Frakes: Fandom And Abrams Trek
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Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Jonathan Frakes is grateful for Star Trek fans and very excited about the reboot of the Star Trek franchise.
It’s hard for the actor to believe that a show begun twenty-five years ago is still paying dividends. “It’s surreal that 25 years ago, something is still giving us this gift,” said Frakes. “I’m off to a convention this weekend to Comic-Con in New Orleans with all the cast. Just the idea that we still have an audience is astounding to me.”
Frakes appreciates the Star Trek fan base. “It’s a gift that I am eternally grateful for,” he said. “I learned from my wife, again who has the same type of situation from playing Laura for thirty-seven years on and off on General Hospital. The Luke and Laura phenomenon is not unlike the Star Trek phenomenon, only the fans are different. And the reason that these conventions are successful is that there are people who are so loyal to your show, that one should be – and I am – grateful. When you stop being grateful and stop enjoying it, I think it’s a good time to stop doing the conventions.”
Although The Next Generation is finished, Star Trek still carries on in the form of the J.J. Abrams-rebooted Trek universe. Frakes would like to see a TNG character or two in an Abrams Star Trek film. “I happen to be a fan and a friend of J.J.’s and I think he’s rebooted the franchise in the most successful and wonderful way imaginable,” said Frakes. “And I’m really excited about the second movie.
“I think maybe some version of what they did with Leonard Nimoy in the first movie would be the way to go: they would pepper in one of us. I would imagine they’d start with Picard if they could. It would involve our usual time travel/quantum anomaly/black hole/some sci-fi version of how we all get there.”
Frakes is currently directing television shows and two upcoming ones are Christmas episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles (Free Ride) and Leverage (The Toy Job), both airing December 18.
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I actually hope they don’t add any TNG characters to the J.J. Abrams series. Too many cameos implies that the filmmakers don’t have the confidence in their project. The Nimoy appearance was the formal hand-off from the original series to the updated one, and that’s all it needed to be. They don’t need Shatner, Takei, Nichols, or any other TOS-era actor to make an appearance, and I just can’t see how the TNG-era actors would fit in. (They already did the TOS/TNG crossover thing with Generations, anyway.)
I like Frakes and all of the TNG-ers, but I think it’s best to let Abrams’ series continue on its own. Let them build enthusiasm for the franchise again. I think the very VERY best way to bring the TNG cast back is to begin a new Trek series (with entirely new production design and a more serialized approach to Trek) and THEN introduce the TNG-era actors like Frakes, Dorn, Sirtis, etc. I’d love to see them back on TV, where they have done such fine work.
It seems that every time I leave a comment here on Trek Today I’m whining about how badly I want to see a new Trek TV series. But, dammit, I am who I am and that’s my wish and I’m sticking to it!
I’d also like to see a NEW Star Trek series one day, not some rehashing. I’d be willing to wait until there’s something really creative, inspirational and loyal to Roddenberry ethos. In that case, I’d welcome a new series. But I’d rather we never see another Trek series again if it’s going to be something even slightly similar to the big screen reboot.
But they already -did-, Jon, in Countdown, AKA “Where They hid The Backstory And Character Development”.
Riker wasn’t in it, probably because he was exhausted from boning Troi all to Betazed and back.
I agree with you. I really like the reboot but if they make a TV series, something set in the alternate universe but with a different crew would be exciting as well.
So basically Frakes has finally lost faith that Prime Star Trek will ever happen, so now he wants to be added into JJ-Trek. Jonathan, I’d love to see you come back in a proper “Titan” show in the Prime Universe, but let’s be honest, even if the powers that be do let the Prime Universe come back (which I’m not holding my breathe for right now), I serious doubt you or any TNG actor is going to be put into JJ-Trek. I don’t think ANY original Star Trek actor is going to be put in the next two, but if one was, it would be a TOS actor.