The forthcoming Star Trek: Resurgence video game will feature a great TNG character, as Captain Will Riker will be voiced by Jonathan Frakes.

Star Trek: Resurgence has become an essential icon for Star Trek: The Next Generation. Captain Will Riker is joining the upcoming video game! Developed by Dramatic Labs and published by Epic Games, Star Trek: Resurgence is a single-player narrative adventure game in which players take on the roles of two new Starfleet officers in the 24th century. Releasing on May 23, 2023, Star Trek: Resurgence will be available to play on Xbox, PlayStation and PC via an exclusive version of the Epic Games Store.

StarTrek.com has announced that Jonathan Frakes will voice Captain Will Riker in Star Trek: Resurgence.

In a statement to StarTrek.com, Resurgence writer Dan Martin praised Frakes’ performance as Riker, saying:

“We weren’t going to include Riker if we couldn’t have Jonathan Frakes return to the role. It was an absolute joy to work with him as he brought his classic Riker charm and command to our game.”

But why is Riker in the new Star Trek game? It might have something to do with the central mystery plot. The latter is about two alien civilisations on the brink of war. As writer Andrew Grant goes on to explain:

“We took inspiration for our premise from an early The Next Generation episode “The Last Outpost” that first introduced the Tkon Empire. Riker featured prominently in the episode. He has direct experience with Portal Six Three, guardian of the Tkon Empire, so including him in our narrative felt like an organic fit.”

What happened to Riker before the Resurgence story?

Star Trek: Resurgence is set in the 2380s, post-Star Trek: Nemesis. At this point, Riker has already left the USS Enterprise-E and is captain of the USS Titan. It is unclear whether Will’s famous starship will also appear in the game. It is also unknown whether Riker’s wife, Counsellor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), will be in the cast. But some of Captain Riker’s exploits leading the Titan are already known, thanks to his guest appearances in Star Trek: Lower Decks. As Captain Titan, Riker is a jazz-loving savage, a far cry from his role as first officer to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). However, the game is unlikely to take Riker in the direction of comedy, unlike Lower Decks.

Jonathan Frakes won plaudits for his portrayal of Captain Riker in Star Trek: Picard season 3, but for Star Trek: Resurgence, he will be turning back the clock 20 years to portray Riker in his prime.

The 2280s is both a happy and tragic decade for the Troi-Rikers, as their son Thad Riker is born but eventually dies of a terminal illness. Despite his healing properties, the family moves to the planet Nepenthe. As with the previously introduced Ambassador Spock (Piotr Michael), Captain Riker will be a non-playable character in the game. But his presence will definitely have an impact on one of the playable heroes of the game.

Source: StarTrek.com