Star Trek: The Next Generation
Summary
Commander William Riker ( Jonathan Frakes ) reunites with his father , Kyle Riker ( Mitchell Ryan ) , inStar Trek : The Next genesis , but Gene Roddenberry ’s pressure on avoiding conflict made the installment hang level . When creatingTNG , Roddenberry implemented a " rule " that there would be no conflict among the show ’s main characters , imply that they would have moved by that by the 24th hundred . Many ofTNG’swriters struggled to adapt to this rule , as it made crafting dramatic and interesting stories more difficult . engagement is a major part of storytelling , after all , and it does not always come from an outside source .
Roddenberry ’s ill-famed prescript becomes specially apparent inStar Trek : The Next Generationseason 2 , episode 14 , " The Icarus Factor , " in the relationship between Will Riker and his father . WhenCommander Riker gets offered his own commandof the USS Aries , his father , Kyle , shows up to brief him on his raw and potentially dangerous missionary post . Will Riker ’s mother passed away when he was only two age onetime , and Kyle raised his son alone until he abandoned Will when the boy was fifteen . While it ’s percipient too soon on that Will wants nothing to do with his Father of the Church , neither mankind shows much emotion , despite the fact that they have not spoken in fifteen years .
Jonathan Frakes has become a Star Trek image in his own right with some great consequence as Commander William Riker on Star Trek : The Next multiplication .
Roddenberry Overruled Adding More Emotion To Star Trek: TNG’s Riker Father & Son Story
The confrontation between Will and his father falls flat.
accord toCaptains ' Logs : The unauthorised Complete Trek Voyages , the music director ofStar Trek : The Next Generation ’s " The Icarus Factor , " Robert Iscove , wanted to add more emotion but was overruled by Gene Roddenberry . Riker should be feeling fifteen years ' Charles Frederick Worth of resentment and ire , but he barely even elevate his interpreter at his father . When Will points out that he ’s been on his own since he was a male child , Kyle has the gall to say:“Please , spare me the pain of your childhood . I hung in for thirteen years . If that was n’t enough , it ’s just too bad . “This is a horrific thing for a father to say to his Logos , but " The Icarus Factor " does not give minute like this the emotional depth they deserve .
William T. Riker ’s Family
Relation
Thaddeus Riker
nifty - grandfather
Kyle Riker
Father
Betty Riker
Mother
Deanna Troi
Wife
Lwaxana Troi
female parent - in - police
Thad Troi - Riker
Son ( deceased )
Kestra Troi - Riker
girl
Thomas Riker
Identical clone
Kyle Riker is , to put it but , a jerk with no consideration for his Word ’s feelings . He is condescending and self - rivet , making excuse for himself even in the big confrontation scene , which , again , miss any veridical emotional deepness . Will and Kyle finally have a literal conversion during an anbo - jyutsu match(which is supposed to be"the ultimate evolution of the warlike arts,“but really just looks ludicrous ) . At one point Will say , without much flection or emotion:“You should have been the one to die , not her,“regarding his female parent , which garners little reaction from his sire . Jonathan Frakes is a skilled player , as is Mitchell Ryan as Kyle , but it ’s as if they were told not to show much emotion .
Thankfully , modernStar Trekshows have mostly desert Roddenberry ’s " no engagement " ruler , andStar Trek : Picardgave Jonathan Frakes the chance to show much more emotional range as Captain Riker .
Will Riker’s Conflict With His Father Should’ve Lasted More Than One TNG Episode
The conflict between Will and his father is resolved way too quickly.
As Will and Kyle cover their fight , Kyle unveil that he chicane every time he and Will did anbo - jyutsu , which precede to a import that ’s mean to be cathartic for both men . Kyle order he lie with his son , and Will read he ’s happy his sire visited him , anda engagement that has purportedly lasted for fifteen old age is resolve with a five - minute of arc conversation . This aligns with another " normal " of Roddenberry ’s , who wanted everything to come back to the build status quo at the end of eachStar Trek : The Next Generationepisode . So Riker adjudicate the conflict with his founding father ( who , incidentally , never makes another visual aspect on the show ) and sprain down the advancement .
" The Icarus Factor " does have an entertaining B - game as Ensign Wesley Crusher ( Wil Wheaton ) , Lt . Commander Data ( Brent Spiner ) , and Lt . Geordi La Forge ( LeVar Burton ) recreate an authoritative Klingon ceremony to cheer up their champion Lt . Worf ( Michael Dorn ) .
Will ’s human relationship with his father could have been an ongoing storyline that ran through several episode or even seasons , but it ’s barely mentioned again . By the last of " The Icarus Factor,“Will Riker is back to his old self and takes his shoes alongside Captain Jean - Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) as the First Officer of the Enterprise - D.From the beginning , it ’s apparent that Riker wo n’t be forget the initiative , which removes any stakes from that particular storyline . All in all , " The Icarus Factor " would have been a beneficial episode ofStar Trek : The Next Generationwith a little more conflict , a lot more emotion , and a deep exploration of Will Riker ’s complicated relationship with his Father-God .
Star Trek : The Next Generation is available to pullulate on Paramount+ .
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