Riker rank in first season of TNG

[Raul]

Wikipedia, english version, states that during the first season of TNG Riker is a Lieutenant Commander (2 golden pips and 1 black pip on the uniform). Memory alpha states that he was a Commander in season 1 (3 golden pips on the uniform). Looking the screencaps, on TrekCore, of the pilot episode, Riker have 3 golden pips on the uniforms. The same for others screencaps of season 2, I found that Riker still have 3 golden pips on the uniform. For season 2 wikipedia reports that he was a Commander.
It's an error or there is some other explaination?

Thanks

Raul

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

When the light hits the pips a certain way, one occasionally looks black.

Might be as simple as that.

 

[Raul]

Ok, good point. I'll check again some screencaps from the pilot episode, but still the fact that Memory Alpha says another thing...

 

[Lance]

He's a Commander from the start. His transfer to Enterprise came with a promotion. It's generally accepted that he was a Lt Cmdr as first officer aboard his previous posting on the USS Hood, though.

If I recall correctly, the Playmates action figures in the 'Generations' line accidentally labelled him as a Lieutenant Commander, but that was nothing but an error.

 

[Raul]

He's a Commander from the start. His transfer to Enterprise came with a promotion. It's generally accepted that he was a Lt Cmdr as first officer aboard his previous posting on the USS Hood, though.

If I recall correctly, the Playmates action figures in the 'Generations' line accidentally labelled him as a Lieutenant Commander, but that was nothing but an error.

Ok, thanks

 

[OldManDoom]

If I recall correctly, the Playmates action figures in the 'Generations' line accidentally labelled him as a Lieutenant Commander, but that was nothing but an error.

I need to go find my box full of Star Trek action figures and see if mine says Lt. Commander.

 

[Raul]

I need to go find my box full of Star Trek action figures and see if mine says Lt. Commander.

I don't think it's a matter of action figures, they could be wrong and they are not canon. Furthermore I'm not sure that the action figure is always related to a specific season. However, thanks for giving your support.

 

[BillJ]

Commander.

 

[cardinal biggles]

He was a full commander from the first time we saw him in "Farpoint."

Another thing that might have thrown some confusion on it for the person who wrote/edited the Wikipedia article is this dialogue from "Best of Both Worlds, Part I":

Riker: She takes the initiative a little too... easily. Sometimes with risks.
Picard: Sounds a little like a young lieutenant commander I once recruited as my first officer.

Of course, with that position came a promotion to commander.

 

[Finn]

What he said

Behold... the first time we ever saw Riker

 

[Christian Weston Chandler]

I don't think it's a matter of action figures, they could be wrong and they are not canon. Furthermore I'm not sure that the action figure is always related to a specific season. However, thanks for giving your support.

I think he was just curious, not suggesting that the labeling of action figures should determine canon.

 

[Raul]

I think he was just curious, not suggesting that the labeling of action figures should determine canon.

 

[Raul]

What he said

Behold... the first time we ever saw Riker

Yes, I saw from TrekCore that he had 3 pips in "Farpoint", but I was curious to understand why wikipedia says otherwise.

 

[Lance]

Yes, I saw from TrekCore that he had 3 pips in "Farpoint", but I was curious to understand why wikipedia says otherwise.

Because Wikipedia is a resource written by its own users, and whoever wrote that on the Riker article was evidently in error. In fact, it probably warrants one of us going in there and correcting it to say 'Commander'.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

These pictures of Riker at FP before joining the Enterprise all show 3 gold pips.

Like I said earlier, I've seen the "shadow effect" on pips in all the shows once or twice.

 

[Raul]

Ok, in the end he was Commander from the start and wikipedia has a small error.
Thanks to everybody.

 

[JayTheTrekkie]

In the Star Trek: The Next Generation page at Wikipedia, showing the list of Cast (actor and role).....showing Jonathan Frakes there....as Commander William T Riker.

So yeah, when you click William T Riker to go to that page, on the side there, shows Lieutenant Commander for season 1 and Commander for 2-7. I think the user who made that needs to watch Encounter at Farpoint again. Encounter at Farpoint was a a bit dark (wasn't much lighting going on) but once we got into the season, the lighting got better.

 

[Triskelion]

I went over to Wikipedia but it looks like somebody already changed it. At least, I couldn't find any reference to "Lieutenant" or "Lt" on his main entry page.

 

[CommanderTrip]

Not strictly TNG, but if you want a rank to puzzle about. try and figure out Tuvok's rank if the first few seasons of Voyager. I think he starts off a lieutenant commander, somehow reverts back to the rank of lieutenant, and then has an episode in season three where he received a promotion back to lieutenant commander.

 

[Timo]

This would make perfect plotwise sense: Tuvok pissed off Janeway big time in "Prime Factors", so his missing third collar pin and all the references to him as mere "Lieutenant" thereafter make good sense as a field demotion. Several other characters were demoted afterwards, just as Janeway threatened to do (even if Tuvok's own third pip disappears curiously piecemeal, flickering on and off during "Cathexis" before being gone for good).

The problems come from the early first season where Tuvok has his "original" LtCmdr pips that perfectly fit the plot interpretation, but is repeatedly identified as "Lieutenant" in dialogue, including formal occasions where we should hear the "Commander" part, too.

So we can choose between a costuming error, and pretend that Tuvok wore two pips during early S1 already - or a persisting dialogue error where Tuvok belittled his own rank in half a dozen S1 episodes. I'd much prefer the latter for the greater dramatic value, but many would agree that dialogue trumps costuming details...

Timo Saloniemi