The best Star Trek episodes for Riker fans

He’s always been our Number One.

This is the name of the show Star Trek: Picard, but right now — three episodes into the third and final season — it’s Jonathan Frakes’ performance as Captain William T. Riker that’s charging the dilithium crystals in the warp core. That’s not a dis against Patrick Stewart or Jeri Ryan or Michael Dorn or Gates McFadden or Michelle Hurd or Todd Stashwick as Captain Liam Shaw (where did This From where does this amazing guy originate?But Picard’s vision of Riker feels like a fulfillment of a promise Trek fans have been waiting on for over 20 years.

Riker’s refusal to obey his command as First Officer of Enterprise was a constant gag. Star Trek: The Next Generation’s run. He eventually moved to the USS Titan’s center seat (and got married). imzadiCounselor Deanna Troi (in time for Star Trek: NemesisWe never saw him actually on the bridge. The movie is also stale like the week’s old tube food from Ferenginar.

It’s as disappointing as it gets Picard’s first season may have been, watching him warp in to save the day as acting captain on the USS Zheng He was a get-off-the-couch-and-cheer moment for fans of the Alaska-born commander, adventurer, occasional lawyer, lover, and, after TNG Season 1, the beard-haver. (Eternal bar trivia: Despite 10 tie-in novels set aboard Riker’s Titan, the first time we ever saw him at the helm was on Star Trek: Lower Decks — including some toe-tappin’ jazz, to boot!)

Today’s Riker, long out of any commanding officer’s shadow — even Admiral Picard’s —invokes a feeling of “oh, look how far he’s come” pride. When roles get reversed in the episode “Seventeen Seconds,” and Jean-Luc says to call him Number One, it brings a tear to the eye. This turns chillingly Shakespearean when Riker is forced to bark, “Remove yourself from the bridge, you’ve just killed us all!” (Don’t worry, this all gets resolved in episode 4, but no spoilers.)

The point is that Riker is strutting his stuff as a center-stage badass, and it’s terrific.

To celebrate and reflect on the character’s greatness, and to piss off fans of every stripe with our omissions and our placement, we now list the top 10 Riker episodes of pre-Picard Star Trek: Star Trek was, unsurprisingly, all about Star Trek Next Generation. Please send your outraged emails to darmokandjalad@tanagra.com.

10. “Rascals” (season 6, episode 7)

This episode isn’t about Riker. Per seJonathan Frakes performs the main scene, though it sounds like an Ressikan flute. Thanks to a wacky transporter accident, Captain Picard, Ensign Ro, Keiko O’Brien, and Guinan (what a fab four!) They end up going back to their 12 year-old selves. Ferengi take the control of ship Only the quasi-younglings, assisted by Ferengi (!) will be allowed to take over. Real Alexander Rozhenko is a young boy, the son of Worf! This will save them. Key to their success is “Young Picard” creating a ruse in which he pretends to be Commander Riker’s son.

It’s obviously a very funny scene, but it also totally works as drama. This is more than just a coincidence that Frakes managed to do it with such a straight face.

9. “The Measure of a Man” (season 2, episode 9)

Wait, hold up; this isn’t a Riker episode either! Yes, that’s true; this was one of the early-ish episodes in which Patrick Stewart showed off what would one day make him Sir Patrick Stewart — acting his brains out while arguing, in court, that Lt. Commander Data is an android that Dr. Noonian Song created. It’s actually a sentient being.

To make it stick, and to save Data’s life, someone had to present for the prosecution, and that duty fell to Commander Riker. What’s more, he couldn’t half-ass it.

“I can’t. I won’t,” Riker protests. “Data’s my comrade. Both of us have been together. I not only respect him, I consider him my friend.” Of course, he must, and luckily Data is humane enough to never condemn him for it.

Riker, himself, is tried in the next season. Rashomon-inspired episode “A Matter of Perspective.” Trek writers Ira Steven Behr, Ronald D. Moore, and the late Michael Piller all later said this one never turned out like they’d hoped, but we can, and should, celebrate it for giving us the Riker facepalm.

8. “A Matter of Honor” (season 2, episode 8)

I may be getting old, but at least I can say I got to see this when it first aired, and got to come back to middle school the following Monday waving around a baggie of gummy worms and shrieking, “Gagh is always best when served live!” (When I refused to stop, Mrs. Welch gave me detention.)

The episode features a dramatic targ out-of-water tale in which Riker conducts exchange-student work on the IKS Pagh, a Klingon vessel. Klingon Captain jumps to conclusion about something and prepares for the battle against Enterprise. Riker must find a way of saving both ships and keep his Klingon honor (temporary). He uses a variant of the Corbomite Maneuver, proving that the alpha-when-necessary Riker is cut from the same cloth as Captain James T. Kirk, and not just ’cause he’s an interstellar stud.

7. “The Pegasus” (season 7, episode 12)

Similar to TOS’ Spock and Kirk, DS9’s Kira and Sisko, and Voyager’s Chakotay and Janeway, what’s key to Riker and Picard is Loyalty. That’s why this episode hurts. Just like it’s kinda weird to see your current significant other with an old flame, watching Riker salute a previous commanding officer somehow feels Indecent. What’s more, when it appears that they may be keeping some kind of secret from Picard, it’s downright scandalous.

Naturally, our guy is simply caught up in a (non-Tholian) web of ethical complexities — his old boss, played by Terry O’Quinn, broke a slew of Federation rules by dabbling with cloaking technology, killing many — and the worst you can say is that it takes him a little time to do the right thing. Perhaps to mitigate the darkness of all this, the top of this episode features one of the daffiest moments in all of Trek — the Enterprise’s youth contingent prepping for “Picard Day,” all leading to Jonathan Frakes doing a spot-on Patrick Stewart impression.

For a follow-up episode dealing with Riker struggling with his loyalty, check out “Allegiance” (season 3, episode 18), in which the bridge officers are forced to mutiny when they become convinced Picard has been captain-napped and replaced by a clone. Their intuition proves to be correct.

6. “Second Chances” (season 6, episode 24)

Oy, transporter. It’s always a problem. Tuvix will tell you! This time a malfunction causes an existential crisis for Will Riker, but a delight for us — double the Jonathan Frakes.

Enterprise makes a return to Riker’s planet. Unknowingly, Riker creates a copy of himself and is stranded on the planet after beaming back. And whatever the opposite of Narcissus is, that’s Riker. Rikers.

They quickly get into a fight and things soon turn strange when the Riker begins to fall in love with them. Our Riker’s ex-girlfriend, Counselor Troi. In time the two form an accord and “Thomas” Riker is transferred elsewhere within Starfleet. (Of course, he’ll return for an episode of Deep Space Nine (For one of the greatest surprise turns in the franchise’s history.

5. “Frame of Mind” (season 6, episode 21)

It is the closest TNG Ever came to The Twilight Zone. This is a wheels-within-wheels paranoia exercise that proves a pet theory of mine — production of TNG’s sixth season coincided with DS9’s first, which meant the creatives still working on the last show felt empowered to get a little nuts while all eyes were on the new one. (Note: When did DS9 Dominion War Arc will get you moving in a whole new direction. You can find the Dominion War arc here Voyager was getting started and every exec at Paramount was freaking out about Kate Mulgrew’s hair.)

Anyway, “Frame of Mind”: Riker going nuts facing the abyss of his own fractured sanity. It’s amazing. The song is a result of that. You can listen to it here. Really want to see our beloved Commander lose his mind, check out that one scene in season 7’s “Parallels” when an alternate, unkempt Riker is at the end of his rope, begging for pandimensional sanctuary. This makes a great cosplay choice.

4. “Future Imperfect” (season 4, episode 8)

Trek’s greatest moments are those that take our heroes out of reality and place them in new realities. That’s what TOS’ “Mirror, Mirror” is, that’s what Voyager’s “Flashback” is, that’s what TNG’s “Tapestry” and “Yesterday’s Enterprise” and, to a degree, what “All Good Things…” are, too.

Riker gets to experience this all on his own with “Future Imperfect,” but with a twist: What if Riker woke up one day and discovered it was 16 years later? Well, he’d discover he had some handsome Reed Richards-esque gray in his hair, for starters.

This episode was a great success because it honored dedicated viewers. The first clue to solving the riddle is recognizing that Riker’s “ex-wife” is actually Minuet from the season 1 episode “11001001.” But she was a holodeck character! So if she’s real, then maybe… aha!

3. “First Contact” (season 4, episode 15)

Gene Roddenberry creating the original Next GenerationJean-Luc Picard was Jean-Luc Picard’s choice. The opportunity arose for James Kirk-esque swashbuckling between Will Riker, the second in command. While it’s false to say either character was bedazzled by alien babes across the galaxy at all, some of those cliches have truth. Riker, though always caring and compassionate, did occasionally indulge in his sexy ways.

Anyway, this gets turned on its head in the absolutely brilliant episode “First Contact,” when an undercover scouting mission goes awry. Posing as an alien in a culture probably closer to our own than the Federation’s, Riker’s only way home is via the embrace of Bebe Neuwirth, in one of the finest guest shots in the entire franchise.

2. “The Outcast” (season 5, episode 17)

In this episode, the crew of the Enterprise meets up with the J’naii, a humanoid race without gender. Riker has been working with Soren. They get along great. Soren, as it turns out, privately identifies as female, but must stay closeted, as J’naii culture will not allow such a thing. They develop feelings for each other. Soren is eventually “caught” and will be forced to undergo conversion therapy. Riker attempts to rescue Soren. But he is reminded again of the Prime Directive. When does one draw the line in respecting a culture if it means denying an individual’s rights?

It’s important to remember that this was released in 1992. This was originally intended to serve as a symbol for gay rights. It is now more factual as a tale about people who are gender non-conforming. It is open to debate whether its message is too stereotypical or righteous. This conversation was the subject of an episode on my Star Trek Podcast. This is, I believe, the most dramatic moment for Riker. It is also the polar opposite of the corny season 1 episode “Angel One,” in which the studmuffin commander ends up on a planet ruled by women.

1. “The Best of Both Worlds” Part 1 (season 3, episode 26)

Let me give you a little history about 1990. There was talk that Patrick Stewart would leave the series in the pre-internet age. Tasha Yar’s tragic death had occurred two years earlier. Armus was the constant reminder of her murder in that horrible Hefty bag. TNG didn’t play by the rules: Major characters could croak at any given time on this show.

Picard appeared as Locutus in Borg’s presence, and Riker ordered Mr. Worf (cueing some of the most heart-pounding orchestral brass any nerd has ever heard), it was definitely something. Picard was it done? Would Riker, who had been considering leaving the Enterprise for his own command, assume the captaincy with Elizabeth Dennehy’s Shelby nipping at his heels as first officer? This seemed possible!

Obviously, Jonathan Frakes kills it in that moment, and while part 2 of this cliffhanger is more of a Picard-focused episode, “The Best of Both Worlds” is really Riker’s show. It is his relationship with Shelby that creates the drama, which makes it all more relatable. There’s a direct line from the bedeviled, younger Riker to the worldlier (and beefier) Riker of Picardseason 3. And we’ve been with him every lightyear of the way.