Star Trek: 10 Worst Things William T. Riker Has Ever Done
2. Going Out Of His Way To Make Shelby's Job Harder
Elizabeth Shelby arrived on the Enterprise as a determined, ambitious lieutenant commander in The Best Of Both Worlds, having been a crucial part of the anti-Borg efforts for almost a year at that point. Riker, having just turned down his third command, found himself facing someone who aggressively wanted his job. It rattled him, to be fair.
There is a long-running debate in Trek circles about Riker's actions toward her. While she is undeniably brash and often displays over-confidence, he certainly doesn't do anything to make her life any easier once she arrives on the ship. Though she oversteps at times, she is also clearly faced with an officer who doesn't, openly at least, take her seriously.
What truly heightens these issues is the utter urgency of the piece, an aspect of their relationship that only deepens with the assimilation of Picard. It takes him a while, but Riker does begin to recognise that there are aspects of her that remind him of himself - and he feels threatened by that. Though his command of the Enterprise ultimately helps to save Starfleet, his welcome for Shelby left a lot to be desired.
This is something he clearly hadn't forgotten by the events of Võx, as there is a definite frost in his voice when he sees her again.