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Posted in: Paramount+, Star Trek, streaming, TV | Tagged: Alaska, Jonathan Frakes, paramount, Riker Maneuver, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Valdez, William Riker
Star Trek: Alaskan Trekkies Want Riker Honored Same as Janeway & Kirk
Similar to what James T. Kirk & Kathryn Janeway received, Star Trek fans in Valdez, Alaska, want a statue for Jonathan Frakes' William Riker.
Article Summary
- Alaskan Trekkies are campaigning for William Riker statue, joining Kirk & Janeway honors.
- Jonathan Frakes' Riker (seen throughout the franchise) could get a Valdez birthplace marker.
- The Riker Maneuver group, inspired by the character, proposes a statue in Valdez.
- Paramount approves Riker statue project as public support for the project grows.
Philadelphia has Rocky Balboa, and Detroit is trying with Robocop, so celebratory artwork of fictional characters isn't anything new. When it comes to the realm of Star Trek, we have James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Kathyrn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) already having markers for their birthplaces in Riverside, Iowa, and Bloomington, Indiana. Now, Valdez, Alaska, is trying to join them with an official honor for William T. Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes, across five Trek shows in The Next Generation, Voyager, Enterprise, Lower Decks, and Picard, and four films. You can count six if you add Deep Space Nine, but he was technically playing his doppelganger, Thomas Riker.
Alaskan Star Trek Fans Want Statue for William Riker
William Riker will be "born" in 2335 in Valdez, rising the ranks to become commander and first officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D during TNG under Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). He would hold the same position as the D crew moved on to the E after it crashed on Veridian III during the events of Generations (1994). During the events of Nemesis (2002), Riker finally decides to accept the promotion to captain, a position he's turned down several times before on TNG to helm the first U.S.S. Titan, which we would also see his work on Lower Decks with Frakes and Marina Sirtis (Troi) reprising their roles for the Mike McMahan animated Lower Decks. "Learning that one of the most beloved characters from Star Trek would be born [in Valdez] was just really cool, and I've been dreaming of honoring that legacy for 20 years," Cameron Harrison, Valdez native and Trek podcaster told The Register. "That there's a connection between 'The Last Frontier' and 'The Final Frontier' is worth memorializing." Harrison, along with fellow Alaskans Patrick Campaign and Jessie Desmond started a group called the Riker Maneuver, an homage to the way Riker would raise his leg over chairs on the set of TNG. There's a mockup you can see here.
Unlike MGM, who has not approved a permanent home for the Robocop statue for display, Paramount granted Riker Maneuver the blessing to work on the statue along with the actor to get approval to use his likeness. "I'm quite hopeful that the project will cross the finish line," Harrison said. "Ken Wilson, the director [of Valdez] Parks & Rec, is quite interested and feels like it will be an easy sell." As far as reaction from locals, "I've been gobsmacked to find out just how many Star Trek fans are out there…especially when they hear that a big pop culture icon from one of the biggest franchises in the world has origins in our humble town." Frakes, who's been far more active behind the scenes directing than performing in front of the camera, reprised the role in live-action in seasons one and three of Picard. The third and final season reunited the cast of TNG to deal with a changeling conspiracy in their partnership with their greatest enemy, The Borg.
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