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| Riker vs. Riker. |
Riker leads an Away Team to Nervala IV, a world that was once the site of a Federation research station. When the planet generated a distortion field eight years previously, the then Lieutenant Riker supervised the evacuation of the base. "I almost didn't make it off," Riker muses, recalling the difficulty transporting him through the field.
The distortion field ebbs enough to allow transport every eight years, which makes this an opportunity to retrieve lost data from the station. But there is more than data waiting for Riker. There is a survivor who was left behind when Nervala was evacuated: Lt. William Riker!
When Riker's transport off the station proved difficult, the transporter chief's efforts to compensate generated a duplicate Riker. When Will was successfully transported, his double was bounced back by the distortion. Each believing himself to be the one and only Will Riker, each went on with the life that followed: one man marooned on an unreachable research station, cut off from the rest of humanity, the other going on to a successful career.
As the man who has lived on the station for eight years, Lt. Riker is uniquely qualified to complete this mission before the distortion field makes the base unreachable again. But he and Commander Riker clash almost instantly. Lt. Riker sees the life that should have been his and was denied him by fate. Commander Riker sees the elements of his own character he likes least, thrust in his face in a way he can't deny. It's an animosity that may jeopardize the mission - and the lives and futures of both William Rikers in the process!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: Is very supportive of Lt. Riker, pushing Will to integrate the lieutenant into his team - certainly in part because the other Riker knows the facility better than anyone, but also I suspect to try to make the other Riker feel like a valuable part of Starfleet again. He overrules Will when Lt. Riker's recommendations differ from the commander's, which is not something Picard would usually do, and he probably is perceptive enough to see that the other Riker's presence has Will on edge.
Riker: Jonathan Frakes pulls double-duty as two versions of Will Riker. Our Will successfully beamed off Nervala and went on to the career we have seen over the past six seasons of the series. "Lt. Riker" was bounced back to the planet and spent eight years alone, cannibalizing the station equipment just to keep himself alive. When rescue finally comes, he finds that his life has been taken over by someone else: Not even an imposter, but by a completely valid version of himself! Frakes is terrific as both Rikers, and the scenes in which Commander Riker and Lt. Riker clash (notably over a poker table) are terrific stuff.
Troi: Is presented with a second Riker, one who never made the choice to sacrifice relationship for career. This Riker has spent eight years thinking about returning to her and very much wants her back - Something which results in a lot of confusion for Troi, who never truly stopped having feelings for him. Marina Sirtis is charming when showing Troi initially resisting, then enjoying this new Riker's attentions. Her glee at the little scavenger hunt he sets up for her is particularly fun to watch. Stripped of the psychobabble that hampers Troi's characterizations in most episodes, Sirtis shows a likable and engaging screen presence, and she provides an already pretty good episode with a definite lift.
THOUGHTS
"If you met a double of yourself, would you have difficulty interacting with him? ...Commander Riker and Lieutenant Riker are (easy to get along with). Yet they seem to have trouble getting along with each another. I have found that humans value their uniqueness, that sense that they are different from every one else. The existence of a double would preclude that feeling. Could that be the source of the friction?"
"Perhaps it is more a matter of seeing something in your double. Something you do not like in yourself."
-Data and Worf, discussing the dilemma of the two Rikers.
This exchange is at the heart of Second Chances. "Lieutenant Riker," who redubs himself "Thomas" at the episode's end, sees in Commander Riker a man who got to enjoy the life that should have and would have been his: A successful career, good friendships, the respect of everyone around him. He also sees in Commander Riker the same things that Commander Shelby and Captain Jellico saw: A man who has settled for being First Officer when he easily could have been captain, a man who sometimes avoids taking risks.
Commander Riker, in his turns, sees the younger version of himself in Thomas. A man who is too cocky and too willing to ignore others. A man guided by emotion at the expense of caution and intellect. At the same time, this other Riker is willing to take the risks he prefers to avoid - The crucial data would never have been recovered had Picard not overruled Commander Riker's decision in favor of Thomas' riskier alternative.
In short, each man sees in the other things he dislikes or resents; each also sees something he doubtless envies.
Tying in with this is Riker's relationship with Troi - which really is one relationship, essentially seen at different stages courtesy of Thomas' experiences having split off from Riker's prior to the breakup. Thomas still wants Troi, and shows the passion and playfulness that made Troi love him in the first place. Riker urges her to be cautious, reminding her that Thomas is him, and would make the same decisions he had made. Thomas' needling Riker over settling for First Officer, or his eagerness to accept a posting with "career fast-track" written all over it, are both signs that he would play out the same pattern, and Troi wisely distances herself from the relationship at the end.
Second Chances is a good episode, with fine character work for Riker and Troi, as well as good bits for Data and worf. It's well-directed by Levar Burton, his first Trek episode as director (there would be many more, across all the remaining Trek series). The script, by Rene Echevarria, deals well with a potentially gimmicky situation by bringing it constantly back to the characters.
Overall Rating: 7/10.
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