Riker's Promotion to Captain.

[Tenacity]

In Generations we saw Worf being promoted. In First Contact, should Riker have been promoted to the rank of captain? Not the bilet/position, but the rank. or do you think this would have confused the general audience who wouldn't know the difference between a rank and a "job title?"

It's not unknown for a modern large naval ship, like a aircraft carrier, to have both the commanding officer and the executive officer to both hold the rank captain.

Riker certainly had put in the time, and gained the experience, for the promotion. There could have been a ceremony like with Worf, or alternately just start refering to Riker by the rank, and have him wear the four pips of a captain.

Personally I think it would have been a good idea, do the rest of you have any thoughts on the matter?

 

[NCC-73515]

He was promoted to Lt. Cdr.

 

[Tenacity]

Thanks, I'll fix that.

 

[BillJ]

No. Why give him the privileges of the rank when he won’t take on the responsibility?

 

[J.T.B.]

It's not unknown for a modern large naval ship, like a aircraft carrier, to have both the commanding officer and the executive officer to both hold the rank captain.

It's possible in real life, but apparently not a common practice in Starfleet. It appears more like Starfleet career progressions move one out of the F/O position at the captain rank.

No. Why give him the privileges of the rank when he won’t take on the responsibility?

Yep. "OK, if you want to refuse the commands we've offered, we can certainly refuse to promote you."

 

[valkyrie013]

Spock was a captain in TWOK and beyond. even when Kirk got busted, the Enterprise A had 3 captains. Kirk, Spock, and Scotty!
So what could have happened would be Picard promoted to commadore, and have riker as Captain under him.

Riker should have got his own ship after the D pancaked itself on Verideian 3 anyways. But.. writer/crew integrity.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

It's not unknown for a modern large naval ship, like a aircraft carrier, to have both the commanding officer and the executive officer to both hold the rank captain.

Riker certainly had put in the time, and gained the experience, for the promotion. There could have been a ceremony like with Worf, or alternately just start refering to Riker by the rank, and have him wear the four pips of a captain.

As valkyrie013 notes, there were three officers with the rank of Captain on the Enterprise-A in Star Trek V and VI -- Kirk, Spock, and Scotty -- so I don't see a problem with Picard and Riker both holding the rank of Captain. To be honest, I was disappointed that Riker's field promotion to Captain in "Best of Both Worlds" wasn't made permanent. Really, he should have been a Captain all along.

Riker should have got his own ship after the D pancaked itself on Veridian 3 anyways. But.. writer/crew integrity.

Agreed. Reassembling the D crew, down to junior officers, on the E was lazy.

 

[BillJ]

Really, he should have been a Captain all along.

With the losses Starfleet sustained, he should’ve been forced into his own command.

 

[valkyrie013]

Worf was gone, but found a way on to the ship.
Riker with troi, could have been on another ship.
Picard, Data, Geordi, Crusher could have been on the E. A captain keeping his chief engineer and CMO isn't unheard of, and Data could transfer as well, make him the new #1 and then add someone new at Tactical,Ops,and Helm.
and the other movies, Insurection could have both ships go into the briar patch.
and Nemisis, with Riker's wedding, have both ships early on, then the E goes to Romulas, and both ships fight the Scimitar..

 

[J.T.B.]

As valkyrie013 notes, there were three officers with the rank of Captain on the Enterprise-A in Star Trek V and VI -- Kirk, Spock, and Scotty -- so I don't see a problem with Picard and Riker both holding the rank of Captain.

Yeah, I don't think that's really a good example of a typical arrangement; it seems rather to be quite exceptional, the result of action by the Federation Council and President.

 

[BillJ]

Yeah, I don't think that's really a good example of a typical arrangement; it seems rather to be quite exceptional, the result of action by the Federation Council and President.

It really felt like they were just taking the entire Enterprise senior staff and brushing them under the rug.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

With the losses Starfleet sustained, he should’ve been forced into his own command.

No disagreement. I wish NextGen had been made more like other dramas of the time -- Wiseguy, Tour of Duty, LA Law -- and had more cast turnover. Realistically, it's Picard that should have been written out -- after the Borg experience, letting him go back to the Enterprise doesn't make a lot of sense. Not for security reasons. For medical reasons. How did Starfleet know that being Borged wouldn't have long-term health complications? "Oh, hey, looks like everything's removed, it was just cosmetic, let's not study what happened."

 

[BillJ]

Realistically, it's Picard that should have been written out -- after the Borg experience, letting him go back to the Enterprise doesn't make a lot of sense. Not for security reasons. For medical reasons. How did Starfleet know that being Borged wouldn't have long-term health complications? "Oh, hey, looks like everything's removed, it was just cosmetic, let's not study what happened."

My pet theory, at least for the first year or two, is that Starfleet kept Riker on the Enterprise to keep an eye on Picard for Borg-related side effects. Figuring no one probably knew him better than his first officer.

 

[arch101]

My pet theory, at least for the first year or two, is that Starfleet kept Riker on the Enterprise to keep an eye on Picard for Borg-related side effects. Figuring no one probably knew him better than his first officer.

This actually makes good sense- hadn't thought of it before.

 

[Tenacity]

With the losses Starfleet sustained, he should’ve been forced into his own command.

I've wondered why Riker wasn't simply assigned the CO position on his first command, instead of the position being offered to him. If he had been assigned as CO of a ship immediately after TBOBW, by the time of Nemesis Riker might have been in command of his second or third ship, each better than the last.

Figuring no one probably knew him better than his first officer.

Maybe the empathic psychotherapist who sits right next to him? But Riker and Troi could have been double teaming Picard, recieving this assignment from Starfleet while Picard was visiting his brother's family.

 

[dupersuper]

But Riker and Troi could have been double teaming Picard.

 

[STEPhon IT]

I would've liked Riker to be already in Command of a Starship preferably a Galaxy Class ship and had to fight the Borg in FC. His ship gets damaged and transported to the 1701-E, Worf could've been on board, a scenario like that would be far more interesting than the Defiant not looking good in the movie. A ship that was specifically designed to defeat the Borg.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

I think the Defiant had already shown that it had its flaws, even against the Dominion. I personally would have loved a post-credits scene as Worf brings the Defiant back to DS9, towed by the Enterprise...

 

[Charles Phipps]

I think the Defiant had already shown that it had its flaws, even against the Dominion. I personally would have loved a post-credits scene as Worf brings the Defiant back to DS9, towed by the Enterprise...

You mean like the second one being stolen by a bunch of teenagers? Yeah, I know Starfleet is lax on security but whoever let that happen needed to be cashiered.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I don't think it was necessary for Riker to be a captain in Generations because of the way Picard had the chain of command on the Enterprise-D set up. Data was still the second officer with just the rank of lieutenant commander in Generations. There really wasn't any confusion or conflict with authority in the Picard-Riker-Data triumvirate. That might have been just the way Picard preferred it on his ship, and it may have not been considered something that needed to be fixed or changed.

The real issue might have been Riker still being on the Enterprise in Generations. IMO, Starfleet wasn't going to force a promotion on Riker because he was given the right to pick his own assignment after Wolf 359--and if that meant staying as XO on the Enterprise with the rank of commander, so be it. I think eventually they would have just simply stopped offering him commands after awhile and let him be. Maybe the Titan was his last chance at a captaincy, who knows?