Captain Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) is a very different type of leader than Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Star Trek: Picard season 3 is bound to show the contrast between them. Riker is part of Star Trek: Picard season 3's reunion of the main cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and joining Will and Jean-Luc will be Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), Worf (Michael Dorn), and Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton). Brent Spiner also returns as a new character, potentially one of Star Trek: Picard season 3's villains.
Star Trek: Picard season 3's trailer is very Riker-heavy and showcases his magnetic personality in contrast to Jean-Luc's stately gravitas. In Star Trek: Picard season 1's finale, Riker reactivated his Starfleet commission and returned as the Captain of the USS Zheng He in order to save Picard from the Romulan fleet. Jean-Luc will lean on Riker once again in Star Trek: Picard season 3 as they board the USS Titan-A, the latest generation of the starship Captain Riker previously lead, and now has Commander Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) serving aboard. But the overwhelming feeling Riker brings to Star Trek: Picard season 3 via the trailer is that he's relaxed and confident. Will is also able to tease Jean-Luc because of the mutual respect between them. Meanwhile, Admiral Picard is now decades removed from his time as Starfleet's greatest starship Captain whereas Riker now has plenty of experience of his own in the Captain's chair.
Why Riker Is So Different As A Captain After Learning From Picard
Will Riker spent 15 years as the First Officer of the USS Enterprise-D and E, and he was Captain Picard's Number One throughout. Yet even when they served together in TNG, Will was his own man with a very different command style than his mentor. Will learned everything there is to know about commanding a starship from Jean-Luc, but Riker is naturally friendlier, more outgoing, and more approachable than Picard. During their off-duty hours, Will liked to unwind with a Synthehol drink in 10 Forward, play his big brass instruments, or school the Enterprise senior staff in poker. Meanwhile, Picard would retreat into solitude and read a book or enjoy his archeology hobby.
On the occasions when Riker had to command the Enterprise in Picard's absence, the Acting Captain took his duty seriously. In fact, it was Riker's heroics that allowed the Enterprise to rescue Picard when he was assimilated by the Borg in TNG season 4. But when he finally accepted a promotion and got his own command after Star Trek: Nemesis, Captain Riker turned into the opposite of Picard. As seen in Star Trek: Lower Decks, Captain Riker ran the USS Titan with the tempo of a jazz musician, and Will was fast-paced, witty, and get the job done. It's hard to imagine Picard behaving like the wacky wildman Captain Riker was on Lower Decks, but it was a sign that now that he was in charge, Will was going to enjoy his voyages across the final frontier.
Which Version Of Captain Riker Will We See In Star Trek: Picard Season 3?
It will be interesting how much, if any, of the Star Trek: Lower Decks version of Captain Riker we will see in Star Trek: Picard season 3. When he was commanding the Titan on Lower Decks, Will hadn't yet suffered the tragedy of losing his son Thaddeus to terminal mendaxic neurosclerosis, which is why Riker and Troi left Starfleet and moved to the planet Nepenthe. It's likely that the jazz beat-counting, devil-may-care Captain Riker is purely the province of Star Trek: Lower Decks, and the older, wiser Riker in Star Trek: Picard season 3 will be how he was in Star Trek: Picard season 1. Either way, Captain Riker is a relentlessly positive force and will be a fascinating contrast to Admiral Picard in Star Trek: Picard season 3.