Ryker Desai

Ryker Desai was a recurring character in the sixth season. He was portrayed by cast member Thomas Cocquerel and debuts in "The Face Behind the Glass".

He was a Sanctum resident and one of the Primes. He came to the moon Alpha as a child with his mother as part of Mission Team Alpha.

Early life
He was a young boy when he arrived Alpha with his mother Priya. He is currently in his eighth host.

Throughout the Series

 * -|Season Six=

In Red Sun Rising, in a flashback to 2045. He is seen at the camp when Josephine Lightbourne and Gabriel Santiago return after hearing the sonic anomally. Gabriel hugs Ryker. After Russell Lightbourne kills Simone, Josephine, Priya Kaylee, Victor and Faye, Gabriel and Ryker run into the woods together to seek safety from Russell's eclipse-induced psychosis. However, Ryker revealed that Russell went after him and killed him.

In The Face Behind the Glass, Ryker is working on a motorcycle in his shop when Raven Reyes wanders in. The two discuss the problem the bike is facing and Ryker allows her to take a look at it. He seems immediately impressed by her mechanic knowledge. Raven then questions why he isn't taking part in the Naming Day Ceremony, to which he replies that parties "aren't his thing". He then asserts he likes the alone time. Raven believes she offended him by walking in on him and staying, and starts to leave. However, Ryker assures Raven he wants her to stay and continue to help with the bike.

Later, Ryker gets dressed for the Naming Day Ceremony and walks in on Raven, who is busy trying to fix the motorcycle. It is then that Ryker reveals he is a Prime so he has to show up to the finale of the ceremony. He jokes with Raven and promises to get her "some of that good wine". The two then leave together.

When Ryker takes his place on the stage, Russell states that he is glad Ryker could make it. Ryker remains quiet yet appears resentful of something. His resentful facade remains for the entire ceremony, including when his "mother", Priya VII inside of Delilah's body, hugs him.

In Memento Mori, Ryker is helping Raven and Emori in building a radiation shield similar to Sanctum's. When he notices that Raven is suddenly upset with him, he easily figures out that Raven knows about how the Primes use Nightbloods as hosts in order to live forever. Raven calls it murder but Ryker says that the hosts volunteer willingly. However, Raven points out that people only sacrifice themselves because the Primes raise them to believe that they're gods. Ryker reveals that he was killed as a child by Russell during the first red sun and didn't choose to be resurrected. However, Raven doesn't buy his innocence since he is already on his ninth body.

Ryker shows Raven some of the things that he still uses that were previously owned by his second and sixth hosts. He believes that keeping the mementos is a way to honor them but Raven calls it profane. He says that he celebrates the lives of his hosts, and that he thinks about them every day but, Raven is still not impressed. Ryker's claim to care about his hosts is put to test when Raven asks him if his current body will be his last. He fails to respond.

In The Old Man and the Anomaly, Josephine enlists Ryker's help to get rid of Clarke Griffin's mind for good. Josephine reveals that Ryker had helped Gabriel Santiago escape and uses it to blackmail him into helping. Later, Ryker forces Russell to confess to implanting Josephine in Clarke's body and that Clarke is still alive, horrifying his mother.

In Matryoshka, Ryker works with Echo and Gaia to plot a revolution against the Primes after Echo threatens to expose him for letting Gabriel escape. Ryker helps by telling Jae and Blythe Ann Workman and a Null named Tai whose son was sacrificed to the Offering Grove the truth about their children being dead to help sow dissent against the Primes. Ryker warns Echo and Gaia that one of their people will be executed though not Madi as she is a Nightblood. Ryker balks when Echo asks him to help her plan an assassination by modifying her bow, but she reminds him of why he is helping them. Ryker reluctantly begins modifying the bow and Echo pushes him to admit that it feels good to be on the right side.

During the Primes' daily lunch Ryker, Priya, Russell and Simone argue over what's been done. When guards bring in Tai, he tells them knows the truth about the Primes and what they are and kills Simone, shocking Priya and Ryker.

However, he changes his mind about helping Echo assassinate Russell so he knocks her out. Luckily all of Echo's friends are saved Ty is burned at the stake for killing Simone Lightbourne. Ryker is sickened by the Ty's dying screams as he burns.

In Ashes to Ashes, Echo is brought before Russell, Ryker and several guards and Russell demands to know who else Echo told the truth to aside from Tai. Echo realizes that Ryker lied to Russell as they had told dozens of people the truth and maintains that they only told Tai. Russell orders Ryker to turn Echo into a Nightblood and wipe her mind so that they can use Echo as Simone's new host. Ryker hesitates as he has never done the procedure before, but reluctantly agrees.

In his workshop, Ryker injects Echo with the new Nightblood serum. Echo confronts Ryker over his lies, recognizing that he is still conflicted or he would've told Russell the truth. Ryker admits to this as he doesn't want to see innocent people burned at the stake, but what is worse for Ryker is the idea of his family being burned at the stake instead.

Ryker succeeds in turning Echo into a Nightblood, but she resists his attempts to wipe her mind, causing Ryker to storm out. He tries to finish the procedure, but Echo resists, causing Ryker to try to leave to get Russell to do it instead. Echo tells Ryker that Russell won't as he is testing Ryker's loyalty and she knows what he is going through. Ryker insists that she doesn't as Echo is a killer, an assasian while he is an engineer. Echo states that he will no longer be just an engineer if he goes through with it and asks Ryker to let her go, but he refuses as he has made his choice and it is too late to change that now. Ryker agrees to allow Echo to tell him about herself, a story that she has never told anyone before. Echo reveals to Ryker how as a child, she killed the real Echo and took her place at Queen Nia's command. Ryker expresses remorse for what Echo went through and she explains that she told him the story to try to spare Ryker what will happen to him if he goes through with killing her. Though Ryker is sure that she is right that killing Echo would haunt him, he knows that not killing her would as well as they both know what would happen to Sanctum if he let her go.

With Echo struggling too much, Ryker calls in two guards to help him restrain Echo. However, the guards prove to be Gaia and Nathan Miller in disguise who take Ryker captive and release Echo, having come to the workshop to find Becca's notebook. Echo grabs a knife off of the worktable and stabs Ryker to death with it, quoting Queen Nia that "hesitation is death." Ryker's death is left undiscovered when Clarke's return posing as Josephine prevents Russell from checking on Ryker's progress.

Personality
Ryker is an introvert and admits that parties aren't really his thing. Rather, he prefers his alone time. Ryker still maintains a friendly attitude towards strangers, as evidenced by his immediate warm welcome to Raven Reyes. Unlike the other Primes, Ryker is more respectful towards those who sacrificed their lives for him. He honors all of his hosts, keeping mementos of their lives and remembering them. Possibly as a result, he aided in the escape of Gabriel Santiago when he left Sanctum. He is shown to be disgusted by Clarke Griffin being a prisoner in her own body, particularly as she was not a willing host and forces Russell Lightbourne to admit the truth.

Physical Appearance
He was born of Indian ancestry with brown skin, brown eyes and black hair and was chubby. His current host is tall, thin and white. He has cropped brown hair that is folded to one side and brown eyes.

Gabriel Santiago
Ryker and Gabriel were close, as seen when Gabriel hugs Ryker in "Red Sun Rising". Ryker also helped Gabriel escape from Sanctum.

Notes and Trivia

 * Ryker's Keep, the safe place during the red sun, is likely named after him.
 * Ryker doesn't agree with the way of the Primes.
 * Ryker honors and keeps mementos from his hosts.
 * His second host was named "Alejo". He created a music box from old radios when he was twelve.
 * His sixth host was named "Tyman Averi". Ryker meets with Tyman's mother, Annabel, every month to celebrate Ty's life.
 * He and his mother live above the Mechanic shop.