Summary
- Commander Riker's history with Q is different from Captain Picard's, as Q once granted Riker the powers of the Q.
- While Riker temporarily gained Q's powers, it was hardly mentioned again and Q seemed to lose interest in him.
- It would be nice to see Riker meet Q again in Star Trek: Legacy, especially now that Riker has grown as a character and could more than hold his own against Q.
Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and the omnipotent being known as Q (John de Lancie) have quite an interesting history in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Legacy should give them the opportunity to meet again. Since his introduction in TNG's pilot episode, Q has been a thorn in the side of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), but he once had a particular fascination with Commander Riker. In TNG season 1, episode 10, "Hide and Q," Q makes his second visit to the USS Enterprise-D after putting humanity on trial in the series premiere. This time, Q sets his sights on Riker and offers him the opportunity of a lifetime.
After appearing on the Enterprise bridge, Q sends most of the senior officers to a strange planet, leaving Captain Picard alone on the ship. Q then forces the senior officers to play his game, which is all meant as a test for Commander Riker. When Picard figures out that it's Riker Q has his eye on, he expresses confidence that his first officer with defeat Q. Q and Picard then make a wager: if Q wins, he gets command of the Enterprise, if Riker wins, Q leaves humanity alone forever. Down on the planet, the away team is attacked by strange beasts with energy weapons, and Q reveals that Riker has been granted the powers of the Q.
