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.
Source: NBC Chicago
