Jonathan Frakes acknowledged that if he had been a cast member on Star Trek: Enterprise, he would have been bothered by having Riker appear in the series finale as a major character. But I know what Rick [Berman] and Brannan [Braga] are trying to do with this," he added. "It's the valentine to the fans of ST:TNG."

Frakes spoke to the new issue of Star Trek Magazine (via Sci Fi Pulse, saying that although he really cannot comment on what happened to the business of Star Trek as a franchise, he does not believe that he has played Riker for the last time. "It comes up every time I play him. 'Is it the last time?' It's a good question...the answer is I don't think so. I am eternally optimistic. Whenever Star Trek comes back, whether it's as a movie or as a television show, if they ask me to play Riker again, of course I'd be open to it."

"I've been out of the country, over in England, for most of the last three years, so I've really been out of touch with what's been happening in television and with Star Trek," he noted. "Because I've been away, because I've not been involved with ST:ENT as a director at all, I'm really not in a position to say what went wrong with ST:ENT." When asked to appear in the Enterprise finale, he took the opportunity, saying, "If I were the cast of ST:ENT, my feelings would be hurt, too, I think...you have to separate it. You have to separate people taking it personally from the bigger picture."

The actor observed that he does not believe Star Trek will ever truly be over because of its widespread appeal. "I'm very appreciative of the fans, very appreciative of everything that Star Trek has done for me," Frakes declared. "Just doing ST:ENT, while its been bittersweet, it just reminds me how lucky we've all been to be a part of this family...it has been a real blessing. So, they know where to find me."

The complete interview is in the new issue of Star Trek Magazine in the UK. These excerpts are from Sci Fi Pulse.

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