William Riker

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William Thomas Riker
William T. Riker
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Home planet	Earth
Affiliation	Starfleet
Posting	USS Pegasus helmsman Betazed, starfleet detachment USS Potemkin, security chief/tactical USS Hood, first officer USS Enterprise-D first officer/commanding officer IKS Pagh first officer (exchange program) USS Hathaway, acting captain for wargames simulation USS Excalibur, acting captain for Romulan tachyon blockade USS Enterprise-E first officer USS Titan commanding officer
Rank	Commander Captain (Current)
Portrayed by	Jonathan Frakes
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Captain William Thomas Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes, is a main character on the science-fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.

[edit] Casting

Frakes went to seven auditions over six weeks before being cast as Riker.^[1]

[edit] Portrayal

For the first two seasons, Riker is portrayed as bold and confident, an ambitious young officer in the tradition of James T. Kirk. Over time, Riker's character becomes more reserved, as experience teaches him the wisdom of a patient, careful approach. He becomes comfortable on the Enterprise, repeatedly turning down offers of his own command, and he learns to cherish the company of his fellow officers. Nonetheless, Riker never quite loses his arrogant streak, nor his willingness to occasionally disregard the chain of command.

Riker's background is first explored in the second-season episode, The Icarus Factor. In the episode, Riker's estranged father Kyle visits the Enterprise to offer his son the command of the USS Aries, which Riker refuses. We learn that Riker grew up in Valdez, Alaska, that his mother Elizabeth died when he was two years old, and that he was raised by his father until the age of 15, when he left home. In the episode, Riker has not spoken with his father for fifteen years, but they manage to partially mend their relationship over a game of martial-arts sparring called Anbo-jyutsu.

Other notable episodes developing the character include:

• In the second-season episode A Matter of Honor, Riker volunteers for a temporary assignment on a Klingon vessel as part of an officer exchange program. In the episode, Riker proves surprisingly adept at dealing with the Klingon warrior culture, including the violent system of confrontation used for enforcing authority aboard Klingon ships.
• Later that season, Riker shows a genius with battle tactics, as well as a willingness to bend the rules, in the episode Peak Performance.
• In the third season finale The Best of Both Worlds, Part I, Riker has been offered his own command yet again, and a brash young commander named Shelby arrives on the Enterprise to help repel an invasion by an alien collective known as the Borg. In the episode, Riker ponders his place on the ship, his reasons for repeatedly refusing his own command, and the development of his personality over the last few years. He also comes into conflict with Shelby, whose recklessness reminds him of his own younger self.
• In The Best of Both Worlds, Part II (the fourth season premiere), Riker must take command of the Enterprise after captain Picard is kidnapped and assimilated by the Borg. Riker must prove his command ability under the most difficult circumstances, with the fate of human race hanging in the balance. By asserting his own command style and employing creative tactics, he manages to rescue captain Picard and repel the Borg invasion.
• In the sixth-season episode Second Chances, the Enterprise encounters a duplicate copy of Commander Riker who had been created during a transporter accident many years before. Though both beings have an equally valid claim to being 'William Riker' (since the two are exact genetic duplicates), the 'second' Riker takes the name "Thomas" (which is revealed to be William Riker's middle name.)
• In the seventh-season episode The Pegasus, Riker must confront his former commanding officer over a cover-up related to the destruction of the USS Pegasus.

[edit] Love Interests

Billie-At one point, early in Riker's career, he was romantically involved with a woman named Billie, prompting him to change his nickname from "Bill" to "Will" so as to avoid confusion.

Wendy Roper-When Riker is on Betazed and and begins liking Deanna Troi, he attends a wedding with Wendy Roper, the daughter of the Starfleet representative on Betazed, Mark Roper. He then becomes romantically involved with Wendy. Deanna Troi and Riker have an argument and when Deanna Troi comes to Riker's room at the Embassy to apologize, she is very hurt and angry to find him sleeping with Wendy and she leaves angrily.

Beata-During the First Season Riker, Tasha, and Deanna Troi are on a mission to the planet Angel One. Riker puts on a costume from that planet and shows it to Troi and Tasha. They laugh and Tasha says he looks sexy. Then he goes to Beata's room and says he is not in the habit of seducing leaders of planets, but...

Ensign Ro Laren-Riker and Ensign Ro Laren are normally very argumentative with each other, but when everyone on the Enterprise loses their memormy, they decide that they might be married and behave as such. When their memories return the relationship ends.

Carmen Davila-When Riker is on an away mission on a planet where Carmen Davila is working, she invites him on a date and he accepts, but she is killed by the crystalline entity before they can have it.

Soren-Riker, while working on a technical project with members of an androgynous species, he falls in love with one of them who professes herself to be female. However, she is brainwashed by her government and turns Riker away when he tries to rescue her.

Melody Minette Minuet-Riker goes into the holodeck one day and listens to jazz and sees a beautiful girl who says she has been waiting for him. They dance and kiss. Then he is disappointed when she no longer exists as a result of holodeck rerouting.

[edit] Riker and Troi

Before the beginning of the show, Riker was involved in an intense romantic relationship with Counselor Troi on her home planet of Betazed. The two characters are close friends throughout the series, but their relationship does not resume until Star Trek: Insurrection, the third star trek film set in the Next Generation era, although Thomas Riker, the duplicate created by a transporter malfunction, attempts to re-spark their relationship in "Second Chances". The following movie, Star Trek Nemesis, begins with their wedding onboard the Enterprise-E. They often refer to each other as "imzadi," which is a Betazoid term of endearment, meaning "beloved."

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

[edit] Command offers/positions

During the course of Star Trek: TNG and TNG era movies, there has been an overwhelming recurring theme of ship command which William Riker was either offered or given through where Picard was unavailable and/or though special assignment. Listed below are ships that William Riker has been offered to command and has commanded in certain situations.

[edit] Guest Appearances

After appearing in dual roles in "Second Chances", a TNG episode in which it was established that Riker had a "twin" created years earlier by a transporter malfunction, Frakes appeared as the twin, Thomas Riker, in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Defiant," in which he impersonates the original Riker in order to commandeer the starship Defiant as a member of the Maquis.

Frakes reprised his role of Commander Riker in the 1996 Star Trek: Voyager episode "Death Wish", and in the 2005 Star Trek: Enterprise series finale, "These Are The Voyages...".

[edit] References

1. ^ Adam Schrager, The Finest Crew in the Fleet: The Next Generation Cast On Screen and Off. New York: Wolf Valley Books (1997):48 - 49. Frakes is quoted: "I started with the cattle call, then the casting director, the producer, then other directors, to Gene Roddenberry, and then through the Paramount execs, including the vice-president himself and the heads of television."

[edit] External links

• Character biography at official Star Trek website
• William Riker article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki