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==Depiction== ===''Star Trek: The Next Generation''=== Riker is usually referred to as "Will". He is also usually (and informally) called "Number One" by [[Jean-Luc Picard|Captain Picard]], because of his position as first officer on the ''Enterprise''. Riker was originally scripted as a much more serious, by-the-book officer, but by the middle episodes of the first season, it was felt that he was too "official", and his character was toned down and became more of a ladies' man. For the first two seasons, Riker is portrayed as a bold, confident and sometimes arrogant, ambitious young officer; however, over time he becomes more reserved, as experience teaches him the wisdom of a patient, careful approach. He becomes comfortable on the ''Enterprise'', repeatedly turning down offers of his own command, and he learns to cherish his fellow officers' company. Nonetheless, he retains a willingness to occasionally disregard the [[command hierarchy|chain of command]]. Although Riker was clean-shaven for the first season, he grew a beard at the start of the second season that later became something of a trademark. Between sessions, Frakes grew a beard for his role in the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] miniseries ''[[North and South (miniseries)|North and South]]'', and Gene Roddenberry asked him to keep it because he thought it made Riker look more nautical.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/jonathan-frakes-talks-william-riker-playing-trombo-100891|title=Jonathan Frakes talks William Riker, playing trombone with Phish, and more|first=Will|last=Harris|website=[[The A.V. Club]] |date=July 30, 2013 }}</ref> Because Frakes' beard coincided with what fans and critics perceived as an improvement of the show's writing quality, "[[Jumping the shark#Growing the beard|growing the beard]]" has become an internet colloquialism for a once subpar television series achieving a dramatic level of improvement.<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 12, 2021|title=Star Trek: Why Commander Riker Grew a Beard for The Next Generation Season 2|url=https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-why-commander-riker-grew-a-beard-for-the-next-generation-season-2/|access-date=November 3, 2021|website=CBR|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Gartenberg|first=Chaim|date=September 14, 2017|title=How Seth MacFarlane could save his terminally bland Star Trek clone The Orville|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/14/16307156/the-orville-fox-star-trek-seth-macfarlane-humor-originality|access-date=November 3, 2021|website=The Verge|language=en}}</ref> Riker did shave his mustache and beard during the events of ''[[Star Trek Insurrection]]'', to the amusement of [[Data (Star Trek)|Data]]. Riker's background is first explored in the second-season episode "[[The Icarus Factor]]". In the episode, Riker's estranged father, Kyle, visits the ''Enterprise'' to offer his son the command of the USS ''Aries'', which Riker refuses. We learn that Riker grew up in [[Alaska]];<ref name="ST1">{{cite web | title=Riker | website=Star Trek | date=February 24, 2017 | url=https://www.startrek.com/database_article/riker-william | access-date=October 15, 2020}}</ref> that his mother, Elizabeth (Betty), died when he was two; and that he was raised by his father until age 15, when he left home. In the episode, Riker had not spoken with his father for 15 years, but they manage to partially mend their relationship over a game of martial-arts [[sparring]] called Anbo-jitsu. In the episode "[[Lower Decks (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Lower Decks]]", a waiter at Ten Forward mistakenly states that Riker is Canadian, and in the same episode Riker clarifies that he grew up in Alaska. According to the ''Voyager'' episode "[[Death Wish (Star Trek: Voyager)|Death Wish]]" (in which Riker made a guest appearance), Riker's distant ancestors also lived in the United States: During the [[American Civil War]], his ancestor Colonel Thaddeus Riker fought on the Union side as an officer in the [[102nd New York Infantry Regiment]] during the [[Atlanta Campaign]]. In the two-part episode "[[The Best of Both Worlds (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|The Best of Both Worlds]]" Riker takes command of the ''Enterprise'', promoted to the rank of captain through a [[field promotion]], and orchestrates Picard's rescue. This episode also explores the idea of Riker being unwilling to take chances since he had grown comfortable in his role as First Officer aboard the ''Enterprise''. By the end of the episode, when he orders the ''Enterprise'' to fire on former Captain Picard, now Locutus of Borg, Riker has grown into a more confident leader. The sixth-season episode "[[Second Chances (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Second Chances]]" reveals that Will Riker was duplicated long ago by a [[Transporter (Star Trek)|transporter]] malfunction. The "second" Riker takes the name "[[Thomas Riker|Thomas]]", which is revealed to be William Riker's middle name. In the seventh-season episode "[[The Pegasus (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|The ''Pegasus'']]", Riker must confront his former commanding officer, Admiral Erik Pressman, over a cover-up related to the destruction of the USS ''Pegasus''. The ''Pegasus'' had illegally developed a radically different type of cloaking device that also allowed it to phase through matter, resulting in it becoming fused within an asteroid when unstable power consumption forced the cloaking device offline. In the ''Enterprise'' series finale, Riker appears as a never before seen cook discussing matters of life, duty, and sacrifice with the crew. It is revealed that his presence is part of a holodeck simulation of historic events that Riker initiated to help himself make the decision to inform Captain Picard of the illegal research once conducted by Admiral Pressman aboard the ''Pegasus''. Before the beginning of the series, Riker was involved in a romantic relationship with [[Deanna Troi|Counselor Troi]] on her home planet [[Betazoid|Betazed]]. They often refer to each other as ''imzadi'', a Betazoid term of endearment meaning "soulmate". The novel ''[[Imzadi]]'' takes place before the beginning of the series and explores the history of the relationship between the two characters. The two characters are close friends throughout the series, but their relationship does not resume until ''[[Star Trek: Insurrection]]'', the third ''Star Trek'' film set in the ''Next Generation'' era, although Thomas Riker, the duplicate created by a transporter malfunction, attempts to respark their relationship in "Second Chances". The following movie, ''[[Star Trek: Nemesis]]'', begins with their wedding reception on board the ''Enterprise''-E. At the start of the film, Riker finally accepts a promotion to [[Starfleet ranks and insignia|captain]] and an offer to command the USS ''Titan''; during the movie's final scenes he bids Picard, and the ''Enterprise'', farewell. ===''Star Trek: Voyager''=== Riker guest-starred along with [[Q (Star Trek)|Q]] in the ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'' episode "[[Death Wish (Star Trek: Voyager)|Death Wish]]". ===''Star Trek: Enterprise''=== Frakes reprised his role of Commander Riker in the 2005 ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise|Enterprise]]'' series finale, "[[These Are the Voyages...]]". ===''Star Trek: Picard''=== Riker returns to the screen in the "Nepenthe" episode of ''[[Star Trek: Picard]]''. In that episode, taking place in 2399, Riker is married to Deanna Troi; they have two children, Thad (now deceased) and Kestra. Picard and his gynoid companion Soji visit the Rikers' home, a National Parks-style lodge on the planet Nepenthe, and are welcomed with open arms. Will and Deanna are retired from Starfleet although Will describes his status as being on "active reserve."<ref>{{cite web | url =http://trekcore.com/blog/2019/07/star-trek-picard-brings-back-jeri-ryan-brent-spiner-jonathan-frakes-marina-sirtis/ | title = TREK Vets Brent Spiner and Jeri Ryan Back for STAR TREK: PICARD, Plus: Frakes and Sirtis Returning Too! | date = July 20, 2019 | access-date= July 20, 2019 | publisher= TrekCore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.etonline.com/star-trek-picard-what-you-need-to-know-before-diving-into-the-cbs-all-access-series-140094|title='Star Trek: Picard': The Complete Guide to the CBS All Access Series|website=Entertainment Tonight|language=en-US|access-date=January 23, 2020}}</ref> Riker makes another ''Picard'' appearance in the Season 1 finale "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part II". In that episode, Riker has been reinstated to active duty. He is temporarily in command of the USS ''Zheng He'', the lead ship in a Starfleet squadron sent to the planet Coppelius to protect its inhabitants from imminent [[Romulan]] attack. Riker, along with other former members of the crew of the USS ''Enterprise''-D, return for an extended story arc in the third and final season of ''Picard'', wherein they fight a rogue Changeling conspiracy against the Federation. Riker appears from the season premiere onward (as of the fourth episode), and is acting captain of the {{USS|Titan|NCC-80102-A}}{{snd}}successor to [[#Star Trek: Lower Decks|the ship he was given command of]] at the end of ''[[Star Trek: Nemesis]]'', continuing in ''[[Star Trek: Lower Decks]]''{{snd}}in the third and fourth episodes. While conducting a heist at the advanced research center the Daystrom Institute on Picard's behalf, Riker is captured by the rogue Changelings, and reunited with Deanna in the sixth episode. Riker had fallen into an existential crisis after Thad's death, and their relationship had turned into one of toxic codependency and longing for adventure, necessitating their temporary separation and Picard's help. Their former crewmate [[Worf]] rescues the couple and brings them aboard the ''Titan'' in the eighth episode, reuniting the crew of the ''Enterprise''. ===''Star Trek: Lower Decks''=== Riker appears in "No Small Parts", the 2020 finale of the first season of ''[[Star Trek: Lower Decks]]'', as captain of the USS ''Titan'' (NCC-80102) alongside his wife [[Deanna Troi]]{{snd}}continuing a posting announced in dialogue at the end of ''[[Star Trek: Nemesis]]'' (2002). Riker appeared in the second season's first and second episodes.<ref>{{Cite web|date=October 8, 2020|title=Star Trek: Lower Decks β Jonathan Frakes' Riker To Return in Season 2|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/star-trek-lower-decks-season-2-cast-jonathan-frakes-riker/|access-date=October 24, 2020|website=Den of Geek|language=en-US}}</ref>
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