10 Star Trek Characters Who Have Appeared In The Most Shows
2. William T. Riker - 6
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Picard
Star Trek: Lower Decks
The beard that launched a thousand fan-fics, few faces in Star Trek as as recognisable as that of William Riker.
Originally envisioned as TNG's Kirk-like facsimile against the more cerebral Captain Picard, Will Riker proved himself over the years to be a gallant and capable first officer. Whether leading Starfleet to victory at Wolf-359, confronting his alternates selves, or just mounting chairs in the most baffling ways, Riker was a firm fan favourite, and one that Trek aficionados would be watching for many years to come.
A somewhat similar but 'technically' different Riker would show up to play the villain in DS9 episode 'Defiant', as Thomas Riker, an alternate formed by a transporter accident, steals a Federation warship to do battle with Cardassia in the name of the terrorist Maquis.
The 'Prime' Will Riker, meanwhile, is summoned to The Delta Quadrant by Q, to stand as a witness for the life of 'Quinn', a suicidal Q requesting sanctuary aboard Voyager. At another point in this slightly wishy-washy timeline Riker takes in a holodeck simulation of Enterprise NX-01's final mission, and plays the chef that singlehandedly destroyed the franchise for nearly a decade.
Once Trek has dusted itself off, Riker would appear in Lower Decks season 2 as the captain of the USS Titan, and reunite with his old Captain in Picard, leading a fleet of Federation starships in a tense standoff with the Romulan Zhat Vash to save the androids of Coppelius.