Star Trek: Picard Season 3: Jonathan Frakes Reveals What It Was Like Directing His TNG Co-Stars Again (Exclusive)

The  new season of Picard is the closest the series has come yet to a full-on revival of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and longtime Trek staple Jonathan Frakes gets to not only appear alongside his old castmates, but direct them again as well. Star Trek: Picard stars Patrick Stewart as he reprises his role as Jean-Luc Picard, and he has always had guest appearances by folks who appeared with him on The Next Generation, but this time around, it’s the variety pack. He’s joined by his Next Generation co-stars LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, and Brent Spiner, as well as returning Star Trek: Picard stars Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd.

According to Frakes, the cast worked so well together that, in spite of all the changes to character dynamics and years between the end of the show and the beginning of Picard season 3, almost nothing has changed for him as an actor or a director. He says that the writing did a lot of the hard work.

“I said earlier today that it actually felt like we had finished shooting on Friday and we had just come back to work on Monday,” Frakes told ComicBook.com. “It was that familiar, the shorthand was that strong both as actors and as friends. Everybody was so excited about the scripts that we were all sort of all in on telling this new story. There was conflict which existed between characters that hadn’t before; La Forge and Picard, Riker andPicard, actually Troi and Riker were estranged. There was a lot going on that wasn’t encouraged under Roddenberry’s reign, and in my opinion, it made for a much better drama.”

“I remember watching the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation almost 34 years ago with my father like it was yesterday. It was the spark that ignited my love for science fiction,” said showrunner Terry Matalas when the Next Generation cast’s return was announced. “So, it’s most fitting that the story of Jean-Luc Picard ends honoring the beginning, with his dearest and most loyal friends from the U.S.S. Enterprise. It would be an understatement to say that giving these characters a proper send-off is an honor. The entire Star Trek: Picard team and I can’t wait for fans to experience this final, high-stakes, starship-bound adventure in season three!”

According to the official synopsis, “In the epic, thrilling conclusion of Star Trek: Picard, a desperate message from a long-lost friend draws Starfleet legend Admiral Jean-Luc Picard into the most daring mission of his life, forcing him to recruit allies spanning generations old and new. This final adventure sets him on a collision course with the legacy of his past and explosive, new revelations that will alter the fate of the Federation forever.”