William T. Riker

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Caption:	Commander Riker in 2364.
Full Name:	William Thomas Riker
Gender:	Male
Species:	Human
Born:	April 15, 2335 (Stardate 12286.5)
Mother:	Betty Riker
Father:	Kyle Riker
Marital status:	Married to Deanna Troi
Actor:	Jonathan Frakes
File:Riker2366.jpg
Caption:	Commander Riker in 2366.
File:Riker2379.jpg
Caption:	Captain Riker in 2379</td></tr>

Captain William Thomas Riker is a noted Starfleet officer. He is perhaps best known for his long stint as first officer under Captain Jean-Luc Picard aboard the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D, and later the USS Enterprise-E. In 2379, he finally accepted a promotion to captain and was assigned to the USS Titan.

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. (VGR: "Death Wish")

Will's middle name, Thomas, was not established until TNG: "Second Chances," although his middle initial was given.

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 her so often, 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")

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")

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. (TNG: "Chain of Command, Part I") He set lofty goals for himself, and hoped to reach captain before thirty-five years of age. (TNG: "Second Chances")

Early Starfleet career

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. 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.

Pressman had been illegally testing a cloaking device with phasing capabilities aboard the Pegasus. This highly top-secret project was against 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 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 cloaking device. They were only able to conclude that there had been some sort of mutiny aboard the Pegasus prior to its destruction and that it was highly likely that the survivors were not telling the complete truth, and also recommended a further investigation. Due to the sensitive nature of the cloaking device experiment, Starfleet Intelligence quickly classified the report and no followup was ever conducted. (TNG: "The Pegasus")

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," "Menage a 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")

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 quickly 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")

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") The incident was a major factor in Captain Picard's selection of Riker as his first officer in 2364. He was impressed that a first officer would challenge a captain's authority out of regard for the saftey of the captain and the crew. (TNG: "The Pegasus")

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")

Aboard the USS Enterprise

The Enterprise-D

First year

William Riker was promoted to commander and first officer of the newly-launched USS Enterprise 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. Picard was very cold towards Riker during their first meeting, and ordered Riker to perform a manual docking of the saucer module once it joined the drive section in orbit.

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 infatuated 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 newfound 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. 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")

Combat record

Riker is an accomplished tactician, inventing several strategies while serving aboard various starships. In 2365, Riker was given temporary command of the outdated USS Hathaway during a combat excercise 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, Lieutenant 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, Part I") 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 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, Part II")

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 discovery of a flaw with the sisters' 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 shockwave 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)

Diplomacy and cultural exchange

Riker participated in first contact with the Ferengi at planet Delphi Ardu 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 One's elected one, convincing her that change is inevitable. She later allowed the Odin crew and their newfound families on Angel One, 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 the Klingon crew. Riker returned to his post aboard the Enterprise following the incident. (TNG: "A Matter of Honor")

The cultural observation post on Mintaka III was severely damaged in 2366. A Mintakan, Liko, saw the observation post and was hurt, requiring his transport to the Enterprise for treatment. While there, he briefly woke, and saw Captain Picard, believing him to be a deity. Also, several members of the team were injured and wandered from the post. One of these individuals was Palmer, and he was later found by the Mintakans. 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 took 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 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 conciousness, 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")

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 cargo ship. 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, Part 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, Part 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")

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 argument 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 Tallera, a Vulcan dissident, 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 cloak, which also piqued Romulan interest. Captain Picard was unable to find out what happened on the Pegasus in 2357 as all records had been sealed. Riker would not divulge further information under the orders of Admiral Pressman, and Picard reluctantly continued the search. He made it clear to Will that he hoped he still placed the safety of the Enterprise as his top priority, and if Picard had found this to be untrue, he would reevaluate his trust in Riker. The badly damaged Pegasus was found submerged deep within an asteroid, 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. Picard later visited him in the brig and returned him to duty aboard the Enterprise, understanding of Will's mistake in the past and satisfied that he had made the correct decisions in the present. (TNG: "The Pegasus")

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 Onaran 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 supressed. (TNG: "Shades of Gray")

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 explained as 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")

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 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 unconciousness, but needed a distraction to make the modifications. Will went up to one of the terrorists and tried to hit him and was then 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. Syrus was present throughout the hallucinations, allowing Riker to deduce that he was fantasizing and regain conciousness. He was rescued by the Enterprise before Syrus was able to to further damage. (TNG: "Frame of Mind")

In 2370, Dr. Beverly Crusher treated Reginald Barclay for a case of Urodelian flu and accidentally activated a dormant gene, mutating his T cells. The gene became airbourne and began to affect the rest of the crew, causing them to "de-evolve" into more primitive forms of life. Riker ended up as a neandrathal, and tried to attack Picard and Data when they found him in the captain's ready room. Data eventually discovered a way to reverse the affects, and the crew was returned to normal. (TNG: "Genesis")

The Enterprise-E

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)

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)

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 defeated the Enterprise in 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)

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, Part I") The Aries command was given 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, Part I") 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 due to 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 VGR: "Death Wish" that he "hoped 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 dispached to the Romulan Neutral Zone to serve as the command ship for a diplomatic task force. (Star Trek: Nemesis)

Personal interests

Music

Riker is a jazz aficionado, and his favorite musical instrument is the trombone. Although he is an accomplished player, his skills are not quite up to that of a professional musician (TNG: "11001001") and he had trouble with certain pieces, including "Night Bird." (TNG: "Second Chances")

In reality, Jonathan Frakes is a trombone player and provided the audio whenever Riker was shown playing. Riker was also shown playing the trombone in TNG: "Future Imperfect," "The Next Phase," and "Thine Own Self."

Will could also play the piano, and taught Amarie, a musician in a bar on Qualor II, some jazz routines when the Enterprise visited the planet in 2368. (TNG: "Unification, Part II")

Poker

Will first began playing poker as a junior officer aboard the Potemkin. (TNG: "Lower Decks") He became a notoriously good player aboard the Enterprise, participating in most of the ship's weekly poker games. (TNG: "The Measure of a Man") He also knew several card tricks, one of which was used to fool Data in 2367. (TNG: "Legacy") His poker skills were noted by Captain Picard, and one of the reasons he was selected to replace Mendoza as the Federation representative in the Barzan wormhole negotiations. (TNG: "The Price")

Will is skilled in other forms of gambling, and won large sums of latinum at the dabo tables in Quark's Bar during an Enterprise visit to Deep Space 9. Quark claimed he was unable to pay Riker at the time, and later voided the winnings in exchange for information about the wherabouts of the Duras sisters Lursa and B'Etor. (TNG: "Firstborn") Will met DS9 officer Jadzia Dax at Quark's about this time. (DS9: "Defiant")

Sports

Riker has several sports-related hobbies. Anbo-Jytsu is one such interest (TNG: "The Icarus Factor") as is Parrises Squares (TNG: "Future Imperfect," "Timescape") He held skills in the martial arts, tai che chen especially (TNG: "Second Chances"), and took Worf's mok'bara classes. (TNG: "Clues") He also enjoys fishing. One of his favorite fishing spots is Curtis Creek. (TNG: "The Icarus Factor," "Second Chances")

Other interests

Will holds an interest in cooking, left over from when he needed to fend for himself as a child. (TNG: "Time Squared," "Remember Me") He was a member of Beverly Crusher's theatre troupe aboard the Enterprise-D. He was the lead in two plays, Something for Breakfast (TNG: "A Fistful of Datas") and Frame of Mind (TNG: "Frame of Mind") His favorite vacation spot is Risa. (TNG: "Captain's Holiday," "The Game")

Personal relationships

Friendships

Riker was popular amongst the Enterprise-D crew and had friendships with senior staff members as well as junior officers. (TNG: "Data's Day") Not all junior officers, such as Samuel Lavelle, found him easy to get along with. (TNG: "Lower Decks")

Will knew Geordi La Forge longer than any of the crew. (TNG: "The Next Phase") He counseled Geordi following the loss of his mother in 2370, although Geordi did not heed his advice at the time. (TNG: "Interface")

While Dr. Beverly Crusher was head of Starfleet Medical in 2365, Riker was one of the Enterprise officers who made sure he kept up with his studies and responsibilities aboard the ship. (TNG: "The Child") Will and Guinan tried to advise Wesley on his relationship with Salia, but their assistance rapidly went off track from its original intention. (TNG: "The Dauphin")

Jean-Luc Picard

Captain Picard ordered the manual docking of the saucer as a test of Riker's abilities. When he performed the docking with great expertise and skill, Picard formally greeted Riker, requesting that his new first officer make sure that he not allow Picard to "make an ass of himself" in front of the many children aboard the ship. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint") One year later, Picard felt as if he had not done a good job of congratulating Riker, so he did it once more, this time making his feelings clear. (TNG: "The Icarus Factor")

Worf

Worf considered Riker one of his closest friends. Riker was one of the only humans who participated in Worf's brutally violent holodeck calisthenics program. (TNG: "Where Silence Has Lease") In 2365, Worf wanted to transfer to the USS Aries with Riker, concerned for his safety. (TNG: "The Icarus Factor") Riker also tried to convince Worf to donate his blood in order to save the Romulan rescued from Galorndon Core in 2366. He tried to make Worf realize that this gesture of goodwill may be the first step in healing the differences between their peoples. (TNG: "The Enemy")

Worf asked Riker to assist him in the hegh'bat, a Klingon ritual suicide, following his spinal cord injury in 2368. Riker was appalled by the request, feeling that Worf's life was still worth living and that suicide would be an insult to all of their comrades who had struggled for life up until their death. He researched the tradition before coming to Worf with his decision. He found that the hegh'bat was generally practiced with the oldest son, and then left it up to Worf to ask his young son Alexander Rozhenko to help. Worf was unable to ask Alexander to participate in the ritual, and later decided to attempt a risky surgery involving the genitronic replicator. (TNG: "Ethics")

Despite his discomfort with the androgynous nature of the J'naii, Worf helped Riker during his mission to rescue Soren, realizing how important Soren was to Riker. (TNG: "The Outcast")

During the Iyaaran visit in 2370, Riker jokingly chastised Worf for thinking the dress uniform was too feminine and weak-looking, later telling Worf he thought he looked good in a dress. (TNG: "Liaisons")

Riker encouraged Alexander's love of jazz music by giving him several recordings. Worf was not a fan. (TNG: "Phantasms")

Riker wanted to give Worf a surprise party for his birthday in 2370, but Deanna talked him out of it. (TNG: "Parallels")

In late 2370, Worf began dating Deanna Troi, which placed some strain on their relationship despite Worf's best efforts to prevent it. (TNG: "Eye of the Beholder," "All Good Things...") Worf tried to ask Will for his permission to date Deanna, but the attempt came off as comic rather than serious. (TNG: "Eye of the Beholder")

Data

Riker first met Data on the Enterprise holodeck in 2364. Data was trying to whistle "Pop Goes The Weasel," and could not finish the last few notes. Riker helped him finish, later giving Data the nickname "Pinnochio." (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint")

In 2365, Data's status as a sentient individual came into question. A trial was set on Starbase 173, but the base lacked a complete legal staff. As Enterprise first officer, Riker was forced to act as attorney for Bruce Maddox and was given the difficult task of convincing Judge Phillipa Louvois that Data was not sentient. He very nearly proved that Data was a simple machine by deactivating him, but Picard's defense later made Louvois grant Data complete rights as a sentient being. Riker was distressed over the incident, and felt terrible that he nearly cost Data his rights. Data did not hold any ill-will towards Riker, and was actually grateful that Riker participated, as if he did not, the ruling would have been default in Maddox's favor. (TNG: "The Measure of a Man")

Data sought Riker's help when Keiko Ishikawa temporarily called off her wedding to Miles O'Brien in 2367. (TNG: "Data's Day") He also came to Riker for advice when he started to date Jenna D'Sora. (TNG: "In Theory")

Family

Kyle Riker

Will saw Kyle Riker for the first time in fifteen years when he came aboard the Enterprise to brief him on the USS Aries command. The two remained adversarial, despite Kyle's wish to heal any wounds before Riker departed on his mission. Dr. Pulaski, an old flame of Kyle's, told Will about Kyle's bravery following the Tholian attack, and suggested that the time had come to finally resolve their conflict. Unconventionally, Will and Kyle decided to settle their differences with a match of anbo-jytsu, at which time Will discovered that Kyle had been cheating since Will was twelve. The activity allowed them to vent the tension and have an actual conversation about their true feelings, which they had never done. Kyle finally told Will that he loved him before returning to Starbase Montgomery. (TNG: "The Icarus Factor") After this incident, Will was finally able to put their past difficulties behind him. (TNG: "Second Chances")

An early pitch for the episode TNG: "Interface" had Riker as the central character, recently mourning the death of Kyle Riker.

Thomas Riker

The Enterprise was sent to Nervala IV in late 2369 when the atmospheric disturbances began to subside. 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 to benefit from his misery of being stuck on the planet for eight years. After working together to retrieve logfiles from the station computers and saving one anothers' 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")

Some TNG writing staff toyed with the idea of killing off Will Riker in this episode, replacing him by Tom Riker, moving Data to first officer position and Tom as the new ops officer.

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")

Romance

Riker spent the night with Mistress Beata during his mission to Angel I in 2364, presenting her with an Albeni meditation crystal. She was fascinated by his strength and power, traits which were not abundant in the males of her world. Riker donned the traditional clothing of the planet, drawing snickers from Counselor Troi and Lieutenant Natasha Yar. (TNG: "Angel One")

The Bynars created a holographic woman named Minuet to distract Riker while they hijacked the Enterprise-D in 2364. Riker found her convincingly real, and was disappointed when her program was lost after the Bynars left the ship. (TNG: "11001001") Her image was used by Barash's holosimulators to create a wife for Riker in the illusory future he experienced in 2367, making Riker realize the deception. (TNG: "Future Imperfect")

Ambassador Lwaxana Troi entered the Betazoid "phase" in 2365. When she visited the Enterprise, she set her sights on several male crewmembers as potential mates, including Riker. She announced their "wedding" on the bridge of the Enterprise shortly before moving on to Captain Picard. (TNG: "Manhunt")

Riker was romantically linked to the Bringloidi colonist Brenna O'Dell, but the relationship was limited to her brief stay aboard the ship in 2365. (TNG: "Up the Long Ladder")

The Enterprise worked to reunite the Gatherers with their Acamarian home in 2366. Riker became inolved with one of Sovereign Marouk's aides, Yuta. Yuta was actually a Tralesta who had been genetically altered to deliver a microvirus to members of another clan, the Lornak, the Tralestas had fought centuries earlier. The last Lornak, Chorgan, was now leader of the Gatherers, and Yuta attempted to assassinate him. Data and Dr. Crusher later discovered Yuta's true nature, and Riker was forced to kill her in order to prevent Chorgan's death. (TNG: "The Vengeance Factor")

Will romanced Carmen Davila in early 2368 while some of the Enterprise crew helped establish a colony on Melona IV. However, Davila was killed when the Crystalline Entity ravaged that world. Riker wrote a brief letter to Davila's family when Starfleet informed them of her death. Riker believed that her death, and the loss of countless other lives at the hands of the Entity, was reason enough to destroy it rather than attempt communication. (TNG: "Silicon Avatar")

Riker visited Risa later that year, and met a Ktarian female named Etana Jol. Jol was actually working for a Ktarian dissident movement which attempted to take over the Federation in 2368. She was able to get Riker to become addicted to the game they used in the mind control plot, which he then returned to the Enterprise. Fortunately, Data and Wesley Crusher were able to reverse the effects of the game and reveal the Ktarian plot. (TNG: "The Game")

When the Enterprise was affected by a Satarran memory weapon in 2368, Riker and Ensign Ro Laren felt an attraction to one another. They spent several nights together before Dr. Crusher discovered a way to restore the memories of the entire crew. (TNG: "Conundrum") Later in that year, Riker later wanted to say a few words about Ro at the funeral planned when it was believed she and Geordi were dead. Ro was frustrated because she and Geordi were rephased before Riker made his speech. (TNG: "The Next Phase")

In 2368, Riker helped the J'naii rescue the crew of one of their shuttlecraft trapped in a pocket of null space. During the planning stages of the mission, he became close to one of their pilots, Soren. The two were attracted to one another, a relationship forbidden by the oppressive government of the J'naii. Their relationship was discovered and Soren arrested. She was given psychological treatment to remove her inclinations to be female. Riker mounted an illicit rescue mission, but was too late. She refused to go along with him and did not wish to be returned to the way she was before treatment. (TNG: "The Outcast")

Kamala, a Kriosian empathic metamorph, tried to work her charms on Riker in 2368. He was able to resist her, but needed to visit the holodeck after the encounter. (TNG: "The Perfect Mate")

Will dated a new tactical officer, Rebecca White, in 2370. They went for a walk in the arboretum and became intimate, but the mood was ruined when Riker rolled into Cypirion cactus and was stuck by several thorns. (TNG: "Genesis")

Deanna Troi

Will Riker with Deanna Troi in 2375.

Deanna and Will began an intense and close relationship shortly following his posting to Betazed. They referred to each other as imzadi, a Betazoid word for "beloved." Troi apparently taught Riker how to communicate telepathically, but he seemed to lose the ability by 2364. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint") Will later remarked that he knew Deanna better than anyone. (TNG: "Man of the People") One of their favorite and most special locations was Janaran Falls. Eventually, Will was transferred to the Potemkin. The two stayed in touch and planned to meet at Risa in 2361, but Will was promoted shortly after the Nervala IV mission and forced to cancel their date. He made his career a priority over their relationship, and gradually, they lost touch and did not see one another until they were both posted to the new USS Enterprise in 2364. (TNG: "Second Chances") It was difficult to see each other again, and Troi tried to speak to Riker alone during their mission to Farpoint Station. He maintained a distance, and she did not make another attempt. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint") They eventually decided to keep a professional yet friendly relationship. They stayed close friends and confidantes, often approaching each other either to talk or for support in times of crisis. (TNG: "Violations," "Second Chances") As first officer and counselor, they were required to manage crew evaluations every three months. (TNG: "Man of the People," "Lower Decks")

While under the influence of the polywater intoxication in 2364, Troi attempted to seduce Riker, but Will maintained control and brought her to sickbay. (TNG: "The Naked Now")

Will was dismayed to learn of Deanna's betrothal to Wyatt Miller in 2364. Deanna reassured him that he would always be a special part of his life and that she still cared for him greatly. Will was delighted when Deanna remained aboard the Enterprise after Wyatt left to help the Terellians recover from a plague. (TNG: "Haven")

Will and Deanna attended the funeral service for Tasha Yar together after she was killed by Armus in 2364. Riker comforted Deanna during and following the event. (TNG: "Skin of Evil")

Troi was impregnated by an alien lifeform in early 2365. Riker had mixed feelings about the pregnancy and resultant child, but was with Deanna for the birth and supported her during the ordeal, especially after the child sacrificed himself to save the Enterprise. (TNG: "The Child")

Troi was visibly upset when Riker almost accepted assignement to the Aries in 2365. (TNG: "The Icarus Factor")

When Riker was affected by the memory virus picked up on Surata IV, Deanna stayed with him through his convalescence. She was present during his treatment and relayed the emotions Will was experiencing to Dr. Pulaski, giving her indication of which memories to activate and which to supress. (TNG: "Shades of Gray")

During the negotiations for the Barzan wormhole in 2366, Riker was challenged by the Chrysalian representative, Devonnoni Ral, in more ways than one. Ral and Deanna began a romantic relationship, and Ral used this to intimidate Riker. However, the Barzan wormhole was later determined to be worthless and Riker gleefully withdrew Federation bidding in front of Ral, who had just secured rights for the Chrysalians through underhanded means. (TNG: "The Price")

Later that year, Troi backed off when Riker made his interest in Yuta known. (TNG: "The Vengeance Factor") She stood by him after he was accused of Dr. Nel Apgar's murder, even when it seemed as if he was guilty. After he was exonerated, she squeezed his hand in affection. (TNG: "A Matter of Perspective")

The couple tried to take a romantic holiday on Betazed in 2366, but were interrupted by Lwaxana Troi. A Ferengi DaiMon, Tog, later arrived to kidnap Lwaxana, taking Troi and Riker with her. They later engineered an escape and were rescued by the Enterprise. (TNG: "Menage a Troi")

The Enterprise became trapped by two-dimensional lifeforms in early 2367. They also supressed Deanna's telepathic abilities and she found it difficult to deal with her loss. Will tried to help her cope with the trauma, but she resisted. He then called her "aristocratic" and thought she was upset because her empathic powers helped her feel superior to her shipmates. When the Enterprise was freed, her abilities were restored. She apologized to Will, but also made it clear that he was not to call her aristocratic again. (TNG: "The Loss")

Will and Deanna attended the wedding of Keiko and Miles O'Brien together. (TNG: "Data's Day")

Sometime prior to 2368, Riker and Troi had a romantic encounter following a poker night. Troi was reluctant to continue a relationship at the time and the incident remained isolated. (TNG: "Violations")

Both Riker and Troi were affected by the Satarran energy weapon, but Deanna still felt a connection to Will. Her suspicions were confirmed when Riker found a copy of Ode to Psyche given to him by Troi, with the inscription "To Will, all my love, Deanna." (TNG: "Conundrum")

When Riker expressed interest in Soren, he went to see Deanna in order to gain her approval of the relationship. Once again, Deanna assured him that they would always be special to one another, even if they saw other people. (TNG: "The Outcast")

Ambassador Ves Alkar linked with Deanna in 2369, using her as a receptacle for his "psychic waste." Deanna's behavior was drastically altered and she began to rapidly age due to the stress. She appeared for a crew evaluation meeting with Riker in a seductive outfit, then revealing that she had just slept with a male junior officer. Riker claimed that he felt her lovelife was none of his business, but Troi continued to press the issue, causing Riker to leave. Troi later tried to kiss Riker, then scratched him for no apparent reason. Riker reported this behavior to Dr. Crusher, who uncovered Alkar's plan and broke his link with Troi. Deanna thanked Will for his support, and he promised to love her even when she becomes old and gray. (TNG: "Man of the People")

The discovery of Riker's double on Nervana IV complicated his relationship with Deanna. That Riker had spent eight years pining for Deanna, and was eager to resume their relationship. He tried to have her transfer to the Zhukov, but she refused, not wanting to give up the life she spent so long building on the Enterprise. (TNG: "Second Chances")

Lwaxana Troi felt that Riker was partially the reason Deanna was still unmarried by 2370. While suffering from strain due to repeated telepathic contact with the Cairn, Lwaxana approached Will in Ten Forward and yelled at him, telling him to leave Deanna alone. She later had Deanna apologize for her behavior. (TNG: "Dark Page")

Troi attempted the Starfleet bridge officer examination in 2370. Riker supervised the tests, and did not show any favortism towards Deanna. After she attempted the engineering qualification several times without much luck, he came to tell her the tests were cancelled. However, he also gave her a hint which told her that the test was really about her ability to send a crewmember to his death. (TNG: "Thine Own Self")

Worf began courting Deanna in 2370, thankful for all of the help she provided in Alexander's care over the prior two years. (TNG: "Parallels") Worf was concerned that Riker may have felt betrayed by their relationship, and wanted to discuss the issue with Riker late that year. (TNG: "All Good Things...")

Will and Deanna stayed friends into their early years aboard the Enterprise-E. He helped her nurse the outcome of an alcohol binge instigated by Zefram Cochrane while they were trying to convince him to conduct his warp flight in 2063. (Star Trek: First Contact) However, things changed when they encountered the radiation of the Ba'ku planet in 2375. They began to playfully flirt with one another and ended up taking a bubble bath together. Their rekindled romance continued after the Enterprise left the Briar Patch. (Star Trek: Insurrection)

The two were to vacation at Pebble Beach on Earth in 2377. Deanna arrived first; Will was going to meet her a few days later. They later decided to go to Tiburon instead. They invited Reg Barclay to accompany them, wanting to introduce him to a mutual friend, Maril. (VGR: "Inside Man")

Will and Deanna were finally married in 2379, shortly before their transfer to the Titan. (Star Trek: Nemesis)

Alternate timelines

In 2366, the USS Enterprise-C emerged from a temporal rift. Its disappearance from the year 2344 caused an altered timeline, where the Federation was losing a war against the Klingons. Riker was still the ship's first officer, but he was much more toughened due to the horrors of war. He questioned the plan to to send the Enterprise-C back to the past, especially after Captain Rachel Garrett was killed, but Captain Picard proceeded with the plan. He later worked the tactical station following Tasha Yar's transfer to the Enterprise-C, but was killed in a subsequent Klingon attack. (TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise")

In 2367, Beverly Crusher became trapped in a warp bubble. Her thoughts created a universe where people began disappearing. Riker was one of the last Enterprise crewmembers to vanish. (TNG: "Remember Me")

Lieutenant Worf encountered a quantum fissure which caused him to begin shifting between quantum realities in 2370. In several universes, Riker was still Enterprise first officer, and planned a surprise birthday party for Worf even though he made it expressly clear he did not want one. In others, he had been promoted to captain. In the final universe in which Worf arrived, Riker was the captain, as Captain Picard was lost in the Borg encounter of 2367. In another reality, the Borg had invaded the Federation and the Enterprise was one of the few ships left. Riker was in command of that ship as well, and was desparate not to return to his universe once all of the Enterprises began spilling into a single universe. He was killed when another Enterprise unintentionally destroyed his ship, but the events following Worf's encounter were erased from the timeline once the fissure was sealed. (TNG: "Parallels")

In the anti-time past, Riker was left on Farpoint Station when the Enterprise was diverted to investigate a temporal anomaly in the Devron system.

In the anti-time present, Riker became uncomfortable with the growing relationship between Worf and Deanna, but he refused to voice his concern.

In the anti-time future, Riker had been promoted to admiral and was assigned to Starbase 247. The USS Enterprise-D, substantially refitted and upgraded, was his flagship. In this timeline, Deanna Troi had died around 2375, causing Worf and Will to become estranged, as both blamed the other for preventing a relationship with her.

Picard contacted him for help in investigating the anomaly, but Riker refused to allow him passage to the Neutral Zone, thinking Picard had been affected by Irumodic Syndrome and was delusional. Later, Picard convinced his ex-wife, Beverly Picard, to take her medical ship, the Pasteur to investigate the anomaly. The Pasteur was attacked and destroyed by Klingon battleships, but the Enterprise arrived to rescue the crew and fight off the Klingons. Immediately, Worf and Riker began to bicker. Picard once again pleaded with Riker to return to the Devron system, but he was then sedated and returned to quarters. Armed with new information gathered from the other two timeframes, Picard woke and went to talk to Riker and the other former Enterprise officers. He convinced them that the anomaly existed, and the Enterprise returned just in time to watch it form. Riker ordered the Enterprise into the anomaly, where it used a static warp shell in concert with the other Enterprises to collapse it.

After the anomaly was sealed, the timelines were erased and only Captain Picard retained memory of those events. Picard told his staff of his experiences in the future, in hopes that things such as the conflict between Worf and Riker never happen. (TNG: "All Good Things...")

Miscellaneous information

Riker's Starfleet serial number is SC 231-427. (TNG: "Gambit, Part I") His quarters on the Enterprise-D were on Deck 8. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part I")

By 2369, Riker had been decorated by Starfleet five times. (TNG: "Chain of Command, Part I")

Sometime between 2364 and 2365, Riker grew a beard because he was tired of people always telling him how young he looked. (TNG: "The Child," "The Pegasus") He briefly shaved it in 2375 after he resumed his relationship with Deanna Troi. (Star Trek: Insurrection)

In Reg Barclay's holofantasies of the Enterprise crew programmed in 2366, Riker was a short toady who followed the Three Musketeers: Picard, Data, and La Forge. Riker was incensed to discover his holosimulation, which Troi believed Reg made short on purpose because Riker's height may have been intimidating. Riker then deleted the character. (TNG: "Hollow Pursuits")

Riker was first seen in TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint" and remained with the series for its entire seven-year run and all four motion pictures. He also made crossover appearances in DS9: "Defiant" (although it was really Thomas Riker) and VGR: "Death Wish." Riker narrated the commentary on the Star Trek: The Next Generation Interactive Technical Manual and also appeared in the original Star Trek: The Experience ride.

Chronology

• 2335: Born in Valdez, Alaska on Earth.
• 2337: Will's mother passes away.
• 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.
• 2357: One of a few survivors after the destruction of the Pegasus.
• 2361: A transporter accident on Nervala IV creates a duplicate of Riker, later to be known as Thomas Riker. Riker is promoted to Lieutenant Commander for his exceptional valor during the incident.
• 2361: Assumes the executive officer's position on the USS Hood.
• 2364: Turns down command of USS Drake to become the first officer of the new USS Enterprise.
• 2365: Riker turns down command of the Aries.
• 2366: Riker turns down command of the Melbourne shortly before it is destroyed at Wolf 359.
• 2367: Riker is temporarily promoted to Captain and briefly assumes command of the Enterprise-D until Captain Picard is rescued from the Borg.
• 2379: Assumes command of the Titan. Marries Deanna Troi.