William Thomas Riker

Origin: Star Trek The Next Generation
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Occupation: .
Residence: Beach Town 23 BT-5-6
Birthday:
Wife: Deanna Troi.
Children: Thaddeus Troi-Riker, Kestra Troi-Riker.
Import Date: Year 11.

William Thomas "Will" Riker was a 24th century male Human Starfleet officer. During his career, a transporter accident resulted in two Rikers, with each one being identical to the other, as well as genetically indistinguishable. Their personalities and memories were the same up to the point of duplication. The other Riker remained trapped on Nervala IV for eight years without anyone knowing of his existence, and, after being rescued, eventually decided to use his middle name and became known as Thomas Riker. (TNG: "Second Chances"; DS9: "Defiant") Shortly after the accident, Will Riker went on to serve as first officer for Captain Jean-Luc Picard for the next fifteen years on the USS Enterprise-D and USS Enterprise-E before finally accepting his own command on the USS Titan. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint"; Star Trek: First Contact; Star Trek Nemesis)

As captain of the Titan, Riker and his wife Deanna Troi went on to have two children: a son named after Riker's ancestor Thaddius, and a daughter named after Troi's deceased sister Kestra. Thad contracted mendaxic neurosclerosis, prompting his family to move to Nepenthe, where Thad eventually died from his condition. The Rikers remained on Nepenthe for the rest of the 24th century. (PIC: "Nepenthe")

A descendant of Yankee forebears, William Thomas Riker was born in 2335 to Kyle and Betty Riker in Alaska on Earth. (TNG: "The Last Outpost", "The Icarus Factor", "Conundrum", "Second Chances", "Lower Decks") His distant ancestors included Thaddius Riker, a Union Army colonel who fought during the American Civil War of the mid-19th century, and a particularly rugged great-grandfather of note. (VOY: "Death Wish"; TNG: "Shades of Gray")

Betty died when Will was only two years old, leaving his father to raise him alone. (TNG: "Interface", "Time Squared") The Rikers remained in Alaska at Betty's wish. The only thing which kept Kyle going was Will, but he did not feel as if he could discuss the situation with him, even when Will was older. The memories of Betty's presence at their Alaska home were also painful for both. This initial trauma created a rift between the two Rikers which lasted thirty years. (TNG: "The Icarus Factor")

When Will first started school, at the age of five, he told all of his new friends that his mother was still alive. Eventually, he told the story so often that he began to believe the lie. Soon, his teacher learned of this problem, and both she and Kyle had to talk to Will and make him realize that his mother was dead and was not coming back. Will cried the entire night following, but later realized it was an important step in accepting his mother's death. (TNG: "Interface")

However, Will's relationship with Kyle continued to deteriorate into his early teens. He was often left to care for himself, learning such skills as cooking. (TNG: "Time Squared", "Future Imperfect")

Will was never able to concentrate much on subjects such as math, as he constantly daydreamed about starships. (TNG: "The Royale")

In 2344, Will and his father went on a fishing trip. Will was able to hook a large fish, but Kyle insisted on reeling the fish in. This incident bothered Will for many years.

He also practiced anbo-jyutsu with his father. By 2347, when Will was twelve, Kyle admitted that his son's skills at the sport were superior. Will did not know that the only reason he always lost was because his father used illegal hachidan kiritsu moves.

Kyle completely abandoned Will by 2350, when Will was fifteen. Will held a grudge against his father for the following fifteen years. (TNG: "The Icarus Factor")

Riker was a jazz aficionado, and his favorite musical instrument was the trombone. Although he was an accomplished player, his skills were not quite up to that of a professional musician (TNG: "11001001") and he had trouble with certain pieces, including "Night Bird". (TNG: "Second Chances")

Riker could also play the piano and taught Amarie, a musician in a bar on Qualor II, some jazz routines when the Enterprise visited the planet in 2368. (TNG: "Unification II")

Data performed Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" at Riker's wedding to Deanna Troi because of his knowledge of Riker's fondness for "archaic musical forms." (Star Trek Nemesis)

Riker first began playing poker as a junior officer aboard the Potemkin. (TNG: "Lower Decks") He became a notoriously good player aboard the Enterprise, participating in most of the ship's weekly poker games and even teaching master classes on the game. (TNG: "The Measure Of A Man", "The Price") He also knew several card tricks, one of which was used in a failed attempt to fool Data in 2367. (TNG: "Legacy") His poker skills were noted by Captain Picard, and their connection to diplomatic skills was one of the reasons he was selected to replace Mendoza as the Federation representative in the Barzan wormhole negotiations. (TNG: "The Price")

Riker was skilled in other forms of gambling and won large sums of latinum at the dabo tables in Quark's during an Enterprise visit to Deep Space 9. Quark claimed he was unable to pay Riker at the time, and later voided the winnings in exchange for information about the whereabouts of the Duras sisters Lursa and B'Etor. (TNG: "Firstborn") Riker met DS9 officer Jadzia Dax at Quark's about this time. (DS9: "Defiant")

Riker had several sports-related hobbies. Anbo-jyutsu was one such interest, (TNG: "The Icarus Factor") as were Parrises squares (TNG: "Future Imperfect", "Timescape") and handball. (ENT: "These Are the Voyages...") He had skills in the martial arts, tai chi chuan in particular (TNG: "Second Chances"), and took Worf's mok'bara classes. (TNG: "Clues") He also enjoyed fishing. One of his favorite fishing spots was Curtis Creek, which he recreated in a holoprogram. (TNG: "The Icarus Factor", "Second Chances", "Future Imperfect")

Riker was quite skilled at three-dimensional chess, as he used the Queen's gambit coupled with the Aldabren Exchange to defeat the Ferengi Nibor during the closing reception of the biennial Trade Agreements Conference aboard the USS Enterprise-D. (TNG: "Ménage à Troi") Riker had an interest in cooking from when he had had to fend for himself as a child. (TNG: "Time Squared", "Remember Me") He was a member of Beverly Crusher's theater troupe aboard the Enterprise-D and played the lead in two plays, Something for Breakfast (TNG: "A Fistful of Datas") and Frame of Mind. (TNG: "Frame of Mind") His favorite vacation spot was Risa. (TNG: "Captain's Holiday", "The Game") Riker also enjoyed dabo, although the beckoning profits did not appear to be the motivating factor. At Quark's on Deep Space 9, Lt. Jadzia Dax staked Riker three strips of gold-pressed latinum when his winning-streak ran dry. He later contacted Quark and traded his unclaimed winnings for information on the Duras sisters. (TNG: "Firstborn"; DS9: "Defiant")

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