Star Trek: Picard Star Jonathan Frakes Asked J.J. Abrams to Let Him Direct Star Trek 4

Star Trek has a long history of its actors stepping into the director’s chair, whether it’s Leonard Nimoy and Simon Pegg in the movies or numerous actors including LeVar Burton and Patrick Stewart on TV. One of those is Jonathan Frakes, who has directed the films Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection, along with episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Voyager, Deep Space Nine, Discovery, Picard, and Strange New Worlds (as well as the interactive movie Star Trek: Vulcan). So it makes sense that when the series got its reboot, Frakes made a pitch to direct one of those movies.

In fact, the actor-director apparently asked J.J. Abrams about the possibility of directing the still-unproduced Star Trek 4, which was announced by Paramount before being removed from the schedule when it lost its director to Marvel. Frakes doesn’t have much confidence he will get the job, though.

“I actually wrote to J.J. to say ‘If you need an experienced guy to take over Star Trek 4, I’m available,’” Frakes told TrekMovie in a recent interview. “He said, ‘You are certainly experienced.’”

Ultimately saying it’s “not going to happen,” Frakes nevertheless has no qualms about putting himself out there, and his long association with Star Trek. While some pop culture figures have lamented being stuck with the same label for their whole careers, Frakes has nothing but appreciation for what Star Trek has given him over the years.

“Why wouldn’t I? It changed my life, this job,” Frakes said. “Both of my alleged careers have been blessed by having been part of this Star Trek family starting 35 years ago.”

Frakes’s directing career doesn’t end with Star Trek. As a director, his film credits include 2002’s Clockstoppers and 2004’s Thunderbirds. On TV, he has helmed episodes of shows ranging from Diagnosis Murder and Roswell to Leverage, NCIS: Los Angeles, and The Orville. In recent years, he has traded off Star Trek projects like Picard and Strange New Worlds with The Gifted, The Astronauts, and Leverage: Redemption.

Star Trek 4 was announced, with WandaVision‘s Matt Shakman attached to direct, but it fell apart quickly. In February, Shakman revealed he was leaving the movie behind to work on anothe project for Marvel Studios, and Paramount has not yet found a replacement for him in the Trek director’s chair.