Commander Will Riker's long wait for a promotion to Captain in Star Trek: The Next Generation is explained by Jonathan Frakes. Riker was the First Officer of the USS Enterprise under Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) for 15 years spanning all 7 seasons of TNG and the four movies that followed. Riker finally received his promotion to Captain and departed the Enterprise to command the USS Titan in Star Trek: Nemesis.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant to raise awareness for Trek Against Pancreatic Cancer, Jonathan Frakes offered his take on why Riker took so long to receive a promotion to Captain. Read his quote below:
Jonathan Frakes: That was the writers' fault. I mean, they kept having Riker say, "I'm seeking my own ship, and I'd love to become a Captain" and then when the offer comes, Riker turns it down. It must have happened two or three times over the series. So it was a conflict in the writers' room that the character ended up looking a little waffle-ly on [being promoted]. And then conveniently, the ships that Riker had been offered all blew up in the battle with the Borg. (laughs)
