Captain William Thomas Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes, is a main character on the science-fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Casting

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

Character story

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.

In two-parter "The Best of Both Worlds" Riker takes command of the Enterprise and orders Picard rescued.

The sixth-season episode "Second Chances" reveals Will Riker was duplicated long ago by a transporter malfunction. 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, Admiral Eric Pressman, over a cover-up related to the destruction of the USS Pegasus.

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."

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.

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...".

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."

External links

• Character biography at official Star Trek website

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