Captain William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) now appears in two Star Trek series on Paramount+ and the Star Trek: The Next Generation legacy hero has become the franchise's best reboot. Frakes reprised Riker in Star Trek: Picard season 1, reuniting with Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) alongside Riker's Imzadi, Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis). Riker and Troi then jumped to the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks and he is back as the Captain of the USS Titan in season 2.
As the First Officer of the USS Enterprise-D and E, Commander Riker was a main character on Star Trek: The Next Generation and the four TNG movies. On TNG, Riker was incredibly well-developed and starred in multiple episodes. Leading the Enterprise and saving Captain Picard from the Borg in "The Best of Both Worlds" may be Riker's finest moment. But in the TNG movies, Riker was unfortunately deemphasized and became a supporting character while Picard, Data (Brent Spiner), and Worf (Michael Dorn) became the films' 'big three.' Riker did make appearances in other Star Trek series (the most of any actor) but it always felt like a letdown that fans didn't get to see Riker finally become a Captain and take command of his own ship, the Titan, after Star Trek: Nemesis.
However, Captain Riker is experiencing a welcome renaissance in the Star Trek shows on Paramount+. Jonathan Frakes is primarily a director who has helmed many episodes of Star Trek: Discovery and Picard, and he's beloved as the casts' favorite director. But Frakes has also donned his Starfleet uniform again and his comeback as Captain Riker has fulfilled fans' dreams. Trekkers not only got to see Riker and Troi as married parents in Star Trek: Picard but he also heroically saved Jean-Luc's bacon as the Captain of the USS Zheng-He at the end of season 1. Arguably even better, Captain Riker runs the USS Titan in Star Trek: Lower Decks and this version of Riker is a hilarious, jazzy wildman who is still in his prime and thoroughly enjoys commanding his own starship at last.
Star Trek: Lower Decks is set in 2380, which is 20 years before Star Trek: Picard, and the benefit is fans get to see two different versions of Captain Riker that are equally a ball to watch. The elder Riker on Picard is wise and patient; he's suffered from the death of his son Thaddeus but he's happy and fulfilled being married to Deanna and as the father of Kestra (Lulu Wilson). Meanwhile, on Lower Decks, William Riker is a bold, risk-taking action hero who doesn't let the responsibilities of commanding the Titan keep him from having a great time. After playing Riker since 1987, it's also clear from his performances that Jonathan Frakes is delighted with these new and different shades of Riker. Will Riker hasn't been this vital in decades since TNG went off the air in 1994.
Star Trek: Prodigy is bringing Kate Mulgrew, who will play a holographic version of Captain Kathryn Janeway. Canonically, the flesh-and-blood Janeway is now an Admiral but Prodigy will allow the USS Voyager's ex-Captain to return in her prime to mentor a ragtag group of young aliens and teach them the values of Starfleet. Prodigy would do well to emulate how Picard and Lower Decks have given Riker a new lease on life.
While it's truly a gift to have Patrick Stewart back headlining his own show as Jean-Luc Picard, by necessity, Stewart is playing a different, aged version of the Starfleet legend who is no longer the Captain of the Enterprise. However, Jonathan Frakes still gets to play Riker boldly adventuring in the galaxy as the Captain of his own ship while he also gets to be age-appropriate and explore Riker as a settled family man who has done his duty for Starfleet. Between Riker's live-action turn in Star Trek: Picard and his anything-goes animated mayhem on Star Trek: Lower Decks, Jonathan Frakes is having the best of both worlds and he's proving Captain Riker is Star Trek's best reboot of all.