Defiant starts with an exploration of the well-trodden trope in Star Trek of the character who works so hard it’s to their own detriment. How often do we encounter that character who is bleary-eyed and grumpy, and eventually needs to be ordered to grab a cheeseburger and take the rest of the day off?
It’s become a bit of a lazy cliché, especially in a utopian society like Star Trek where this type of behaviour would most likely have been eradicated. Nevertheless, it serves its purpose. And by purpose, we mean it’s an excuse to get her into Quark’s to meet “Will” Riker.
When Cmdr. William Riker from the Enterprise visits they station, an intrigued Kira takes him on a tour, particularly of the Defiant.
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Then the Tom Riker reveal happens with the slow peel of the fake beard. We understand the impulse to pull a move like this, but it ultimately is senseless considering the gravity of Tom’s mission and inevitable demise. Why not just take a couple of weeks and grow an actual beard? His mission didn’t appear to be hastily planned. In fact, it would’ve probably taken some careful preparation; it’s not every day someone steals a warship like The Defiant. Real beard means zero danger of it accidentally falling off, requiring a spontaneous Home-Alone effect of surprise.
A better reveal might’ve been if Sisko calls the Federation and Will Riker answers the phone. Simple, effective, and would need no expensive face-merkin.
What a disorienting situation it would be to have a transporter clone. Though intuitively it might feel as though you and your identical counterpart’s relationship would be that of brothers, it ain’t. This person is YOU and has equal claim over your life. Both of you would likely become hostile territorial over that life, which is essentially what happens in the Next Generation episode introducing Tom Riker.
Tom Riker IS Will Riker, both containing the same motivations to be an upstanding Federation citizen or a Maquis terrorist. Since Will Riker took the former path, it’s understandable Tom would gravitate to the latter to maintain his individuality. But that theory goes in the toilet when Tom ultimately does the right thing at the end of the episode, condemning himself to life in a Cardassian labour camp. Oh, well.
Also, Deep Space 9 is on the way to Risa?
