Fora do Universo
De acordo com Jonathan Frakes (o ator que interpreta Riker), a barba era resultado de seu ódio pessoal ao barbear, combinado com o 1988 greve do escritor , o que significa que ele teve mais tempo entre shows do que o normal. Quando ele compareceu a uma reunião de roteiro após o término da greve, Roddenberry disse que gostava de suas conotações “ náuticas ” e ficou preso.
Q: The beard, was it just a thing you did?
Frakes: What happened was there was a strike, there was a writer's strike after the first season, then we had a meeting with the cast and the late, great Gene Roddenberry, Berman and others. I had grown a beard because I hated to shave, and Roddeberry 'in his vision' said "Jonathan, I love the beard. It'll be nautical. But we'll shape it, and that way it'll be decorative".
Jonathan Frakes: Why Roddenberry wanted Riker to have a beard
In-Universe
Em TNG: The Pegasus , Riker explica que ele estava cansado de ouvir as pessoas comentarem sua aparência jovem.
PRESSMAN: How long have you had the beard?
RIKER: About four years. I think I just got tired of hearing how "young" I looked.
Embora isso seja comumente chamado de retcon, há pelo menos uma instância de Riker sendo chamada de "jovem" na primeira temporada, por Troi em TNG: Haven . Ele pode simplesmente ter pensado nesse incidente por um tempo.
RIKER: Have you discussed this with Wyatt? I think you should. It's also damned unfair to me.
TROI: I understand. I should have realised. Humans, young human males particularly, have difficulty separating platonic love and physical love.