I often wonder what happened to Tom, and it's a shame that DS9 never got round to delivering Kira's promise of 'getting him out' (from whatever Cardassian labour camp he was being held at).
Also, this may have come up before, but I haven't heard a concrete explanation, and I've never figured it out to any satisfatory conclusion: In the DS9 episode 'Defiant', precisely what was the reason Tom snapped at O'Brien? He said something along the lines of 'I've got nothing to say to you, O'Brien! I think you know why...'
He seemed genuinely upset with him for some reason. Because of his transporter accident did he have some kind of grudge against him for once being a transporter chief or something?? Sounds implausible, but I don't have anything else.
Posted by Snay (Member # 411) on :
Since O'Brien knew Will Riker the best, to be successful in his trickery, Tom had to keep O'Brien from getting too close ... personally, I think he made the whole thing up just to keep O'Brien confused, off guard, and AWAY.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Snay is right, or so it seemed to me.
And Tom Riker's likeliest fate was intensive interrogation by the Dominion followed by execution. (Unless they managed to get him to switch sides, and used him as a double agent. Or released a Founder in his place.)
Posted by Proteus (Member # 212) on :
I'd like to think he survived.
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
Yes, people in Cardassian camps seem to end up "forgotten" in the end. Witness Li Nalas.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
I'm kind of up in the air on the fate of W. Thomas Riker.
On one hand, he was in a Cardassian labor camp -- not a friendly place by anyone's standards. On the other hand, he was also given a life sentence where they were going to make him suffer longer instead.
And finally, the Dominion has often shown the inclination to hold on to their prisoners for some potential purpose rather than just kill them -- just look at Martok, Bashir, and Garak.
I'd say there are a few various possibilities:
Still alive in the camp, surviving interrogation and Cardassian hard labor.
Killed shortly after the Dominion annexed Cardassia. (There are several variations of this: the Cardassians might have killed Riker themselves in order to eliminate every Maquis inside their space as per Dukat's pledge, or because Riker's non-death sentence was only a concession to the Federation, and they decided they didn't have to pander to those spineless lackeys anymore; or Riker could have died during Dominion interrogation to get information about Federation strategic data -- not that he'd be likely to have that kind of knowledge since he was stuck on an abandoned planet by himself for eight years!)
Died in an "accident" at the labor camp some time before the Dominion arrived -- for the same reason above, that the Cardassians wanted him dead and didn't want to pander to the Federation.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
I don't think he was necessarily on Cardassia Prime - maybe like Li Nalis he was on another planet. Maybe he was executed as being a Maquis by the Dominion? I would think they would have kept him to use some-how against either the Real Riker or The Enterprise.
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
Remeber though - less than a year after his episode, the Cardassians swapped governments, became all nice-like, and began getting lots of help from the Federation. Now, the Feds probably still didn't like Tom all that much, and woldn't mind leaving him there as long as he got humane treatment... Thus he may have been there up to and through the Dominion War. However, if the Cardies had been nice and all they may have turned him over to the Federation, and he sat out the War in that picturesque penal colony in New Zealand.
Mark <-- Why a penal colony on paradise, anyway?
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
Not enough room in the vaginal colony? THAT's for single-celled organisms! Posted by The Red Admiral (Member # 602) on :
I think he must still be alive. The Cardassians made a deal - his life would be spared if Sisko handed over the sensor telemetry on the Obsidian Order's secret military build up. Also, I seem to recall the Seldonis Convention which protects prisoners of war. It is conjectural whether this applies to Tom and other Maquis prisoners or not.
Secondly, snapping at O'Brien wouldn't keep him off the track, it would totally confound him, enough perhaps for him to start asking questions, and even digging.
Thinking about it again, maybe it was because Tom wanted to quickly get rid of him, rather than engage in nostalgic small-talk, where perhaps Tom's homework on O'Brien's relationship with Will, wasn't up to scratch.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
While neither is canon, the Dominion Wars computer game has a mission to rescue Tom Riker. Admiral Ross even gives you the orders personally. The DS9 Millenium books brought Tom back as a double agent for the Federation, but that was in a horiffic future timeline where the Federation is beten and Kai Weyoun is about to use a second Bajoran Wormhole to destroy the universe.....
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Chain of Command made it pretty clear that anyone being treated as a terrorist (as opposed to the agent of an enemy government acting under official orders) would not have the benefit of the Seldonis Convention. So, my guess is that Will was made quite uncomfortable for awhile.
His thing with O'Brien has long tormented me as well... but my guess is, he just wanted O'Brien gone long enough for him to steal the ship.Who cares if he started asking questions after that.
I think the fate of Tom was definitely one of the plot points they should have tied up before the series was over. Along with Kai Opaka. She had too much of a connection to Sisko to just be let go like that.
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
What do you do after you destroy the universe? Laugh maniacally?
As for O'Brien, Tom just wanted to get rid of him. O'Brien was spooked and cofused and then took off, as was the idea. Anything after that would have been too late - Tom only needed to get aboard the ship for a few minutes.
Mark
Posted by Fleet-Admiral Michael T. Colorge (Member # 144) on :
Yes, but I still wonder why need Kira in stealing the Defiant?
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Weyun was possesed by a Pah Wraith during the whole "Destroy the Universe" thing. They're just nuts.
I think the whole incident with Tom stealing the Defiant had to hurt Will's reputation. Tom is exactly all the crappy things you hope people never see in you.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I am in favor of his quick and speedy demise because magic transporter hijinks that result in twins (evil or otherwise) are not my favorite things ever.
Having said that, I forgot all about the brief UFP-friendly civilian government. Hmm. DS9 DVDs will be great. As will some source of income. Either isn't quite as good on its own.
Also: "Chain of Command made it pretty clear that anyone being treated as a terrorist (as opposed to the agent of an enemy government acting under official orders) would not have the benefit of the Seldonis Convention."
Timely.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Even considering a UFP-friendly government, I seriously doubt that the Cardassians would be much interested in letting T. Riker go. The Maquis always remained major enemies, and Riker was already convicted of his crimes. Just because the Detapa Council was friendly to the Feds doesn't mean they're willing to let a convicted terrorist go.
Furthermore, even though a more or less democratic (apparently; never really confirmed) government was put in place, the Cardassians never really seemed to give up all of their rules regarding order and politics. Pardoning criminals convicted of crimes against the state hardly seems like something ANY Cardassian would do.
Posted by SoundEffect (Member # 926) on :
quote:Originally posted by Fleet-Admiral Michael T. Colorge: Yes, but I still wonder why need Kira in stealing the Defiant?
Thomas Riker wouldn't have gotten far without her. The Defiant's systems are under lockdown and only released by senior officers. Riker wouldn't know and/or wouldn't be authorized to disable the lockout. He went to check on something and the computer didn't respond. Kira released the lockout and then he shot her. He kept her there as a hostage so no one would simply blow up the ship with her on board.
Posted by The Red Admiral (Member # 602) on :
Whilst first watching that episode part of me actually wanted to see Kira fully incapacitated (and not constantly interfere) so Tom could go all out gung-ho and really do some Defiant Class damage against the Cardies! Even now if I watch it I just want Kira to chill out and remember how much she hates the Cardassians and let Tom go do his thing.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Somewhere in the Maquis handbook it must read "Shoot Kira Nerys." ...at least Edditington had sense to take her out of the game for his entire operation. When I first saw that episode, I really thought he's gone and killed her. Sure would've changed the show's future episodes.
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