Star Trek: The Next Generation Nearly Swapped Will Riker for His Lookalike

Commander Will Riker (played by Jonathan Frakes) had an exact double introduced in Season 6 of Star Trek: The Next Generation. There was a plan to kill off Will and have him replaced by Thomas Riker. The episode titled "Second Chances" revealed that a transporter accident created Will Riker's doppelganger at the peak of the show's popularity.

"Second Chances" shocked viewers by revealing that 8 years prior to The Next Generation, Lieutenant Will Riker led a rescue mission on the USS Potemkin. A transporter malfunction resulted in a duplicate Riker, with one returning to the Potemkin and the other stranded on Nervala IV. The crew of the USS Enterprise-D found the second Riker and brought him back on board.

The duplicate Riker took on the name Thomas and tried to rekindle his romance with Counselor Deanna Troi (played by Marina Sirtis). However, since Thomas couldn't stay on the Enterprise, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (portrayed by Patrick Stewart) arranged for Lieutenant Riker to be assigned to the USS Gandhi.

Star Trek: TNG's Plan To Replace Will Riker With Thomas Riker Explained

Executive Producers Rick Berman and Michael Piller pulled the plug on the Riker switcheroo

How Thomas Riker Could Feature In Picard S3 - Executive Producers Rick Berman and Michael Piller pulled the plug on the Riker switcheroo - Star Trek: TNG's Plan To Replace Will Riker With Thomas Riker Explained

The original plan for Star Trek: The Next Generation involved killing off Will in "Second Chances" and having Thomas take his place on the USS Enterprise-D crew, with Data stepping in as the new First Officer. Executive producer Rene Echevarria revealed, "We wanted to kill Riker... We thought it was a great idea and no one could tell us different." However, executive producer Michael Piller vetoed the idea, knowing it was not the right move. Despite this, the concept of replacing Will with Thomas was revisited in the show's final season.

Rick Berman thought about the idea, but he had concerns about the impact it would have on the movie and other aspects.

Jeri Taylor, the showrunner for Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7, had a different plan. She wanted to kill off Will and introduce Thomas to bring new energy to the show. Taylor envisioned Lieutenant Riker returning to the ship as a rejuvenated, ambitious character at Ops, needing to prove himself. However, it was Rick Berman who ultimately decided not to go through with the replacement plan, realizing the potential issues it could cause.

Thomas Riker Returned In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Berman was already planning for the transition of TNG to the big screen with Star Trek Generations. One of the challenges faced was the need to clarify why there was a different Riker for Paramount, which led to the decision to keep the original Will Riker as Number One.

Lieutenant Riker's fate is unknown

Thomas Riker Star Trek - Lieutenant Riker's fate is unknown - Thomas Riker Returned In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Thomas Riker made a reappearance in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3 episode "Defiant". In the episode, he pretended to be Will Riker, kidnapping Major Kira Nerys and stealing Commander Benjamin Sisko's starship, the USS Defiant. It was later discovered that Thomas had joined a terrorist group known as the Maquis. However, his theft of the starship led to the Cardassians pursuing him. Eventually, Thomas surrendered and was given a life sentence in a Cardassian labor camp.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Parodied Will & Thomas Riker

Star Trek never revealed Thomas Riker's fate and whether he survived DS9's Dominion War. According to the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, Thomas Riker's return was on a list of ideas DS9's writers were not interested in hearing pitches about. Jonathan Frakes himself said in a DS9 season 6 DVD commentary that his idea for Thomas to join Damar's (Casey Biggs) Cardassian resistance during the Dominion War went nowhere. But Frakes complimented Will Riker's doppelganger: "[Thomas is] much less confident than Will. But he's also tender and sweeter. I think I like Tom better." Riker's Imzadi, Marina Sirtis, concurred, "I preferred Tom Riker. I thought he was cuter than Will."

William Boimler also pulled a Thomas Riker

Riker Boimlers - William Boimler also pulled a Thomas Riker - Star Trek: Lower Decks Parodied Will & Thomas Riker

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2 introduced a clever spoof of Will and Thomas Riker when a transporter mishap resulted in a clone of Ensign Bradward Boimler (Jack Quaid). The duplicate opted to go by Brad's middle name, William, as his first name. Captain Will Riker, their leader on the USS Titan, humorously remarked, "I've heard this tune before!" Since the Titan couldn't accommodate two Boimlers, Brad was sent back to the USS Cerritos while William stayed on the Titan and was promoted to Lieutenant, junior grade.

Similarly to Thomas Riker's defection to the Maquis, Lt. William Boimler staged his demise to join Section 31 at the conclusion of Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3, episode 8, "Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus".

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Didn't Reveal The Fate Of Thomas Riker

Thomas Riker remains an unanswered question

(Jonathan-Frakes-as-Commander-William-Thomas-'Will'-Riker)-from-Star-trek-TNG-&-(Jonathan-Frakes-as-Will-Riker)-from-Star-trek-Picard - Thomas Riker remains an unanswered question - Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Didn't Reveal The Fate Of Thomas Riker

Star Trek: Picard season 3 brought back the beloved crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation and gave them a fitting conclusion. However, one character's story was left unresolved - Thomas Riker. In season 1, we saw Captain Will Riker and Commander Deanna Troi retired and living with their daughter, Kestra, on Nepenthe. The death of their son, Thad, caused a rift between them, leading to their estrangement at the beginning of Picard season 3.

The fate of Will Riker's duplicate, Thomas Riker, remains a mystery. Despite the resolution of Will and Deanna's relationship after their heroic actions on the Enterprise-D, the topic of Thomas Riker was left untouched in Star Trek: Picard season 3. This season, which continued the storyline from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Dominion War, hinted at a spinoff to further explore the adventures of the beloved characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, as of now, no such series is in the works at Paramount+. The question of what ultimately happened to Thomas Riker may never receive a clear answer, but if any future Star Trek installment could provide closure, it would likely be the spinoff from Star Trek: Picard.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Lower Decks , and Star Trek: Picard are available to stream on Paramount+.

Editor's P/S:

The concept of replacing Will Riker with his doppelganger, Thomas Riker, in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was an intriguing idea that ultimately did not come to fruition. The idea had its merits, as it could have added a new dynamic to the show and forced the characters to adapt to a significant change. However, the decision not to replace Will was ultimately the right one. Will Riker is an iconic character who has become synonymous with "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and replacing him would have been a risky move that could have alienated fans.

The fate of Thomas Riker remains an unanswered question, leaving fans to speculate about his ultimate destiny. While the show never revealed what happened to him after his appearance in "Defiant," there have been hints that he may have survived the Dominion War. The possibility remains that Thomas Riker could return in a future "Star Trek" installment, providing closure to his story and giving fans the answers they have been waiting for.