Executive officer of the Starship Enterprise-D under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. ("Encou nter at Farpoint" [TNG]). Starfleet serial number SC 231-427. ("Gambit, Part I" [TNG]).
William Thomas Riker was born in Valdez, Alaska, on Earth in 2335. Riker's mother died when he was only two years old, and he was raised by his father, Kyle Riker. The elder Riker abandoned his son at age 15, an act that William held against his father until 2365 when, at age 30, father and son were reunited aboard the Enterprise -D. ("The Icarus Factor" [TNG]). Riker graduated from Starfleet Academy in 2357, and was ranked eighth in his class at graduation. As of 2369, he had been decorated five times. ("Chain of Command, Part I" [TNG]).
Riker's first assignment after graduating from the academy was as helm officer aboard the U.S.S. Pegasus, a ship that disappeared in 2358 under mysterious circumstances. Years later, it was reveled that Pegasus capt ain Erik Pressman had been illegally testing a Federation cl oaking device in violation of the Treaty of Algeron. The crew of the Pegasus mutinied to try to prevent Pressman from testing the device. Riker fought to defend his captain, and Riker and Pressman were the only two to escape when the ship apparently exploded. Afterwards, Pressman suppressed all records of the incident. ("The Pega sus" [TNG]). Early in his Starfleet career, Riker was stationed on planet Betazed, ("Menage a Troi" [TNG]), where he became romantically involved with psychology student Deanna Troi. Riker, then a lieutenant, chose to make his Starfleet career his priority over his relationship with Deanna, and accepted a posting to the U.S .S. Potemkin. While aboard the Potemkin, Riker led a rescue mission to planet Nervala IV and was subsequently promoted to lieutenant commander and commended for "exceptional valor" during the rescue. It was not realized until years later that a transporter malfunction during the final beam-out caused an identical copy of Riker to be created on the planet's surface. ("Second Chances" [TNG]). William Riker was later promoted to executive officer aboard the U.S.S. Hood, where he served under the command of Captain Robert DeSoto.
Riker joined the Enterprise-D at planet Deneb IV, having transferred from the Hood. ("Encounter at Farpoint, Parts I and II" [TNG]). Riker accepted the Enterprise -D posting, despite the fact that he'd been offered command of the U.S.S. Drake. ("The Arsenal of Freedom" [TNG]). One of Riker's greatest personal tests came in 2364 when the entity Q offered him a gift of supernatural powers, an offer that Riker was able to refuse. ("Hide and Q" [TNG]). Riker became the first Federation Starfleet officer to serve aboard a Klingon vessel when he participated in an Of ficer Exchange Program in 2365, serving as first officer aboard the Klingon ship Pagh. ("A Matter of Honor" [TNG]). Riker was offered command of the U.S.S. Aries in 2365, but he declined the appointment, preferring to remain on the En terprise-D. ("The Icarus Factor" [TNG]). Riker suffered a near brush with death while on a survey mission to planet S urata IV, where contact with an indigenous plant form caused him to lose consciousness for several hours. ("Shades of Gray" [TNG]). Riker was charged with murder in the 2366 death of Dr. Nel Apgar at planet Tanuga IV after Apgar's research station exploded. He was acquitted after a holodeck re-creation of the events leading to the death demonstrated that Apgar had been responsible for the explosion. ("A Matter of Perspective" [TNG]). In late 2366, Riker refused a third opportunity to command a starship when he was offered the U.S.S. Melbourne during the Borg incursion that year. ("The Best of Both Worlds, Part I" [TNG]). Shortly thereafter, Riker was granted a temporary field promotion to captain, and given command of the Enterprise -D following the capture of Captain Picard by the Borg. The Melbourne was later destroyed by the Borg in the battle of Wolf 359. ("The Best of Both Worlds, Part II" [TNG]). Riker did, however, have ambitions of becoming a starship commander. After the loss of the Enterprise -D in 2371, Riker expressed regret that he would not have the opportunity of someday commanding that great ship. (Star Trek: Generations). (In an alternate quantum reality, Picard was lost to the Borg in 2366. In this reality, Riker was promoted to captain following Picard's loss. ["Parallels" (TNG)]).
Riker's approach to command was frequently unconventional. Prior to his service aboard the Enterprise-D, Riker had been a lieutenant aboard the Stars hip Potemkin. During a crisis aboard that ship, Riker positioned the Potemkin over a planet's magnetic pole, thus confusing his opponent's sensors. Indeed, Data once observed that Riker relied upon traditional problem-solving techniques less than one-quarter of the time. ("Peak Performance" [TNG]).
As a boy, Riker was responsible for cooking for himself and his father. As Enterprise -D executive officer, Riker regarded cooking as a hobby. ("Time Squared" [TNG]). One of Riker's passions was for old Earth jazz music, and he was a pretty fair trombone player. ("11001001" [TNG]).
August 19th, 1952
Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Jonathan was an undergraduate at Penn State
and continued his education at Harvard, spending several seasons with the
Loeb Drama Center. He then spent five years in New York, appearing on and
off Broadway in several regional theatre productions. Jonathan Frakes
is married to Genie Francis. Genie Francis and Jonathan Frakes are the parents
of a baby boy, Jameson Ivor Frakes born August 20 1994 and a girl is named
Elizabeth Francis Frakes.
Jonathan Frakes is Commander William Riker, the Enterprise's executive officer
and second-in-command. "Riker's job is to provide Captain Picard (Patrick
Stewart) with the most efficiently-run ship and the best prepared crew he
can," Jonathan explains. "As a result, he maintains a more military bearing
than the other characters, despite the fact that salutes and other military
protocol no longer exist in the 24th century."
During the sixth season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Jonathan appeared
alongside his fellow cast members Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Gates McFadden
and Colm Meaney, in a four-city tour of Tom Stoppard's drama, "Every Good
Boy Deserves Favour." In addition, Jonathan, together with his wife Genie
Francis, recently appeared in Part III of the successful ABC miniseries,
"North & South."
During the third season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Jonathan made
his directorial debut with an episode of the series entitled 'The Offspring."
He so impressed the executive producers with his efforts that he also directed
two additional episodes in the fourth season, "Reunion" and "The Drumhead,"
"Cause and Effect" in the fifth season, and in the sixth season, "The Quality
of Life" and "The Chase." In TNG's last season Jonathan directed the episodes
entitled "Sub Rosa" and "Attached."
Prior to his role as Riker, Jonathan had recurring roles in such shows as
"Falcon Crest," "Paper Dolls" and "Bare Essence," and for a year was a contract
player on the daytime drama "The Doctors." His other television work includes
the television movie "The Nutcracker" and critically praised roles in the
miniseries "Dream West" and "North & South" (Parts I and III).
Frakes: on his favorite episode... ``The Offspring would have to
be one of my favorites for obvious reasons [he directed it], and I liked
11001001, because I got to play music in New Orleans. I also liked Best of
Both Worlds, Parts I and II -- they are the best examples of science fiction
television I can imagine.''
From Other Roles FAQ
Theatre:
"The Common Glory"; "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour"; "Henry VIII";
"Shenandoah".
Television:
Bare Essence (Feb.-Apr. 83); Barnaby Jones; Beach Patrol (79);
Beulah Land (80); The Blue and the Gray; Charlie's Angels;
The Cover Girl and the Cop (89); The Doctors; Dream West (86);
The Dukes of Hazzard; Falcon Crest; The Fall Guy;
Fantasy Island; Five Mile Creek; Hart to Hart;
Highway to Heaven {Family Dispute}; Hill Street Blues; It's a Living;
Matlock; The New Twilight Zone {But Can She Type?};
The Night the City Screamed (80); North & South (85);
North & South, Book II (86); North & South, Book III (94);
Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder (87);
Paper Dolls (Sept.-Dec. 84); Quincy, M.E. {The Face of Fear};
Remington Steele {Woman of Steele};
Star Trek: The Next Generation
(87-94);
Voyagers! {An Arrow Pointing East}.
Pictures:
Full filmography:
01. "John Jakes' Heaven & Hell - North & South: Book III" (mini)
1994
02. Star Trek: Generations 1994 [William T.
Riker]
03. Cover Girl and the Cop, The (TV) 1989
04. "Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder" (mini) 1987
05. "Star Trek: The Next Generation
1987-1994) [Commander William Riker]
06. "Dream West" (mini) 1986 [Lieutenant Gillespie]
07. "North and South II" (mini) 1986 [Stanley Hazard]
08. "North and South" (mini) 1985 [Stanley Hazard]
09. "Paper Dolls" 1984
10. "Beulah Land" (mini) 1980 [Adam Davis]
11. Beach Patrol (TV) 1979
12. "Doctors, The" 1963-1982
Mail to Jonathan Frakes
Friends Fans and Followers of Jonathan Frakes, c/o Renee Blanchette, P.O.
Box 90, New Ipswich, NH 03071 - U.S.A.
For comments, suggestions, ideas etc.etc. please Mail-me.
by Mario Guatteri