It’s rare that a Star Trek icon can be as great behind the camera as they are in front of it. After becoming famous for portraying The Next Generation’s William Riker, Jonathan Frakes proved himself a capable director. He’s directed episodes for just about every other Trek spinoff as well as the TNG films First Contact and Insurrection.
Frakes also directed the first half (episode 9) of the season 1 finale of Starfleet Academy. And while speaking to TrekMovie.com, Frakes addressed the big question of whether this will be his last time lensing a Trek series. "That’s the last Star Trek I directed," Frakes explained. "I just did a couple of episodes of this new Big Bang spin-off, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, right? That’s Trek-adjacent."
Frakes directed other shows like the acclaimed series The Orville. Of course, he reprised his role as Riker in the Picard series and did a fine job. That’s led to hopes Frakes may find a way to return to the franchise in the future.
Thankfully, it sounds like Frakes is open to that, explaining in the same interview that he’s not ruling anything out in the future. "Absolutely, of course," Frakes said. "I am an eternal optimist. I’m not ready to start looking back."
When asked if this meant both starring and directing, Frakes replied: “Why not?”
It’s hard to see Frakes stepping away from Star Trek completely. If another show is created, he may want to keep up his streak by directing an episode of it. It’s also likely he’d find a way to cameo as Riker in some capacity: perhaps a hologram in Starfleet Academy? It’s a good reminder that few live so well in Trek as Frakes.
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