Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Honors Captain Riker In Episode 4

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Be warned, this contains spoilers for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 4, “Vox in Excelso.” The episode gives Captain William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) a well-deserved recognition in the 32nd century. Directed by Doug Aarniokoski and written by Gaia Violo and Eric Anthony Glover, the episode also offers a fascinating look at what’s become of the Klingons following the devastating event known as The Burn.

In the first season of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, episode 4, Captain Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) acts on a plan developed by her brave Klingon cadet, Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diané), to help the Klingon people. Following the destruction of their home world, Qo’noS, in The Burn, the Klingons are now refugees spread across the galaxy and reject the United Federation of Planets’ offer of a new home, seeing it as unwanted “charity.”

After learning more about Klingon values from Jay-Den, Captain Ake led a Starfleet fleet to confront the Klingons over the planet Faan Alpha. The Klingons won the ensuing conflict, fulfilling their desire for conquest and establishing Faan Alpha as their new home – exactly as Captain Ake had planned.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s USS Riker Honors Jonathan Frakes’ TNG Legend

The fourth episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy features a dramatic conflict between the Federation and the Klingons, and includes a special tribute to Captain William Riker. The USS Riker, a starship named in his honor – recognizing his roles as First Officer on the Enterprise and later Captain of the Titan – is the last to arrive with Captain Ake’s fleet.

Naming a Federation starship after Captain Riker is a fitting tribute to Will, recognizing his iconic role over 800 years after he first appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation’s seven seasons and subsequent films, as well as Star Trek: Picard.

Jonathan Frakes famously holds the record for playing Riker in more Star Trek TV series than any other actor. He’s made guest appearances in Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, and Lower Decks, and it’s unlikely anyone will ever surpass his record.

Throughout his time as First Officer and later Commander aboard Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s (Patrick Stewart) Enterprise starships, Will Riker also captained the USS Zheng He in the first season of Star Trek: Picard and the USS Titan-A in season three. Naming a starship the USS Riker is a well-deserved honor for the iconic, bearded Starfleet officer.

Riker & Jonathan Frakes Appear On Starfleet Academy’s Star Trek Legacy Wall

The starship USS Riker honors Will Riker and Jonathan Frakes, placing them among a select group of Star Trek legends. Very few characters have had ships or facilities named after them within the 32nd-century setting of Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

The show Star Trek: Discovery honored the late actor Aron Eisenberg and his popular Star Trek: Deep Space Nine character by naming a ship, the USS Nog, after him. It also named the Archer Space Dock after Captain Jonathan Archer, played by Scott Bakula in Star Trek: Enterprise.

Both Jonathan Frakes, the actor, and his Star Trek character, Captain William Riker, are featured on the Wall of Heroes at Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Interestingly, the listing identifies Riker as a Captain, which means his character, Will Riker, never achieved the rank of Admiral in the official Star Trek storyline.

As a lifelong Trek fan, I always get a kick out of the little details, and I noticed something neat on the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy legacy wall. Jonathan Frakes is listed as an Admiral! It’s a fantastic nod to everything he’s contributed – not just his memorable role as an actor, but also his incredible work as a director. He’s arguably the most popular director in the entire Star Trek TV franchise, and let’s not forget he helmed two of the best films, Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection!

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2026-01-29 21:20