Thomas Riker is virtually identical to Commander William Riker (except for fake sideburns), created in 2361 by a transporter accident on Nervala IV (TNG, “Second Chances“). Their experiences diverged from there. While Will Riker went on to become the First Officer aboard the Enterprise-D, the version stranded on Nervala IV spent eight years by himself, still very much in love with Deanna.
After he was rescued, the stranded version of Riker decided to go by the name Thomas Riker, and return to a career in Starfleet. However, in his need to make a name for himself different from Will Riker, he found a purpose with the Maquis. He impersonated Will Riker and stole the Defiant. Kira Nerys was able to convince him to turn himself in, and he was turned over to the Cardassians. Kira promised to return for him one day.
Many of his stats that separate him from William Riker come from his time alone at the base on Nervala IV, where he had to fix things and survive on his own.
Thomas Riker would be a great PC for someone who wanted to play a version of Will Riker, or a Maquis member. Thomas Riker could have been rescued, escaped on his own, or even start a campaign being a prisoner of the Cardassians and plotting his escape. If you wish to re-instate him in Starfleet, you can have him escaped/rescued and use the Dominion War pardon method.
Thomas Riker (PDF)
Featured Crew articles spotlight familiar characters not currently covered by official stats. Each article will typically feature a Major NPC version of the character, as well as a playable Main Character version (Core Rulebook compliant) that you can hand out to a player for immediate play (such as for a demo or convention game).