Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series)
The Best of Both Worlds: Part 1 (1990)
Jonathan Frakes: Commander William Thomas 'Will' Riker
Photos
Quotes
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[last lines of season 3]
Commander William T. Riker : Mister Worf - fire!
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Commander William T. Riker : You disagree with me, fine. You need to take it to the Captain, fine - through me. You do an end run around me again, I'll snap you back so hard you'll think you're a first-year cadet again.
Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby : May I speak frankly, sir?
Commander William T. Riker : By all means.
Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby : You're in my way.
Commander William T. Riker : Really? How terrible for you!
Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby : All you know how to do is play it safe. I suppose that's why someone like you sits in the shadow of a great man for as long as you have, passing up one command after another.
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[after an attempt to rescue Picard has failed]
Commander William T. Riker : The Captain?
Lt. Commander Data : We were unable to retrieve him, sir. The Captain has been altered by the Borg.
Commander William T. Riker : Altered?
Lieutenant Worf : He IS a Borg.
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[Shelby gets early on site without permission]
Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby : Morning. Early bird gets the worm, eh? We've had some interesting results.
Commander William T. Riker : Commander Shelby... Walk with me, Commander.
Lt. Commander Data : [to La Forge] Early bird...? I believe Commander Shelby erred. There is no evidence of avifaunal or crawling vermicular life forms on Jouret IV.
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge : That's not what she meant, Data. But you're right. She erred.
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Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby : Tell me, Commander, is serving aboard the Enterprise as extraordinary an experience as I've heard?
Commander William T. Riker : Every bit.
Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby : Good. Because I intend to convince Captain Picard that I'm the right choice for the job.
Commander William T. Riker : Job? Which job?
Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby : Yours, of course.
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Capt. Picard : What's your impression of Shelby?
Commander William T. Riker : She knows her stuff.
Capt. Picard : She has your full confidence?
Commander William T. Riker : Well, I think she needs supervision. She takes the initiative a little too easily, sometimes with risks.
Capt. Picard : [tuts] Sounds like a young Lieutenant Commander I recruited as a first officer.
Commander William T. Riker : Perhaps.
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Commander William T. Riker : [in command of the Enterprise] Make it so.
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[Picard talks to Riker about taking the post as captain of another ship]
Commander William T. Riker : With all due respect, sir - you need me. Particularly now.
Capt. Picard : Indeed. Starfleet needs good captains, particularly now.
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Commander William T. Riker : [on reasons why he has declined the command of another starship] Maybe I'm just afraid of the big chair.
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[after the Borg have abducted Picard]
Lieutenant Worf : Sir, the coordinates they have set - they're on a direct course to sector 001. The Terran system.
Commander William T. Riker : Earth.
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Commander William T. Riker : [the Borg want Captain Picard] What the hell do they want with you?
Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Paula Shelby : I thought they weren't interested in human life forms. Only our technology.
Capt. Picard : That priority seems to have changed.
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Commander William T. Riker : [Riker's about to turn down a ship of his own to command for the third time and he doesn't even know why] What am I still doing here? Deanna, I pushed myself hard to get this far. I... I sacrificed a lot. I always said I wanted my own command and yet... something's holding me back. Is it wrong for me to want to stay?
Counselor Deanna Troi : [a typical psychologist's response - answering a question with a question] What do you think?
Commander William T. Riker : [musing it over] Maybe I'm just afraid of the big chair?
Counselor Deanna Troi : I don't think so.
Commander William T. Riker : [he doesn't think so either] The Captain says Shelby reminds him of the way that I used to be... and he's right. She comes in here full of drive and ambition... impatient... taking risks. I look at her and I wonder what happened to those things in me. I liked those things about me. I've lost something.
Counselor Deanna Troi : You mean you're older... more experienced...
[chooses her next words with care]
Counselor Deanna Troi : ... a little more... seasoned.
Commander William T. Riker : [but not careful enough for Riker's taste] Seasoned? That's a horrible thing to say to a man.
Counselor Deanna Troi : I don't think you've lost a thing, and I think you've gained more than you realise. You're much more comfortable with yourself than you used to be.
Commander William T. Riker : [she may have hit on something there] Maybe that's the problem. I'm too comfortable here.
Counselor Deanna Troi : I'm not sure I know what that means. You're happy here... happier then I've ever known you to be. So, it comes down to a simple question... what do you want Will Riker?
[what indeed?]
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Commander William T. Riker : When it comes to this ship and this crew, you're damned right I play it safe.