Gene Roddenberry changed pop culture and sci-fi forever when he created the space opera Star Trek. The original series had a cult following and only lasted three seasons before gaining a new fandom with feature films. However, the franchise only gained traction with the follow-up Star Trek: The Next Generation.
While many memorable characters from the franchise come from TNG, Captain William Riker remains one of its most charming. The first officer of the USS Enterprise, Riker was played by Jonathan Frakes, who was reportedly instructed to play the character in a very stoic and strict way. However, he became more charming as the series progressed.
Gene Roddenberry Intended William Riker To Be More Strict
Gene Roddenberry’s involvement in the syndicated show Star Trek: The Next Generation reportedly became less after the first season due to his ill health. While he created the show and established ground rules, these were reportedly often flouted by writers and showrunners to make the show more interesting.
One such change was in the characteristics of Jonathan Frakes’ William Riker. The USS Enterprise’s first officer was known for his flamboyant personality and flirtatious behavior. However, the show’s initial seasons saw the actor in a more rigid and serious role. This was due to Roddenberry’s intention for Riker to be a ‘Gary Cooper’ type of character.
Frakes mentioned in an interview with Newsday (via Trek News) about how he was initially instructed by Roddenberry to play the role of Riker.
I was told by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry that he wanted Riker to be like Gary Cooper — a Midwestern glint, no smiling, all about honor and duty. That was fine for the character, but it was a strange, limiting box for me as an actor because I’m a little more flamboyant.
The actor mentioned that he found himself to be very stiff in the initial seasons but as they reached global stardom and more seasons, the character developed into his usual self more organically.
Jonathan Frakes Was Unaware Of How Important Star Trek Was
Much like many of the cast members of The Next Generation, Jonathan Frakes too was reportedly surprised at the amount of fanfare the show received. Unaware of how famous the show was in certain circles, the actor reportedly got to know about its importance when the audience was extremely skeptical about the new Starfleet crew.
Jonathan Frakes mentioned that he tried to recreate Spock, Kirk, and Bones’ iconic dynamic from the original series with Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner before finding their own rhythm.
I was not aware of the cultural phenomenon that Star Trek was when I first got the job. I quickly learned because the Kirk-Spock-and-Bones Star Trek, and that triangle, the magic of that ironic, sarcastic relationship that developed on that show, was something that Patrick [Stewart] and Brent [Spiner] I always aspired to and never quite were able to achieve because the writing was different and the characters were obviously different.
The show was incredibly successful, even more than the original series, and spawned four original films. A spinoff series titled Star Trek: Picard was also released with the original cast returning.
Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream on Paramount+.
