Once you consider an important folks in Star Trek historical past, when it comes to actors no less than you would possibly look to the legacies of individuals like William Shatner or Patrick Stewart. However the actual reply to that query is probably Jonathan Frakes, who has been part of just about all televised Trek for the reason that ‘70s—and when Discovery ends in a couple of months, it’ll break the development of his affect, no less than in entrance of the digital camera.
Since starring as William T. Riker in The Subsequent Era, Frakes has made a visitor look in nearly each Star Trek collection since, either as Riker or a facsimile of him, or his villainous transporter clone brother Thomas (liable for the greatest fake beard reveal in tv historical past, because of Deep House 9). Simply three collection have gone with out an on-screen Frakes look thus far—Discovery, Prodigy, and Unusual New Worlds—and now we all know no less than considered one of them by no means will.
When requested by Den of Geek at a latest look throughout SXSW whether or not or not Frakes would make an on-screen look in Discovery’s last season, co-creator and producer Alex Kurtzman provided a really resoundingly flat “No.” It’s not stunning contemplating that, as Discovery is now thus far into Star Trek’s future, Riker is extraordinarily useless at this level. At the least it is going to at all times have a particular connection to Frakes via his function as a equally constant Trek director—Frakes has been regularly directing episodes of Discovery since its first season, and can direct the penultimate episode of the present in season 5. Nevertheless it does certainly imply the top to a decades-long development of constructing Frakes probably the most constant Trek actors within the franchise historical past, and there’s one thing oddly unhappy about that.
Prodigy and Unusual New Worlds each nonetheless have time to have their very own Frakes appearances—Prodigy is ready in 2385, whereas Riker was nonetheless in energetic service even after the beginning of his son Thaddeus, for whom he would step again from energetic obligation to attempt to assist deal with when he was recognized with mendaxic neurosclerosis within the run-up to the occasions of Star Trek: Picard. Unusual New Worlds (which like Discovery has a Frakes connection through directing; he shot the present’s unbelievable crossover with Decrease Decks, “Those Old Scientists”) being pre-original Trek would make a Riker look very tough, however Frakes might nonetheless play some function, whether or not it’s an ancestor or a wholly new character.
We’ll have to attend and see—and behold what Frakes cooks up as his parting present for Discovery—when season 5 begins streaming on April 4.
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