Thomas Riker
Encyclopedia
William Thomas "Tom" Riker is a fictional character
from the Star Trek
universe, played by actor Jonathan Frakes
. He is a duplicate of William Riker
, a regular character on Star Trek: The Next Generation
, also played by Frakes, who was created by a transporter
accident when Riker served as second officer aboard the USS Potemkin. The duplicate goes by his middle name (and, later, "Tom") to distinguish himself from William Riker.
Thomas Riker first appears in Star Trek: The Next Generation
s "Second Chances", when the Enterprise-D
crew travels to Nervala IV, the site of the transporter accident. The crew discovers that while William Riker (then a Lieutenant) beamed aboard the Potemkin and continued his career, a duplicate Riker was unable to return to the ship and rematerialized in that planet's abandoned Starfleet outpost. Thomas largely attributes his ability to remain sane during his isolation to thoughts of reuniting with his at-the-time beloved Deanna Troi
.
Tom serves aboard the USS Gandhi before leaving Starfleet to aid the Maquis
. At some point, he shaved his sideburns and wears his beard
as a goatee
. In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
episode "Defiant", he leads a Maquis mission to steal the USS Defiant
from Deep Space Nine
. Commander Benjamin Sisko
helps the Cardassian
s capture the ship and its crew on the condition that the Defiant be returned to Starfleet and that Tom Riker not be executed.
's novel Quarantine (part of the Double Helix series), Riker transfers to the sciences division after a conflict with the USS Gandhis first officer. He wears a blue uniform and serves as a medical courier pilot. It is in this function that he ends up leaving Starfleet
and falling in with Chakotay
and B'Elanna Torres
's Maquis unit. According to Quarantine, it was Chakotay's idea to steal the Defiant from Deep Space Nine
.
In Peter David
's novel Imzadi II: Triangle, he is sprung from a Cardassian prison camp
on Layzon 2 by Romulan
s led by Sela
and forced to attempt to assassinate Klingon
Emperor
Kahless
and Chancellor Gowron
.
In the Malibu Comics
Deep Space Nine title, two stories were published extending Riker's story. "Sole Asylum, Part One" and "Part Two", set at the end of 2371, showed that Riker had been taken to Cardassia Prime and that Cardassian scientists were trying to discover the secret of his duplication in order to create an army of duplicates. It was also revealed that Riker's cells were only nine years old, suggesting their complete creation at the time of the accident. Unable to rationalize the accident against the Law of Conservation of Mass and proven transporter theory, one of the scientists, a Dr. Nol, told the Cardassian High Council that he must be from an alternate dimension. Because of this, the Council decided to send him back to a labor camp.
In the game Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Dominion Wars
, Tom is rescued in the mission during the Dominion War
and appointed to command an advanced battleship, the Achilles-class USS Imperius. A later mission in the Dominion campaign requires the player to destroy the Imperius before Riker can take command and, if possible, destroy Riker's current ship (a Galaxy class starship).
In Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens' novel series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Millennium, Riker is freed from the camp by a species called the Grigari and joins them in an attack on the Alpha Quadrant.
In the MMORPG
Star Trek Online
, the player encounters Riker's son on a mission in which the player must rescue some Federation prisoners held captive in Cardassian space close to the border with the Federation, not far from Deep Space Nine.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
universe, played by actor Jonathan Frakes
Jonathan Frakes
Jonathan Scott Frakes is an American actor, author and director best known for his role as Commander William T. Riker in the Star Trek franchise, as well as for his tenure as host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction ....
. He is a duplicate of William Riker
William Riker
William Thomas Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes, is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe primarily appearing as a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation...
, a regular character on Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
, also played by Frakes, who was created by a transporter
Transporter (Star Trek)
A transporter is a fictional teleportation machine used in the Star Trek universe. Transporters convert a person or object into an energy pattern , then "beam" it to a target, where it is reconverted into matter...
accident when Riker served as second officer aboard the USS Potemkin. The duplicate goes by his middle name (and, later, "Tom") to distinguish himself from William Riker.
Thomas Riker first appears in Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
s "Second Chances", when the Enterprise-D
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)
The USS Enterprise is a 24th century starship in the Star Trek fictional universe and the principal setting of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series...
crew travels to Nervala IV, the site of the transporter accident. The crew discovers that while William Riker (then a Lieutenant) beamed aboard the Potemkin and continued his career, a duplicate Riker was unable to return to the ship and rematerialized in that planet's abandoned Starfleet outpost. Thomas largely attributes his ability to remain sane during his isolation to thoughts of reuniting with his at-the-time beloved Deanna Troi
Deanna Troi
Commander Deanna Troi is a main character in the science-fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and related TV series and films, portrayed by actress Marina Sirtis. Troi is half-human, half-Betazoid and has the psionic ability to sense emotions. She serves as the ship's counselor...
.
Tom serves aboard the USS Gandhi before leaving Starfleet to aid the Maquis
Maquis (Star Trek)
In the American Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Maquis are a 24th Century paramilitary organization or terrorist group first introduced in the 1994 episode "The Maquis" of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, who subsequently also appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation and...
. At some point, he shaved his sideburns and wears his beard
Beard
A beard is the collection of hair that grows on the chin, cheeks and neck of human beings. Usually, only pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. However, women with hirsutism may develop a beard...
as a goatee
Goatee
Goatee refers to a style of facial hair incorporating hair on a man’s chin. The exact nature of the style has varied according to time and culture.Traditionally, goatee refers solely to a beard formed by a tuft of hair on the chin...
. In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
episode "Defiant", he leads a Maquis mission to steal the USS Defiant
USS Defiant
The USS Defiant is a fictional starship in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the feature film Star Trek: First Contact...
from Deep Space Nine
Deep Space Nine (space station)
Deep Space Nine is a fictitious space station, and is the eponymous primary setting of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It serves as a base for the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran wormhole, and is a hub of trade and travel for the sector's denizens...
. Commander Benjamin Sisko
Benjamin Sisko
Benjamin Lafayette Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, is the main character of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Early life and career:...
helps the Cardassian
Cardassian
The Cardassians are an extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. First introduced in the 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Wounded", the species originating on the fictional Alpha Quadrant planet Cardassia Prime...
s capture the ship and its crew on the condition that the Defiant be returned to Starfleet and that Tom Riker not be executed.
Non-canon appearances
In John VornholtJohn Vornholt
John Blair Vornholt is an American science fiction author known primarily for his media tie-ins, particularly Star Trek novels.-Original works:*The Troll King*The Troll Queen*The Troll Treasure*The First Third...
's novel Quarantine (part of the Double Helix series), Riker transfers to the sciences division after a conflict with the USS Gandhis first officer. He wears a blue uniform and serves as a medical courier pilot. It is in this function that he ends up leaving Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
and falling in with Chakotay
Chakotay
Chakotay , played by Robert Beltran, is a character in Star Trek: Voyager. He is the First Officer of the USS Voyager.-Character biography:...
and B'Elanna Torres
B'Elanna Torres
B'Elanna Torres is a main character in Star Trek: Voyager played by Roxann Dawson. She is portrayed as a half-human half-Klingon born in 2349 on the Federation colony Kessik IV. Torres joined the Maquis in 2370 and was serving on the Val Jean when brought to the Delta Quadrant...
's Maquis unit. According to Quarantine, it was Chakotay's idea to steal the Defiant from Deep Space Nine
Deep Space Nine (space station)
Deep Space Nine is a fictitious space station, and is the eponymous primary setting of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It serves as a base for the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran wormhole, and is a hub of trade and travel for the sector's denizens...
.
In Peter David
Peter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
's novel Imzadi II: Triangle, he is sprung from a Cardassian prison camp
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
on Layzon 2 by Romulan
Romulan
The Romulans are a fictional alien race in the Star Trek universe. First appearing in the original Star Trek series in the 1966 episode "Balance of Terror", they have since made appearances in all the main later Star Trek series: The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager...
s led by Sela
Sela (Star Trek)
Commander Sela is a fictional character on Star Trek: The Next Generation, the daughter of an alternate timeline version of Tasha Yar and a Romulan official. She was played by Denise Crosby, who also played Tasha Yar.-Overview:...
and forced to attempt to assassinate Klingon
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Kahless
Kahless
In the fictional Star Trek universe, Kahless the Unforgettable is a legendary Klingon portrayed in Star Trek: The Original Series by Robert Herron and in Star Trek: The Next Generation by Kevin Conway.-History of Kahless:...
and Chancellor Gowron
Gowron
Gowron is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe. Portrayed by Robert O'Reilly and featured in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine...
.
In the Malibu Comics
Malibu Comics
Malibu Comics was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. The company's headquarters was in Calabasas, California. Malibu imprints included Aircel Comics and Eternity Comics...
Deep Space Nine title, two stories were published extending Riker's story. "Sole Asylum, Part One" and "Part Two", set at the end of 2371, showed that Riker had been taken to Cardassia Prime and that Cardassian scientists were trying to discover the secret of his duplication in order to create an army of duplicates. It was also revealed that Riker's cells were only nine years old, suggesting their complete creation at the time of the accident. Unable to rationalize the accident against the Law of Conservation of Mass and proven transporter theory, one of the scientists, a Dr. Nol, told the Cardassian High Council that he must be from an alternate dimension. Because of this, the Council decided to send him back to a labor camp.
In the game Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Dominion Wars
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Dominion Wars
Dominion Wars is a real-time tactics computer game based on the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for Microsoft Windows. It was published by Simon & Schuster Interactive in 2001 and developed by Gizmo Games...
, Tom is rescued in the mission during the Dominion War
Dominion War
The Dominion War is an extended plot concept developed in a number of story arcs of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, an American science-fiction television series produced by Paramount Pictures...
and appointed to command an advanced battleship, the Achilles-class USS Imperius. A later mission in the Dominion campaign requires the player to destroy the Imperius before Riker can take command and, if possible, destroy Riker's current ship (a Galaxy class starship).
In Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens' novel series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Millennium, Riker is freed from the camp by a species called the Grigari and joins them in an attack on the Alpha Quadrant.
In the MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
Star Trek Online
Star Trek Online
Star Trek Online, often abbreviated as STO, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Cryptic Studios based on the popular Star Trek series created by Gene Roddenberry. The game is set in the 25th century, 30 years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis...
, the player encounters Riker's son on a mission in which the player must rescue some Federation prisoners held captive in Cardassian space close to the border with the Federation, not far from Deep Space Nine.