Jonathan Frakes on Why STRANGE NEW WORLDS Is the Most Beloved STAR TREK Show Since THE NEXT GENERATION
From the moment Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiered, it was clear something special was happening. Fans and critics alike embraced it, and Paramount+ showed their confidence by renewing it for a fourth season before Season 3 even aired.
As a long time fan of the Star Trek franchise, I’d say it’s one of the best shows in the franchise since The Next Generation. A lot of fans seem to feel the same way.
CinemaBlend recently had the opportunity to speak with Jonathan Frakes ahead of the release of his latest Star Trek: Discovery episode, "Lagrange Point." Given that he recently directed an episode for Strange New Worlds Season 3, he was asked if he thought the long wait until 2025 would be worth it.
Frakes said: “Certainly. The one I just finished is spectacular. They take big swings on Strange New Worlds. I think that the fact that they are stand-alone episodes has made this, arguably, the favorite Star Trek since Next Gen, probably.”
In Star Trek, everything is up for debate. But Frakes makes a good point, Strange New Worlds has resonated more than the other modern Trek series have. It swings for the fences with many of its episodes, and more often than not, it hits.
Frakes goes on to credit the team being the series saying: “And that's attributed to Alex [Kurtzman] and Akiva [Goldsman] and Henry Alonso Myers and Chris Fisher and all the people who have encouraged it.
“They try to assign a director to an episode that they believe will be able to enhance whatever that particular ‘movie of the week’ episode is. And it's, I think, pretty effective.
“The one I did last year, ‘Those Old Scientists,’ with the crossover of cartoon characters coming in? That's a big chance to take, and it worked wonderfully. The musical, again, worked wonderfully. I'm very proud of and impressed with the swings that the producers of Strange New Worlds take.”
Strange New Worlds Season 3 will pick up where the tense Season 2 finale left off, with Captain Pike facing a brutal decision regarding the Gorn. We all know he won’t sit idly by while crew members are in danger, but how that plays out is something we’ll have to wait until 2025 to see.
What do you think about Frakes comments on Brave New World? DO you agree with him?