Posted in: Star Trek, streaming, TV | Tagged: Jonathan Frakes, paramount, star trek, Star Trek Picard, star trek: legacy, Star Trek: The Next Generation, William Riker

Star Trek: Jonathan Frakes on How "Legacy" Could Work, Riker's Role

Picard & TNG star/director Jonathan Frakes on who should be on Star Trek: Legacy and the "Charlie's Angels"-like role that Riker could have.

As much as Star Trek has been thriving in Paramount+, even the franchise isn't safe from falling victim to budget cuts, given its first casualty in the animated series Prodigy, gone from Paramount+ not long after its first season. With the Dan and Kevin Hageman-created series gone from rotation in search of a new home along with the end of Picard and the pending end of Discovery, we only have two active shows with immediate futures in the live-action Strange New Worlds and the animated comedy Lower Decks. The Section 31 series has since been turned into a feature with Michelle Yeoh's elevated star power. The prevailing talk is the potential Picard spinoff in the hypothetical Star Trek: Legacy that would continue the narrative beyond the contemporary timeline. Whatever form that takes, and if Picard season three showrunner Terry Matalas is involved certainly has the Internet talking – while Paramount continues to deal with the labor strikes that's pretty much put a freeze on announcing any new projects. Next Generation and Picard star Jonathan Frakes, who's contributed far more on the directing front since TNG's end, had some thoughts about Captain Will Riker's future since their last hurrah against the Borg in the finale "The Last Generation."

"'The Rikers' marriage is back on track. In my mind, for the show to be able to move forward, Riker would be a captain and have his ship, or he would be promoted to admiral and be a liaison," Frakes told Star Trek Explorer magazine (via TrekMovie). "I'm only half-kidding when I say it would be great for me if the show carries on and I'm like Charlie from 'Charlie's Angels.' They'd have to come to my office one day a week for a meeting with Riker. That'd be perfect. Then I could direct a bunch of the episodes and be around the show."

Frakes' co-star Sir Patrick Stewart would love for Paramount to at least consider one Picard film, not TNG as was established in 2002's Nemesis, but the consensus of Matalas is that it would continue the adventures of the former U.S.S. Titan-A, now rebranded the Enterprise-G as fans saw in the series' final shot. "I suspect if it does go forward, it would be Jeri Ryan, Michelle Hurd, and Ed Speelers, who's now in Starfleet, and Mica Burton and Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut, who played Geordi's daughters," the actor-director said. "I would also imagine Lulu Wilson, who played the Rikers' daughter in season 1 and was so fabulous, could be a part of it. She should come back and maybe be in Starfleet. It feels to me like there's a real opportunity for three of the legacy characters' children to carry on and sort of be the next Star Trek: The Next Generation. It just feels like it's laid out there. It's the blueprint for the next phase."

First thing first: an agreement needs to be made between the Hollywood studio machine and SAG-AFTRA to resolve the strike. In the meantime, perhaps Las Vegas should open bets that will happen first: The Orville fourth season, Star Trek: Prodigy season two, or Star Trek: Legacy becoming a reality. For more, you can check out the report here.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!