Star Trek: 10 Riker Romances That Were A TOTAL Security Risk

Starfleet entrusted William T. Riker with the Federation flagship, countless lives and some of its most crucial missions. So it's somewhat bewildering how often his love life put the security of all three at risk.

There's no getting away from it. Riker is the Casanova of The Next Generation, following in the footsteps of legendary ladies' man James T. Kirk. Charming, confident, and commanding, he can spark chemistry in just about any quadrant of the galaxy.

Unfortunately, being the first officer of the Enterprise means that Riker's personal life doesn't always stay...well...personal. Between negotiations, covert operations, hostile forces and command responsibilities, Riker's manoeuvres too often lead to a compromising position.

Of course, not every Riker romance actually causes a catastrophe. But the potential for disaster is enough to turn a perfectly professional situation into a security risk. And his questionable judgement definitely opened the door to problems. Quite a few doors, actually. Whether that's diplomatic consequences, political fallout, personal leverage or even the hijacking of the Enterprise.

So while Riker's instincts are usually bang on target, we can't help but notice that when a captivating woman is involved, protocol and professional conduct become more of a guidebook.

It's that 'T', isn't it? Clearly, the T stands for trouble.

We don't necessarily doubt the sincerity of Riker's feelings in The Vengeance Factor. But it is the perfect example of how the first officer mixing business with pleasure can get really messy.

The Gatherers are wreaking havoc, and the Enterprise finds itself in the middle of a highly delicate and risky diplomatic mission to assist the violent splinter group's reintegration with the Acamarians.

The perfect time for a romance with one of the parties involved, eh?

Enter Yuta, an enchanting chef who works for the Sovereign of Acamar...and is exactly Riker's type. The flirtation begins almost as soon as she comes aboard, because there's clearly nothing more important to worry about...and Riker is technically in charge of HR.

But Yuta has a secret. A pretty big one at that.

After a Gatherer is found dead, Crusher informs Riker that he was murdered using a tailored microvirus. His next course of action as the situation gets ever more dangerous and complicated? Seduce the chef.

Only, it turns out that Riker's date for the evening has a peculiar speciality dish: microvirus a la Yuta. That's right, Riker's trying to hook up with an assassin. An assassin he ends up having to vaporise.

While he had no way of knowing that Yuta was the murderer, it really is a lesson in why getting romantically involved with random guests who arrive for hazardous peace talks is a terrible idea. Sometimes, the smart thing to do is to go and take a cold sonic shower.