Spoilers Star Trek: Lower Decks 1x07 - "Much Ado About Boimler"

[Trekker4747]

I always felt Riker did want to be a Captain, He just wanted to be the Enterprise Captain.

Sort of always been my thoughts, here he is on this gorgeous, luxurious, ship that's the best and most advanced in the fleet on which are good friends and his gorgeous former girlfriend, why would he want to go and Command some 70-year-old Excelsior-class ship?

 

[BillJ]

Sort of always been my thoughts, here he is on this gorgeous, luxurious, ship that's the best and most advanced in the fleet on which are good friends and his gorgeous former girlfriend, why would he want to go and Command some 70-year-old Excelsior-class ship?

Starfleet told him where to go with those thoughts when they brought Jellico aboard.

 

[fireproof78]

Starfleet told him where to go with those thoughts when they brought Jellico aboard.

I'll be if he had taken that command then he probably would have been up for the Enterprise command shortly thereafter. He just had to demonstrate a willingness to work within the system rather than just waiting it out (and still not getting what he wanted).

 

[Romulan_spy]

I always felt Riker did want to be a Captain, He just wanted to be the Enterprise Captain.

Yeah, I think it was heavily implied in Best of Both Worlds where Riker is telling Troi, I think, about how he sees the Enterprise as THE ship where all the good stuff happens that he wants to be a part of. So Riker was not interested in being the captain of any other ship because he saw the Enterprise as the best ship and the only ship worth being the captain of. For Riker, being the captain of any other ship was like a demotion because it meant being the captain of a lesser ship.

 

[BorgMan]

I laughed harder than I should when the cocktail was put down on the top of the wheelchair...

 

[ToddCam]

I never really bought Riker's excuses. I mean, technically I did, since I was a kid when I first watched TNG.

I think a combination of fear and the (maybe mostly subconscious) desire to stay with his true love kept him on Enterprise(s) even after the D's destruction and when the Federation was in a major interstellar war with a need for experienced starship captains.

Getting back to Mariner, and how she is apparently a lot older than Boimler, she has shown a great deal of care for others and being most capable when lives are on the line. Maybe she lost people under her command before, and equates command with whatever 'red tape' might have contributed to a loss.

 

[Trekker4747]

Starfleet told him where to go with those thoughts when they brought Jellico aboard.

Jelico was installed because his skills/experience with Cardassians was necessary for the mission Starfleet was trying to carry out, not because they didn't want to put Riker into the seat and not because, like in this episode, they felt the ship needed a substitute teacher/babysitter while mommy and daddy were away.

 

[BillJ]

Jelico was installed because his skills/experience with Cardassians was necessary for the mission Starfleet was trying to carry out, not because they didn't want to put Riker into the seat and not because, like in this episode, they felt the ship needed a substitute teacher/babysitter while mommy and daddy were away.

They could’ve simply brought Jellico along as a mission commander/Federation representative. They didn’t, they put him in the captain’s chair, and there was no indication that was going to be reversed if Picard didn’t come back.

He was the Captain of the Enterprise. Which made a lot of sense, considering the ship was the sector command ship and Jellico’s experience.

 

[Trekker4747]

They could’ve simply brought Jellico along as a mission commander/Federation representative. They didn’t, they put him in the captain’s chair, and there was no indication that was going to be reversed if Picard didn’t come back.

He was the Captain of the Enterprise. Which made a lot of sense, considering the ship was the sector command ship and Jellico’s experience.

It was all part of the ruse they had for the operation, of Picard being transferred away. But, in the end Starfleet wanted Jelico on the Enterprise in that sector because of HIS experience with the Cardassians and wanted Picard on the mission because of HIS experience with the type of weapon they thought the Cardassians were developing, it wasn't a "snub Riker" thing.

Any other time Picard is thought to be lost it's generally treated as if the Enterprise would carry on with Riker as captain; as Picard says in "Q Who" and what happens when Picard is presumed dead in "Gambit" the Enterprise is allowed detached duty with Riker as captain to investigate what happened. They don't tell Riker to sit tight while we send out a big-boy to take care of things. Hell, it's generally taken that Riker is the captain and will continue to be so when Picard is declared lost in BoBW.

 

[BillJ]

It was all part of the ruse they had for the operation, of Picard being transferred away. But, in the end Starfleet wanted Jelico on the Enterprise in that sector because of HIS experience with the Cardassians and wanted Picard on the mission because of HIS experience with the type of weapon they thought the Cardassians were developing, it wasn't a "snub Riker" thing.

Any other time Picard is thought to be lost it's generally treated as if the Enterprise would carry on with Riker as captain; as Picard says in "Q Who" and what happens when Picard is presumed dead in "Gambit" the Enterprise is allowed detached duty with Riker as captain to investigate what happened. They don't tell Riker to sit tight while we send out a big-boy to take care of things. Hell, it's generally taken that Riker is the captain and will continue to be so when Picard is declared lost in BoBW.

Riker’s stock is never higher than it is leading into “The Best of Both Worlds”, once he refused the Melbourne, Starfleet simply quit pulling out the captain’s chair for him. As far as “Gambit” goes, we have no idea what Starfleet’s plans are if Picard were truly dead.

I simply don’t think Starfleet gives their frontline diplomatic ships (especially the flagship) to a first time captain, unless the circumstances are extraordinary.

 

[Trekker4747]

Riker’s stock is never higher than it is leading into “The Best of Both Worlds”, once he refused the Melbourne, Starfleet simply quit pulling out the captain’s chair for him. As far as “Gambit” goes, we have no idea what Starfleet’s plans are if Picard were truly dead.

I simply don’t think Starfleet gives their frontline diplomatic ships (especially the flagship) to a first time captain, unless the circumstances are extraordinary.

No, they just do it for cadets who're on academic suspension.

 

[BillJ]

No, they just do it for cadets who're on academic suspension.

Different timeline. Besides, he saved the Earth and Federation. Kirk’s reward was to be given milk runs where they could keep an eye on him.

 

[eschaton]

This is one of those cases where I'm absolutely a Doylist, not a Watsonian. The reason Riker stayed on the ship for seven years (plus the movie era) is because...well...Frakes was part of the main cast. In exactly the same way that high-school based shows try and find excuses to have their characters stick around after graduation.

They could have handled it better though. Like the idea to kill Will and have Tom Riker take his place. Or maybe engineer some sort of "fall from grace" for him which effectively mean the Enterprise is the last place in Starfleet he is welcome. Either one would give an excuse for Frakes still being on the show while not canceling out Riker's early characterization.

 

[fireproof78]

They could have handled it better though. Like the idea to kill Will and have Tom Riker take his place. Or maybe engineer some sort of "fall from grace" for him which effectively mean the Enterprise is the last place in Starfleet he is welcome. Either one would give an excuse for Frakes still being on the show while not canceling out Riker's early characterization.

Just do Pegasus earlier.

 

[Trekker4747]

Different timeline. Besides, he saved the Earth and Federation. Kirk’s reward was to be given milk runs where they could keep an eye on him.

Yeah, the death of Kirk's father (the catalyst for the diverging of the timelines) caused Starfleet to change their entire system and operation of handling cadets and the rank system.

Kirk's father alive: You graduate as an Ensign and spend years working up from that rank to Captain.

Kirk's father dead: You're on academic suspension but you saved Earth so skip years of working up through the ranks on various ships and go straight to commanding the most elite ship in the fleet! Instead of, I dunno, a medal some accolades maybe ignore the academic suspension thing and just go straight to Lieutenant (J.G.) Nope, Captain! Starship!

As for Riker, there's no reason to think Starfleet had lost any faith or anything in him or they wouldn't have given him them Enterprise if Picard really were to be lost (all indications or hints were that if Stewart had left the series the show runners would've done just that, hell that's what was set-up in BoBW with him and Shelby) he stayed on the Enterprise because that's just what the show dynamics required. Hell, it's probably just foolish the "Riker being offered commands" was even introduced because it made him look so weak and foolish.

 

[BillJ]

Yeah, the death of Kirk's father (the catalyst for the diverging of the timelines) caused Starfleet to change their entire system and operation of handling cadets and the rank system.

Extraordinary circumstances lead to extraordinary measures. Admiral Kirk knew nothing about the new Enterprise and hadn’t been in space for two and a half years, yet was turned loose when the situation required it.

Damn, sometimes you just gotta roll with it or else life becomes a miserable exercise.

Watching “The Wounded” right now, an entire crew following a captain on a bloody vendetta.

 

[fireproof78]

Kirk's father dead: You're on academic suspension but you saved Earth so skip years of working up through the ranks on various ships and go straight to commanding the most elite ship in the fleet! Instead of, I dunno, a medal some accolades maybe ignore the academic suspension thing and just go straight to Lieutenant (J.G.) Nope, Captain! Starship!

He was already a lieutenant and got by on nepotism.

Also, however many officers and cadets lost due to Nero's attack probably impacted promotions and needed positions filled.

Damn, sometimes you just gotta roll with it or else life becomes a miserable exercise.

Pretty sure Star Trek is a miserable exercise at times.

 

[BillJ]

Pretty sure Star Trek is a miserable exercise at times.

No doubt. Using an eleven year old grudge to bash a cartoon.

 

[fireproof78]

No doubt. Using an eleven year old grudge to bash a cartoon.

Your pain runs deep.

 

[BillJ]

Your pain runs deep.

My pain, where Trek is concerned, runs real deep. But most of it has nothing to do with the content.