Riker's estranged father visits the Enterprise.
Summary
"The Icarus Factor" consists of two separate stories: Starfleet's offer of promotion to Riker, and Worf's tenth anniversary of the Age of Ascension.
Commander Riker is offered a promotion to captain of the USS Aries, whose present captain is retiring. Upon arriving at Starbase Montgomery, a civilian attachee comes aboard the Enterprise to brief Riker about the Aries and its current mission. Unbeknownst to Commander Riker, the attache' is his father, Kyle Riker, whom he has not seen in 15 years.
Meanwhile, Worf is feeling lonely and socially alienated on the tenth anniversary of his Age of Ascension ceremony. On this day, Klingons are supposed to reenact the ceremony in the presence of friends and family. However, as he is stationed on the Enterprise, Worf cannot celebrate these traditions. However, his friends (intially Wesley Crusher) notice Worf's odd mood and organize a holodeck re-creation of the event which fulfills Worf's traditional obligations, and Worf is grateful for the opportunity.
Commander Riker and his father do not have a good relationship and argue the entire time his father is on board the Enterprise. Finally, the two challenge each other to a Anbo-jytsu match, a traditional Japanese martial art form of combat.
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Background information
- John Tesh, co-host of Entertainment Tonight from 1986 to 1996 and a devoted Star Trek fan, appears in a cameo role as a Klingon during Worf's painstik ritual. As an homage to him, the Star Trek Collectible Card Game identifies his character as K'Tesh.
- The Klingons in the holodeck ritual had to wear old Planet of the Apes gorilla boots, since all Klingon costumes were being used in the shooting of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
- The painstik ritual was heavily edited for the episode's first United Kingdom screening due to the series 'family viewing' 6pm time slot. The scene was restored for subsequent screenings.
- At the end of the episode, after deciding to stay onboard Enterprise, Riker performs a classical Picard Maneuver as he can be seen tugging down his tunic while sitting down in his command chair.
Links and references
Guest stars
- Diana Muldaur as Katherine Pulaski
- Colm Meaney as Miles O'Brien
- Mitchell Ryan as Kyle Riker
- Lance Spellerberg as Herbert
- John Tesh as Klingon
Co-Starring
- Guy Vardaman as Darien Wallace (uncredited)
References
Alaska; Flaherty; Giamon; Nasreldine; Tholian; USS Aries; Anbo-jytsu; Stroyerian; Gymnasium; Starbase Montgomery; painstik; Japanese language; Romulan; Vega-Omicron sector; Beta Kupsic; Tryptophan-lysine; Fuurinkazan battle strategies; Paracelsian computations; Earth; Age of Ascension; Ten-Forward; Rectyne Monopod
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