Captain's yacht from Star Trek: Insurrection , named the Cousteau, was larger than a shuttle craft, and was classed as a large support vehicle. The crew of the USS Enterprise-E used the Cousteau to travel to Ba'ku during their insurrection against Starfleet. Star Trek: Lower Decks ' own insurrection used the USS Cerritos' captain's yacht to take on Nick Locarno (Robert Duncan McNeill) and his crew of renegade officers in the season 4 finale. Lower Decks gets a lot of use out of its captain's yacht, as it has appeared in multiple episodes between seasons 1 to 4 .

5 Star Trek: Lower Decks Brought Back Jeffrey Combs

"does co-conspirating mean nothing anymore".

Prolific Star Trek villain actor Jeffrey Combs added a tenth character to his resume by playing AGIMUS in Star Trek: Lower Decks . AGIMUS was a megalomaniacal computer that had subjugated a planet in the 2280s. A century later, AGIMUS was disconnected and bound for the Daystrom Institute, in the custody of Boimler and Mariner. It was a great role in the history of great Jeffrey Combs' Star Trek roles , and he brilliantly bouced off Jack Quaid's Boimler. After being imprisoned at the Daystrom Institute, AGIMUS formed an alliance with the wayward Exocomp, Peanut Hamper (Kether Donohue).

The Exocomps were service robots that gained sentience, first introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 9, "The Quality of Life".

As with many of Jeffrey Combs' Star Trek villains, AGIMUS had a redemptive arc in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4. Seemingly betrayed by Peanut Hamper, AGIMUS learned the value of friendship over planetary domination, and gave up on his pursuit of conquest, freeing Boimler and Lt. D'Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) from his clutches. AGIMUS also gave Boimler vital intelligence on Nick Locarno's mystery ship, setting up the Lower Decks season 4 finale .

Every Star Trek Species Played By Jeffrey Combs

4 star trek: lower decks brought back the holodeck episode, "i was in the holodeck trying to find meaning in the randomness of death...".

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 1, episode 9, "Crisis Point" instantly went down in history as one of Star Trek 's greatest holodeck episodes . An extended riff on the first three Star Trek: The Original Series movies, "Crisis Point" was a deeply meta story about Mariner writing an epic holodeck "movie" for her and the Lower Deckers to participate in. The sequel, "Crisis Point II: Paradoxicus" upped the stakes further, with multiple nods to the derided Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , and a guest appearance by George Takei as Captain Hikaru Sulu.

Modern Star Trek hasn't explored the holodeck too much, aside from Star Trek: Picard season 3's rather unimaginative Ten Forward simulation...

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Star Trek: Lower Decks gravitated to the weirdness of the holodeck as a concept. From the ludicrous Mark Twain subplot to the violent and outright filthy holodeck simulations enjoyed by Dr. T'Ana (Gillian Vigman) and Lt. Shaxs (Fred Tatasciore), Lower Decks really grasps the infinite possibilities for weird wish fulfillment . Modern Star Trek hasn't explored the holodeck too much, aside from Star Trek: Picard season 3's rather unimaginative Ten Forward simulation, but at least there's one starship that continues to demonstrate the holodeck's full potential.

3 Star Trek: Lower Decks Brought Back Zefram Cochrane

"alright, buckos, prepare for your trek amongst the stars".

Star Trek: Lower Decks brought back Zefram Cochrane (James Cromwell) by revealing the monument first hinted at by Star Trek: First Contact . The inventor of Star Trek 's warp travel is a historic figure who is celebrated with a sprawling theme park based in Bozeman, Montana, where the first warp flight took place. In Lower Decks ' season 3 opener, "Grounded", Boimler, Mariner, Tendi and Rutherford visited Historical Bozeman to commander the replica Phoenix for a trip into space, accidentally bringing along a tourist for the ride.

Among its attractions, Historical Bozeman featured the First Contact Fun Zone, where kids could play on a replica of the Vulcan ship, T'Plana-Hath complete with swings and a slide.

1996's Star Trek: First Contact marked the franchise's 30th anniversary by presenting its origin story, and emphasizing the vital importance of Zefram Cochrane's first warp flight. By depicting Historical Bozeman in Star Trek: Lower Decks , Chris Klua, the writer of "Grounded" gave a tangible sense of Cochrane's impact on 24th century tourism . It's just one of many ways that Lower Decks has greatly expanded the franchise by focusing on banal and minute details that make the Star Trek universe richer.

Star Trek’s Origin Movie Could Be The Second To Break Tradition

2 star trek: lower decks brought back ds9, kira, quark, grand nagus rom & leeta, "tacky cardassian fascist eyesore.".

While Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fans still wait patiently for a comeback series or movie, Star Trek: Lower Decks has been on hand to make that wait less painful. In Lower Decks season 3, episode 6, "Hear All, Trust Nothing", the USS Cerritos docked at Deep Space Nine for trade negotiations with the Karemma, aided by Colonel Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor). It was a joyous episode that updated DS9 fans on what had happened to the station after the finale. Quark (Armin Shimerman) had cashed in on DS9's vital importance during Star Trek 's Dominion War , turning the station into a bustling tourist attraction.

Star Trek: Lower Decks also revealed that there are Sisko "truthers" who believe that Deep Space Nine's captain didn't ascend to the Celestial Temple, but is in hiding to avoid prosecution for war crimes.

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 6, "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place" brought back Grand Nagus Rom (Max Grodenchik) and his wife Leeta (Chase Masterson). While ostensibly a Ferengi comedy episode, "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place" was a hugely important moment in Star Trek canon, as it depicted the Ferengi negotiating to become Federation members. In lieu of a proper Star Trek: Deep Space Nine revival, Lower Decks ' carefully considered updates on these beloved DS9 characters prove that they've not been forgotten by the wider franchise.

1 Star Trek: Lower Decks Brought Back Animated Star Trek

"why does everything feel… two-dimensional".

As Star Trek: Lower Decks ends with season 5 , it's worth reflecting on how it brought back Star Trek in a huge way. While Gene Roddenberry disowned Star Trek: The Animated Series , there's no denying that it capitalized on the bigger creative possibilites offered by animation. Lower Decks is the natural successor to Star Trek: TAS , and it was a massive improvement that pushed the franchise into brand-new territory . Not only was Lower Decks the most overtly comic of Star Trek shows, it could create some truly alien creations that live-action Trek would struggle to realize.

Multiple species from Star Trek: The Animated Series have featured in Star Trek: Lower Decks including the Caitians, Edosians, and Kukulkans.

It's thanks to Star Trek: Lower Decks that the reputation of animated Trek has been greatly improved following Roddenberry's disdain for Star Trek: TAS . Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' crossover episode proved once and for all that animation is just a different format for storytelling. Animation also allows Star Trek to bring back characters like Captain Riker or Lt. Tom Paris as if only a year or two had passed since their last appearance, rather than decades. All of these characters, be they from Star Trek: Lower Decks or Strange New Worlds or Star Trek: Prodigy can co-exist, making the franchise a far richer experience for everyone.

All episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Lower Decks

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"Star Trek: Lower Decks" focuses on the support crew serving on one of Starfleet's least important ships, the USS Cerritos, in 2380. Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford and Tendi must keep up with their duties and their social lives, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies. The ship's bridge crew includes Captain Carol Freeman, Commander Jack Ransom, Lieutenant Shaxs and Doctor T'Ana. This is the second animated spin-off in the franchise after 1973-74's "Star Trek: The Animated Series," but has a decidedly more adult tone and humor.