Star Trek: Picard’s Jonathan Frakes hates Andorians apparently.
Jonathan Frakes is one of Star Trek’s best directors. He’s been with the series for five decades, spanning from the 80s to the 2020s. He’s worked on every live-action show in some capacity, either as an actor or director. He understands the franchise almost as well as anyone associated with the brand and while the face of the franchise has gone from William Shatner to Patrick Stewart and now to Anson Mount, Frakes has always been the heart and soul through all three generations.
Frakes is Trek royalty and to many, his word is gospel. Yet, Enterprise fans may not revere him in the same way.
Enterprise became a show well known for its amazing depiction of the Andorian and Vulcan conflict from before the Federation years. In telling that story, a character named Thy’lek Shran was created, played perfectly by Trek actor Jeffrey Combs.
His portrayal of Shran elevated the Andorian species to new heights, heights that Frakes is now quite angry about. In a hilarious behind the scene shot, shown by Star Trek: Picard’s showrunner Terry Matalas, Frakes is scene kicking an Andorian out of a shot, before lamenting their existence.
Behold, the sheer joy of working with @jonathansfrakes NSFW #StarTrekPicard pic.twitter.com/y5LBwf4rEF
— Terry Matalas (@TerryMatalas) March 5, 2023
From referring to the Andorian to the “blue guy”, to him proclaiming that he “hates” them, it’s 16 seconds of bliss. All while Michael Dorn looks on in wonder.
It’s ironic that Jonathan Frakes hates Andorians
We’re not sure why Frakes hates Andorians so much. Maybe they stole his Cheerios? It could be that, it could be any number of reasons, but what we do know is that fans of Andorians are more than likely fans of Enterprise, and Enterprise fans don’t have the same affinity for Frakes and his character, William Riker.
While Frakes had nothing to do with the story, Enterprise fans don’t hold him in high regard, in part due to the poor ending to the franchise, in which Frakes was featured. The episode didn’t feature the Enterprise crew’s stories anymore, but instead, Riker and his wife Deanna Troi went through “historical records” of the original Enterprise.
It all played out on a holodeck and fans were not pleased with how the series finale played out.
Frakes had zero to do with how the show ended, but considering how much he hates Andorians, and the fact that Shran was supposed to be a permanent cast member in season five, maybe Frakes/Riker had more to do with the show’s ending than we think…