7 best Will Riker episodes to celebrate Jonathan Frakes 70th birthday

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 09: Jonathan Frakes attends FAN EXPO Chicago at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center on July 09, 2022 in Rosemont, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 09: Jonathan Frakes attends FAN EXPO Chicago at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center on July 09, 2022 in Rosemont, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images) /
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Jonathan Frakes
LAS VEGAS, NV – AUGUST 03: Actor and director Jonathan Frakes speaks at the “TNG – Part 2” panel during the 17th annual official Star Trek convention at the Rio Hotel & Casino on August 3, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images) /

Second Chances

While Frakes really brought it as Thomas Riker on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, we made sure to ignore that episode for this specific list. Thomas Riker is not Will’s brother, but instead, is just Will Riker. Will ended up having a twin/clone created of himself after a transporter malfunction years earlier. The episode features Frakes playing duel roles and trying to figure out how to not only accept there’s another person out there just like you but also figure out how to carry on with your life when no one even knew you were missing.

A Matter of Honor

Will Riker’s beard in season two wasn’t the only new thing that came to the series. An officer transfer with the Klingons took part as a way to help establish a better working arrangement. It’s a great fish-out-of-water story, where Riker participates in an excercise with the Klingons against the Enterprise, and along the way, Riker befriends sevearl Klingons. His ability to learn and respect their culture is the perfect way to close out the episode.