On Star Trek: The Next Generation, Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) served as first officer aboard the USS Enterprise-D. Unlike the taciturn and serious Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart), Commander Riker was friendly and approachable. He won the loyalty of his crew by being friendly, outgoing and, in the words of a visiting tactician, jocular. He was also sold as the show's central heartthrob because he was tall, trim and handsome.

When The Next Generation began in 1987, Frakes was already a TV anchor, having appeared in shows such as The Doctors, Charlie's Angels, Fantasy Island, Hill Street Blues, Highway to heaven" and a dozen others. His highest profile TV gig was playing a character named Damon Ross in ten episodes of Falcon Crest. He was never a leading man, but he knew the business well.

The original casting sheet for Commander Riker had the character listed as "Number One, aka William Riker" and described the character as "Alaska-born Caucasian, 30-35 years old. He is a man with a pleasant appearance and sex appeal, of medium height, very agile and strong, a natural psychologist." The broad description of the character attracted many promising young actors, and Frakes was among several final options for the role. In the oral history book "The Fifty Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to JJ Abrams", the actor is said to Billy Campbell was shortlistedalong with Michael O'Gorman and "Trek" legend Jeffrey Combs. Meanwhile, a casting memo from Remarks also lists Ben Murphy as being considered.

In 2012 interview with StarTrek.comFrakes remembers being in a room with some of the aforementioned actors and recalled that show creator Gene Roddenberry liked him the most. Indeed, as Frakes tells it, the higher-ups and Paramount were looking mostly at Campbell, and Roddenberry had to advocate for Frakes.

For those curious about what Star Trek actor Billy Campbell might look like, check out The Next Generation episode "Shame on Okona," in which Campbell portrayed the title character. He was a charismatic Han Solo-type foe and very impressive to the other characters. It's not hard to see Campbell playing the role of Riker. Frakes, however, revealed in the aforementioned interview that he may have been secretly favored over Campbell because, well, Gene Roddenberry kept calling him at home. Frakes knew Riker would eventually go to him or Campbell, and the calls from Roddenberry only made him more certain that the job was his. Frakes said:

“Jean called me directly. Up until that point, he had spent so much time explaining the character and the 24th century and his vision for Riker. I think he had to fight for me. Not sure if it was pro-Billy. Campbell or if it was the people at the studio, but I know it wasn't a unanimous decision, I think Roddenberry saw a little bit of himself in Riker, or more than a little bit, and he told me that indirectly.

It should be mentioned, Riker was also something of a ladies' man, and Roddenberry was notoriously hot with his Star Trek ideas. There is every reason to believe that Roddenberry was creating a sex symbol avatar for himself with Riker. Frakes, it seems, was responding to how Roddenberry saw himself in his head.

Frakes played Riker well enough, though his real career breakthrough came when he decided he wanted to direct. Frakes appeared in 178 episodes of The Next Generation, but has directed 29 episodes of the franchise, as well as two of its feature films. More than Riker is, he's the elder statesman of the franchise. Campbell, meanwhile, remained a prolific actor for decades. He recently appeared in episode of Mr. and Mrs. Smith.