Some extra context for the curious: https://pdf.stafforini.com/parfit-1995-unimportance-identity.pdf
this post was submitted on 27 May 2026
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Both of them. One reason that answer may sound nonsensical is that it sounds like it'd imply you somehow perceive out of both bodies with no connection between them, but that would miss that people are a type of system that change over time in response to physical stimuli, and the two bodies are immediately getting different inputs. My view is that the two will diverge into different people as a result, but that both of those people have just as correct a claim to being the person that stepped into the machine as you have to claim that you are the same person that started reading this a few moments ago, with neither one being the "fake" or "real" version.
One will always be the original copy, not the transported "clone" in this case. So whichever one didn't pop out of the transporter after their matter was combined on the pad, and therefore isn't 10 seconds old, is the "real" you.
Although I would still argue that the cloned copy is ALSO you, it's still not the original.
Of course all you have to do is ask Miles Obrien and he will tell you dark secrets starfleet doesn't want anyone in the federation to know. Transporters kill the original to prevent this scenario from happening, and only on rare occasions does it fail to delete someone, like RIKER.OG.
Would that even be the OG Riker in your scenario? He'd have almost certainly have used the transporter many times before then.
In the case of Riker v William, neither are the original at that point, but the one stranded was the "more" original, especially given he hadn't used a transporter in 7 (I think) years, while Riker continued as normal, dozens per month for years.
Again, they both still are William Riker. Just one is "more" original.
It's a real ship of theseus situation.