William T. Riker
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.
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| Gender: | Male |
| Species: | Human (temporarily Q) |
| Serial number: | SC-231-427 |
| Status: | Active (2379) |
| Born: | Stardate 12286.5 (2335) |
| Father: | Kyle Riker |
| Mother: | Betty Riker |
| Sibling(s): | Thomas Riker (duplicate, created 2361) |
| Martial Status: | Married |
| Spouse(s): | Deanna Troi (wife) |
| Played by: | Jonathan Frakes |
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Captain William Thomas Riker was a noted Starfleet officer. He was perhaps best known for his long assignment as first officer under Captain Jean-Luc Picard aboard the USS Enterprise-D, and later the USS Enterprise-E. In 2379, he finally accepted a promotion to captain and was assigned to the USS Titan.
In 2361, a transporter accident resulted in William T. Riker being duplicated, each genetically indistinguishable from each other with personality and memories identical up to the point of the duplication. The other became known as Thomas Riker.
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[edit] Early life
William Thomas Riker was born in 2335 to Kyle and Betty Riker in Valdez, Alaska on Earth. (TNG: "The Icarus Factor", "Conundrum", "Second Chances") His distant ancestors were from mainland North America, including Colonel Thaddius Riker, who fought in the American Civil War. (VOY: "Death Wish")
- The Double Helix novel Double or Nothing stated that another ancestor of Riker's was an important early Federation statesman.
- Will's middle name, Thomas, was not established until TNG: "Second Chances", although his middle initial was given. Before this, the novel Imzadi erroneously said his middle name was Thelonius, perhaps after Thelonius Monk, to reflect his love of jazz.
Betty died when Will was only two years old (TNG: "Interface") leaving his father to raise him alone. 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 would last thirty years. (TNG: "The Icarus Factor")
- Betty's name is from Riker's bio seen in TNG: "Conundrum". The circumstances surrounding her death were never revealed, although TNG: "The Icarus Factor" seems to imply that it was due to illness.
When Will first started school, he 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 she 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", "Remember Me")
In 2344, the two went on a fishing trip. Will was able to hook a large fish, but Kyle insisted on reeling the fish in. This incident would bother Will for many years. He also played Anbo-jytsu against his father. Kyle admitted that by the time Will was twelve, his skills were superior. Will did not know that the only reason he always lost was because his father used an illegal move called hachidan kiritsu.
Kyle completely abandoned Will by 2350, when Will was age 15. Will held a grudge against his father for the following fifteen years. (TNG: "The Icarus Factor")
[edit] Starfleet Academy
Will entered Starfleet Academy in 2353. During his time at the Academy, his superintendent was a Vulcan, who had taken the time to memorize the personnel files of each and every cadet. (TNG: "The First Duty") Paul Rice was a close friend of Riker's while at the academy. (TNG: "The Arsenal of Freedom")
During a battle simulation against a Tholian opponent, Riker calculated a sensory blind spot of their vessel and hid within the blind spot. This ingenious tactical strategy was noted in his record. (TNG: "Peak Performance")
Upon graduation in 2357, Riker was ranked eighth in his class. He set lofty goals for himself, and hoped to reach captain before thirty-five years of age. (TNG: "Chain of Command, Part I", "Second Chances")
[edit] Early Starfleet career
[edit] The Pegasus
Seven months after graduation, Ensign William Riker's first posting was to the USS Pegasus under the command of 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 was also top priority. This attitude caused Riker to behave against the principles of the Prime Directive during a crisis onboard the ship.
Captain Pressman had been illegally testing a prototype interphase cloaking device aboard the Pegasus. This highly 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 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 an escape pod. Only a few other crew joined Riker and Pressman, and the Pegasus apparently exploded, with seventy-one personnel aboard, several minutes after Riker's escape pod was launched.
Although Pressman commended Riker for his unquestionable loyalty, Riker began to have doubts about whether or not he had made the right decision. The Starfleet Judge Advocate General later investigated the Pegasus incident but the survivors withheld all information about the prototype cloaking device. They were only able to conclude that there had been some sort of mutiny aboard the Pegasus before its destruction and that it was highly likely that the survivors were not telling the complete truth, and also recommended a further investigation. Because of the sensitive nature of the cloaking device experiment, Starfleet Intelligence quickly classified the report and no followup was ever conducted. (TNG: "The Pegasus")
- Riker's graduation from Starfleet Academy and posting to the Pegasus is depicted in The Lost Era book Deny Thy Father.
[edit] On Betazed
Following the Pegasus incident, Will was stationed on planet 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. (TNG: "Angel One")
[edit] The Potemkin
By 2361, Riker was promoted to lieutenant and assigned to 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. (TNG: "Peak Performance")
Later in 2361, Riker led an away team to Nervala IV to rescue researchers stranded at the outpost on the world. Riker was the last to beam out. Atmospheric distortions threatened to dissipate Riker's pattern, so the Potemkin transporter chief compensated by creating a second confinement beam. Only one beam was needed for Riker to rematerialize, so the second beam was shut down. The Potemkin crew did not realize that the second beam had, in fact, reflected back to the planet's surface, materializing another William Riker. This duplicate remained stranded on the surface for the next eight years.
Riker received a promotion to lieutenant commander for "exceptional valor" during the mission. He was quickly posted to the USS Hood as first officer. (TNG: "Second Chances")
[edit] The Hood
Riker's commanding officer on the Hood was Captain Robert DeSoto. His service aboard the ship was exemplary, even despite an incident where Riker refused to allow Captain DeSoto transport into a hostile situation on planet Altair III. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint")
Riker was offered his first command, that of the ill-fated USS Drake, in 2364. However, he turned down that position for a far more enticing offer. (TNG: "The Arsenal of Freedom")
[edit] Aboard the USS Enterprise
[edit] The Enterprise-D
[edit] First year
William Riker was promoted to commander and first officer of the newly-launched USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D in 2364. He was ferried to planet Deneb IV by the Hood, and met the Enterprise at the planet. The ship had undergone a saucer separation after being threatened by the entity known as Q. Riker reported aboard the stardrive section and was briefed about the current situation and was ordered to perform a difficult and unusual manual docking with the saucer module, which he conducted very well.
During the Farpoint mission, Riker led several away teams which discovered that Farpoint Station was a living entity, trapped by the Bandi for their own selfish purposes. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint")
Q was intrigued with Riker, so much so that he believed Riker deserved to be empowered with the abilities of the Q Continuum. Q made a bet with the Continuum that Riker would accept the gift, and trapped the Enterprise while it was en route to a disaster on a mining colony on Quadra Sigma III. Most of its senior officers were then taken to a deadly illusion world. Riker used his new-found powers to save the crew from hostile aliens inhabiting the fantasy, bringing Lieutenant Worf and Wesley Crusher back to life in the process. Picard was concerned about these events, and requested that Riker not use his supernatural abilities. However, Riker changed his mind after he refused to save a young girl killed in the disaster. He became angry with Picard, feeling he had repressed his abilities and caused the death of the girl.
Further temptation by Q led Riker to grant several wishes to the Enterprise crew: Geordi La Forge, normal eyesight; Worf, a Klingon female mate; Wesley, full growth to adulthood. He nearly transformed Data into a human, but Data refused the offer, feeling that it would be merely an illusion. As Picard predicted, the other crew also turned down Riker's gifts because of their inherent emptiness. Riker learned his lesson, and the powers were taken away once Q was recalled to the Continuum. (TNG: "Hide and Q")
The Enterprise was stolen from Starbase 74 by a race called the Bynars. Their computer-based society was on the verge of collapse after the star Beta Magellan went supernova and damaged their central computer. They required the Enterprise in order to repair it. The crew evacuated, but Riker and Picard remained onboard, infatuated by a holodeck program created by the Bynars as a diversion. The two were successful in retaking the Enterprise and saving the Bynar homeworld from destruction. (TNG: "11001001")
Riker became involved with the alien conspiracy which infiltrated Starfleet Command in 2364. The possessed Admiral Gregory Quinn attempted to infest him with a neural parasite in order to have an alien operative aboard the Enterprise, but Riker resisted. He struggled with Quinn and was knocked out, but was able to alert other personnel to the situation. Dr. Beverly Crusher was able to incapacitate Quinn with a phaser, then determined the nature of the neural parasites. She implanted a fake parasite on Riker, who then beamed down to Earth just in time to prevent the infested Starfleet officers from co-opting Captain Picard. He and Picard were able to find the mother creature, hosted in Lieutenant Commander Dexter Remmick, and destroy it before the alien conspiracy grew any further. (TNG: "Conspiracy")
[edit] Combat record
Riker was an accomplished tactician, inventing several strategies while serving aboard various starships. He apparently acquired a reputation for using unorthodox solutions, as Enterprise Second Officer Data estimated he only used traditional tactics 21 percent of the time. In 2365, Riker was given temporary command of the outdated USS Hathaway during a combat exercise to ready for the Borg invasion. The Hathaway was to fight the Enterprise in a simulation designed to test the response of a crew when faced with a substantially superior enemy. Although Riker's crew managed to turn the poorly-maintained Hathaway into something flyable and score several hits against the Enterprise during the initial phases of battle, the test was turned deadly when a Ferengi marauder intervened. The Enterprise believed that the Ferengi were a holographic trick designed to divert attention from the Hathaway, and therefore did not raise shields. The Ferengi opened fire, disabling the Enterprise's weapons and shields. The Ferengi demanded that the Enterprise hand over custody of the Hathaway, as they incorrectly assumed the Hathaway had valuable Federation secrets onboard. In order to fool the Ferengi, Riker devised a plan to have the Hathaway jump to warp and hide in a blind spot above the magnetic pole of a planet while the Enterprise fired photon torpedoes, making it appear to the Ferengi as if the Hathaway had been destroyed. Worf then fooled the Ferengi sensors into believing that several Starfleet vessels were on an intercept course, scaring them away. (TNG: "Peak Performance")
In 2366, the Borg launched their first invasion of the Federation. A Borg specialist, Commander Shelby, was assigned to the Enterprise. The two butted heads over protocol, and Riker felt that Shelby was trying to ingratiate herself to Captain Picard in order to prove her qualifications as a first officer. Picard was eventually abducted by the Borg and assimilated, becoming Locutus of Borg. Riker was left in command, and faced with the difficult decision of choosing to use a new deflector dish weapon against the Borg cube, which would destroy that ship along with Picard. When a rescue attempt failed, Riker gave the order to use the weapon. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds") However, the assimilated knowledge of Captain Picard gave the Borg an advantage, and they altered their shields to resist the weapon. As the Borg continued on a direct course for Earth, Admiral J.P. Hanson field-promoted Riker to captain. Riker chose Shelby as his new first officer. Even though their relationship had a rocky start, Riker realized that they worked well together and Shelby had the knowledge necessary to mount a successful fight against the Borg. Riker was still reluctant to accept the responsibility in light of Picard's abduction, but Guinan, an old and close friend of Picard, was able to convince him that he needed to let Picard go not only to win against the Borg, but also save Picard. The Enterprise was repaired after its use of the deflector weapon and warped to rendezvous with the fleet at Wolf 359. It arrived shortly after the devastating Battle of Wolf 359. At this point, Riker formulated a plan to recover Captain Picard, in hopes that the Borg may halt their approach with Locutus gone. The Enterprise caught up to the Borg and separated the saucer section. Picard had been briefed on this plan before he was assimilated, and knew that the stardrive section was the only threat. As the Borg focused their attack, the saucer launched a shuttlecraft carrying Data and Worf. They beamed aboard the cube and brought Picard back to the Enterprise. The Borg were temporarily confused, but continued on course. Data and Dr. Crusher later learned that the Borg interconnectedness gave them access to the entire Collective through Picard. Data linked himself to Locutus and accessed the Borg command structure as the cube entered orbit of Earth. Initial attempts to deactivate the Borg were fruitless, and Riker prepared to ram the Borg cube with the Enterprise in hopes that the collision would disable the vessel. Picard was able to tell Data to instruct the Borg to regenerate, which was a low-priority command. The cycle ended up in a feedback loop, and the cube exploded, cutting Picard's link and restoring his humanity. Riker returned to his post as Enterprise first officer following Picard's recovery. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II")
During the Klingon Civil War of 2368, Riker was placed in temporary command of the Starship Excalibur. The ship was part of an armada led by the Enterprise-D and set up a tachyon detection grid in order to reveal Romulan assistance to the House of Duras. (TNG: "Redemption II")
On stardate 46235.7, Riker was again left in temporary command of the Enterprise when Captain Picard and three other crew members were transformed into children. The ship was attacked by a pair of B'rel class Bird-of-Prey under the command of Ferengi privateers. During the battle, the Enterprise was overwhelmed and subsequently boarded by the Ferengi. The Ferengi seized control of the ship, and it was only with the help of Captain Picard and the other transformed crewmen that control was regained. (TNG: "Rascals")
Riker was in command during the Enterprise-D's final battle in 2371. The ship had been attacked by the Duras sisters by order of Dr. Tolian Soran. The sisters were given an unfair advantage as Soran had placed a visual transmitter in La Forge's VISOR, giving them access to the Enterprise shield modulation. Riker's quick thinking led to the identification of a plasma coil flaw on the sisters' old Bird-of-Prey, which was destroyed. Unfortunately, the Enterprise suffered catastrophic damage to its warp core. Riker ordered a saucer separation, and the saucer section maneuvered to safety before the engineering section exploded. The shock wave from the blast caused the saucer to plunge into the atmosphere of Veridian III, where it crash-landed. The entire crew survived, although Riker was disappointed that he would never have the chance to command the ship. (Star Trek Generations)
[edit] Diplomacy and cultural exchange
Riker participated in first contact with the Ferengi in the Delphi Ardu system in 2364. The Enterprise and a Ferengi marauder were trapped in orbit, paralyzed by a Tkon energy-dampening weapon. An away team commanded by Riker made contact with the Tkon portal. The portal sensed Riker's great courage and dignity, while it only found deception with the Ferengi, leading it to grant Riker's request and release both ships. (TNG: "The Last Outpost")
Will conducted another diplomatic mission that year, on planet Angel I. Survivors from a Federation freighter, the Odin, were discovered on the matriarchal world and sentenced to death for advancing policies which granted equal rights for male members of the society. Riker successfully argued their case to Mistress Beata, Angel I's Elected One, convincing her that change is inevitable. She later allowed the Odin crew, and their new-found families on Angel I, to be moved to an isolated continent so they could continue their lives without affecting mainstream culture. (TNG: "Angel One")
Riker was an early participant in the Officer Exchange Program, temporarily transferring to a Klingon Bird-of-Prey, the IKS Pagh, in 2365. To prepare for the assignment, he indulged in many different Klingon foods. Worf also gave him an emergency transponder shortly before his departure, just in case of an emergency situation. Onboard the Pagh, Riker had to quickly learn the Klingon way of doing things, physically fighting the second officer to prove his loyalty to Captain Kargan and enduring the abusive comments of the Klingon crew. At the same time, the Enterprise became infected with a hull-degrading bacteria, which it inadvertently transmitted to the Pagh. The Klingons believed that it was a new Federation weapon, and returned to attack the Enterprise. Riker was able to relieve Kargan by giving him the transponder and sending him to the Enterprise, then staging a mock battle with the Starfleet vessel to maintain the honor of the Klingon crew. Riker returned to his post aboard the Enterprise following the incident. (TNG: "A Matter Of Honor")
In 2366, the Enterprise hosted negotiations for rights to the Barzan wormhole. The Federation representative, Mendoza, was poisoned by the Ferengi delegation, requiring Riker to take his place. The wormhole later turned out to be useless, as its terminus fluctuated between the Gamma and Delta Quadrants. (TNG: "The Price")
The Enterprise responded to sensor readings which indicated a Romulan outpost on Alpha Onias III in early 2367, on Riker's birthday. Riker led an away team to investigate, but was trapped by an alien named Barash. The alien was hidden by his mother on the planet to keep him safe from their enemies, and was given technology to generate any type of fantasy. He became lonely, and hoped Riker would stay to keep him company. When Riker regained consciousness, he was confronted by an Enterprise now sixteen years into the future. Dr. Crusher claimed that he was infected by Altarian encephalitis and had lost all memories since Alpha Onias III. He was a single parent with one slightly troublesome child, "Jean-Luc Riker." "Admiral" Picard then arrived on a Romulan warbird with a diplomatic delegation. Riker was to complete the final peace accords with the Romulans, which he had been working on ever since the Enterprise rescued a damaged Romulan ship. Although Riker began to accept his new circumstances and give "Jean-Luc" attention, the simulation quickly began to fall apart as the technology was not able to keep up with Riker. The Enterprise computer was much too slow and the senior staff were unable to answer Riker's questions about the previous sixteen years. Moreover, a recording of his wife revealed Minuet, a holographic fantasy. This illusion gave way to another, where Riker was imprisoned in a Romulan laboratory. Barash stayed in the form of the child, now called "Ethan." Riker and "Ethan" plotted an escape, but Riker figured out this second deception when "Ethan" accidentally called Tomalak "ambassador," a rank he only held in the first illusion. Barash then revealed his true nature to Riker. Will offered him safety and companionship aboard the Enterprise, and the two transported back to the ship. (TNG: "Future Imperfect")
The Enterprise was crippled after a defect caused its dilithium chamber hatch to explode. Initially, the incident was blamed on Romulan espionage, but was later determined as native to the hatch, which was replaced at Earth Station McKinley a few months prior. Riker participated in the initial questioning of a Klingon suspect named J'Dan. After Admiral Norah Satie came aboard and instigated a "witchhunt" with the intention of forcing out Romulan collaborators, Riker served as defense counsel for Crewman Simon Tarses. Tarses was unfairly singled out as a spy because his grandfather was Romulan. Satie's investigation was later cancelled by Starfleet Command when it became apparent her accusations had very little factual support. (TNG: "The Drumhead")
Riker piloted Trill ambassador Odan to a meeting on Peliar Zel in 2367. En route, their shuttle was attacked and Odan's host body injured. The symbiont was removed, and later transplanted to Riker at his insistence. Human physiology was not totally compatible with the symbiont, but Odan survived in Riker's body long enough to complete negotiations between the two moons of the planet. Odan had been romantically involved with Dr. Beverly Crusher, and she was confused by Odan's change. She tried to avoid him as much as possible as she was uncomfortable with the Trill way of life. Eventually, Beverly realized that she was attracted to Odan's personality as much as his physical appearance, and made love to him in Will's body. When a new Trill host arrived, the symbiont was removed from Riker, and he recovered with no long-term effects. (TNG: "The Host")
Will was left in command of the Enterprise-D in 2368 while Captain Picard visited Romulus in search of Ambassador Spock. He was ordered to investigate the disappearance of the Vulcan ship T'Pau from Qualor II when the wreckage of its deflector array was found amongst the debris of a Ferengi freighter. The Enterprise discovered that a mercenary vessel had been stealing ship components from the surplus depot in orbit of the planet. The mercenaries were killed when they attacked the Enterprise (TNG: "Unification I") forcing Riker to turn to the planet for information. He found a Ferengi trader named Omag who revealed that the Vulcan parts were being sent to Galorndon Core. The Enterprise continued to investigate, and Sela attempted to divert the Enterprise by sending a fake distress signal from a Federation colony. Riker saw through the deception and the Enterprise went to intercept the stolen Vulcan ships at the Romulan Neutral Zone, but they were destroyed by a Romulan Warbird before entering Federation space. (TNG: "Unification II")
Riker was to escort Iyaaran ambassador Byleth during his visit to the Enterprise in 2370, but the ambassador insisted on Worf instead. (TNG: "Liaisons")
[edit] Undercover missions
While serving on board the Enterprise-D, Riker participated in away missions in which he would employ disguise to protect Starfleet's Prime Directive.
When a cultural observation post on Mintaka III was severely damaged in 2366, it was discovered by a Mintakan named Liko. Liko was severely injured after being startled by the structure's appearance, requiring his transport to the Enterprise for treatment. While there he briefly woke, and saw Captain Picard whom he believed to be a deity. Several members of the observation team were also injured and wandered from the post. Riker and Troi attempted to correct the damage done to their culture by masquerading as Mintakans. They tried to convince the Mintakans that Liko was merely delusional. Riker was able to retrieve one of the observers, Dr. Palmer, from the Mintakans, but Troi was left behind. The Mintakans, terrified that Picard was a god and would come to punish them, wanted to execute her as a sacrifice to Picard. Picard later transported their leader aboard the Enterprise and convinced her that he was not a god, and Troi was released. (TNG: "Who Watches The Watchers")
In 2367 he was injured while observing the Malcorians. In preparation for the mission, his face was surgically altered to look Malcorian. He posed as Rivas Jakara. After being injured, he was treated in the local hospital. A female Malcorian nurse, Lanel, who discovered that he was an alien, offered him help when he agreed to make love with her. Unfortunately, Riker was soon discovered by others and detained. Minister Krola, a government official who was frightened of the idea of alien visitors, attempted to kill himself with Riker's phaser. Riker was eventually rescued by Dr. Crusher and Worf. (TNG: "First Contact")
In 2370 Data was damaged on a mission to Barkon IV. Riker and Dr. Crusher disguised themselves as Barkonians and brought Data back to the Enterprise. (TNG: "Thine Own Self")
Also in 2370 Riker and Ro Laren were sent on a mission to infiltrate the Maquis. Riker was disguised as a Bajoran and claimed to be a relative of Ro's. Ro eventually betrayed Riker and joined the Maquis, but she allowed him to leave. Riker wished her "good luck" as he returned to the Enterprise. (TNG: "Preemptive Strike")
[edit] Disciplinary actions
The Enterprise left personnel, including Riker, at the research station of Dr. Nel Apgar in 2366. They were to inspect his Krieger wave converter technology, as his research had been funded by Starfleet. While there, Apgar's wife, Manua, tried to seduce him. Dr. Apgar caught them kissing, and he and Riker fought nearly the entire visit. Tensions were at a breaking point when the Enterprise returned to pick up the crew. Shortly after Riker beamed out, the station exploded, killing Apgar. Riker was initially suspected of murder through accusations by Apgar's widow and assistant, and placed under arrest by Tanugan authorities. The Enterprise crew began their own investigation using the holodeck. They determined that the station was not destroyed as a result of a phaser blast from Riker into the station's power core, but as a result of an energy beam directed at Riker by Apgar. Apgar had actually been developing the new technology into a weapon which he wished to sell to the Romulans, and he was worried that Riker discovered his plan, which would cause an end to the research before the weapon could be created. The beam was intended to disperse Riker's pattern as he beamed off the station, but it deflected into the power core. Upon this revelation, chief investigator Krag dropped all charges. (TNG: "A Matter of Perspective")
Shortly after Cardassian withdrawal from the Bajor sector in 2369, Captain Picard was reassigned to a covert infiltration of a Cardassian outpost on Celtris III. Command of the Enterprise was transferred to Edward Jellico at the order of Admiral Alynna Nechayev. Riker tried to convince her that he would be suited for the position, but she wanted an officer with experience in dealing with the Cardassians. The transition from Picard to Jellico was difficult for the entire crew. He reassigned many crew from engineering to security, placed overbearing demands on all departments, and instituted new duty shift cycles which led to personnel management problems. As first officer, Riker was the recipient of complaints. Jellico saw Riker as arrogant for questioning his changes, and questioned Picard's high opinion of Riker. (TNG: "Chain of Command, Part I") Riker was present for the negotiations with the Cardassians, and learned that Picard had been captured on Celtris III. Jellico deemed Picard lost and refused to attempt a rescue mission. He and Riker got into a verbal altercation where Riker accused Jellico of sacrificing Picard's life and Jellico accusing Riker of challenging his authority. Riker was subsequently relieved of duty, with Data taking his place as first officer. The Enterprise later developed a plan to ambush a Cardassian invasion fleet in the McAllister C-5 Nebula, involving a shuttlecraft planting mines on the hulls of the Cardassian warships. Riker was the only pilot with the experience to fly the mission, and Jellico returned him to duty following a conversation where they both vowed to not let their opinions of one another affect their duties. (TNG: "Chain of Command, Part II")
Early in 2370, Captain Picard was believed killed on Dessica II. He was actually transported to a mercenary ship commanded by Arctus Baran and joined their crew with the name "Galen." The Enterprise pursued the mercenaries to the Barradas system, where Riker too, was abducted. He worked with Captain Picard to learn more about the mission of the mercenaries and assumed the role of a rebellious and untrustworthy Starfleet officer, trying to gain the trust of Baran. He later attempted to deactivate the Enterprise's shields with his out-of-date command codes, giving a signal to Data to drop the shields. (TNG: "Gambit, Part I") Picard reconfigured the ship's weapons to a harmless setting, and the Enterprise pretended to be damaged. The mercenaries continued on their quest, and Picard eventually learned that they were planning to assemble an ancient Vulcan psionic weapon. The final component was aboard a shuttle piloted by a Klingon named Toral, who had been pulled over by the Enterprise. The mercenaries planned a raid on the Enterprise with Riker's help. Meanwhile, Baran instructed Riker to kill Picard, who had challenged Baran's authority. The group transported to the Enterprise and found the last component, but Picard then shot Riker before returning to the mercenary vessel. Riker was merely stunned, and reassumed command of the Enterprise. The ship went to Vulcan and stopped T'Paal, a Vulcan isolationist, from using the weapon. Back on the Enterprise, Picard jokingly suggested that Data place Riker under arrest for treason. Data did not understand the joke, and actually brought Riker to the brig. (TNG: "Gambit, Part II")
In 2370, the wreckage of the Pegasus was detected in the Devolin system. Erik Pressman, now an admiral, came aboard the Enterprise and the ship was sent to locate the Pegasus. Starfleet Security was interested in retrieving the interphase cloaking device, which also piqued Romulan interest. The badly damaged Pegasus was found submerged deep within asteroid gamma 601, but the interphase cloak was still intact. It was returned to the Enterprise, but the Enterprise was now trapped within the asteroid as a result of Romulan weapons fire. The interphase cloak was the ship's only hope of escape, and Riker revealed its existence to the Enterprise crew, to the ire of Pressman. La Forge and Data were able to connect and activate the cloak, letting the Enterprise escape. Picard informed the Romulans of what had happened, then took Pressman into custody. Riker was also arrested, at his own insistence, and appeared before a board of inquiry at Starbase 247. (TNG: "The Pegasus")
Riker had only discussed the truth about the Pegasus with Deanna Troi, and had difficulty deciding whether or not to reveal the circumstances of the Pegasus incident to Captain Picard. At Troi's suggestion, Will recreated the final mission of the Enterprise (NX-01) on the holodeck in order to gain command insight and specifically, try to learn from the relationship between Captain Jonathan Archer and Commander Charles Tucker III. He interacted with several Enterprise crew members as Chef, and as a MACO, participated in the mission to rescue Shran's daughter. By observing Tucker's willingness to disobey orders during a critical moment, saving the life of Archer and ensuring the birth of the Federation, Riker realized that telling the truth and trusting Captain Picard's faith in him was much more important than obeying Pressman's orders. (ENT: "These Are the Voyages...")
- It can be presumed that the Enterprise discovered the Pegasus within the asteroid before Riker had a chance to speak to Picard.
[edit] Medical record
While leading an away team to planet Minos in 2364, Riker was encased in a stasis field by one of the automated weapons drones reactivated by the USS Drake. Data was able to use a phaser to free him. (TNG: "The Arsenal of Freedom")
Riker was attacked by the Ornaran T'Jon in 2364. T'Jon wanted Picard to hand over a shipment of felicium and threatened to kill Riker if he did not comply. (TNG: "Symbiosis")
Later that year, Riker was "absorbed" by the malevolent entity Armus on Vagra II. He was later returned to the planet unharmed, although he was completely covered in a viscous black liquid. (TNG: "Skin of Evil")
Gregory Quinn, under the influence of the neural parasites, knocked Riker out after throwing him through a table. (TNG: "Conspiracy")
While exploring Surata IV in 2365, Riker was stuck by the thorn of a native plant. The thorn contained an organism which began to attack Riker's central nervous system, and caused him to fall into a coma. Dr. Katherine Pulaski was able to stimulate certain memory centers in Riker's brain. The emotional response provided resistance to the organism, which was suppressed. (TNG: "Shades of Gray")
Will Riker was part of a cultural observation team on planet Malcor III in 2367. The Malcorians were on the verge of warp capability, and the Federation planned to make first contact with the race. However, Riker was mugged and badly injured in a Malcorian city, and brought to a Malcorian hospital for treatment. His different anatomy and physiology perplexed the Malcorian doctors, and rumors soon spread that Riker was indeed an alien. Despite his best efforts to escape, Riker was kept captive and his whereabouts left unknown to the Enterprise. Furthermore, the strong xenophobic tendencies of the Malcorians were demonstrated when Krola, a member of Malcorian leader Durken's staff, tried to make it look as if Riker assassinated him in order to make it appear as if the Federation was hostile and therefore discourage any contact. Riker was eventually rescued by a team from the Enterprise and treated by Dr. Crusher. However, the incident proved to Durken that the Malcorians were not ready for contact with other species at the present, and he requested that the Federation leave the Malcor system until the culture is better prepared. (TNG: "First Contact")
Riker's arm was broken when the Enterprise investigated an apparent distress call from the USS Essex in on planet Mab-Bu VI in 2368. His injury prevented one of the disembodied criminals trapped there from inhabiting his body. (TNG: "Power Play")
In 2368, Riker was one of three Enterprise officers mentally assaulted by a Ullian named Jev. Jev forced Riker to relive an accident in Main Engineering where he was forced to seal a crewmember, Ensign Keller, behind an isolation door, causing her death. Riker then fell into a coma, which was believed to be a side effect of Iresine Syndrome. Investigation by Enterprise personnel revealed that Jev was the cause of the comas, and doctors from the Ullian homeworld helped with Will's recovery. (TNG: "Violations")
Early in 2369, Commander La Forge made enhancements to the sensor array during a survey mission to the Amargosa Diaspora. The modifications involved channeling warp power through the main deflector. Unknown at the time, the energy signatures reached into a tertiary subspace domain and allowed a group of solanagen-based lifeforms from another universe access to the Enterprise. They wanted to learn more about our universe, and potentially wanted to discover a way to project their universe into ours. Riker and several other crewmembers were abducted and analyzed by the aliens, sometimes involving gory medical experiments. Riker's right arm had been amputated and reattached at some point. The side effects from the experiments left him very fatigued and claustrophobic, and it was these symptoms which led him to speak to Counselor Troi. She brought Riker together with other Enterprise personnel who were experiencing similar feelings, and the group was able to create a holodeck simulation of the alien environment where they were taken. Later, Dr. Crusher found evidence of the medical experiments in all of the abductees. In order to close the link between the normal universe and the solanogen universe and seal a spatial rupture forming in the Enterprise cargo bay, Riker wore a homing beacon which was able to isolate the tetryon emissions emanating from the solanogen universe and allow La Forge to initiate a graviton beam to seal the breach. Dr. Crusher also gave him with a counteragent to ward off the sedative used by the aliens. Later that night, he was removed from the ship and taken to the alien laboratory, where the homing beacon allowed the Enterprise to seal the rupture shortly after Riker returned with another missing Enterprise crewmember. (TNG: "Schisms")
Also in 2369, the Enterprise stopped at the Remmler Array for a baryon sweep. While there, the Enterprise command crew was invited to a reception at Arkaria Base. A terrorist group took them hostage in order to secure trilithium resin from the Enterprise. Dr. Crusher devised a plan to use Geordi's VISOR as a way to knock their captors into unconsciousness, but needed a distraction to make the modifications. Will went up to one of the terrorists and tried to punch him, but was hit in the jaw himself. (TNG: "Starship Mine")
Later in 2369, Riker was sent to Tilonus IV to track a Federation research team lost when the government collapsed into anarchy. During the mission, he was abducted and held captive in a facility run by Dr. Syrus. He began experiments on Riker's mind, which threatened his sanity. His mind resisted the torture by accessing memories of a play, Frame of Mind, Riker had participated in shortly before the mission. He began shifting between practicing the play on the Enterprise to actually living the plot of the play, with the characters as Tilonians. He was committed to the hospital after being found guilty of murder, and was threatened with synaptic reconstruction before resorting to a procedure called Reflection Therapy. In the end, the two events merged, with Riker being rescued from the mental hospital by the Enterprise. Syrus was present throughout the hallucinations, allowing Riker to deduce that he was fantasizing and regain consciousness. He was rescued by the Enterprise before Syrus was able to inflict further damage, and personally dismantled the Frame of Mind set as part of his therapy. (TNG: "Frame of Mind")
Riker hated cats, but was one of many Enterprise crewmembers who attempted to care for Data's cat, Spot. Riker was in charge of feeding Spot while Data was away at a conference in late 2369, and was scratched on the forehead as he attempted to set down a bowl of food. Riker later passed responsibility for Spot to Dr. Crusher, and was somewhat wary of entering Data's quarters. (TNG: "Timescape")
In 2370, Dr. Beverly Crusher treated Reginald Barclay for a case of Urodelan flu and accidentally activated a dormant gene, mutating his T cells. The gene became airborne and began to affect the rest of the crew, causing them to "de-evolve" into more primitive forms of life. Riker de-evolved in to an australopithecine, and was found by Picard and Data attempting to break open Livingston's fish tank in the captain's ready room. He then tried to attack Picard and Data, but was stunned by a phaser and taken to sickbay. Data eventually discovered a way to reverse the effects, and the crew was returned to normal. (TNG: "Genesis")
[edit] The Enterprise-E
[edit] First contact
Riker transferred to the new USS Enterprise-E in 2372, along with most of the senior staff of the Enterprise-D. In 2373, the Enterprise took part in the Battle of Sector 001 against Starfleet orders. Thanks to the ship's intervention, the Borg cube was destroyed, but not before it launched a sphere which generated a temporal vortex and traveled to the year 2063. The Enterprise pursued, and destroyed the sphere before it was able to prevent the first flight of Zefram Cochrane aboard the Phoenix warp ship. The Phoenix was damaged during the attack, and several Enterprise-E crewmembers assisted Cochrane in repairs. Riker also needed to convince Cochrane of the importance of his first warp flight, as Cochrane considered cancelling it following the Borg attack. Riker, along with Geordi La Forge, was present onboard the Phoenix for Cochrane's historic flight. (Star Trek: First Contact)
[edit] Fighting the Son'a
In 2375, Riker, along with the Enterprise crew, defied Federation orders and rebelled against the plan to relocate the Ba'ku people from their homeworld in order to harvest the metaphasic radiation from their planet's ring system. While Picard and the senior staff protected the Ba'ku on the planet, Riker took the Enterprise out of the Briar Patch and alerted the Federation Council to the real issues surrounding the forced relocation. During the journey out of the Briar Patch, the Enterprise was engaged by two Son'a vessels. The ship was seriously damaged in the process and forced to eject its warp core to seal a subspace tear. Riker needed to invent a new tactic on the fly. Dubbed the "Riker Maneuver" by chief engineer Geordi La Forge, it involved collecting metreon gas with the Bussard collectors and then venting the gas while the ship continued to move. The cloud left behind the ship reacted with the isolytic weapons of the Son'a ships, destroying one and crippling the other. (Star Trek: Insurrection)
[edit] Battle with Shinzon
Will Riker's last mission aboard the Enterprise-E was during its encounter with Praetor Shinzon in 2379. Although Riker was eager to begin his life aboard the Titan with Counselor Troi, he realized how important it was to stop Shinzon and was willing to sacrifice anything in order to prevent him from using his thalaron radiation weapon on Earth.
The Scimitar fought and weakened the Enterprise in the Battle of the Bassen Rift, sending several boarding parties to the ship. Riker and Worf took a security detail to fight off the invading Remans. The Viceroy entered the Jefferies tubes in an attempt to reach the bridge and kidnap Captain Picard. Riker followed and they fought hand-to-hand, with Riker eventually killing the Viceroy by knocking him down an Enterprise maintenance shaft. (Star Trek Nemesis)
[edit] Command offers
Riker was offered several commands during his tenure aboard the Enterprise. Including the aforementioned USS Drake, he was offered the USS Aries in 2365 (TNG: "The Icarus Factor") and the USS Melbourne in 2366. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds") The Aries command was offered to Riker because of his exceptional abilities as a scientist. He turned down the Aries posting because he felt he was not yet ready to leave the Enterprise and the distinction that the first officer post held. (TNG: "The Icarus Factor") Starfleet put a great amount of pressure on Riker to accept command of the Melbourne. Many admirals and even Captain Picard felt that he had remained too long onboard the Enterprise and should have accepted a command by that point in his career, lest it seem like he was standing still in a sea of upstart officers like Shelby. Even Riker questioned why he remained as Enterprise first officer, and was unable to understand what kept him from leaving. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds")
- "She's a fine ship, Will."
- "Yes, but she's not the Enterprise."
- Picard and Riker (about the Melbourne)
Ultimately, Riker did not need to make a choice, as he was field-promoted to captain during the encounter with the Borg and the Melbourne was subsequently destroyed at Wolf 359. Although it was believed Riker would have a pick of any command because his decisive leadership was a major factor in the defeat of the Borg, he still elected to remain Enterprise first officer. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II")
- Q said in VOY: "Death Wish" that he "was betting Riker" would have taken command of the USS Voyager, which may mean he was also offered command of that ship before Captain Janeway.
By 2379, Riker decided to accept promotion to captain of the USS Titan, assuming command of the ship that year. Troi also transferred to the Titan. The Titan was dispatched to the Romulan Neutral Zone to serve as the command ship for a diplomatic task force. (Star Trek Nemesis)
- Riker's adventures aboard the Titan are the basis for the Pocket Books novel series Star Trek: Titan.