I’ve always wondered why Star Trek: Deep Space Nine abandoned their plans for Thomas Riker, the treacherous transporter clone of Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes). Thomas Riker was first introduced in TNG season 6, episode 24, “Second Chances”, in which he is discovered living in isolation on Nervala IV. This forced to Thomas to see the man that he eventually became, and he found that Will Riker didn’t live up to expectations. Thomas was appalled by Riker’s rejection of promotion, and left the Enterprise to serve aboard the USS Ghandi as a Lieutenant.

Jonathan Frakes reprized the role of Thomas Riker for Star Trek: DS9 season 3, episode 9, “Defiant”, which revealed that he was now a Maquis general. In the opening of the DS9/TNG crossover episode, the audience believes that they’re watching Commander Riker seduce Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor). However, in a notoriously silly moment, Will peels off his fake sideburns to reveal that he was Thomas all along, and he’s now in command of the hijacked USS Defiant. Thomas Riker never resurfaced after “Defiant”, and it’s only by picking apart what happened between the episode and DS9 season 4 that I can understand why.

Star Trek: DS9 Had Future Plans For Thomas Riker

The book Captains’ Logs Supplemental – The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman suggests that there were tentative plans to bring back Thomas Riker after “Defiant”. In a quote from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s showrunner, Ira Steven Behr, he reflects on how they made Jonathan Frakes’ character their own. Read Ira Steven Behr’s quote about Riker’s clone below:

“We’ll probably see a return of Tom Riker episode. What’s nice is he’s not really a part of Next Generation, so he’s ours, and we can do what we want with him and not worry about what the movies will do with Will Riker”

With Tom sent to a Cardassian prison at the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 9, the logical follow-up would be a Major Kira episode of DS9 where she broke him out. Jonathan Frakes also felt that the ending of “Defiant” naturally provided an opportunity for a sequel. In an interview on the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6 boxed set, Frakes says he suggested that Tom Riker could aid Legate Damar (Casey Biggs) in his rebellion against the Dominion in DS9 season 7.

A fan rumor, debunked by Moore in one of his AOL chats, suggested that Tom would be revealed as a member of Section 31. However, none of these story ideas ever made it to the screen, as by the time of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, freelance writers were being told not to pitch Thomas Riker stories. I’ve always thought that Tom Riker had a lot of potential beyond just being an evil Will Riker clone, but looking into why the decision was made not to use him again, I understand why that potential was left unfulfilled.

Why Star Trek: DS9 Banned The Use Of Riker’s Clone In Scripts

In a 2018 interview with Geek Town, Ira Steven Behr explained why he changed his mind about Thomas Riker in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Behr acknowledges that his decision may have disappointed Jonathan Frakes and some of the DS9 writers, but I do think his reasoning makes a lot of sense given the show’s direction. Read Behr’s comments below:

“I thought that character… we could have had fun with that character on DS9. At that time, unfortunately for Jonathan Frakes who really liked doing it, that was the moment where I said, “We have to cut ties with the past, for sure.” As much as I liked that character, I said, ‘We can’t bring him back. Sorry’. The guys kept saying, “We can use him.” We could never have used him enough in order to really get the good storyline going, continuing. That was a problem, to be honest, but that’s the character I would have liked to have driven“.

“Defiant” aired three days after the theatrical release of Star Trek Generations, the success of which led to further movies for the TNG cast. The following two TNG movies, Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection were directed by Jonathan Frakes. Movies are more demanding than TV, and so Ira Steven Behr is right; Jonathan Frakes wouldn’t have had the time to play Thomas Riker in a substantial way. So it makes a lot of sense for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to cut its losses when it comes to Tom Riker, especially as Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) was about to become a series regular.

Why I’m Glad Star Trek: DS9 Never Reused Thomas Riker

As much as I think Thomas Riker is a fascinating character who had much to offer Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, I’m glad that the decision was made not to use him. Introducing Worf to boost DS9‘s ratings in season 4 turned out to be the best thing for the show and the character. However, if DS9 had Michael Dorn as a regular and Jonathan Frakes as a recurring guest actor, then it would look like DS9 was being propped up by beloved actors Star Trek: The Next Generation. Instead, DS9 improved Worf as a character, and Michael Dorn never overshadowed his co-stars.

If Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had used Jonathan Frakes more, then it seems likely he would have become the Michael Eddington (Kenneth Marshall) character. However, Eddington’s betrayal of Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) worked because audiences had spent a season watching the two men get to know each other. Sisko doggedly pursuing Thomas Riker and his Maquis freedom fighters for two seasons just wouldn’t have had the same impact. While it’s always disappointed me that we never got more from Thomas Riker, I do think that, ultimately, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine benefited from his absence.