Jonathan Frakes talks about being a part of Star Trek: Picard

It was recently revealed that Riker and Troi will be returning to action in Star Trek: Picard and Jonathan Frakes has some thoughts about it.

It is safe to say that the Star Trek: Picard panel at San Diego Comic-Con was filled with one big revelation after another. Seven of Nine! Data! The Borg! The hits just kept coming at warp speed for those in attendance.

It’s only in such an atmosphere that the revelation that Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis would also be returning as Riker and Troi in Picard be seen as the fifth or sixth newsworthy item of the panel.

However, now that everything has calmed down a bit, fans have realized that yes, the original Star Trek power couple is making a comeback and they are getting pretty excited. It has been 20 years since we saw Riker and Troi ride off into the sunset in Star Trek: Nemesis and everyone has questions.

Are they still together? Did they have any children? Is Riker an admiral? Were either of them involved in the incident that caused Picard to leave Starfleet?

We can likely expect more information as we get closer to the premiere of Picard. But between now and then the two Star Trek icons can expect to get lots of questions about their role in the show over the next several months.

Frakes was recently interviewed by IGN in anticipation of his appearance at Star Trek Las Vegas and they wasted no time asking him about Picard and what happened to the Riker and Troi after Nemesis.

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"“Yeah, the stuff is great. I can’t obviously tell you, but Marina and I… Well, you’ll see where we are. We’re together, and it’s quite… it’s non-military. I’ll say that.”"

Non-military, huh? Could they be happily retired? Living a quiet life on Betazed, raising their children and maybe grandchildren?

Curiouser and curiouser.

As for returning to a part he hadn’t played in almost two decades, Frakes admitted it was not as easy as he thought to step back into the role.

"“I was nervous! I hadn’t done it for… Nemesis was what? 17 years, 18 years [ago]. Luckily it was with my old pal, and I had just directed two episodes of the show. So I did [it] with Patrick who is just… He’s crushing it on this series. He’s just on fire. The trailer’s awesome.”"

In addition, Frakes just completed directing two episodes of Picard and talked about the difference between that job and directing Star Trek: Discovery.

"“Well, it’s not the same deal because Disco has a very cinematic, conscious sort of J.J. [Abrams] lens flare style,” explained Frakes. “And that works for Disco, and the sets are built for that, and there’s a lot going on. Picard is a little more contemplative, and so you can’t be unmotivated camera moves and all kinds of lens flares. And all that J.J. stuff doesn’t fly so much on Picard unless you’re in the middle of some sort of action. So the shooting style is a little bit different. You’ve got to keep it cool, though.”"

The addition of Riker and Troi to a show that also includes the return of Data (in one form or another) and Seven of Nine is just icing on the cake for a series that is unique in Star Trek. It should give even the gatekeepers something to enjoy. Star Trek: Picard is scheduled to arrive on CBS All Access in early 2020.