Summary
- "The Measure of a Man": Riker defends Data's sentience in a powerful court case, showing his loyalty to his crewmates.
- "First ": Riker faces mistreatment and makes a tough decision on whether a civilization is ready for with the Federation.
- "Peak Performance": Riker proves his competence as a commanding officer during wargames, outsmarting both his own crew and the Ferengi.
As First Officer of the USS Enterprise-D, Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) appears in nearly every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but in some, he gets a particular chance to shine. Under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), Riker not only grows into a great first officer, but also becomes a close friend to Picard. Although Riker would initially be presented as a ladies' man, his relationship with Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Siritis) eventually became one of Star Trek's best romances.
A Star Trek icon in his own right, Jonathan Frakes has become one of Trek's most prolific directors, having helmed episodes of TNG, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Frakes also directed two of the TNG films, Star Trek: First and Star Trek: Insurrection. But Frakes began his Star Trek career by portraying the cool and confident Number One, Commander William Riker, and here are 10 of Riker's best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
10 "The Measure of a Man" (TNG Season 2, Episode 9)
One of Star Trek's best-ever courtroom episodes, TNG season 2, episode 9, "The Measure of a Man" may focus more on the character of Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), but it also gives Commander Riker a chance to shine. When Data's existence as a sentient being is called into question, Riker is given the unenviable position of arguing that Data is merely a machine. Clearly conflicted about the job, Riker nevertheless gives it his all, even finding out about Data's power switch and powering him off during the trial. Thankfully, Data's own testimony and Picard's powerful speech prove to be more persuasive, and Data is officially declared to be his own person.
9 "First " (TNG Season 4, Episode 15)
TNG season 4, episode 15 offers insight into the Federation's procedures for First missions with civilizations on the brink of discovering space travel. Disguised as a resident of the planet Malcor III, Riker had been working to determine whether the Malcorians were ready for first when he went missing. As Captain Picard meets with Malcorian leaders to figure out what happened, Riker is mistreated and interrogated at a local hospital. After Riker is returned to the Enterprise, the Malcorian leaders determine that their planet is not yet ready for first and the Enterprise departs.
8 "Second Chances" (TNG Season 6, Episode 24)
When the Enterprise visits as former Federation research base, they discover a duplicate of William Riker living on the planet. Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) determines that the USS Potemkin mistakenly created Riker's exact double years earlier when their transporter malfunctioned. Jonathan Frakes does a wonderful job portraying both versions of Riker, and he makes the two easily distinguishable. The appearance of the second Riker, who took the name Lt. Thomas Riker, also gives him and Counselor Deanna Troi a chance to rekindle their romance. But, in the end, Troi remains on the Enterprise while Thomas Riker accepts a transfer to another Starfleet ship.
7 "Peak Performance" (TNG Season 2, Episode 21)
Commander Riker gets a chance to command in TNG season 2, episode 21, when the Enterprise engages in wargames with the USS Hathaway. Riker is put in charge of the Hathaway, recruiting Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn), Geordi La Forge, and Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) to him. The Hathaway is vastly outmatched, but Worf and Riker devise a plan to trick the Enterprise. Their plan works, but then a Ferengi marauder approaches the scene and mistakes the orchestrated scenario for a real conflict. Picard and Riker work together to trick the Ferengi into believing the Hathaway has been destroyed and the Ferengi flee. Riker does an irable job as the commander of the outmatched Hathaway and proves his capability as a commanding officer.
6 "Future Imperfect" (TNG Season 4, Episode 8)
After Commander Riker falls unconscious on an away mission, he wakes up to find that sixteen years have ed, and he has no memory of them. Riker struggles to adjust to his new life, which includes a young son he does not . Now Captain of the Enterprise, Riker then gets tasked with hosting the Romulan Ambassador Tomalak (Andreas Katsulas). When Riker begins noticing strange inconsistencies, the entire scenario is initially revealed to be a ruse concocted by the Romulans before the final reveal that everything was created by a lonely young alien named Barash who was left alone on the planet. TNG season 4, episode 8 offers some interesting insight into Riker's character as Barash sees into his mind and gives him everything he apparently desires.
5 "The Best of Both Worlds" (TNG Season 3, Episode 26 & Season 4, Episode 1)
While the iconic "Best of Both Worlds" may not be considered an episode about Commander Riker, he plays a very important role as he commands the Enterprise after Captain Picard is taken by the Borg. After receiving a field promotion to Captain due to Picard's capture, Riker must make the impossible decision to fire on the attacking Borg ship knowing that Captain Picard is on board. Riker's order to "Fire" just before the screen goes black is not only one of Star Trek's best moments, but one of the best television cliffhangers of all time. As Patrick Stewart's contract was up after TNG season 3, many fans believed that Riker would become the new permanent Captain of the Enterprise.
4 "A Matter of Honor" (TNG Season 2, Episode 8)
As part of an officer exchange program, Riker chooses to temporarily serve as the first officer on a Klingon Bird of Prey. He dives headfirst into researching the culture and practices of the Klingons and has a fairly successful tenure on the Klingon ship. Riker even briefly takes command of the ship by beaming the Klingon Captain Kargan (Christopher Collins) over to the Enterprise. TNG season 2, episode 8 offers one of the first looks into the Klingon culture of the TNG era and shows some nice development for Riker as a character as his confidence as a commanding officer grows.
3 "The Outcast" (TNG Season 5, Episode 17)
Throughout its long history, Star Trek has often tackled social concerns, and TNG season 5, episode 17 attempts to comment on LGBTQ+-related issues. When a member of an androgynous race named Soren (Melinda Culea) comes aboard the Enterprise, they begin working closely with Commander Riker. Soren soon reveals that she identifies as female even though this goes against her people's customs. Riker begins falling for Soren, but she is eventually taken into custody by her people and "reeducated" to be properly genderless. While the success of the commentary is debatable, Frakes sells Riker's feelings for Soren, even if he does fall rather quickly, and the final scene is genuinely heartbreaking.
2 "Frame of Mind" (TNG Season 6, Episode 21)
In one of Star Trek's most unsettling episodes, Commander Riker finds himself jumping between two different realities, one in which he is performing in a play on the Enterprise and one in which he is a patient in a mental institution. It's eventually revealed that neither scenario is real as Riker shatters illusion after illusion to break through to reality. He had been captured by aliens on an away mission, and they had been trying to extract information from his mind. Jonathan Frakes plays Riker's simultaneous strength of mind and unraveling sanity brilliantly and the episode truly keeps the viewer guessing until its final minutes.
1 "The Pegasus" (TNG Season 7, Episode 12)
As the Enterprise celebrates Captain Picard Day, much to Picard's annoyance and Riker's amusement, Riker's former commanding officer beams aboard with an important mission. Now a member of Starfleet Intelligence, iral Erik Pressman (Terry O’Quinn) then leads the Enterprise on a mission to recover whatever is left of the USS Pegasus. Riker seems uncomfortable with iral Pressman on the ship, and it's eventually revealed that the Pegasus was lost because of unsanctioned cloaking experiments. Pressman wants to continue the experiments, but Riker proves he's a great Number One and finally stands up to the iral, refusing to make the same mistake he did as a young officer.
Jonathan Frakes shines in this episode, as he wrestles with guilt over his past actions and uncertainty about what to do next. Riker has clearly grown a lot since his time on the Pegasus not only as a Starfleet officer, but also as a person. His refusal to blindly obey iral Pressman and his eventual confession to Picard all fit the honorable Commander Riker we've come to know. Frakes' portrayal of Commander Riker improved over the course of Star Trek: The Next Generation as Riker became a more complex character, and "The Pegasus" might just be his finest hour.