Commander Will Riker's long wait for a promotion to Captain in Star Trek: The Next Generation is explained by Jonathan Frakes. Riker was the First Officer of the USS Enterprise under Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) for 15 years spanning all 7 seasons of TNG and the four movies that followed. Riker finally received his promotion to Captain and departed the Enterprise to command the USS Titan in Star Trek: Nemesis.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant to raise awareness for Trek Against Pancreatic Cancer, Jonathan Frakes offered his take on why Riker took so long to receive a promotion to Captain. Read his quote below:
Jonathan Frakes: That was the writers' fault. I mean, they kept having Riker say, "I'm seeking my own ship, and I'd love to become a Captain" and then when the offer comes, Riker turns it down. It must have happened two or three times over the series. So it was a conflict in the writers' room that the character ended up looking a little waffle-ly on [being promoted]. And then conveniently, the ships that Riker had been offered all blew up in the battle with the Borg. (laughs)
Riker Is Now Waiting To Be Promoted To iral After Star Trek: Picard
Will Riker's promotion to Captain happened in 2002, but it wasn't until 2020 that fans finally saw Captain Riker in action. Jonathan Frakes reprised Captain Riker in Star Trek: Picard season 1, where he was in command of the USS Zheng He, not the Titan. Soon after, Star Trek: Lower Decks showed Captain Riker running the Titan, and it was a hilariously zany version of Riker masterminded by Lower Decks' showrunner Mike McMahan and performed by Frakes. Lower Decks is set nearly 20 years before Star Trek: Picard so Frakes has been playing Captain Riker years apart between the two series.
Ironically, in Star Trek: Picard season 3, Will Riker is still a Captain and, by season 3's 2401-2402 time frame, Riker has remained a Captain for about 23 years, since Star Trek: Nemesis took place in 2379. Riker has now been a Captain far longer than he was a Commander in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Yet Star Trek: Picard season 3 ended without Will Riker receiving a promotion to iral, perhaps due to his role in hijacking the USS Titan-A, which he and iral Picard received pardons for. Becoming iral Will Riker is something Jonathan Frakes looks forward to, which may finally happen if Star Trek: Picard continues with a spinoff, Star Trek: Legacy.
Star Trek: Picard season 3 is available to stream on Paramount+.