The Most Epic Fantasy and Sci-Fi Website

Star Trek: Jonathan Frakes Reveals the Origin of the Riker Sit


Will Riker is truly a Star Trek legend for several things. However, most Trekkies probably remember the character for the way he simply straddles chairs to sit down. So was there any particular reason why Riker sits the way he does in Star Trek: The Next Generation? Jonathan Frakes has revealed the surprising origin of the legendary Riker Sit.

Frakes recently took part in a special online screening of Star Trek: First Contact with IGN where he shared some interesting details about the film he directed. In addition to that, he confirmed that the Riker Sit is something that he does in real life.

"I do when the chairback is below the danger zone," Frakes said with a laugh. "I measure twice and cut once!"

Frakes then revealed that he initially thought of Riker's trademark sit when he noticed how the chairs were built on the set.

"That started in [the TNG set] Ten Forward because the backs of the chairs were so low, it was easy. And then I thought, this is really a hotdog, asshole thing to do. Nobody's going to let me do this. And then nobody stopped me! It's such a cocky, unattractive, kind of bad cowboy move," he said.

Interestingly, Frakes didn't realize that Trekkies were on to him until he saw a compilation of the Riker Sit on YouTube.

"Whoever did the YouTube compilation of Riker sits down, it went viral and was even more embarrassing, and made me strangely even more proud!" he said.

It's interesting to note that Frakes is aware of the impact the Riker Sit has on Trekkies. Needless to say, we can't wait to see if he continues doing the legendary moves when he returns as the character in the future.

Frakes is expected to return in Star Trek: Picard Season 2 although the new season has not yet been given an official release date.

Related: Star Trek: First Contact Director Debunks Data and Borg Queen Sex Scene Debate

For more articles like this, take a look at our Star Trek page.