Star Trek: Resurgence gains a major Star Trek: The Next Generation icon as Captain Will Riker joins the upcoming video game. Developed by Dramatic Labs and released by Epic Games, Star Trek: Resurgence is a single-player narrative adventure game that lets players play as two new Starfleet Officers in the 24th century. Releasing on May 23, 2023, Star Trek: Resurgence is playable on Xbox, PlayStation, and in an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC.
StarTrek.com announced that Jonathan Frakes is voicing Captain Will Riker in Star Trek: Resurgence. Speaking to StarTrek.com, Resurgence‘s writer Dan Martin praised Frakes’ performance as Riker. Read his quote below:
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.
As for why Riker is part of Star Trek: Resurgence, it has to do with the game’s core mystery plot involving two alien civilizations on the brink of war. As writer Andrew Grant teased further:
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.
Star Trek: Resurgence Will Show Captain Will Riker In His Prime
Star Trek: Resurgence is set in the 2380s, in the post-Star Trek: Nemesis time period. At this point, Riker has left the USS Enterprise-E and is Captain of the USS Titan, although it’s unclear if Will’s famous starship also appears in Resurgence. It’s also not yet known if Riker’s wife, Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) will be part of Star Trek: Resurgence. But some of Captain Riker’s exploits leading the Titan are already well-known, thanks to his guest spots on Star Trek: Lower Decks. Riker as Captain of the Titan is a jazz-loving wildman who is a far cry from his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s (Patrick Stewart) First Officer, although Star Trek: Resurgence likely won’t play Riker for comedy like Lower Decks does.
Jonathan Frakes earned raves for his portrayal of Captain Riker in Star Trek: Picard season 3, but for Star Trek: Resurgence, he will pull the clock back 20 years to play 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 he eventually dies of a terminal disease in spite of the family relocating to the planet Nepenthe for its healing properties. Like the previously revealed Ambassador Spock (Piotr Michael), Captain Riker will be a non-playable character in Star Trek: Resurgence, but his presence will definitely impact one of the game’s playable heroes, Commander Jara Rydek of the USS Resolute. As Dan Martin reminds us, “After all, who knows more about being a First Officer than William T. Riker?”
Star Trek: Resurgence releases May 23, 2023, on Xbox, PlayStation, and in an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC
Source: StarTrek.com
