From: ph9991_manfr@rivers.acc.uwrf.edu
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Re: Riker in command
Date: 3 Jan 93 17:23:06 -0600
Organization: University of Wisconsin - River Falls

> 
> None of this make any sense to me.  Are you asserting that the characters are
> only what their positions on the ship make them, and that changing positions
> will actually turn Riker into a different character?

No, I'm saying the job a person has will bring out different traits in a 
character, as we saw in "Disaster" when everyone had to do work they were
unaccustomed to.  

>  
> At any rate, what would be the difference between giving Riker the captaincy
> and having the writers whip up new personality traits for him, and just giving
> the job to some new character?
> 
If Riker were the Number One guy on the ship (pun intended), then he would
also get more attention from the writers and therefore his character will
develop more.  Riker would, I think, settle down and relax a little more
once his goal in life is met, i.e. command of a starship.
>  
> Not quite; the Enterprise is clearly one of the more important ships in
> Starfleet because (as we saw in "Chain of Command") it would fill an important
> fleet command position on the Cardassian border.

True enough, but still its "flagship" title is in debate.

>  
>>                             There are/were at least five other Galaxy class
>>ships which should have the same abilities as the Enterprise.
>  
> We only know of one:  The USS Yamato (which no longer exists).  According to
> all the information which TNG has given us, we only know of a single existing
> Galaxy class ship: The Enterprise.  (Non-film sources such as the TNG tech
> manual are only speculative at best, until they actually decide to show or
> tell us about information therein on the show.  Until then, they could change
> their minds at the drop of a hat.)

There has been at least one other one heavily implied, the USS Galaxy after
which the class is named.  Also, do you really think there would be an
entire class of ships and then only have one ship in the class?

>  
>>Additionally, I think Riker's superb performance in "The Best of Both Worlds"
>>proved to all that he definitely is the man to beat for the big chair should
>>Picard ever accept promotion.  He did with the ship he already knows well
>>what 39 or 40 other starships couldn't do (or perhaps I should say he did
>>it with the crew).
> 
> Well, he has several things going against him.  First, he's refused THREE
> commands in the past already.  Why would Starfleet give him a fourth chance?

Because someone will be bright enough to see that Riker's only been waiting
on the Enterprise so that he will eventually get the Enterprise.

> Second, there may be other captains in the fleet who have per-"?[Tormed feats of
> equal cunning and prestige, but we haven't heard about them on TNG.
> 
> Third, and maybe most importantly, when Picard was replaced as captain of the
> Enterprise in "Chain of Command", command was NOT passed on to Riker.  (While
> the Vice-Admiral did say that this was in part because Riker had scant
> experience dealing with the Cardassians, Riker himself said that the command
> change appeared intended to be permanent (since Picard was being sent on a
> suicide mission).  Certainly Starfleet would not assign the Enterprise based
> on his being able to handle only one particular mission.
> 
> Overall, Riker just doesn't have the *experience* to handle command of a
> starship as significent of the Enterprise.  There are doubtless
> better-qualified captains out there, who have been commanding vessels for
> several years already.
> 
>>		    The crew would certainly like him to be next I'm sure,
>>and if Picard gets a word in Starfleet's ear about his replacement, I think
>>it likely he'll pull for Riker.  
> Jx6H'o*.
> Possibly, though there are probably other people out there who will have
> people pulling for them.
> 
> -- 
> Michael Rawdon				  rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu
> University of Wisconsin Computer Sciences Department,  Madison, WI
> ( Now in the Boston, Massachusetts area! )
> 
> Be warned: I will answer flames and condescensions in kind.