Summary
- Commander Rayner in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 made a worthy Number One to Captain Burnham.
- Commander Riker from Star Trek: The Next Generation shares similarities with Rayner as a successful First Officer.
- Rayner's competent and confident leadership style earned respect from Discovery's crew.
Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) only appeared in one season of Star Trek: Discovery, but how does he compare to Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) from Star Trek: The Next Generation? In its fifth and final season, Discovery sent Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the USS Discovery on an intergalactic treasure hunt centuries in the making. The USS Discovery has seen her fair share of First Officers, and Commander Rayner made a worthy Number One in Star Trek: Discovery season 5.
After working alongside Captain Rayner in Star Trek: Discovery's season 5 premiere, Captain Burnham chose the newly demoted Commander Rayner as her First Officer, knowing that the Starfleet veteran would challenge her. Commander Riker was chosen by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) as his Number One on Star Trek: The Next Generation specifically to challenge him and keep Picard in check, although the two often ended up on the same page. Riker served as Picard's First Officer on the Enterprise for fifteen years, turning down multiple opportunities for his own command. Much about Rayner's past remains a mystery, but he made quite an impression in his lone season of Star Trek: Discovery.
Commander Riker Was First Officer Of USS Enterprise-D For 15 Years
"He is simply the finest officer with whom I have ever served." – Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Commander Will Riker joined the crew of the newly commissioned USS Enterprise-D alongside Captain Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation's series premiere. Over the next seven seasons of TNG, Riker led numerous away missions and took command of the Enterprise-D on several occasions. For example, in the excellent TNG two-parter, "The Best of Both Worlds," the Borg attacked the Enterprise and assimilated Captain Picard, forcing Riker to take command. In Star Trek's best cliffhanger, Riker then made the incredibly difficult call to fire on the Borg cube with his former Captain on board.
Riker eventually became one of the most accomplished First Officers in Starfleet.
Riker was an action-oriented First Officer, who mostly did things by the book, but wasn't afraid to bend the rules when the situation required. Will easily made friends with the officers under his command, regularly playing poker with the other senior staff members on the Enterprise. As one of Picard's closest friends and confidants, Riker remained loyal to his Captain, even risking his career when the Cardassians captured Picard in TNG's "The Chain of Command" two-parter. Riker eventually became one of the most accomplished First Officers in Starfleet and remained lifelong friends with Picard and his Enterprise crewmates.
Commander Rayner Was A First Officer Success In Star Trek: Discovery Season 5
"I see how you're looking out at the stars... we both know you're not ready to hang it up." - Captain Michael Burnham
Although he only appeared in Star Trek: Discovery's final season, Commander Rayner quickly established himself as a competent and confident Starfleet Officer. WItrh some difficulty, Rayner adapted to Captain Burnham's very different style of command, while still maintaining his gruff, yet somehow endearing personality. While he may not have been as emotionally open as most of the USS Discovery's crew members, Rayner clearly cared deeply about the people under his command. Throughout Star Trek: Discovery season 5, Rayner and Discovery's crew developed a respect for one another, as they searched for the Progenitors' technology and faced off against the Breen.
In Star Trek: Discovery' s series finale, Rayner and Discovery's crew pulled off an incredible move by separating the ship's driver and saucer sections and using them to spore jump the Breen dreadnought to the Galactic Barrier.
As Commander Rayner prepared his crew to perform the risky and untested spore jump to stop the Breen, he said: "We're gonna take a hell of a risk. If it doesn't work, well... Good crew. I appreciate the trust." Succinct and to the point, this line perfectly encapsulates Rayner as a First Officer. He may not deliver a lengthy speech, but he'll get the job done and ensure his Captain and his crew members get home safe. And if that's not the mark of a great Star Trek First Officer, then we don't know what is.
