Jeffrey Combes as William Riker.

[Mr. Scott]

Howdy!

I have read that Jeffrey Combes was second choice to Jonathan Frakes for the role of William Riker. Part of me wishes he would of gotten the role because I like Combes and his acting, and think Frakes is rather annoying. However, if Combes did get the role, he would not have played all those great recurring characters. (Weyoun, Brunt and Shran). Still, I would of picked Combes.

Originally, Patrick Stewart was going to play Data, which I think would of been interesting. I think Stewart could have easily fit into the role of Data although Data would of been obviously different that Spiner's Data. Stewart's Data would have been more robotic, and probably not as human as Spiner's interpretation. I think sometimes Spiner played Data too human, but he did an excellent job.

Marina Sirtis was going to be the Security Chief named Hernandez, but was changed. Couldn't really see her as the kick ass type.

Lastly, I liked Diana Muldur and Dr. Pulaski and I wish she would have stayed on the show and thrown Beverly Crusher off an airlock.

 

[The Grim Ghost]

I like Frakes, but Jeffrey Combs is a much better actor.

However I can't see Combs playing Riker as we knew him. Combs works better as more cerebral, insane or evil characters. I can't see him playing a cocky, ladies man type of role. But if they had tweaked the role of Riker to fit him better I think it would have been great.

 

[Morpheus 02]

i REALLY wish Combes' Shran had been made Enterprise's First Officer..maybe as part of a new treaty , pre-Federation, with Archer as Captain.

really glad Jeffrey was in the multiple roles he played. Really helped me to appreciate his acting ability.


Also agree on Pulaski -- she brought life to the Chief Medical officer!

 

[Nick Ryder]

I always thought it would be interesting if someone did a photoshop "What If.." with the original casting ideas for TNG. I'm not sure Combs would have been a good Riker - who really was sort of originally like Decker with Marina playing basically Ilya.

Although I do agree, I think Combs would have been a great XO for Archer. I mean T'Pol was okay, but I think Shran could have been an interesting choice too. Shran was such a change of pace from his Weyoun and Brunt DS9 characters

 

[PorthosShadow]

I've always felt that Jeffrey Combes is one of the unsung heros of Star Trek and acting in general. There are some actors that just make it seem easy and he is one of them. He can go from crazy scary to very charming in about two seconds.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Originally, Patrick Stewart was going to play Data, which I think would of been interesting.

Where did you get that? Stewart was pursued to play "Julian Picard", but the younger "Ryker" character was to have been the more prominent role. When the producers realised what a score Stewart was they beefed up his part.

I don't recall he was ever up for the part of Data.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Originally, Patrick Stewart was going to play Data, which I think would of been interesting.

Where did you get that? Stewart was pursued to play "Julian Picard", but the younger "Ryker" character was to have been the more prominent role. When the producers realised what a score Stewart was they beefed up his part.

I don't recall he was ever up for the part of Data.

In one interview, lost to the eons of my memory and exactly with whom, there was some off-handed comment that since Gene was resistant to a "bald captain" that, if anything, Stewart could play Data or something such. But I don't think it was ever a serious consideration since Justman and Berman were convinced that Stewart was the one for the part.

And yes, Ryker (later Riker) was to be more prominent. Picard and Ryker were meant to be "dual lead characters" according to the first season writer's guide.

 

[WillsBabe]

And yes, Ryker (later Riker) was to be more prominent. Picard and Ryker were meant to be "dual lead characters" according to the first season writer's guide.

And reflected in the credits, too.

 

[Brutal Strudel]

Jeff Combs as Riker would have been a completely different character. Unless he was deliberately played as a somewhat off-kilter, menacing figure, I'm not sure I see how he'd work, if only because he would have been just as cerebral as Picard. Pity, because I think he's a far better actor than anyone in the TNG cast except for Stewart and maybe Spiner.

 

[Nick Ryder]

And didn't Roddenberry want Troi naked more originally?

Seems like lots of things changed from concept to what we actually got. Although I think Combs could have been interesting on the show, even if he wasn't Riker/Ryker.

At least we got a lot of him in a great role in Enterprise

 

[JustKate]

I would have liked Combs as Riker, I think, and the reason is that I find that whole Dashing Macho Ladies' Man Officer thing kinda...boring. OK, not kinda boring - really, really, really boring. It's been done sooooooo much - on Trek and, in fact, in practically every scifi show and movie ever (and an awful lot of non-scifi movies and shows, really). So something different would have been great, particularly if it involved an actor as good as Combs. And while Frakes always seems like a really nice guy, I have never been at all impressed with his talent as an actor. But oh, well. The show was great, and that's the main thing.

 

[maneth]

I can't see anyone except Frakes as Riker, but Combs is a very good actor. I like Brunt and Weyoun okay, but Shran's fantastic.

 

[LitmusDragon]

Seems to me that Combes playing a Shran-type first officer would have had a lot of overlap with Picard and Data as they are all cerebral type characters. I think the character of Riker as he was portrayed makes for a more interesting contrast, and I can't imagine Combes playing him like Frakes did.

Now Combes playing Data, that might have been interesting.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Combs is also rather short, IIRC? (Yep - 5' 7". More of a character actor than a leading man type?)

And Jonathan Frakes (who is 6' 4") was being groomed for each of the auditions by Gene Roddenberry himself. They had many discussions about how to approach the role.

 

[DevilEyes]

Combs is also rather short, IIRC? (Yep - 5' 7". More of a character actor than a leading man type?)

And Jonathan Frakes (who is 6' 4") was being groomed for each of the auditions by Gene Roddenberry himself. They had many discussions about how to approach the role.

I always thought the "leading man" vs "character actor" categorization was stupid. But even so, what does that have to do with height? Most Hollywood "leading men" are short.

And when was Riker a "leading man"? Maybe if they made "Star Trek: Titan"...

 

[MikeH92467]

The original concept as pitched in the publicity build up to the show is that TNG would be a true ensemble cast and that Riker would be the action hero. Of course, as always seems to happen with ensemble shows certain characters rise to the top while others slowly settle out to the bottom. It was painfully obvious early on that the writers had no idea what to do with Tasha Yar and her being written out made room for Worf to grow into a major character. While Riker never sank out of sight, Picard definitely rose to the top as writers found room for the character to grow. While I admire Geoffrey Combs as much as anyone it's hard to figure how he could have fit the Riker mold. I do find the idea of his "Shran" character serving as XO on Enterprise an intriguing one.

 

[JustKate]

I agree that Combs would almost certainly not have been very believable as an action hero; to that I say "Yay!" I am truly tired of Riker-type heroes, and so I think it would have been great if TPTB had come up with another idea for a first officer - Combs, a woman, a non-macho alien, SOMEthing besides somebody who's main job (most of the time) is to stick out his jaw in a manly way and say, "Shields up!"

 

[WillsBabe]

I agree that Combs would almost certainly not have been very believable as an action hero, to that I say "Yay!" I am truly tired of Riker-type heroes, and so I think it would have been great of TPTB had come up with another idea for a first officer - Combs, a woman, a non-macho alien, SOMEthing besides somebody who's main job (most of the time) is to stick out his jaw in a manly way and say, "Shields up!"

I agree with you. I think the character of Riker and the casting of Frakes came at the end of an era. It's very stereotypical casting and characterisation, coming as it does, in my opinion, at the tail end of an era of "macho hero types". The tide turned pretty soon after TNG began airing against that kind of character, that kind of machismo and characterisiation, and I think Riker's character suffered for it. For myself, looking back now at TNG I too am bored with the predictability of Riker's character, his role, and Frakes' predictably pretty face. However, at the time, I enjoyed him and I didn't really have any complaints about the characterisation and his role in the ensemble. I'd gown up with macho action heroes in the 70s. That's how heart throbs looked to me. These days my taste in men and male characters are more eclectic and more catholic, but at the time, Riker came at the end of a long line of those types of characters, and I appreciated him for it.

As to Riker not being a leading man and TNG being an ensemble piece, the opening credits say that it stars Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes, and co stars everyone else. It's interesting how Frakes kept that billing even when his character was overlooked and others (Data/Spiner) were massively more popular.

 

[Brutal Strudel]

And when was Riker a "leading man"? Maybe if they made "Star Trek: Titan"...

In the first season, he was very much the leading man--he was the action man who sent messages back to the ship: "I'm happy, hope you're happy too." (Sorry, I'm just really queer for David Bowie.) But, as it became clear that Stewart had more acting talent, charisma and (and, as a guy who gave up battling his weight problem years ago, I can say with some authority how vital this last bit is) the far better body, Frakes and his expanding waistline was demoted.

Even Q reflects this: in his first two appearances, he was fascinated by Riker. As the show went on, he was re-conceived as having a deep affectionate obsession with Picard with little to no regard for Riker.

 

[Brutal Strudel]

As to Riker not being a leading man and TNG being an ensemble piece, the opening credits say that it stars Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes, and co stars everyone else. It's interesting how Frakes kept that billing even when his character was overlooked and others (Data/Spiner) were massively more popular.

The same thing happened on The Sopranos. Despite the fact that Edie Falco was clearly the show's second lead and, following the tragically completion of Melfi's arc in the third season episode "Employee of the Month," Lorraine Bracco, an increasingly unimportant supporting player, kept her second billing to the end, even though she's not in the final episode at all.