Riker's rank change in Best of Both Worlds Question

[tim0122]

Unless I'm misremembering, after Picard is taken by the Borg in Best of Both Worlds, Riker is promoted to captain. He even has the four pips instead of three. But after that two-parter, he's back to commander with no explanation. It makes sense Picard would retake the Enterprise after his rescue, but is demoting an officer in that type of circumstance at all normal in real-world service? Shouldn't Riker have remained at rank captain but moved back to first officer? I know it's all about maintaining the status quo, but can this be explained?

 

[USS Firefly]

Yes easily. Riker was scared to stay in the big chair, so he claimed Picard for himself for ten more years.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Brevet rank?

 

[DGCatAniSiri]

Admiral Hansen explicitly refers to Riker as being granted a field promotion. As an official matter, Riker was granted that additional pip. With the Borg cube barrelling towards Earth, things were a crisis and there was no time or place for anything more official, something of the same purpose of the transfer of command ceremony that we'd see from Picard to Jellico in Chain of Command.

Under the circumstances of the crisis, Riker could likely have been able to step down in the name of it having been simply for the duration of the crisis, rather than an intended permanent promotion.

 

[The Wormhole]

If Riker had wanted to keep his Captain's rank, he could have as Starfleet would have felt compelled to grant him any favor he wished. Shelby even alludes to this at the end when she comments to Riker that he now has his pick of any assignment he wishes. That his rank reverts to being Commander afterwards was his wish.

 

[Nerys Myk]

If Riker had wanted to keep his Captain's rank, he could have as Starfleet would have felt compelled to grant him any favor he wished. Shelby even alludes to this at the end when she comments to Riker that he now has his pick of any assignment he wishes. That his rank reverts to being Commander afterwards was his wish.

Nah, Riker needs another decade of seasoning before he has the skills to be Captain.

 

[The Wormhole]

I see what you did there.

 

[Tomalak]

He was assigned to be Picard's minder, in case he went crazy and caused another massacre.

 

[Finn]

Hansen forgot to let the Brass know. The Admiralty wouldn't believe lowly Commanders and Lt. commanders when they tried to tell them, in the briefing after they saved Picard. I mean Shelby would have already been an Admiral instead of still being a Captain in Picard if Hansen had lived....

 

[at Quark's]

That his rank reverts to being Commander afterwards was his wish.

Now I'm seeing this mental image of a very stingy Starfleet reverting Rikers rank to Commander immediately after the Borg cube blow up over earth, and Riker being emotionally devastated by that ("there .... were..... FOUR ..... pips! ").

But I agree, Riker probably could have kept the Captain rank, had he wanted to. He certainly could've chosen his own command.

 

[C.E. Evans]

There's a precedent in Starfleet for command-level officers to accept a temporary change in rank for a particular mission and then revert back afterwards. In TMP, Kirk went from admiral back to captain to command the Enterprise and then was an admiral again sometime afterward.

In the case or Riker, he very likely could have stayed as a captain, but he probably would have had to leave the Enterprise-D if Starfleet didn't want two captains on that ship. Given his choice of assignments, he chose to stay and go back to the rank of commander.

 

[at Quark's]

^I'm no military expert, but isn't this because Star Trek doesn't differentiate between the rank of captain and the position of captain, the way these are different things in real world navies?

Otherwise, there'd be no reason for Kirk to be demoted to captain, just because he wanted to command the ship personally. Or for Riker to renounce his captain rank simply because he stepped out of the captain role.

 

[The Wormhole]

^I'm no military expert, but isn't this because Star Trek doesn't differentiate between the rank of captain and the position of captain, the way these are different things in real world navies?

Otherwise, there'd be no reason for Kirk to be demoted to captain, just because he wanted to command the ship personally. Or for Riker to renounce his captain rank simply because he stepped out of the captain role.

The Enterprise A in the latter TOS movies had three Captains aboard, Kirk, Spock and Scotty.

 

[Tomalak]

It depends on the writers. DS9 made a point of referring to Lt. Commanders Dax and Worf as "captain" when they commanded the Defiant.

 

[Nerys Myk]

It depends on the writers. DS9 made a point of referring to Lt. Commanders Dax and Worf as "captain" when they commanded the Defiant.

Probably Ron Moore's doing.

 

[Tomalak]

Probably Ron Moore's doing.

Indeed.

 

[Frontis]

If Riker had wanted to keep his Captain's rank, he could have as Starfleet would have felt compelled to grant him any favor he wished. Shelby even alludes to this at the end when she comments to Riker that he now has his pick of any assignment he wishes. That his rank reverts to being Commander afterwards was his wish.

Ye, Riker never wanted to be captain.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

DS9 made a point of referring to Lt. Commanders Dax and Worf as "captain" when they commanded the Defiant.

Because that's exactly what they were.

They were captains by position, not by rank. But captains nonetheless.

It's like in "Yesterday's Enterprise" when Lt. Castillo ascends to command the Enterprise-C (after Captain Garrett's death). Proper naval tradition demands that he now be addressed as Captain, even though by rank he's still only a Lieutenant.

As for Riker? He was only promoted to Captain because of Picard's capture and Borgification. Once Picard was recovered and restored to duty, Riker's promotion became meaningless. Thus he's now a Commander again. Easy peasy.

 

[The Wormhole]

It depends on the writers. DS9 made a point of referring to Lt. Commanders Dax and Worf as "captain" when they commanded the Defiant.

Although other writers in the franchise have completely misunderstood that to the point that the Kelvin movies have anyone in command of the bridge being addressed as "Captain." Taken to ridiculous lengths in a deleted scene in Beyond where Kirk himself actually refers to the bridge's watch officer as "Captain."

 

[Phoenix219]

I was just complaining about this a few days ago in another thread. Upon rewatch, the entire 2 part episode/movie is narratively centered around changing the status quo and putting the pieces in their new positions - and then immediately undoes itself. It undercuts its own premise and Riker is never the same.