In “Star Trek” Will Riker had to wait quite a long time to be promoted to captain. Now actor Jonathan Frakes comments on the career fate of his iconic role.
Star Trek: The USS Titan – the first ship commanded by Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) as Captain. (Source: Amazon Prime video screenshots & collage: Netzwelt)
- In Star Trek: Picard, Will Riker is back and holds the rank of Captain.
- Jean-Luc Picard’s first officer has been waiting for this promotion for 15 years.
- Jonathan Frakes reveals why the promotion was so long in coming.
Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) is one of the biggest fan favorites in the “Star Trek” universe. In “Star Trek: Picard” season 3 he has returned and supported Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). The former first officer of Picard now carries the rank of captain.
However, Riker had to wait quite a long time for this one. On Starship Enterprise, Riker was a commander the entire time and was never promoted, though he did fill in as captain when Picard was unavailable. In the films, too, Riker ended up staying aboard the Enterprise under Picard.
In all, that’s a 15-year span that Riker has gone without a promotion. Only in “Star Trek: Nemesis” does Riker receive his first command and becomes the captain of the USS Titan. 7 seasons of a series and 4 films. Pretty long. Why did this take so long?
In the series, Riker was actually always pretty clear: he would like to command his own ship. But Jonathan Frakes has a good answer as to why Riker was so reluctant to climb the corporate ladder.
This is at the expense of the authors. I mean, they kept Riker saying, ‘I want my own ship and I really want to be a captain.’ And then when the offer comes, Riker turns it down. It must have happened two or three times in the show. It was So a conflict in the writers’ room that Riker ends up being a bit arbitrary with his career choices, and then of course the ships that are offered to Riker are destroyed by the Borg in battle.
Jonathan Frakes in conversation with Screen Rant
At the end of the statement, Frakes laughs. He exaggerates the whole situation and takes the wind out of the sails of a serious criticism of the team of authors with his joke at the end. But basically, Frakes hits the hammer on the head: The character was not designed to remain the first officer of a series for years, but the series concept intended it that way.
Either the series and fans should have said goodbye to Riker as the main character in the series, or there is just this little inconsistency regarding Riker’s intended promotion. Frakes takes it with humor and the fans certainly do too.
It’s unclear if the star will reprise the role in the potential sequel Star Trek: Legacy. But Jonathan Frakes will stay on as director of “Star Trek”. He directed an episode in “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” Season 2.
The new episodes of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” start on June 15, 2023 on Paramount+. We list you in a practical overview of all “Star Trek” new releases!
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| Rate Star Trek: Picard | |
| genre | Action & Adventure, Sci Fi & Fantasy |
| first airing | 01/23/2020 |
| First broadcast in Germany | – |
| home page | cbs.com |
| More sources | |
| network | CBS All Access |
production | CBS Television Studios |
| squadrons |
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