Jonathan Frakes

The Guy Who Sat Funny

Jonathan Frakes spent much of the 1970s moving between regional theaters and soap opera shoots in New York. In 1977 he landed a role on The Doctors, where he learned that TV is a meat grinder that demands speed. He had a trombone, an imposing height, and no intention of going hungry.

In 1987, he landed the role that changed his bank account. He joined Star Trek: The Next Generation to play William Riker and came up with a way of sitting by swinging his leg over the back of chairs. He did it to relieve the back pain caused by the overly tight Lycra uniforms of the early seasons.

And that gesture became his personal trademark.

Frakes didn't settle for just acting in front of the cardboard-and-plaster panels of the Enterprise. During breaks in filming, he spent his time watching the crew at work and asking about camera lenses. He spent nearly 300 hours of free training observing other directors before the production company let him direct his first episode in 1990.

It was a purely pragmatic decision.

The Director's Chair as a Refuge

In 1996, he was hired to direct Star Trek: First Contact. The film had a budget of $45 million, and the studio was nervous about handing the reins to a actor from its own roster. But Frakes showed military-level efficiency, and the movie ended up grossing more than $146 million worldwide.

The industry branded him a trustworthy director because he finished shoots on time and without spending a dollar more than necessary. In 1998, he repeated the feat with Star Trek: Insurrection, and soon after tried to step outside the science fiction universe with different projects. In 2002, he directed Clockstoppers, and in 2004 he took the helm of Thunderbirds.

But the real business was behind the television cameras.

The commercial failure of Thunderbirds in 2004 put a stop to his big-budget film ambitions. Far from sinking, he turned to directing episodes for cable series and network shows. He worked on projects such as Burn Notice, Castle, and NCIS: Los Angeles, where he refined his fast, no-frills shooting style.

A Veteran of Episodic Television

Frakes is a craftsman who knows the ins and outs of the small screen better than anyone. In 2017, he joined the team of Star Trek: Discovery to bring his experience to the franchise's new era. His return was not driven by nostalgia but by a practical need for someone who could handle complex visual effects without losing narrative momentum.

In 2020, he put on Riker's uniform again for the series Star Trek: Picard. His on-screen appearances were brief at first, but in 2023 he regained the spotlight in a third season that served as a finale for his generation. That same year, he directed the crossover episode between Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the animated series Lower Decks.

And the gamble paid off.

At seventy-one, he keeps a schedule that many younger directors would envy. He still gets paid to appear at fan conventions around the world and oversees final cuts from his home in California. Jonathan Frakes is living proof that in Hollywood, you survive better with a good eye for technique than with a big actor's ego.

In 2024, his name still appears in the credits of the most expensive science fiction productions on cable television. He isn't chasing academy awards or praise from specialized critics. His greatest achievement is having directed more than 200 television episodes without ever going over the budget set by the studio.