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star trek - How many promotions did Riker turn down?


A second season episode of The Next Generation I watched the other day had Cdr. Riker turning down an offer to command his own ship. I seem to remember other offers being rebuffed by Riker, though he ultimately accepts one in his last on-screen appearance in Star Trek: Nemesis.



Answer



First, the ACTUAL commands:




  • 2366 : Temporary field promotion to captain by Adm. Hanson during Borg crisis





  • By 2379, Riker decided to accept promotion to captain of the USS Titan. The Titan was dispatched to the Romulan Neutral Zone to serve as the command ship for a diplomatic task force. ("Star Trek Nemesis")




  • [NOTE: This bullet is from fanfic-level Memory Gamma, so not part of any canon or official info ] In 2385, Riker accepted a promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral (lower grade) and reluctantly turned over command of the USS Titan to his Executive Officer, Commander Christine Vale, assuming command of the new Yamato-class Heavy Battleship USS Paladin and Task Force Paladin despite not wanting to leave the Titan yet.






Next, command offers (from http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/William_T._Riker#Command_offers)




Riker was offered several commands during his tenure aboard the Enterprise. Including:



  • the aforementioned USS Drake,


  • he was offered the USS Aries in 2365


    The Aries command was offered to Riker because of his exceptional abilities as a scientist. He turned down the Aries posting because he felt he was not yet ready to leave the Enterprise and the distinction that the first officer post held. (TNG: "The Icarus Factor")




  • the USS Melbourne in 2366. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds")



    Starfleet put a great amount of pressure on Riker to accept command of the Melbourne. Many admirals and even Captain Picard felt that he had remained too long on board the Enterprise and should have accepted a command by that point in his career, lest it seem like he was standing still in a sea of upstart officers like Shelby. Even Riker questioned why he remained as Enterprise first officer, and was unable to understand what kept him from leaving. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds")


    "She's a fine ship, Will." "Yes, but she's not the Enterprise." Picard and Riker (about the Melbourne)




  • Q said in Voyager:"Death Wish" that he "was betting Riker" would have taken command of the USS Voyager, which may mean he was also offered command of that ship before Captain Janeway.





SUMMARY: At least 3 and possibly four turned down promotions


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