Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Honors Captain Riker In Episode 4

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 4 - "Vox in Excelso"Star Trek: Starfleet Academy gives Captain William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) a long overdue honor in the late 32nd century. Directed by Doug Aarniokoski, and written by Gaia Violo and Eric Anthony Glover, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 4 intriguingly updates the status of the Klingons after The Burn.

In Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1, episode 4, Captain Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) follows the plan hatched by her courageous Klingon cadet, Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diané), to save the Klingons. Scattered throughout the galaxy as homeless refugees after The Burn destroyed Qo'noS, the Klingons refuse the "charity" of a new homeworld from the United Federation of Planets.

Armed with a greater understanding of Klingon honor from Jay-Den, Captain Ake leads a Starfleet armada to "fight" the Klingons for the planet Faan Alpha. By defeating the Federation in "battle," the Klingons' cultural need to conquer is satisfied, and they claim Faan Alpha as their new homeworld, just as Captain Ake intended.

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

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 4's climactic "war" between the Federation and the Klingons contains a surprise honor for Captain William Riker. The final starship to join Captain Ake's fleet is the USS Riker, named for the First Officer of the USS Enterprise-D and E, and the Captain of the USS Titan in the 24th century.

A Federation starship bearing Captain Riker's name is a deserved honor for Will, 800 years after his legend was forged in Star Trek: The Next Generation's 7 seasons and movies, as well as Star Trek: Picard.

Impressively, Jonathan Frakes holds the record for appearing in the most Star Trek TV shows as Riker, with guest spots in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Frakes' record will likely never be broken.

Along with his long run as a Commander and First Officer on Captain Jean-Luc Picard's (Patrick Stewart) Starships Enterprise, Riker also commanded the USS Zheng He in Star Trek: Picard season 1 and the USS Titan-A in Star Trek: Picard season 3. The USS Riker is a fitting accolade for the legendary, bearded Starfleet Officer.

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

The USS Riker puts Will Riker and Jonathan Frakes in elite company. Only a few other Star Trek icons have Starfleet ships and facilities named after them in Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's late 32nd century.

Star Trek: Discovery introduced the Eisenberg Class USS Nog, named after the late Aron Eisenberg and his beloved Ferengi character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Meanwhile, Star Trek: Discovery named the Archer Space Dock after Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) from Star Trek: Enterprise.

Jonathan Frakes and his character, Captain William T. Riker, are also both honored on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's Wall of Heroes. Ironically, Riker's listing as Captain confirms that Will never became an Admiral in Star Trek's Prime timeline canon.

However, Jonathan Frakes is given the rank of Admiral in his designation on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's legacy wall. Admiral Frakes honors Jonathan's acclaimed run not just as an actor, but as the most beloved director of Star Trek TV series, as well as the films Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection.