If Riker didn’t have his own chair, where would his place in the bridge have been?
Posted by Cardboard_Robot@reddit | TNG | View on Reddit | 61 comments
This has probability been asked before, but what would Commander Riker’s position on the bridge be if he hadn’t had his own command chair beside the Captain? Spock doubled as science officer, so his place was clear.
tlhintoq@reddit
He should be so busy around the ship, doing department head reviews, paperwork, inspections, etc., next-mission planning, staying up to date on what's happening throughout the Federation so he has answers when the captain asks; that we should never even see him on the bridge. As first officer he's basically doing all the work of day to day operations while the captain can sit there and look all captain-y.
Alternative-Being181@reddit
He’d bring a chair with a lower back than the built in bridge chairs so he could do the Riker maneuver, of course.
Primary_Difficulty19@reddit
Not Star Fleet regulation obviously, but Riker 100% would bring a chair from Ten Forward with him at the start of every shift.
VoyagerinMo@reddit
I’m going to guess he’d be on the upper level next to Tactical just like in Yesterday’s Enterprise: he could keep an eye on everything and still advise Picard.
Jedi4Hire@reddit
The helm. Without inventing a new station, the helm is the one with seemingly the least permanent cast member (Geordie, Worf, Wesley, Ro, countless red shirted background extras) nd it's the position that makes the least sense as a member of the command staff unless the person was also doubling as first or second officer. Piloting also tends to be the specialty that most often leads to a command career track in Starfleet.
Basketvector@reddit
Ya Riker was the best pilot on the ship they said
TheBurgareanSlapper@reddit
Didn’t Una pilot the Enterprise for awhile as well?
Late_Organization_56@reddit
23rd century (TOS/SNW/Disco) have made clear the executive officer may be dual hatted. Spock and burnham were both science officers. UNA has also manned stations including ops / helm.
By the 24th century it appears the crew sizes are large enough that executive officers are just that-Xos andont man stations.
lokiandgoose@reddit
I think all commanders have to be able to work the helm.
Medioquer@reddit
All bridge command officers need to be able to operate all of the crucial bridge stations
naraic-@reddit
Looking at actual navies its quiet rare for a captain and first officer to be on the bridge at the same time.
The XO is often at an auxiliary control station in case the bridge becomes inoperable.
Until the moment he needs to take over he tends to do something like coordinating damage control from auxiliary control.
So if Riker didnt have his own chair Id say he might have the battle bridge with his own team.
Training_Cut704@reddit
Terrible for screenplay but 100% true for reality.
XO should have been on the auxiliary bridge with a bare minimum crew to take over if the main bridge becomes inoperable.
Also, while we’re at it, the viewscreen is artificial, there’s no useful windows in the bridge, so why is it exposed on top of the first deck … should have been buried inside the ship to protect it.
EmergencyEntrance28@reddit
I don't know if they have the option for the viewscreen to go transparent and act as a window if power goes down? At the very least, SNW Enterprise looks like it can do this.
I've always felt like it should be possible to eject the bridge as an escape pod. Would allow bridge staff to stay at their posts until the very last second in an emergency, and would justify the decision to have it on the outside of the ship.
ModernDayHector@reddit
Prolly Trois chair.
MaterialJudgment4582@reddit
This is right where Riker would be.
MrDeekhaed@reddit
lol I was going to say anywhere he could put his leg up and lean on his knee but this captures it
Senior-Procedure-748@reddit
Closer and turned more to his right
seanx50@reddit
On second shift, in the captains chair,where XOs should be
Darkling183@reddit
Exactly. There are three shifts, and Picard, Riker and Data are the top three line officers on the ship.
SineQuaNon001@reddit
Riding Worfs shoulders
Darkling183@reddit
That would be one huge Starfleet officer. They'd have to raise the ceiling of the bridge!
The_Amazing_Emu@reddit
I think the answer is which spot would be the most cinematic, which is tactical
Radioactiveglowup@reddit
He'd be on the Battle Bridge, or supporting Engineering.
thisistheSnydercut@reddit
Laid out across the wooden curved bits of the centre console like hedonism-bot
Yob_Zarbo@reddit
My guess was shit would roll downhill and Troi would end up without a chair.
But this... This is what I want now.
thisistheSnydercut@reddit
thisistheSnydercut@reddit
In my head he would treat that entire centre console the same way he does chairs in 10-forward
BigMrTea@reddit
And we all have a lot to be sorry for. Especially you, Hedonism bot!
BigMrTea@reddit
Yyyyyeeeesssss!
Cardboard_Robot@reddit (OP)
I knew it!
security-six@reddit
Hot tub
Batgirl_III@reddit
He should be standing behind the “arch,” next to the Tactical Officer. That way he would be in good position to monitor Tactical and all the secondary duty stations at the rear of the bridge, have clear line of sight to Flight Control, Mission Ops, and the main view screen. Plus be within earshot of the CO, without the captain having to yell.
Honestly, way too many people sit on the bridges of Starfleet ships. It’s always bugged me.
HisDivineOrder@reddit
Counselor Chief and Chair Testing Specialist
Magnus-Pym@reddit
Traditionally the first officer would serve as a chair for the captain
SonikKicks39@reddit
Picard’s lap
Storyteller-Hero@reddit
On Picard's lap of course
jaynabonne@reddit
At Picard's feet.
Anon84925@reddit
Or on his lap.
dinosaurkiller@reddit
One of the other stations next to Worf/Tactical. As the first officer Riker needs to be able to monitor the other crew and react as needed, that means he needs to be somewhere he can see most of what’s happening.
darwinDMG08@reddit
Watch Yesterday’s Enterprise. There were no chairs next to the Captain’s chair; Riker stood at Tactical.
Cardboard_Robot@reddit (OP)
Oh yes, I remember that. He probably would be at tactical. However, that was in an alternate universe during war time.
darwinDMG08@reddit
He wasn’t the Tactical officer though, he was adjacent to them. If I was him and I didn’t have a chair that’s exactly where I would be too.
CriscoCamping@reddit
https://youtu.be/sxytEwj2ZXw?si=b-dT_1br5P_HipxP
BILLCLINTONMASK@reddit
He'd be at tactical. There's a few times where we see him do that. That fake XO MacDuff also stands at tactical once or twice in that episode.
strangway@reddit
Standsaboxer@reddit
This question gets answered in “Yesterday’s Enterprise” where the first officer chair is absent on the bridge.
u/BILLCLINTONMASK correctly stated that Riker stands at Tactical during this episode.
Jedi4Hire@reddit
To be fair, that's in a completely different context/situation. The Enterprise there was basically a warship and would have needed extra tactical and security stations/personnel.
Standsaboxer@reddit
That is a valid point but it does seem the most logical given it’s the only case where we don’t see an XO chair but the XO is on the bridge.
damageddude@reddit
In Yesterday's Enterprise he is standing next to Tasha at tactical.
RangerMatt76@reddit
He would have been at one of the other stations. I think he would be at the Ops station and then Data would be at one of the aft Science stations. I can also see him at Tactical but I don’t what Worf would do.
Prometheus_303@reddit
Didn't Worf and Yar jointly main the tactical station during the first season?
explodingtuna@reddit
I thought Worf was tactical and Yar was security?
Jedi4Hire@reddit
Worf was basically everywhere and Tasha was at security/tactical.
explodingtuna@reddit
Well, Picard did want his junior officers to learn, learn, learn.
Jedi4Hire@reddit
I could have sworn that at some point somewhere I read that before Worf was Chief Security Officer that he was the Chief Watch Officer, where it was his job to fill in at whatever bridge station was unattended but I haven't been able to find this nugget of information anywhere since.
sarcasticbaldguy@reddit
They could have repeatedly ignored his advice no matter where he was standing.
iwannagohome49@reddit
I say Riker should be in Worfs spot but not at "tactical", Worf should have a side station for that. Riker should have a clear overhead view of the bridge so that he can pass it along to Picard
heelface@reddit
I feel like I often see the first officer standing next to the Captain (Sisko in Emissary). Basically where his chair was, but standing.
Jedi4Hire@reddit
"Status report, number 1."
"My feet hurt, sir."
AzelfandQuilava@reddit
“My back too.”
“Shut up, Jonathan, we’re rolling.”
Darkling183@reddit
Next to Data at Ops, with his leg up against the console.