While these things are fairly grand, there are some more humorous things the shows and movies are known for. Such concepts include ridiculous devolving salamander captains, or a certain second-in-command’s very specific style of sitting and standing. So iconic was this latter aspect that it was given its own name: The Riker Maneuver.
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While it may not be the best thing to be known for in-universe, it had become one of the most laughed-about aspects of the TNG series, making competition to the apparent meme champion Spock. The Riker Maneuver is the fan name given to how second-in-command of the USS Enterprise D, Commander William Riker, sits and stands. Some may not have picked this up at first glance, but he does it so often that it became a large part of his character. While it may seem fairly intentional, a purposeful character style the actor Johnathan Frakes gave the character, it might come as a surprise that he wasn’t aware he was doing it until many years after.
At a convention in 2017, Frakes was asked about the origins of the Maneuver, to which he replied that he had no idea he was sitting in such a remarkable way until he saw it on YouTube. His excuse was that due to his height (a whopping 6 feet 3 inches, taller than some of the Klingon actors they hired), the bridge chairs were not made for a man his size. The low backs on the apparently made it uncomfortable to sit normally, and this (mixed with the uncomfortable uniforms from the first and second seasons) resulted in his specific style of sitting. It has also been noted by Wil Wheaton, the actor who played Wesley Crusher, that it might have also had something to do with Frakes having to do multiple takes. This required him to sit an uncomfortable chair and dance over consoles he was too tall for, so he needed to spice it up a bit with different position to make it bearable.
The other, potentially biggest, reason for both his seated stance and strange, leg-up way of standing, was that Frakes had suffered a back injury from a previous job as a furniture mover. While sitting on the uncomfortable chairs, he would often have to find different and creative ways of sitting to relieve the pressure on his lower back, adopting the most comfortable position: leaning to the side, which was apparently the best for repeated takes and long days. While standing, he would often prop his leg up on a console or chair and lean forward. These details are fairly easy to gloss over on first watch, but when watching again, some of these positions look hilarious. Yet, they all became part of the character’s mannerisms.
While these are the out-of-universe explanations, there are plenty of reasons why Riker himself, the fictional character, would do this, aside from having a bad back. Fans loved, and still do, the way he maneuvers himself across the bridge, and the over-the-top way he sits on chairs or stools — swinging his leg wildly over it from the back, rather than sitting down normally. Riker’s character is supposed to be full of confidence and gravitas, commanding a room with ease. His unique standing and sitting feels very regal, and full of a certain style of swagger. This body language perfectly fits Riker’s character: life of the party and quite the ladies’ man (something his eventual wife Dianna Troi was surprisingly okay with).
It’s much like the way that Patrick Stewart’s Picard continuously pulls down at the top half of his uniform, straightening it out. While this too was an unintentional necessity born from the discomfort the uniform created, it became a staple of his character, and perfectly reflected his need to order and to strictly follow Starfleet regulations: always looking his best and respecting the uniform. Similarly, the way Frakes carried himself on set, while initially done for his own comfort, became a part of the way he conveyed Riker’s character.
At the end of the day, the Riker Maneuver never got in the way of the show’s storytelling, and the way both the character and the actor owned it made it an integral part of their personality. While it is easy to look at some shots and gifs of him lowering himself onto a chair in a particularly strange way, or lunging over data and his console on the bridge, and think he looks ridiculous, these are often out-of-context shots. During the program itself, the maneuver suits his character. It never looks too out of place or strange, and never took away from the immersion of what was happening. Instead of making fans question the weird behavior of the actor, it instead produced a “typical Riker” response.
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