Why Commander Riker was never a good character in TNG series ?

[Charlie Kelly]

I know I'm in the minority, but I don't think Riker turning down promotion was a bad thing. During the scene with Troi in Best of Both Worlds Pt 1 where Riker is complaining that he's lost his drive and ambition, she thinks he hasn't lost a thing but he's grown, he's more comfortable with himself and happier than she's ever known him to be. I think that's the point, there's more to life than ambition and your career and now Riker's found a place for himself on the Enterprise where he's happy he doesn't want to give that up. I don't think that's a bad thing.

 

[Prax]

In All Good Things, they depict a not-so-great future. Picard and Beverly finally got together...only to get divorced. Riker focused on his career, and moved up the ladder always assuming that Deanna would be there. Then she died, and he became bitter over it.

 

[Steven P Bastien]

There is nothing wrong with a character being complex and flawed and seemingly contradicting. This is how humans are in reality. No one is a perfect hero in the real world. Riker seemed to change at some point. You can attribute the change to some things known and explicitly shown in the series, or you can attribute the change to some things unknown. The writer might tell you, or may not tell you. Real people are like that too. In life we encounter many people that are significantly affected by deaths, tragedies, lost love and even illogical internal fears/anxieties.

I like that Riker was perhaps the most "real" character by the end of the series. You would be lucky to have someone like that as a friend, flaws and all. He valued his friends more than his career path. That is a mark of character, not a character flaw.

 

[maneth]

I know I'm in the minority, but I don't think Riker turning down promotion was a bad thing. During the scene with Troi in Best of Both Worlds Pt 1 where Riker is complaining that he's lost his drive and ambition, she thinks he hasn't lost a thing but he's grown, he's more comfortable with himself and happier than she's ever known him to be. I think that's the point, there's more to life than ambition and your career and now Riker's found a place for himself on the Enterprise where he's happy he doesn't want to give that up. I don't think that's a bad thing.

I like your ideas. Everybody doesn't have to be super-ambitious. Of course, Riker does eventually get his own ship, in Nemesis, so he isn't completely without ambition either.

 

[Jonesy]

This may have been posted before, but I think the initial speculation on Riker becoming a huge and important character on TNG was due to Roddenberry's decree that the Captain was going to stay on the ship while the first officer handled the away missions. Whether it was Patrick Stewart or the writers or producers, this was changed. But, Riker was really going to be the ass kicking officer on dangerous away missions. This was part of the reason why I think Riker wasn't really able to develop, but certainly not the only one.

 

[USS Firefly]

I also would have prefered that Will Riker left the show, Data becomes the new first officer and that Thomas Riker gets ops

 

[at Quark's]

I like your ideas. Everybody doesn't have to be super-ambitious. Of course, Riker does eventually get his own ship, in Nemesis, so he isn't completely without ambition either.

I agree, but I also think someone who gets to be the flagship's first officer on such a young age, has a very high probability of being ambitious, besides probably being very competent. But of course, people aren't static. For example, perhaps Riker was this ambitious 'hotshot' in his earlier years and then during his years on the Enterprise gradually started to wonder 'do I really want to make Captain before age 35?', etc...

 

[Unimatrix Q]

I liked Riker much more in Seasons 1 - 4, than in the later Seasons. He became much more grumpy, stern, humorless and unlikabable starting with Season 5. Can't imagine early Riker to be so unempathic and unfriendly to Ro when they first met, for example.

 

[Edward Jellico]

He was a bad first officer and would have made a worse Captain.

 

[Armus]

Riker's character goes through 3 stages in TNG's run. Riker always had a streak of impatience and hot air but that made him more human, and it played well against the other characters.

In seasons 1-2 Riker was the "swashbuckler" of the show. He got a share in all the action and he got to romance alien women. Shades of Grey plays as Best of Riker seasons 1-2. I think Gene Rodenberry liked Riker more than he did Picard and Maurice Hurley understood the character well.

In season 3, as the show evolved and the away team missions were emphasized less, his character wasn't showcased with the same focus but he still was portrayed as a positive figure. Michael Piller related to Riker and he had reverence for how the character had been established.

By season 6, Other writers and producers were writing TNG and they had less reverence for the character and his function on the ship. His character was often portrayed as cranky and weary and more stern. He seems quite hard on the young Ensign helmsman in Lower Decks. Look how he turned out in the future portrayed in All Good Things.

 

[HugeLobes]

Riker was one of the best characters, but not the most interesting. TNG almost failed, and I think it's because they tried to over-gimmick the characters. In TOS, you basically had one 'special' character: Spock. Everyone else was just a basic human - it was Spock who provided that vital outsider POV.

In TNG, you have:

• The only Klingon in starfleet
  
• The only android in starfleet
• A boy genius
  
• A counselor who can read emotions
• A guy who needed a visor to see (this isn't such a huge gimmick, but I'm including it).

Data was great and Worf was okay. Wesley and Troi were awful - I'm convinced Troi would have been written out if not for the departure of Gates McFadden and Denise Crosby meaning they couldn't replace all their women.

Riker is just pretty normal - ironically, that makes him stand out on the Enterprise. When you need a very human character, Riker is an excellent character to bring in. He's ideal as the XO because he doesn't overwhelm the story with his own background - the role wouldn't have worked as well if you had someone like Data filling it. Riker is the most realistic, down-to-earth character - he's great as a foil for the show's more 'our there' characters, and it's nice to see him doing normal things like arranging poker nights and playing the trombone.

In a way, he was the heart of the show and the crew. It often felt like he bought people together socially. Picard was the captain, but he was distant. Riker was the more approachable leader who could be counted on to act as a bridge between crew and captain.

So, Riker is definitely one of the least interesting TNG characters, but he's also one of the best.

 

[DavidFalkayn]

Funny thing with TOS was that the intention was that the show would revolve around Kirk as the action-hero, but fans were drawn more towards Spock, to very large extent because of Mr. Nimoy's great performance in that role. The big problem with Riker was, as has already been stated, the writers put themselves, and him, in a corner with "Best of Both Worlds"--basically, they did too a good a job in showing that Riker was ready to move on to something bigger. "Best of Both Worlds" would have been an excellent launch vehicle for a sequel with Riker as oh...if not the captain of a starship then maybe the captain of a space station...

 

[HugeLobes]

I don't think BOBW was such a problem, but I wish they'd more clearly underlined Riker's motives. It could have been something like:

Riker: Since taking my commission on the Enterprise, I've assisted in 9 first contact operations, seen off threats from the Borg and the Romulans, traveled further beyond Federation space than I dreamed possible, and served with the finest captain in the fleet. I could leave now as a good captain or in three years as a great one. Right now I wouldn't trade in these three pips for admirals rank, let alone the captain's chair.

It could also be emphasized that Riker is really a crucial crew member who cannot be easily or quickly replaced.

 

[STEPhon IT]

The writers lost interest when they realized Data and Picard were more popular. Worf even.

In continuity Riker turned down his own command several times. It never really made any sense. He was introduced as being on the fast track to commanding his own vessel but 15 years later he was still Picard's first officer.

If I was in Riker's shoes, I wouldn't have moved on to another ship after being on the Enterprise. No way, no how. The point was the ships Riker was offered were not in the line of a Galaxy Class. Can anyone blame Riker for having some expectations on a commission?

He's one of the finest Star Fleet Officers and a gem of an Executive Officer for Picard. For Riker, he probably thought he would have to either persuade an Enterprise senior staff to join him or find a crew as good as the ones on the ship. Riker's progression as a character was fantastic, he even recollected on how much he'd changed; he simply became a well rounded individual. Second Chances gave me a contrast of Riker which made me appreciate him more.

I don't think the character was used well in the films, although Frakes had the opportunity to branch off as a director, he became irrelevant as character. Just along for the ride.

 

[Vger23]

Riker was the most realistic and relatable character on the entire show.

To me, that makes him indispensable.

 

[STEPhon IT]

Nemesis has Riker commanding the Titan, and I've heard that ship is not a Galaxy Class in non-canon things. Since we've seen in "All Good Things..." he ended up commanding the Enterprise; and he seemed to love the Galaxy Class, wouldn't it be more in the character of Riker to accept a command which was a Galaxy Class vessel? I've heard the Titan is some lesser class of ship, to me its not Riker. I doubt after all the lesser ships he was offered he would end up with something other than a Galaxy Class.

 

[Tenacity]

wouldn't it be more in the character of Riker to accept a command which was a Galaxy Class vessel?

How long should Riker have waited for something that apparently wasn't going to happen?

 

[Discofan]

Nemesis has Riker commanding the Titan, and I've heard that ship is not a Galaxy Class in non-canon things. Since we've seen in "All Good Things..." he ended up commanding the Enterprise; and he seemed to love the Galaxy Class, wouldn't it be more in the character of Riker to accept a command which was a Galaxy Class vessel? I've heard the Titan is some lesser class of ship, to me its not Riker. I doubt after all the lesser ships he was offered he would end up with something other than a Galaxy Class.

Maybe he finally realized that he'd never get a Galaxy Class ship for his first captaincy.

 

[STEPhon IT]

Someone didn't do their homework when they made USS Titan not a Galaxy Class... which is why any other designation should be ignored. Everything from what we know of Riker tells us a Galaxy Class is the ship he craved.

 

[STEPhon IT]

How long should Riker have waited for something that apparently wasn't going to happen?

Who said it didn't happen??? Was the Titan designated in Nemesis?