Jonathan Frakes — who plays William Riker in all the “Star Trek” series and films he appears in — went on to direct one more film starring his fellow “Next Generation” stars with “Star Trek: Insurrection” in 1998. The final film featuring Patrick Stewart, Frakes and the rest of his TV cast came in 2002 with “Star Trek: Nemesis,” directed by Stuart Baird.
Of all the “Star Trek” films Stewart appeared in, the actor holds “Star Trek: First Contact” in the highest regard because of Frakes’ expert direction. The eighth film in the “Star Trek” film franchise, “First Contact” pits Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise against the malevolent alien race the Borg.
“Beyond his deft handling of the cast, he also demonstrated technical mastery, his camera capturing the intimacy of the film’s emotional scenes without being intrusive,” Stewart wrote in “Making it So.” “‘First Contact’ was also the best-looking ‘Star Trek’ film to date, a tribute to its excellent lighting design and sets, as well as Jonathan’s choices regarding camera movement and color palette.”
In addition to being a full-time actor, Frakes has also assembled a prolific career as a director with nearly 50 credits to date. Among his credits behind the camera are the recent “Star Trek” series “Star Trek: Discovery,” “Star Trek: Picard,” and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.”
