Jonathan Frakes keeps Star Trek attentive to its characters while handling the action with assurance. We recommend his steady, actor-minded direction, though Starfleet Academy also shows the limits of what a sympathetic director can fix.
Fi1m perspective
Jonathan Frakes gives emotional scenes proper attention alongside the action in Star Trek. That matters: action becomes less involving when we have stopped caring who gets through it. We warmed to Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (2026) because its young ensemble makes familiar adolescent troubles matter alongside the diplomacy. Holly Hunter steadies the school drama, and its warmth suits the character-led television Frakes handles well. He is one of its directors, so we would not credit him with all of that.
His directing began with The Offspring (1990), a Data-centred episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Already playing William T. Riker, he had prepared by shadowing directors on the series. He directed eight episodes before moving into features with Star Trek: First Contact (1996), followed by Star Trek: Insurrection (1998). First Contact gives clear evidence of his ability to handle substantial action and visual effects. The poorly received Thunderbirds (2004) interrupted his progress in features, and television became the more sustained part of his directing work.
Across Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard, he has adapted to different production styles while retaining a recognisable Star Trek tone. His collaborators include fellow director Olatunde Osunsanmi, on two-part handoffs, and Robert Picardo among the actors. He is known for efficient shooting and a collaborative approach to cast and crew. That suits television in which actors and directors must keep familiar characters interesting across different series.
Starfleet Academy also makes the qualifications plain: the drama is occasionally awkward, and some visual effects need work. More importantly, its young ensemble deserves a fairer share of the attention, a weakness that warmth cannot quite make us overlook. Try it if the school setting appeals, but expect to wish it spent more time with some of its pupils.
Biography
Jonathan Frakes is an American actor and director. He was born on 19 August 1952 in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.
He is best known for playing Commander William T. Riker in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) and the subsequent feature films. Frakes began directing during the third season of The Next Generation and went on to direct the films Star Trek: First Contact (1996) and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), as well as episodes of later Star Trek series including Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Discovery, Strange New Worlds, Picard and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (2026). He has also directed episodes of series such as Leverage, Burn Notice and Castle, and the feature films Clockstoppers (2002) and Thunderbirds (2004).
Frakes has been married to actress Genie Francis since 1988.
