William Riker

William Thomas Riker is a fictitious character in the Star Trek universe played by Jonathan Frakes, who appears in the television series ' (TNG) and all the movies focusing on the TNG characters. Riker is called "Will" by those who know him; "Bill" only by the unfamiliar (such as Dr. Crusher in Encounter at Farpoint, although inexplicably Deanna Troi refers to him in this way in Haven {{fn|1}}). He held the rank of Commander as second-in-command of the Enterprise-D during the series, and of the Enterprise-E beginning in ', but was promoted to Captain of the USS Titan in the film '.

Related Topics:
Star Trek - Jonathan Frakes - Encounter at Farpoint - Deanna Troi - Haven - Enterprise-D - Enterprise-E - USS Titan

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Will Riker was born to Kyle Riker and Betty Riker in Valdez, Alaska, Earth in 2335. In 2350, the elder Riker abandoned his son; his wife had died some years before. William resented his father for this and the two did not speak again until 2365, fifteen years later.

Related Topics:
Kyle Riker - Valdez, Alaska - Earth

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Riker entered Starfleet Academy c. 2353 and graduated in 2357, finishing eighth in his class. He acquired a lifelong repuation for using unorthodox solutions, as Enterprise Second Officer Data estimated he only used traditional tactics 21% of the time. Among the earliest assignments of his career were on the Excelsior class U.S.S. Potemkin, on the planet Betazed, where he met Deanna Troi. He then served as a lieutenant and then a lieutenant commander on the U.S.S. Hood, also an Excelsior. Riker had two cruises on Hood, his second (2361–4) as XO. During his time on the Potemkin, Riker was involved in a transporter accident while beaming up from a planet; that accident created an exact copy of him which remained on the planet. Seven years after graduation, 2364, he requested and received a transfer to the USS Enterprise-D, the Federation flagship of that time, where he served as XO under Captain Jean-Luc Picard. After his assignment to the Enterprise, the fast-tracking young commander's career came to rest, and he remained on the Enterprise for nearly a decade and a half. (Starfleet has a bizarre habit of indulging officers who wish to stay with ships named Enterprise, even when it would be better for their careers to move on to new ships and postings.) Following the destruction of the Enterprise-D in 2371, Riker was reassigned to the USS Enterprise-E, where he again was Picard's first officer. On the Enterprises, Riker was a popular officer with many close friends among the crew, acting as the visible extension and "softer face" of the somewhat aristocratic Captain Picard's authority.

Related Topics:
Starfleet Academy - Data - Excelsior class - Betazed - Deanna Troi - XO - USS ''Enterprise''-D - Federation - Flagship - Jean-Luc Picard - USS ''Enterprise''-E

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While on Enterprise, Riker was involved in the rescue of his transporter-duplicate, who continued his own career in Starfleet as Tom Riker.

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In 2379, having previously turned down several promotions in order to continue serving with Picard, Riker finally accepted promotion to Captain and assignment to command of the USS Titan. In the same year, he also married Deanna Troi.

Related Topics:
USS ''Titan'' - Deanna Troi

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Frakes reprised the role of William Riker in the final episode of ', aired in May 2005. In it, Riker consults holographic simulations of the final voyage of the NX-01 Enterprise in an attempt to help him deal with the situation concerning the USS Pegasus and its illegal cloaking device. Riker, with the help of Counselor Troi, cast himself in several roles within the holodeck program, such as the ship's chef and a MACO soldier. Eventually Riker, after learning all he can from the holodeck program, decides to come clean and explain to Captain Picard exactly what the situation with the Pegasus is.

Related Topics:
NX-01 Enterprise - USS Pegasus - MACO

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