# Commander Will Ryker, Federation Starship Enterprise **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 22, 2001, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-will-ryker-federation-starship-enterprise/88861 "2001-10-22T14:34:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-will-ryker-federation-starship-enterprise/88861/21 "2001-10-23T15:29:23Z")
My impression of a ship commanded by Riker is that there would be beer cans all over the bridge, people screwing in the hallways, someone herding goats through engineering, and Riker himself would be leaning in the captain’s chair with a big leg of roasted mutton in his hand wearing an undershirt and boxers. I don’t know why I envision that. I never thought much of his leadership abilities. ---
**Author:** ![pezwookiee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@pezwookiee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pezwookiee)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-will-ryker-federation-starship-enterprise/88861/22 "2001-10-23T16:04:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Legomancer \* > **My impression of a ship commanded by Riker is that there would be beer cans all over the bridge, people screwing in the hallways, someone herding goats through engineering, and Riker himself would be leaning in the captain’s chair with a big leg of roasted mutton in his hand wearing an undershirt and boxers.** Awesome! I’d watch that series over _Enterprise_ anyday! Imagine the possibilities… ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-will-ryker-federation-starship-enterprise/88861/23 "2001-10-25T02:10:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Legomancer \* > \*\*My impression of a ship commanded by Riker is that there would be beer cans all over the bridge, people screwing in the hallways, someone herding goats through engineering, and Riker himself would be leaning in the captain’s chair with a big leg of roasted mutton in his hand wearing an undershirt and boxers. > \*\* Substitute “Lincoln Bedroom” for “Engineering” and you’d have the Clinton White House. Relax, its a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Mojo\_the\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Mojo\_the\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo_the_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-will-ryker-federation-starship-enterprise/88861/24 "2001-10-25T04:35:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Laughing Lagomorph \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Legomancer \* > > \*\*My impression of a ship commanded by Riker is that there would be beer cans all over the bridge, people screwing in the hallways, someone herding goats through engineering, and Riker himself would be leaning in the captain’s chair with a big leg of roasted mutton in his hand wearing an undershirt and boxers. > > \*\* > > Substitute “Lincoln Bedroom” for “Engineering” and you’d have the Clinton White House. > Relax, its a joke. \*\* Gee, and I thought jokes were supposed to be funny… Here’s my attempt to be as funny as Lagomorph: I suppose that the current administration would be something like the Pakleds in the “Samaritan Snare.” You know, the ones who kidnapped Geordi LaForge, saying, “He will make us smart!” ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-will-ryker-federation-starship-enterprise/88861/25 "2001-10-25T15:37:20Z")
Riker: Who’s in charge of Homeland Security? Pakled-Bush: My friend. His name is Ridge-inod. But seriously, I didn’t dislike Riker. He just worked best as a supporting character, to either charm people or scare them. (And in fact, this was his in-character role as well.) By the end of the series we got some good Riker episodes ( **Frame Of Mind** is a personal favorite) and he was shown to be a generally easy-going guy with an exaggerated sense of formality. (Not unlike myself, actually, but I’m funnier.) But the problem was that Frakes didn’t have Stewart’s magnetism (who does?) nor did Riker have the personal flaws that made Data and Geordie characters worth exploring. Still, I wouldn’t want to be on the other end of a game of chicken with Riker – you could be sure he wouldn’t break. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-will-ryker-federation-starship-enterprise/88861/26 "2001-10-25T16:08:52Z")
Hmmm. Can’t say I’m a big Riker fan… I read about him being supposed to be the Captain Kirk figure, but that idea just died, for me, in “The Naked Now”. I’m sure regular viewers will remember the bit where Troi, her empathic faculties overwhelmed by the seething emotions on the ship, comes vamping up to Riker with her intentions clearly displayed. And Riker gathers her up in his arms and takes her… to Sickbay, for tests. And I thought to myself at the time, “This guy is supposed to fill the Jim Kirk slot? No way!” I mean, even the flippin’ _robot_ got laid in that episode… [sub](Side note: “Filling the Jim Kirk slot” is _not_ meant as a euphemism. Absolutely not.)[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Swede\_Hollow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Swede\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swede_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-will-ryker-federation-starship-enterprise/88861/27 "2001-10-25T22:01:19Z")
This may not being saying much for him, but my favorite scene with Riker only lasted about 4 seconds. During the 2-part episode where Picard went to Romulus to look for Spock, Riker had to find where missing “mothballed” spaceship parts were coming from. When he approached the space storage yard the manager told him what course and speed to take to park the Enterprise. With that Riker turns around and gives the conn a nod and “shot” with his finger to authorize the maneuver. Like I said, not much of a scene. But this scene shows his relaxed style and quiet authority. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-will-ryker-federation-starship-enterprise/88861.md?page=1)