As one of the original characters on Star Trek: The Next Generation, William T. Riker is best known for his time as First Officer on the USS Enterprise-D under Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), but that is far from the only Star Trek property in which he appears. Johnathan Frakes plays a version of Riker across six different television shows and four movies, making him one of the most prolific Star Trek actors. First appearing in TNG's premiere "Encounter at Farpoint" in 1987, Commander William Riker was originally envisioned as the Kirk of the Enterprise-D, a roguish ladies' man to contrast with Captain Picard's more stoic command style.

Over the course of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Riker came into his own as a character. Will's friendship with Captain Picard and his on-again-off-again relationship with the Enterprise's Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) grounded him and made him more likable. After TNG, he played a major role in the four Next Generation films, and became the Captain of the USS Titan in Star Trek: Nemesis. Riker would make brief appearances in several Star Trek series before eventually returning to the bridge of the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: Picard. Here is a list of every Star Trek movie or television show in which William T. Riker made an appearance.

7 Star Trek: The Next Generation

Will Riker's first and arguably best role was as the First Officer of the USS Enterprise-D under Captain Picard. As Picard's Number One, Riker led away missions, ed the Captain in a crisis, and took command of the ship when necessary. Despite being offered multiple promotions over the course of the series, Riker remained as the Enterprise's First Officer for 15 years. He helped save the ship (and the galaxy) many times and Picard referred to him as: "Simply the finest officer with whom I have ever served." An exemplary Starfleet officer, Will served his Captain and crew faithfully and was always willing to risk his own life to save the lives of others.

6 Star Trek: The Next Generation Movies

Still serving as First Officer on the USS Enterprise under Captain Picard, Commander Riker appeared in all four Star Trek: The Next Generation movies. In Star Trek: Generations, Riker commanded the Enterprise-D in its final battle, which resulted in the unavoidable destruction of the beloved ship. In Star Trek: First , Riker accompanied Picard and his crew back in time to stop the Borg and ensure Zefram Cochrane (James Cromwell) completed the first successful warp flight. Will also helped save the day in Star Trek: Insurrection, creating his own "Riker Maneuver". He got to be a hero again in Star Trek: Nemesis, finally securing his own command on the USS Titan and marrying his long-time love, Deanna Troi.

5 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Johnathan Frakes's appearance in one episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine has a bit of a twist. Early in the season 3 episode, "Defiant," Commander Riker arrives on Deep Space Nine while on vacation. Though he quickly strikes up a friendship with Major Kira (Nana Visitor), he seems dismissive of his former crewmate Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) and forgetful of past interactions with other crew. As the episode progresses, it's revealed that this Riker is not Will at all, but rather the duplicate created by a transporter malfunction years before. Introduced in the TNG episode "Second Chances," this duplicate chose to go by Thomas Riker, and eventually ed the resistance group known as the Maquis.

4 Star Trek: Voyager

Riker makes an appearance in only one episode of Star Trek: Voyager, season 2's "Death Wish," and it's the episode that also introduces Captain Katheryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) to Picard's old nemesis, Q (John de Lancie). When another member of the Q Continuum known as Quinn (Gerrit Graham) wishes to commit suicide rather than return to his imprisonment, Janeway acts as an intermediary between Quinn and Q. As part of the trial, Q brings Commander Riker to the Delta Quadrant as a witness to the ways Quinn's presence has influenced the galaxy. Since Will won't anything from this encounter, his appearance does not mess with any established continuity.

3 Star Trek: Enterprise

In the often-maligned series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise, Will Riker and Deanna Troi explore a holodeck recreation of Johnathan Archer's (Scott Bakula) final mission on the original USS Enterprise NX-01. Throughout the episode, Riker uses the holodeck program, as well as his chats with Deanna, to work through his own conflicts and indecision. He poses as a Chef to interact with the original Enterprise crew and has several lengthy conversations with them. While it was nice to see Will and Deanna again after their time on TNG, their presence in this episode takes away from the crew of Archer's Enterprise. And since Riker is viewing these events as a holodeck program, it's unclear whether the story represents everything exactly as it occurred.

2 Star Trek: Picard

Though Will Riker appeared in a couple of episodes during Star Trek: Picard season 1, it was not until season 3 that he truly shined. When Picard first approached Will, he and Deanna had taken a break from Starfleet after the death of their son. Though Riker briefly returned to active duty in the final episode of Picard season 1, he played a much bigger role in season 3. Picard asked Will to the mission to help former Enterprise Doctor, Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), and Riker jumped at the chance. As part of this adventure, Riker got to take command of his former ship, the USS Titan, and act as First Officer again on the USS Enterprise-D.

1 Star Trek: Lower Decks

William Riker appears in three episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks as the Captain of the USS Titan. In his first appearance in the Lower Decks season 1 finale, Captain Riker swoops in with the Titan to save the USS Cerritos from attacking Pakled ships. Riker then spends time in the Cerritos bar, ing past encounters with Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) and his apparent protégé Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome).

At the end of the episode, Ensign Boimler (Jack Quaid) receives a promotion and gets transferred to the Titan. The first episode of Lower Decks season 2 briefly shows Riker as he commands the Titan during a crisis, with a terrified Boimler onboard. In the second episode of season 2, the Titan again has a dangerous encounter with the Pakleds and Boimler winds up with a clone just like Riker did on TNG. Riker encourages the original Boimler to re the Cerritos, reminiscing about his Star Trek: The Next Generation days.