Is Riker a Q?

Posted by DumbNBANephew@reddit | TNG | View on Reddit | 81 comments

In one of the earliest episodes, Q makes an offer allowing Riker to become one of them. In the end Riker remains human, but I remember him saying something along the lines of "I want to be a human now, there will be time for everything else later".

The Q beings are know to transcend time, and time isn't linear for them. Is it possible that Riker became one of the Q, then decided to live out his life as a human (either blocking his powers/memory of being a Q, or being a Q in human form but never telling anyone)?

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byproduct0@reddit

If he did remain Q, I question why he (spoiler) >! Allowed his son to die as mentioned in Picard season 1 and also why did he spend his time making pizza?!<

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Tetra_Vega@reddit

In the episode where he became a Q, Picard ordered him to not use his powers, then they beamed down to a planet where a tragedy happened finding a dead girl, and Picard doubled down on not reviving her because it was unnatural/tipping the balance.

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Guy_on_a_Bouffalant@reddit

Who says he did?

We've never seen this kid onsreen, either. Who says he actually had a kid? Maybe it's a made up story to cover his tracks from suspicion of being a Q.

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byproduct0@reddit

But Troi isn’t a Q. So Riker allowed that to happen and hurt her terribly? I mean sure Q can be a Dick sometimes but that’s pretty harsh.

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Ephisus@reddit

Ain't none of that canon.

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byproduct0@reddit

Events mentioned in canon aren’t canon?

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Jack_Stornoway@reddit

also why did he spend his time making pizza?!

At least he gave up on omelettes.

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Mr_Wizard91@reddit

Well, according to Word his omelets were delicious.

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Practical_Maybe_3661@reddit

I don't know if I trust Worf's culinary preferences (at least concerning a human pallet)

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PickleLips64151@reddit

Maybe Riker added the blood of a live kolar to Worf's omelette?

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Mr_Wizard91@reddit

Lol, yeah, Klingons eat some weird shit. But I'd try it at least once. I tried to make something as similar to Hasporat a few times. Lots of red onion and horseradish to make your eyes water when you bite into it. Some bland deli meat and cheese for sustenance. It was pretty good.

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DumbNBANephew@reddit (OP)

Makes the think he went with option 2 where he decided to (or was forced to) live out his human life as it would have been without knowledge that he had become Q.

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DeltaV-Mzero@reddit

This is my head canon

You can’t be fully human knowing that

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Perfect-Leg8032@reddit

Maybe he made a deal with Q. Like if he used his powers again he would be forced to live in (with?) the continuum forever. Sorry, I'm high as eff and this is my head cannon

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dayburner@reddit

He allowed his son to die because he is still being human, time for being Q later.

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Hullaba-Loo@reddit

Nah that's not how being a parent works

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ThorsMeasuringTape@reddit

Okay, the answer to the second part of that seems obvious.

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0011110000110011@reddit

I haven't watched Picard, is it clear in the show who this son is? Is it possible that he's talking about Barash?

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The-Minmus-Derp@reddit

Thaddeus Riker. It’s crystal clear

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0011110000110011@reddit

My long-held desire for Barash or Mirasta Yale to be acknowledged remains unfulfilled.

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The-Minmus-Derp@reddit

SAME

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TOHSNBN@reddit

Did they break spoilers on old.reddit? that is not working on my end.

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0011110000110011@reddit

/u/byproduct0 had a space between the >! and the text, there has to be no space for the spoiler tag to work

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TOHSNBN@reddit

00111000 00111101 00111101 00111101 01000100

Also, thanks!

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byproduct0@reddit

That’s weird. On my screen it’s working

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0011110000110011@reddit

On new.reddit.com it works with the space, on old.reddit.com it only works without a space. No idea why.

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strangway@reddit

Making your own wood fired pizza is that good!

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jtrades69@reddit

dude. PIZZA!

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Guy_on_a_Bouffalant@reddit

Yes. I've always suspected he kept the power, and he and Q have a little inside joke about it they keep to each other.

Think about it.

Who is Amanda Rogers attracted to? Riker..

Riker tells Picard in Generations he plans to "live forever."

And when Q needs a witness for the trial against Quinn, he calls Riker.

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Tetra_Vega@reddit

In an episode after he became RiQer, there was a briefing in the lounge about some happening, and Picard specifically said something about not interfering, and glared right at Riker as if to say don't fix this like a Q.

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StarfleetStarbuck@reddit

This is a very funny fan theory. He’s just chuckling to himself through the whole canon about being a secret god

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uslashuname@reddit

Not to mention her one-ups Quinn: oh you saved the great grandfather so he could live for 40 more years? Well I took the family and made one of them a Q!

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JediSnoopy@reddit

If Riker retained the power of the Q, he's had multiple opportunities to use it by now to save untold numbers of people, including his son.

It's an interesting concept that, perhaps, there's a residue of power inside of him that he may not realize is there.

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Tetra_Vega@reddit

In the episode where he became a Q, Picard forbade him from reviving a dead girl because it was unnatural/upset the balance. RiQer doesn't use his power out of respect for Picard.

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Guy_on_a_Bouffalant@reddit

You're thinking linearly. He just hasn't saved them, yet...

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DumbNBANephew@reddit (OP)

It's possible that he doesn't want to or isn't allowed to change the outcome of his life to prevent a butterfly effect. Who's to say that he could have changed the outcome (like his son's death) but himself decided not to?

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Afraid_Fly_645@reddit

It’s the only way he could keep up with Deanna’s sex drive.

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ScrapmasterFlex@reddit

I literally was just thinking about that lol ... watching an ep of TNG yesterday got me thinking how Troi used to GET ME GOING as a young teenager watching ST lol. She was fuckin hot. Seven might be the hottest overall but Troi was the hottest before her. Troi paved the way for Seven to look smoking fuckin hot in a synthetic-material-one-piece fuckin jumpsuit, son!

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Professional-Trust75@reddit

He gave back the powers at the end of the episode.

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JGG5@reddit

But what this post presupposes is... maybe he didn't?

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Yeseylon@reddit

Riker later confessed

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tetrachlorex@reddit

But did he? DID HE?

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sgrams04@reddit

DID HE?!

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tetrachlorex@reddit

DID HE INDEED?!

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Attican101@reddit

gif

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foufers@reddit

How else do you explain the trombone

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CuddlyBoneVampire@reddit

That’s probably why the continuum collapsed, Riker spread more dna into the Q than genghis khan into Eurasia

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primarycolorman@reddit

I mean the beard and charisma didn't really kick in until after the Q buff, right? I mean a Q definitely wouldn't play off being human to seduce as many as possible across the quadrant..

The timelines are clearly screwed, he probably can't use the powers other than a bit of clairvoyance without having to step out of life/space-time. His son died because there was literally no solution to be had, and Riker didn't fix it because he could see the repercussions for both of them if he did.

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Zurbaran928@reddit

gif

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Da_Famous_Anus@reddit

What's a knockout like you doing in a computer generated gin joint like this?

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sqplanetarium@reddit

Sequel episode: taking a cue (pun intended) from Blade Runner 2049, Riker >!gets Minuet pregnant!<, creating >!the first human/hologram baby!<. (Spoiler tagged for those who haven't seen the movie.)

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