Jeffrey Combes as William Riker.

[M-Red]

Frakes could definitely be too stiff. Sometimes he didn't look as comfortable as he should have been (although if they wouldn't have written Picard to be such an ass early on, it might not have been as bad). And sometimes the character became too predictable...all good points people have made here. Overall though, I liked the Riker character the way it was. He grew on me over time.


He went from "hot-head skirt chaser" to "reliable first officer" to "indispensable crew/family member." He matured....just like the show.


The show wasn't about him but that was fine....it worked for TNG and he fit in well. He was loyal but he definitely wasn't afraid to disagree with Picard and his arguments almost always made sense.


And I don't think it was because the character was at the tale-end of a machismo era. The '90s and '00s were full of hyper masculine characters on TV and the big screen that carried entire franchises. It would take a several-page thread to name them all.


in any event, that's just not the story that TNG was best suited to tell. Frakes as Riker worked out well imo.

 

[apenpaap]

[where's an Andorian smiley when you need one?)

 

[Nardpuncher]

^ I need to watch TMP again just for that.

Nard, you're right. That's who was second. I liked what Frakes did with Riker.

Combs is just too...well, it's hard for me to picture him playing anything other than slimy weasels.

You think of Shran as a slimy weasel?! [where's an Andorian smiley when you need one?)

Though I don't see him as slimy, I do see that he's very good at playing devious characters, that's also why I don't think he'd be right as Riker.
Even though Coombs is a phenomenal actor, Frakes works better as Riker.

 

[Therin of Andor]

[where's an Andorian smiley when you need one?)

V

 

[AstroMike]

I thought that along with William Cambell the other actor in the running was Christopher McDonald. He was the actor who played Lt. Castillo in Yesterday's Enterprise.

 

[AstroMike]

A little research and it looks like all auditioned for that role along with Vaughn Armstrong(multiple Trek characters, but Admiral Forest on Enterprise was his main role) and Erich Anderson (he was McDuff in Conundrum).

The guy that played the Traveler was the one that they had considered for Data.

It seems as though even if you did not get the part they tried to at least fit you in for a guest role.

 

[Anwar]

Christopher MacDonald? I could see him as the leading man type they wanted for Riker, especially given his performance in Yesterday's Enterprise.

As for Combes, nah. He wouldn't contrast well enough with what they wanted for Picard's character. Frakes was nice enough to put him in DS9 though which led to the rest.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Christopher MacDonald? I could see him as the leading man type they wanted for Riker, especially given his performance in Yesterday's Enterprise.

Now I'm trying to imagine Happy Gilmore with Frakes as Shooter McGavin...

 

[DevilEyes]

A little research and it looks like all auditioned for that role along with Vaughn Armstrong(multiple Trek characters, but Admiral Forest on Enterprise was his main role) and Erich Anderson (he was McDuff in Conundrum).

The guy that played the Traveler was the one that they had considered for Data.

It seems as though even if you did not get the part they tried to at least fit you in for a guest role.

Or a main one. Siddig El Fadil originally auditioned for Sisko.

 

[Anji]

Silk may be a desirable fabric but you can't use it for everything. Combs excelled with what he brought to his roles in Star Trek, but Frakes is Commander Riker. And I loved him in it.

 

[Saxman1]

Christopher MacDonald? I could see him as the leading man type they wanted for Riker, especially given his performance in Yesterday's Enterprise.

Have you seen MacDonald through the years? He blew up just like Frakes, so maybe he would have fit, LOL! Actually, I enjoy Frakes as Riker. Good director, too.

 

[Anwar]

If there's anything Trek has taught us, it's that romantic leading men type will eventually bloat up: Shatner, Frakes and MacDonald.

 

[Red Ranger]

I can't see Combs as Riker at all. It also would've meant we would've been deprived of Combs' turns as Weyoun, Brunt, and Shran. Glad it worked out like it did.

I liked Frakes' Riker. It's true TPTB struggled to find interesting things for Riker to do after BOBW. I always thought he should've been spun off into either DSN or VOY as the lead of those series, or some other ST spin-off.

 

[Anwar]

Riker should've been part of DS9, he would've been a captain (Sisko's immediate superior) who is also PO'ed that after saving Earth from the Borg they repaid him by sticking him as DS9's nearest starship (their mission being to patrol the border and aid Bajorans returning to the system and stuff). So Sisko is generally burnt out and thinking of resigning, Riker is PO'ed at his dead end captaincy, but then the wormhole situation cheers them both up (for different reasons).

 

[Red Ranger]

Riker should've been part of DS9, he would've been a captain (Sisko's immediate superior) who is also PO'ed that after saving Earth from the Borg they repaid him by sticking him as DS9's nearest starship (their mission being to patrol the border and aid Bajorans returning to the system and stuff). So Sisko is generally burnt out and thinking of resigning, Riker is PO'ed at his dead end captaincy, but then the wormhole situation cheers them both up (for different reasons).

An interesting rework of DSN including Riker as Sisko's C.O. Also. would that mean Riker would be the Emissary? Hmm.

BTW, some of the other actors, esp. Christopher McDonald and Billy Campbell, would have made a good Riker. I wonder if either of them would've grown a beard. I remember reading way back when that Frakes grew the beard because he was being compared to both William Shatner and Anson Williams (Potsie from Happy Days).

 

[JustKate]

I am not a major Frakes fan, but even I consider him almost infinitely superior to Billy Campbell, yuck. I mean, yuck, yuck, yuckety, yuck. Yuuuck!

Sorry, Campbell fans. I do feel rather strongly about it, as you can probably tell.

 

[WillsBabe]

Silk may be a desirable fabric but you can't use it for everything.

I think this might be the most elegant comment I've read on the bbs.

Had Riker gone to DS9, I'd liked it to have been Tom Riker rather than Will.

 

[DevilEyes]

I am not a major Frakes fan, but even I consider him almost infinitely superior to Billy Campbell, yuck. I mean, yuck, yuck, yuckety, yuck. Yuuuck!

Sorry, Campbell fans. I do feel rather strongly about it, as you can probably tell.

Tell us how you really feel.

Why do you dislike him so much? I liked him in both Once and Again and The 4400.

Had Riker gone to DS9, I'd liked it to have been Tom Riker rather than Will.

Me too. But I'm not sure I'd like to see him as a main character; as a recurring character, yes.

 

[Anwar]

An interesting rework of DSN including Riker as Sisko's C.O. Also. would that mean Riker would be the Emissary?

Oh no, I mean Sisko would be the station commander and the Emissary while Riker was on a ship but would have been Sisko's immediate superior in the area since the ship would be DS9's major defense and such.

 

[WillsBabe]

Me too. But I'm not sure I'd like to see him as a main character; as a recurring character, yes.

Recurring character would have been good. (Cute avatar, btw, Devil.)