![]() It was intended, at the time, to be a metaphor for gay rights. It’s important to remember that this was released in 1992. When does one draw the line in respecting a culture if it means denying an individual’s rights? Riker prepares to rescue Soren, but is reminded of the Prime Directive. Soren is eventually “caught” and will be forced to undergo conversion therapy. The two grow to have feelings for one another. Soren, as it turns out, privately identifies as female, but must stay closeted, as J’naii culture will not allow such a thing. Riker is working closely with an individual named Soren, and they hit it off. In this episode, the crew of the Enterprise meets up with the J’naii, a humanoid race without gender. ![]() (Luckily, their hunch ends up being correct.) 6. 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.įor 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. 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. What’s more, when it appears that they may be keeping some kind of secret from Picard, it’s downright scandalous. 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. ![]() “A Matter of Honor” (season 2, episode 8)Īs with TOS’ Spock and Kirk, DS9’s Kira and Sisko, and Voyager’s Chakotay and Janeway, what’s key to Riker and Picard is loyalty. 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. The following season Riker himself is put on trial in the Rashomon-inspired episode “A Matter of Perspective.” Trek writers Ira Steven Behr, Ronald D. 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. To make it stick, and to save Data’s life, someone had to present for the prosecution, and that duty fell to Commander Riker. Noonian Soong, is, in fact, a sentient being. Commander Data, an android created by Dr. 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. (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!) (Also, that movie stinks like a plate of week-old tube grubs from the least profitable restaurant on Ferenginar!)Īs disappointing as 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, beard-haver. He finally moved to the center seat of the USS Titan (and married his imzadi, Counselor Deanna Troi) in time for Star Trek: Nemesis, but we never actually saw him on his bridge. 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 awesome guy come from?), but Picard’s vision of Riker feels like a fulfillment of a promise Trek fans have been waiting on for over 20 years.Īs First Officer of the Enterprise, watching Riker turn down his own command was something of a recurring gag over Star Trek: The Next Generation’s run. Riker that’s charging the dilithium crystals in the warp core. The show is called Star Trek: Picard, but right now - three episodes into the third and final season - it’s Jonathan Frakes’ performance as Captain William T.
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