Riker's Starfleet career

[vess]

Is there any citation of how long someone is supposed to serve as an XO before taking his own command?

It always bugged me when people got on Riker's case about taking his own command. I think the first instance was in Season 2, just ONE YEAR into Will's career as XO of Enterprise.

It just seemed to be a hollow plot point in the show.

 

[Anwar]

He was already offered his own command before he took the Enterprise XO post in the first place. He likely had already served for a while as the XO of another vessel (or vessels). I guess people were wondering why a guy who had a ship offered to him before kept turning them down.

Of course, every ship he was offered got destroyed (except the small scout-ship) and everytime he was in command of the ENT-D it didn't go so well...

 

[indolover]

He probably wasn't ready for command yet, which may even have been a point against him.

Or he valued the glamour of being the XO aboard Starfleet's flagship. At the time, the Galaxy-class of ships were the most powerful in Starfleet (before the Defiant-class and Sovereign-class in DS9 and the TNG films respectively).

 

[nx1701g]

He likely had already served for a while as the XO of another vessel (or vessels).

He served as Captain DeSoto's Executive Officer aboard the Hood. Actually, Captain DeSoto teased him about it in Tin Man and tried to get him to transfer back.

 

[vess]

He was already offered his own command before he took the Enterprise XO post in the first place.

Oh right. U.S.S. Drake.

Still though, according to memory-alpha.org, Riker was promoted to Commander upon taking the posting on Enterprise. There's no way he could have been ready for his own ship.

I'm just saying that it is a pointless, repetitive plot point.

 

[Anwar]

You can command a vessel at the rank of Lt Cmdr, that's standard practice in the USN.

 

[Xerxes1979]

What about the other Riker? Thomas Riker would have been on the fast track to Lt. Commander or Commander until the DS9 writers went insane and made him Maquis.

 

[pookha]

actually there have been commanders in charge of smaller ships before.
lt commanders for that matter.

and it helps to remember that when will was offered the ares he had already done an awful lot.
including working with picard to help save the federation in conspiracy, defend data and serve in honor aboard a klingon ship.

but things changed after best of both worlds.
i think if will had wanted he would have been given a command then and there.
but if he didnt want one then the whole thing that he would miss his chance just also went away.

he helped to save the federation again in a much more public manner.
also starfleet might have felt more comfortable with will staying around considering what picard went through.