Jonathan Frakes on board to direct Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Thanks to CBS All Access, we are currently enjoying a dilithium crystal-powered Trekaissance. We’ve already consumed the first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery — which will air its third season soon — as well as the first season of Picard — which will begin production on its second season this year — and soon, we’ll have an animated comedy series in Below Decks, as well as a show all about Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) from Discovery: Section 31.

On top of all that, we’re also getting an all-new Star Trek show that will follow the adventures of Captain Pike (Anson Mount), young Spock (Ethan Peck) and Number One (Rebecca Romijn), all of whom were technically introduced in the unaired pilot for the original Star Trek show way back in the 60s, and who were brought back for Discovery season 2. And soon they’ll have a show of their own: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, set around a decade before Pike turns the coms over to James T. Kirk.

On board to direct episodes of the first season is Jonathan Frakes, who played Commander William Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Frakes is a seasoned Trek director with 14 episodes of The Next Generation under this belt, not to mention the movies First Contact and Insurrection. He also pitched in on Deep Space Nine and Voyager before to the fold with work on both seasons of Discovery and the first season of Picard, where he reprised the role of Riker. Oh yeah, and he’s also directed two episodes of Seth Macfarlane’s Star Trek-adjacent comedy, The Orville. The man has been busy of late.

“I used to work with the greatest group of people ever,” he told Syfy Wire about his time on The Next Generation. “Everyone was doing what they wished. To look forward to going to work every morning. We told stories we were proud of. Provided entertainment we can all still be proud of 33 years later. Inspired people to pursue jobs in professions they saw reflected on the screen. We made astronauts because of Star Trek, and physicists and astrophysicists and psychiatrists and pilots.”

"The show has been an inspiration, and when we go out to the conventions, the great joy of being at the tables is that people come up to us, even though we’re just the actors that say the words, and share that they were inspired to make their career decisions, their life decisions, based on Roddenberry’s bright vision of the future."

Looking to the future, Frakes has worked with Anson Mount, Ethan Peck and Rebecca Romijn before, and can’t wait to start exploring strange new worlds with them. “Anson and I worked through finding Captain Pike. And Ethan and I worked through finding who Spock was. And the mantle of Spock, in particular, was so complicated and so emotionally taxing and was such huge shoes to fill, and Ethan felt it. Rebecca and I have a long relationship from back on The Librarians, and we have a fabulous working shorthand, so it will be great getting back to the floor with three old friends.”

Frakes is also attached to Picard season 2, whenever that show gets back into production after being sidelines by the coronavirus pandemic. Whether Riker will be back as well, he doesn’t say. “I can’t wait to get back with Sir Patrick (Jean-Luc Picard). It was wonderful to have Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) on the show, and Brent Spiner (Data) and Jonathan Del Arco (Hugh) from our timeline. And I’m looking forward to whatever the brilliance [executive producers] Michael Chabon and Akiva Goldsman and Alex Kurtzman bring to the table. I haven’t seen any scripts yet, but I’m chomping at the bit.”

“Such Sweet Sorrow” — Ep#213 — Pictured (l-r): Jayne Brook as Admiral Cornwell; Anson Mount as Captain Pike of the CBS All Access series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: John Medland/CBS ©2018 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Now feels like a good time for a Trekaissance, when a lot of people could use a hit of optimism. “It gives us hope,” Frakes said of the series. “It gives us an opportunity to think about what could be, instead of what is. It projects a vision of optimism, particularly with the current events, in which there is no racism, no sexism, and an appreciation of the qualities we need to be reminded of, sadly.”

We probably won’t see Strange New Worlds for a while yet, but we’ll keep you posted.

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