10 Story-arcs Star Trek: Legacy Should Continue
5. Thomas Riker
Thomas Riker was created after a transporter malfunction saw this clone of William T. Riker stranded on Nervala IV. There he remained for eight years until he was discovered by the Enterprise-D. He struggled upon his return to Starfleet, overshadowed by the career of his 'brother'.
This saw Thomas decide to abandon Starfleet and join the Maquis. He used his unique position to trick Major Kira into giving him access to the USS Defiant, eventually leading to his capture and imprisonment by the Cardassians.
For most people, that would have been a death sentence. Not so for Tom - Star Trek: Lower Decks revealed in their episode The Inner Fight that Thomas was, in fact, still alive and was being sought out by Starfleet.
The reveal that he is still alive begs many questions. How did he survive his internment in the Lazon II labour camp? Why was he not executed when the Dominion destroyed the Maquis? Did he then escape, or was he released? Quite frankly - what has he been up to in all of this time?
How might he feel upon the discovery that Will Riker and Deanna Troi had rekindled their relationship, marrying and having two children? Might this be one step too much for him to handle, seeing a life that he could never have had?