Veteran Star Trek actor and director Jonathan Frakes has confirmed that he will be returning to the director’s chair for Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard.
Speaking on IGN’s WFH Theater on Wednesday, Frakes, who reprised Riker on-screen and directed a couple of episodes of Picard’s first season, discussed his involvement in the upcoming season of the CBS All Access show, as he revealed that he would be taking command of the camera once again.
“I’ve been asked, so I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait to get back to work,” Frakes told IGN in the Live Q&A Watch-Along.
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Star Trek: First Contact marked Frakes’ feature film directorial debut, though he had previously directed multiple episodes of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Frakes’ Star Trek directing career continued on from 1998’s Star Trek: Insurrection up through the two currently ongoing Star Trek series, Discovery and the TNG-sequel Picard.
The Trek vet helmed Episode 4, “Absolute Candor,” and Episode 5, “Stardust City Rag,” of Picard Season 1. Speaking of the different approach in directing the series, Frakes told IGN, “The shooting style is a little bit different. You’ve got to keep it cool, though. … It’s not like Next Gen where it was closeup, two shot, closeup, closeup. You know I mean. That s#!t is… That doesn’t fly on television anymore!”
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Frakes also made his return to the screen as William Riker in Episode 7, “Nepenthe,” and Episode 10, “Et in Arcadia Ego, Part II,” of Picard Season 1, although his beloved character almost didn’t make it into the episodes at all.
If you missed those episodes yourself and need a Star Trek refresher, you can check out our Star Trek: Picard viewing guide that lays out the essential Picard-centric episodes to watch before steaming Star Trek: Picard Season 1 on CBS All Access.
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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Source: IGN.com Star Trek: Picard: Jonathan Frakes Confirms He Will Return to Direct in Season 2