Tom Riker?

[Freman]

Any chance of him showing up again? I really think he should've been back on the show at some point, and I know we're supposed to just assume he's dead at the hands of the Cardassians.

But we never saw a body, soooooo......

I think it'd be neat for him to show up unexpectedly in the DS9 Relaunch or even the TNG books.

 

[Paris]

^If I remember correctly, Tom was mentioned by Will Riker in one of the Marvel trek comics from the late 1990's. The Telepathy War one-shot maybe. I don't remember if he was ever seen on panel, but I think it's revealed that Tom wasn't actually dead. He was just a prisoner of the Cardassians. Although, it makes sense to assume that after the Dominion came on the scene they either killed him as an enemy, or planned on using him for some nefarious plot. It's also possible that Tom was freed as an act of goodwill by the Dominion. They had made some overtures to the Feds and to Bajor when they first arrived, not to mention the non-aggression pact that they signed with Bajor. I know Tom isn't a Bajoran, but as a Maquis they may be more likely to help get him out of the stockades.

It would be great if he could somehow appear in the DS9 relaunch. He's probably good friends with Ro, and from the DS9 episode he did, it also seems like he gets on well with Kira. Of all the officers to serve under, she would probably be one of the ones most likely to give him the benefit of the doubt, considering his checked past after he was originally rescued by his "brother" and the Enterprise crew.

 

[Christopher]

There have been several Tom Riker stories here and there. Double Helix: Quarantine dealt with Tom's recruitment to the Maquis. There have been several post-captivity Tom Riker stories, not all of them compatible: the Peter David novel Triangle: Imzadi II, the short story "Promises Made" in Strange New Worlds 08, and the story "Sole Asylum" in issues 29-30 of Malibu's DS9 comic. There might be other references to him here and there.

 

[Bob Greenberger]

In A Weary Life, book 5 of the eBook series Slings & Arrows, I deal with Will Riker's feelings towards Tom when he encounters members of the Maquis who knew him. I establish he's still in prison and no one has countered that.

 

[Paris]

In A Weary Life, book 5 of the eBook series Slings & Arrows, I deal with Will Riker's feelings towards Tom when he encounters members of the Maquis who knew him. I establish he's still in prison and no one has countered that.

In the post-Dominion War setting, shouldn't Tom have been released at some point? Weren't the rest of the imprisoned members of the Maquis (that weren't killed on Tevlik's Moon) released? I guess it's possible that the Cardassians killed all the Maquis left in prison before the end of the war...

Someone really should deal with this. We need to get word to Mike Martin, as he's the guy writing the next Titan novel. Or maybe DRG3, as he's dealing with the DS9 (i.e. Bajor, Cardassia) portion of the Typhon Pact.

 

[21Spike65]

The last reference to Tom Riker chronologically-speaking that I remember was in the A Time... series. I don't remember which book it was, but Will was thinking about his family, but unfortunately all it says about Tom is that Will had lost contact with him. Though that does imply that, to the best of Will's knowledge at least, Tom is still alive at that point.

 

[Paris]

^And most likely out of prison, as Will would probably know if Tom was still behind bars in Cardassian space. If Tom was still incarcerated, Will probably would have mentioned it...

 

[Warp Coil]

It's possible that Tom Riker survived through his incarceration and came out alive following the end of the Dominion War (was he kept in prison on Cardassia, which was so brutally attacked and devastated? Or was he imprisoned on another world?). Assuming he he wasn't killed by the Cardassians or the Dominion, he could have been released. It would be an interesting story thread to pick up on.

 

[rahullak]

I wish the stories evolve such that Tom's still alive after Destiny though.

 

[William Leisner]

I dunno that a "Thomas Riker returns" story would really work without Will being part of it, and with him off on the other side of the galaxy on Titan, such a reunion is not likely to happen. There could be other Tom Riker stories to tell, but my snap opinion is to just leave him hanging in his Schroedinger cat-like state of existence for now.

 

[rahullak]

Perhaps Tom could steal a slipstream equipped ship and unfortuitously "run-into" Will?

 

[Cybersnark]

Or maybe Tom set out after being released to get as far away from known space as possible. Maybe find a nice secluded little planet somewhere, out in unexplored space. . .

 

[William Leisner]

^ Okay, show of hands: Who here, upon reading a story where it's revealed Tom Riker secretly left Cardassian space in a secret slipstream ship, and coincidentally crossed paths with Will and the Titan, would not hurl their book or Kindle through the nearest wall?

 

[Dayton Ward]

Tom Riker was pulled through a red matter-induced black hole to 21st century Earth, where he managed to assimilate into that society while directing episodes of TV shows and the occasional movie for television or cinema.

 

[rahullak]

^
...while also wittingly conceiving Will Riker's great-great-grandfather in order to preserve the timeline.

 

[ClayinCA]

'Wittingly' conceiving? So he did it on purpose? That Riker's a cad no matter what first name he uses!

 

[Wally]

Assuming he survived the last days of the Dominion War in captivity, I don't see why he wouldn't STILL be in prison. Tom Riker wasn't a POW. He commited some serious crimes and turned himself in to Cardassian authorities. If Cardassia is unable to care for it's prisoners anymore, it is likely he could be in Federation custody.

 

[Lindley]

Assuming he survived the last days of the Dominion War in captivity, I don't see why he wouldn't STILL be in prison. Tom Riker wasn't a POW. He commited some serious crimes and turned himself in to Cardassian authorities. If Cardassia is unable to care for it's prisoners anymore, it is likely he could be in Federation custody.

The Jem'Hadar were ordered to exterminate Cardassians, not everyone in sight. Shortly thereafter they were ordered to stand down. I could see that sequence of events leading to a lot of completely unguarded prison facilities.....which in turn means some escapes and lots of starvations, probably.

 

[Freman]

I respectfully disagree with the notion that Will Riker needs to be present in any 'Tom Riker returns' story. I think Ro is more than good enough. After all, the character of Kalita (think that's her name) was featured in the TNG episode where Ro defects to the Maquis, and she was also in the DS9 episode featuring Tom, where she was working alongside him.

I don't think it's too big an assumption to make that Tom Riker and Ro Laren know each other.

And he got along pretty well with Kira too.

 

[rahullak]

What would Tom's purpose be in a post-Destiny universe? Freelance pirate? Trader? Surely, not Starfleet?