Why no Captain Riker.

[Mycroft Maxwell]

That or letting the Ferengi capture the Enterprise-D on his watch.

And it didn't look good that a few "kids" captured it back.

 

[Snaploud]

I don't think Riker was cut out to be a Captain (at least, not at that age). He just wasn't mature enough, and he tended to have trouble dealing with new people. That's not somebody I would want handling first contact situations.

I think the situation with Jellico was a good test. Riker failed that test in just about every way.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

If I recall, Riker turned down the USS Drake (Arsenal of Freedom) before being assigned to the Enterprise. I don't think it was the Enterprise...well I think it may have been when the Melborne was offered to him.

If memory serves he was offered the Drake, Aries and the Melbourne throughout the series.

Despite the prestige of serving on E-D, he'd eventually get overlooked.

 

[Praetor]

In the real world, surely only experienced Captains command aircraft carriers, having to start out on smaller vessels first, even if they were just the XO of an aircraft carrier?

 

[KaraBear]

This come from reading the "Favorite Trek Couple" thread.

I can't find this thread. Where is it?

To answer your question, though, I think it was a combination of things: he wanted the Enterprise; he wanted to be with Deanna, maybe for the first time in his life he was enjoying where he was rather than aiming at the next big thing. The question largely remains unanswered, even in the one conversation they address it. When Will and Deanna are discussing what he wants in BOBW, they still don't come to a conclusion other than he obviuously wants to be on the Enterprirse or doesn't want to be a captain at that time.

It was something I brought up in that thread. I mentioned that if I was Deanna I'd be pissed at Riker. He broke up with her because his career was the most important thing to him, but then he turned down every opportunity for advancement

I think he said his reasoning was that it was bette to be the first officer on the Flagship then a captain of some random ship

 

[Praetor]

Probably safer too.

Did I imagine it, or was there a line in "Death Wish" where Riker mentions he turned down command of the Voyager? Geez, wonder what a VGR spearheaded by Riker would have been like.

 

[Skywalker]

If he was waiting for Picard to give it up, he didn't know the man very well. This was the same guy who spent more than twenty years commanding the Stargazer, after all.

 

[R. Star]

Riker should've realized that getting a prime command would look better if he had been captain for a number of years on a smaller ship. Which yeah... Picard was captain of Stargazer for years before he got the flagship.

 

[Makarov]

I think Riker deserves his own ship, if not his own FLEET of ships, after Best of Both Worlds. I can't imagine there are many other starfleet officers who can put "saved earth from the Borg" on their resume. And he did it with a first officer who hated him.

So if he wants to chill out for a while, I wouldn't hold it against him. After all, who exactly would he be getting passed over for, that would be more qualified than Riker? All the experience he gets on the Enterprise is valuable.

 

[R. Star]

And if he had taken a ship right after BoBW he probably would've gotten the next Galaxy class out of the shipyards. But Riker's stock went down a lot in the last four seasons.

 

[Bacl]

I always took it that pre-U.S.S Enterprise, Riker was a young hotshot who was rising through the ranks quickly towards Captaincy. He was the type of guy who prioritized his career (hence all the stuff with Troi, leaving her to take his promotion) and probably had a lot of mental games about how young he could be when he made Admiral, etc.

Then he met Jean-Luc Picard.

I always believed that what held Riker back was Picard, but it was Riker's choice. Picard so embodied the ideals and truths of the Federation, his diplomacy, morality, knowledge, everything, that Riker was absolutely floored. He wanted to study under Picard and be a better human, to promote himself from within rather than meaningless rank. That's what I always believed.

 

[C.E. Evans]

If he was waiting for Picard to give it up, he didn't know the man very well. This was the same guy who spent more than twenty years commanding the Stargazer, after all.

To be fair, Picard was a young man when he assumed command of the Stargazer, but not so much when he got the Enterprise. It really wasn't too unreasonable for people to think at the time that Picard's career as a starship captain was winding down (with the Enterprise capping it), and that he'd be moving onto the admiralty in a year or two.

 

[Chensams]

I think it's more that he got comfortable in his position. How many times did we see him in Ten Forward fratenizing with the crew. He was happy where he was at.

 

[Praetor]

I always took it that pre-U.S.S Enterprise, Riker was a young hotshot who was rising through the ranks quickly towards Captaincy. He was the type of guy who prioritized his career (hence all the stuff with Troi, leaving her to take his promotion) and probably had a lot of mental games about how young he could be when he made Admiral, etc.

Then he met Jean-Luc Picard.

I always believed that what held Riker back was Picard, but it was Riker's choice. Picard so embodied the ideals and truths of the Federation, his diplomacy, morality, knowledge, everything, that Riker was absolutely floored. He wanted to study under Picard and be a better human, to promote himself from within rather than meaningless rank. That's what I always believed.

You know, I'll buy that. Plus the whole "happy" thing.

 

[SignGuyHPW]

I always thought that there was a combination of The Enterprise being the flagship thus being assigned to the most desirable ship in the fleet and having the belief that he'd be first in line once Picard moved out of the captaincy. If he was XO of the Enterprise on the day Picard's promoted or resigned or whatever then he'd have a stronger chance of being promoted to cpatain and assigned The Enterprise than if he'd left the ship 5 years earlier and was captain of a random lower class star ship hoping to get transferred back.

I know they brought up his relunctance to take a command of his own some times and I thought that it hurt Riker's character to a point. He passed up the promotion so many times it seemed to me that they'd eventually just never consider him for a command.

 

[CommodoreDecker]

@The end of Star Trek Generations, Riker made two statements to Picard..He said "Speak for yourself I intend to live forever" And "I always thought I would get a shot at this chair" (Pointing to the Captains chair) Picard responded "Perhaps you might, I doubt this will be the last starship with the name Enterprise" Early on, Riker was offered command on his own ship, but he told Tasha Yar he thought it would be more beneficial to serve on Enterprise. The command went to one of his classmates instead. I think for a time, Riker forgot his ambition and his drive and got comfortable as 1st officer.

 

[Timewalker]

I think Riker noticed how many Captains were dropping like flies at the time - either killed in action, or their entire ships destroyed - and decided it was just too dangerous to be a Captain!

 

[Snaploud]

I have to admit that his potential commands had horrible luck. The Melbourne was a complete wreck after the battle at Wolf 359. The Drake was destroyed while in orbit around Minos. Voyager ended up in the Delta quadrant. Only the Ares ("an insignificant ship") wasn't a complete disaster.

 

[R. Star]

I dunno, in Riker's place I'd be wondering... "could I have made a difference" in regards to those potential commands of his that were lost shortly after being offered to him. He figured out the Minosians and was the one who stopped the Borg after all.

 

[Makarov]

I have to say that the importance of Riker moving on in his career makes me question the concept of working just to improve yourself. Along with Picard's distaste for ending up as a lowly crewman in Tapestry, it makes me wonder if the accumulation of money has been replaced with rank & status.

"Where were your evolved sensibilities then!"