Jonathan Frakes Slams Riker’s Most Iconic Star Trek Moment

For those who haven’t descended into the deep and dark land of internet wonders called Reddit, AMA stands for “Ask Me Anything” and characterizes an interactive post in which someone answers questions, usually in real-time. In his AMA, one of the fans characterized the “Riker Maneuver” as an absolute power move, asking Jonathan Frakes who came up with the concept. Frakes responded, “It happened by chance when we first used 10 Forward… the chairs where low enough to step in…. frankly it’s kind of an a**hole move …but I’m glad it found life as a Meme.”

Everyone knows what Star Trek is, at least by name, and non-Trekkies are now probably thinking that a Riker Maneuver is a spaceship move, but nope. The term refers to a rather characteristic way in which Jonathan Frakes’s character from Star Trek: The Next Generation, William Riker, sits down in his chair. Instead of sitting down in a conventional manner, Riker often swings one leg over the back of the chair before sitting down.

What makes the Riker Maneuver so interesting is the fact that it wasn’t actually scripted or even plot-related. Johnatan Frakes developed this way of sitting down due to a back injury he suffered, and swinging one leg over the chair made it more comfortable for him to sit in this manner. Fortunately, as per his AMA, the chairs were low enough to step in. Over time, this became a noticeable characteristic of his character, and the Riker Maneuver was embraced by the Star Trek community, giving the maneuver its name.  

Besides answering questions about the Riker Maneuver, Jonathan Frakes also responded to plenty of other questions regarding his time and experiences while shooting Star Trek: The Next Generation, like playing his trombone on set, tips and tricks for remembering technobabble, his favorite memory from the set, and his favorite quote. He also added that he’s absolutely thrilled that Worf is now a pacifist and shared his deep respect for the legacy of Will Riker.

Jonathan Frakes portrayed the role of Will Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation from 1987 to 1994 over seven seasons. He also appeared in other Star Trek shows and films, such as Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Lower Decks. His iconic Riker Maneuver has been parodied in both Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Some of those references appeared in episodes directed by Frakes himself.