What really happened between Riker and Apgar's wife in Matter of Perspective?

[JirinPanthosa]

Everyone's favorite Rashomon episode of Trek. I've been watching this episode since I was a teenager and before I naturally gravitated toward Riker's side of the story just because he's a main character who we have watched for years and implicitly trust. But my latest viewing has me asking more questions.

Riker tells a story where he's lightly flirting with her and she, overcome by his charm, becomes the aggressor in her bedroom. She tells a story where an overly forward officer followed her into her quarters and propositioned her. Troi confirms they both believe they were telling the truth.

This paints a picture where, although Riker may have felt like he was just being naturally charming but was fully acting like a gentleman, she legitimately felt cornered and trapped. She was probably being friendly just out of politeness and he interpreted it as engagement with the flirtation.

I wish they had shed light on this more instead of having the rest of the episode be pure Riker vindication. They missed an opportunity for Riker to realize that he was making her feel that way and truly repent for it. Because that would have been an insight way ahead of the episode's time.

 

[Tosk]

My biggest problem is with the differing accounts of the first scene. One has a respectful and professional Riker, and one has an inappropriately-Manua-focused Riker.

But Geordi was standing right there the entire time, and no one ever asks him about his perception of the conversation. Nor does he ever bother to speak up.


The later scene where it's just Riker, Manua, and Apgar...I wouldn't be surprised if Riker's account is a little sterilized, but Manua's version is so over-the-top 'evil rapey Riker' that it's hard to take seriously. She may honestly remember it that way, but I don't accept it as fact.

 

[Mojochi]

Chiefly, we have to understand that Riker is interacting with people who aren't human. Even we will walk away from an interaction with wildly different interpretations of what was happening, but when you add in hugely dissimilar cultural factors, it's even more possible for discrepancy

I agree it was a missed opportunity to delve into the social nature of Riker. He is often described as highly engaging & charming, which in most cases probably suits his life & career well, & is largely NOT considered inappropriate flirting, but with this race... They might read him entirely differently. I don't think he was doing anything different than he'd normally do in similar situations, just trying to be friendly & accommodating, maybe even more so, considering everyone admits that Apgar was agitated about the whole thing from the start (because of his impropriety)

My take: Riker arrives, immediately sees Apgar is defensive about it, wants to deescalate, & sees that Manua is a more approachable person, so he shines her on a bit, as a way to be friendly, but doesn't see it as more than just trying to ingratiate himself to somebody in the room, so as to be less intimidating. I'm sure as big and commanding as he is, he always has an ingratiating schtick he does, when people find him imposing

She mistakes it as overly familiar, thus coloring her every interaction with him thereafter, as forward & flirtatious. A lot can be construed in the eye contact a man has with another man's wife. Then, when Apgar dies, there's no other explanation than that Riker did it, & in her guilt about having maybe enjoyed Riker's attention, she is now overcome with very tainted interpretations of her interactions with him, & defensively views herself as being more greatly victimized

My biggest problem is with the differing accounts of the first scene. One has a respectful and professional Riker, and one has an inappropriately-Manua-focused Riker.

But Geordi was standing right there the entire time, and no one ever asks him about his perception of the conversation. Nor does he ever bother to speak up.

It certainly does undermine Riker's position, that Geordi is not called to testify. I wonder if because Riker, like you said, might be offering a sterilized account, Geordi doesn't see it exactly that way, and decided to not offer anything that might in any minute way contradict Riker's account, even if it was as simple as Riker DID single out Manua a bit more, because he was getting such defensiveness from Apgar. Geordi could disagree with that single aspect of his account, & not want to harm Riker's standing, in a trial that has such diametrically opposed rules.

If Riker's spin was off even just that fraction, & Geordi was asked about that, with Troi right there, he'd either appear to her to be lying, or he'd have to admit discrepancies, & damn Riker's case. Better to stay off the stand & work the evidence angle, because what was a benign focus of attention, in the moment, can now serve to damn him.

I think Riker's understating how much attention he paid Manua, during the introduction. He was there to see Apgar, but Apgar was being conflictual. So he turned to the wife to try to make peace, and now that it's being called into question, he legit thinks it was nothing (and it was really) but in hindsight it is a bad look, that he focused on her at all, because in light of the events, it appears more substantial

 

[Dukhat]

Doesn't Geordi's VISOR have the ability to record? As stated earlier, it really doesn't make sense for him to be in the scene if he could have easily given testimony as to what actually happened, either with a video or simply by stating what he saw.

 

[Uxi]

Riker tells a story where he's lightly flirting with her and she, overcome by his charm, becomes the aggressor in her bedroom. She tells a story where an overly forward officer followed her into her quarters and propositioned her. Troi confirms they both believe they were telling the truth.

This paints a picture where, although Riker may have felt like he was just being naturally charming but was fully acting like a gentleman, she legitimately felt cornered and trapped. She was probably being friendly just out of politeness and he interpreted it as engagement with the flirtation.

Another possibility. She was probably fully flirting without intending to consumate. Or she did and Troi couldn't read her as fully as she could another more familiar species.

 

[Mojochi]

Doesn't Geordi's VISOR have the ability to record? As stated earlier, it really doesn't make sense for him to be in the scene if he could have easily given testimony as to what actually happened, either with a video or simply by stating what he saw.

Yeah, but if that evidence suggested even slightly that maybe Riker wasn't as formal as his testimony led everyone to believe, would they really want that put on the record? I'm not saying Geordi withheld vital evidence. I'm saying maybe that what he saw could've gone either way too... like he WAS friendly to her & it could be slightly misinterpreted by other cultures, but he claimed it was all clear cut, because that's what he truly believes & likely so would anyone else... except the people trying to force him to prove innocence.

With this awful legal system they have, maybe don't introduce anything else that can be picked apart, when you have the burden of proof

 

[Dukhat]

Yeah, but if that evidence suggested even slightly that maybe Riker wasn't as formal as his testimony led everyone to believe, would they really want that put on the record?

I highly doubt Riker would have acted the way Manua described. Even if he acted anything out of the ordinary in an effort to rebuff her, I'm reasonably certain Riker would have been fine with that on record.

 

[Mojochi]

I highly doubt Riker would have acted the way Manua described. Even if he acted anything out of the ordinary in an effort to rebuff her, I'm reasonably certain Riker would have been fine with that on record.

But that's not the issue. I too am sure he did nothing inappropriate, (or close to her claims) but he testifies that it was a seemingly, almost entirely, sterile interaction, & maybe he was just a bit friendlier than that, in reality, without realizing it. So, while he'd, even still, be ok with that being on record, & probably us & most people too, he's uncharacteristically having to prove his innocence here. ANY minute deviation from his account fails to do that, which he just can't afford.

Honestly? If they don't figure out that Kreiger wave stuff... This case probably doesn't go well for him. Their legal system makes it almost impossible for him, without the science coming back in his favor, & proving someone else was responsible. He might be doomed otherwise

 

[Uxi]

Yeah mutually attraction and flirtation dancing towards the redline bordering on adulterous conduct unbecoming to Riker could have had a private dressing down from Picard in the ready room after. Imagine if Apgar really had been former special forces equivalent and really did beat Riker at hand to hand.

 

[Yuri Nikolayev]

They smashed.

Hard.