Star Trek: What Happened to Thomas Riker?

Clones and evil doppelgängers of main characters are a common trope in science fiction. They're typically the focus of an episode within a series, with their story tying up by the end of the episode. That's not the case in Star Trek. This science fiction franchise can always use a good doppelgänger story, and it did so when it created the duplicate of Commander William Riker. The existence of Thomas Riker went a different route, subverting the "evil" clone trope because they were nearly identical in every way.

Thomas Riker served as an introspective piece for Commander William Riker, giving him a glimpse at the kind of person he was, especially at the time of the transporter accident that created Thomas. William evolved into a duty-driven officer with integrity, while Thomas was the same arrogant, reckless person that William was eight years prior. Unlike other stories that feature clones, Thomas didn't go away at the end of his episode. He made several appearances throughout the Star Trekfranchise.

Who is Thomas Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation?

When William Riker was a Lieutenant in 2361, stationed aboard the USS Potemkin, he led an away mission on Nervala IV. When it came time to return to the Potemkin, William was the last to beam out. However, atmospheric distortions threatened the transfer from the surface to the ship, forcing the transporter chief to do what they could to complete the beam. Unbeknownst to most, this created an exact duplicate of William, who remained on the planet's surface for eight years. The one who would eventually call himself Thomas had just as much claim to be the original Riker as William did since, at the time of the event, they were carbon copies of each other on a molecular level.

It wasn't until 2369, when the Enterprise retrieved scientific research data, that anyone learned about Thomas's existence. Enterprise brought him aboard, where the two Rikers learned about each other for the first time. They didn't get along at first, because it was difficult to reconcile the thought that one of them was a clone while the other was the original, but it was impossible to ascertain which. Thomas had the same personality and demeanor that William had eight years prior, causing more tension between the two.

After spending some time together, William was able to accept that there was another Riker in the universe and that they were like brothers. Thomas went by their middle name, and continued pursuing a career with Starfleet, thanks to Captain Picard getting him a posting on the USS Gandhi.

What Happened to Thomas Riker?

Thomas Riker had been stranded on the planet Nervala IV for eight years, not giving him much opportunity to evolve as a person like William did. However, after his discovery and interaction with his clone and the rest of the Enterprise crew, Thomas begins to form a number of beliefs and ideals that deviate from William's. While the two had a tense relationship at first, they parted on good terms, with William giving Thomas their prized trombone as a parting gift.

During Deep Space Nine's tenure, a new faction known as the Maquis formed. The Maquis consisted of Federation citizens who refused to give up their territory in the demilitarized zone to the Cardassians, which the Federation ceded. While the Maquis were a less organized resistance force than the organizations they challenged, they received support from many Starfleet officers, including Thomas Riker. This put him at odds not only with the ideals of William, but also in direct contention with Commander Benjamin Sisko of Deep Space Nine.

Thomas used William's identity to board Deep Space Nine and commandeer the advanced starship USS Defiant. With Major Kira as a prisoner, Thomas and his crew plotted a course for the Orias system where they believed the Cardassians were constructing a new fleet of warships. Gul Dukat, whom Commander Sisko was working with to locate and intercept the Defiant, claimed he had no knowledge of Cardassia building any ships in the Orias system. However, Thomas's intelligence proved accurate. The Obsidian Order, Cardassia's top secret intelligence organization, was indeed building a new generation of warships.

However, Dukat was also telling the truth. He knew nothing about the Obsidian Order's operations in the system, which were against Cardassian law. Dukat managed to intercept Thomas, and Commander Sisko successfully negotiated a lighter sentence for Thomas as long as he handed over the Defiant's sensor logs of the Orias system. This compromise landed Thomas in Cardassia's labor camp on Lazon II for the remainder of his life.

Does Thomas Riker Appear in Other Star Trek Series?

After being imprisioned in a Cardassian labor camp in Deep Space 9, nobody, including William, heard from Thomas Riker again. There were a couple of stories in novels and comics that featured Thomas, including one where Thomas's involvement with the Maquis is expanded on. In this story, it was shown to be Voyager's Chakotay who formulated the plan to steal DS9's Defiant. Another novel showed Thomas being freed from the labor camp and becoming entwined in an assassination plot.

However, none of his appearances in novels or comics are considered canon. The only other canonical appearance by Thomas was a brief mention in the Star Trek: Lower Decks episode "The Inner Fight," in which the crew of the USS Cerritos are tracking down former Starfleet officers at risk of being recruited by a mystery villain. On the list of former officers is Thomas Riker. Since he was last known to be imprisoned in a Cardassian labor camp, this appearance suggests his story is progressing and fans might get to see him in the near future.