The dashing 'Trek' veteran talks Anson's wild wig, colorful kisses, and meditating on set while directing 'the latest Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' episode.
There seems to be a magic in the very name of "Star Trek," something franchise luminary Jonathan Frakes is well aware of. He first immersed himself in its indelible charms as Jean-Luc Picard's stalwart first officer William Riker in "Star Trek: The Next Generation", and later directed episodes on not only that series but also "Voyager" and "Deep Space Nine." Frakes also starred in four "Star Trek" films, even directing "First Contact" and "Insurrection."
While he never made it to the captain's chair on TNG, you couldn't get him out of it behind the scenes, as he directed episodes of "Enterprise," "Discovery," "Picard," and, most recently, "Strange New Worlds", where he captained Season 2's "Lower Decks" crossover, "Those Old Scientists."
His latest stint in the director's chair comes in the new episode of "Strange New Worlds" Season 3, where he helmed "A Space Adventure Hour." It's a fun and flashy installment that begins aboard a candy-colored '60s TV sci-fi show called "The Final Frontier" and evolves into a "Clue"-like murder mystery with that fictional series' cast inside the USS Enterprise's prototype holodeck.
Frakes wrangles the ensemble episode with a light touch that allows for a flurry of technicolor space opera action, ample "Star Trek: The Original Series" in-jokes, franchise history, and sultry romance. We had a chance to chat to the legend himself about his latest Trek outing.
Warning: You are now entering the spoiler zone!
"The credit goes to [Chris] Fisher and Akiva [Goldsman] and Henry [Alonso Myers]," Frakes tells Space.com.
"The way they run the show is they try to assign a director who fits the episode. So the crossover episode made sense because it was about those different 'Star Trek' characters, and that was a wonderful opportunity. And this obviously made sense because I knew Gene Roddenberry. I've done three shows with Rebecca {Romijn] so the idea that we were going to lean into the Lucille Ball part of it and seeing Paul Wesley doing Kirk, there were so many rich, bizarre, funny moments. Celia [Rose Gooding], completely different than Uhura, was magical and powerful, talking about the importance of the show and diversity, and all the Uhuras.
"And at the end, there's a certain sadness about Anson's [Mount] incredible performance as an homage to Gene. And he's doing Gene’s voice, which we tracked down tapes for him. All those people, with the exception of poor Ethan [Peck], who was stuck in his spacesuit, got to get out of their spacesuits and do totally different makeup, hair, and costumes. The cinematographer Maya Bankovic and production designer Jonathan Lee, we all felt that we'd been let out of our metaphorical spacesuits and were free to do whatever we wanted to do. It was kind of a blast!"
"A Space Adventure Hour" features three very distinct design aesthetics as it shifts between the bold saturated colors of a slightly cheesy network TV show, to the glossy reflective interiors of a 23rd-century starship, to the period-correct browns, golds, and oranges of America circa 1969.
"That USS Adventure set was just at Comic-Con and people were posing on it," Frakes notes. "It's really about the colors, and those unmotivated light shafts of color are so 'Star Trek.' With Maya, we leaned in a little further, and with Jonathan, we leaned in a little further with those silly knobs. Wesley's Kirk impersonation is absolutely absurd and wonderful."
Hairstyles play major roles in transforming the characters in the murder mystery sequences, and Frakes and the cast relished the entire process of discovering just the right hairpieces and wigs.
"Babs's [Olusanmokun] wig was spectacular. He had a little Hendrix going on, which I thought was great. And we went through a number of wigs to find the Lucille Ball wig for Rebecca. The best wig is obviously Anson's, which is absurd. It's ironic because Anson always says, 'My hair has a separate number on the call sheet.' That wig deserved a separate number on the call sheet."
Frakes has an indefatigable work ethic, and his creative endurance is legendary. But being a director on a complex television show like "Strange New Worlds" comes with both rigors and rewards.
"When it's going well, being a director of a TV show is the best job in the world," he reveals. "You're with 150 creative people. Each day is different. Stamina is a big part of the game. I meditate at lunch, which helps me get through the second half of the day. I used to be an actor and I speak actor. I've been so fortunate to have been able to start on "The Next Gen" and got to direct a lot of other shows. When "Discovery" came on it was a blessing.”
The end scene of "A Space Adventure Hour" features a sensual dance between Trek's new ladies' man, Spock, and La'an that culminates with an unexpected, deeply passionate kiss — something that Frakes knew he had to capture with authenticity.
"They rehearsed all the dancing, overtime and weekends, at a dance studio with a choreographer. Christina [Chong] is a dancer — she's a triple threat — but Ethan learned the Tango, and he worked his ass off and it was such a pleasure. We wanted the kiss to be earned. There was something in the eyes. It needed a payoff, which it had. And the choreographer helped me find an in position and Maya helped me find the push, and the two actors found the moment. It was just enough to start a romance and also deliver a thank you kiss. And a, 'Do I love you? Maybe we're falling in love kiss.' It had wonderful colors in it."
Any question of Frakes downshifting into impulse power when it comes to future projects should be immediately dismissed. His packed creative slate includes several notable endeavors, including directing a miniseries based on the Paul Preuss novels, "Arthur C. Clarke's Venus Prime," and being involved with a chapter or two of "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy."
"I wish Venus Prime was up and running," Frakes adds. "What a script that is! We’re also hoping to reboot "Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction," that show I hosted, so that's a work in progress. I've got a couple of pilots I'm attached to direct that I have little acting parts in. I'm happy to act. I loved doing Season 3 of "Picard" and revisiting Riker. So as they say, I'm 'tech avail.'"
It's a testament to the strength and malleability of the "Star Trek" Universe that filmmakers are able to bend but not break the property's foundational DNA when exploring and indulging in a multiplicity of genres.
"I think part of it is the fandom," he explains. "There’s something about Gene's vision of hope for the future of a world where there would be no sexism and no racism and diversity, all these core element are under the surface of all these 'Star Treks,' the Berman era stuff, and moving on to the J.J. Abrams movies, and into the Alex Kurtzman era. Different levels of seriousness. 'Discovery' is a more serious show than 'Strange New Worlds.'
"I find at conventions that all the people who come to the table or go to photo opps have a very positive memory of watching the show with their family, or their father was an original show fan and they're a 'Next Gen' fan and now they're turning their kids on to 'Lower Decks' or 'Strange New Worlds.' It's generational. It's morally and ethically sound and people either admit that openly or it gets to them subliminally. Somewhere in there allows the parodies to work and the serious stuff to work because at the core is this wonderful vision from Gene."
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 is currently airing on Paramount+, with new episodes dropping every Thursday. You can watch Frakes' episode, "A Space Adventure Hour", right now.
