Who was the first officer on the USS Enterprise-D?

Who was the first officer on the USS Enterprise-D? William Riker was the Enterprise-D’s first officer.

Known informally as “Number One,” Commander Riker served under Captain Jean-Luc Picard throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation. He was responsible for supporting the captain, leading away missions, and taking command whenever Picard was unavailable. His position also made him the ship’s second-in-command.

Riker was portrayed by Jonathan Frakes and appeared from the Enterprise-D’s first mission in “Encounter at Farpoint” through the end of the television series and its related films. He repeatedly declined opportunities to command his own starship because he valued his role and relationships aboard the Enterprise.

The other options held important positions but were not first officer. Data was the ship’s operations officer and later executive officer in some circumstances; Deanna Troi was its counselor; and Geordi La Forge was chief engineer. Riker temporarily commanded the Enterprise during emergencies, including the crisis in “The Best of Both Worlds,” but his regular post remained first officer.