Pilots and first seasons of TV series also should be given some leeway when it comes to establishing things compared to how things end-up later. Pilots, many times, are made several months before work on the series itself begins and much can change between then, much also changes between first seasons and seventh seasons.
As far as the writers felt in S1, Picard was told to pick up his first officer at Farpoint, by the time Season 7 rolled around this "new universe" was more firmly established, the histories far more fleshed out and carved in stone and, simply put, the writers changed their minds on how Riker came to work under Picard.
As far as the writers felt in S1, Picard was told to pick up his first officer at Farpoint, by the time Season 7 rolled around this "new universe" was more firmly established, the histories far more fleshed out and carved in stone and, simply put, the writers changed their minds on how Riker came to work under Picard.
