Captain Kirk's counsel ought to have been relayed to Riker by Picard.Important advice was given to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in Star Trek Generations, and it should have been transferred to Captain William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) in Star Trek: Nemesis. In the first feature film of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Kirk first encountered Picard. The two USS Enterprise captains joined forces in this iconic Star Trek episode to prevent Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell), a lunatic, from destroying the Veridian star system. Kirk tragically lost his life putting an end to Soran, but not before giving the Enterprise's captain some wise counsel."Don't let them promote you," Kirk pleaded with Picard. Refuse to allow them to move you. You can make a difference while you're on the ship's bridge, so don't let them do anything to remove you from it. It would have been logical for this counsel to be passed down through the generations, from Kirk to Picard to Riker.
Ignoring Kirk's counsel, Picard rose to the rank of admiral. In any case, Picard could not hold the position of Enterprise Captain indefinitely (although Riker is still waiting). When Starfleet appointed Picard to oversee the evacuation of the Romulan people as their sun blew supernova in 2381, Picard eventually accepted a promotion to the rank of admiral. Four years later, after rogue synths had crippled Starfleet with their attack on Mars, Picard resigned in protest after the Federation called off their rescue mission. After putting himself into retirement for the next fourteen years, a resentful Picard would make a comeback to action and notoriety in 2399, as seen in Star Trek: Picard's three seasons.Captain Will Riker is still awaiting his promotion to Admiral despite his successful tenure in command of the USS Titan. Surprisingly, despite Riker's valiant actions in Star Trek: Picard season 3, the extra pip packets did not arrive. But compared to James T. Kirk, Picard and Riker were able to adapt to life outside of being a starship captain more easily.
Captain Riker in Star Trek: NemesisIt would have been appropriate and poignant, in my opinion, if Jean-Luc invoked Kirk's legacy by cautioning Will not to relinquish his position as Captain easily in the event that Starfleet approaches him with a promotion to flag officer, even though Riker was not able to succeed Picard as Captain of the Enterprise. Maintaining the thematic link across the many Star Trek programs may have been accomplished in a pleasant way by doing this.Though it's never officially depicted on screen, Picard may have told Riker Kirk's counsel at some time after Star Trek Generations.
Jean-Luc Picard Experienced His Own Issues As an Admiral of StarfleetBut unlike Kirk, Picard had no desire to take over as Captain of the Enterprise. He was happy to retire to the countryside of France and live a quiet life. Maybe he wanted to enjoy the results of his effort since he thought he had served his time.If Kirk had his wish, he would have remained Captain of the Enterprise to the end, and his counsel to Picard mirrored that desire. Fans were sadly devastated by Kirk's passing in Star Trek Generations. In the end, Picard decided to let others take the lead, something Kirk was unable to accomplish. The many Star Trek series are closely connected thematically.
