[Enterprise Captain]

I was reading Deanna Troi's profile on Memory Alpha when I came across this:

"Onscreen it is almost exclusively Troi who calls Riker "Bill" (the only exception is Beverly Crusher doing so in "Encounter at Farpoint"). However, others may have called him "Bill" in their lives outside the episodes. Similarly, Troi may have used the name more than twice off-screen. According to the novel Ghost Ship, Troi uses the name "Bill" for Riker and tells Beverly that it means "shaving cream" in the Betazoid language. However, this is not in any way established in canon."

Has anyone else every heard of this? I always thought she called him Will every time.

[CoW mAn]

Originally Posted by Enterprise Captain

I was reading Deanna Troi's profile on Memory Alpha when I came across this:

"Onscreen it is almost exclusively Troi who calls Riker "Bill" (the only exception is Beverly Crusher doing so in "Encounter at Farpoint"). However, others may have called him "Bill" in their lives outside the episodes. Similarly, Troi may have used the name more than twice off-screen. According to the novel Ghost Ship, Troi uses the name "Bill" for Riker and tells Beverly that it means "shaving cream" in the Betazoid language. However, this is not in any way established in canon."

Has anyone else every heard of this? I always thought she called him Will every time.

I think it was something in the series bible for the first season that just didn't play well and was thus abandoned. Bill is a common nickname for someone named William but he just didn't look like a Bill.

[Enterprise Captain]

Originally Posted by CoW mAn

I think it was something in the series bible for the first season that just didn't play well and was thus abandoned. Bill is a common nickname for someone named William but he just didn't look like a Bill.

I know Bill is a common nickname for someone named William but I'm going to have to watch those two episodes listed and listen closley for it because I don’t remember hearing Bill. I'm going to turn on the commentary too and see what is written out. I was also wondering if anyone read the book that has the reference to what it means in the Betazoid language so this can be confirmed or denied.

[HokieinSC]

Don't think I've ever heard that, but I may have been expecting "Will" and heard what I wanted to.

[RATEDNCC1701]

Other than what ENTCAP said, I don't know. Shaving cream is rather interesting though.

[sir num nums]

I thought he was always refered to as Will...

[Saquist]

That brief time they refered to him as Bill was Bizzare because i had never noticed it and I never like the whole william bill thing...Will made so much more sense.

[Enterprise Captain]

Originally Posted by Enterprise Captain

I'm going to have to watch those two episodes listed and listen closley for it because I don’t remember hearing Bill. I'm going to turn on the commentary too and see what is written out.

So I watched "Encounter at Farpoint" and "The Naked Now" with the subtitles on and it turns out Troi does call Riker "Bill" in "The Naked Now" however Crusher does not call Riker "Bill" in "Encounter at Farpoint." In "The Naked Now" it is clearly "Bill" when Troi says it and the subtitles match. I still have to watch "Haven" and confirm that but I believe it now. I'm still skeptical about the translation of "Bill" being "shaving cream" in Betazoid. It's kind of a weird nick name to give him before he had a beard. I could understand it once he had it. If someone can look that up it would be appreciated.

[Miguelito]

I allways understood Will ...

[Enterprise Captain]

Originally Posted by Miguelito

I always understood Will ...

That maybe so but if you watch "The Naked Now" on DVD and listen to what Troi says it's "Bill." The subtitles confirm it.