“I’ve never heard that rumor”: Jonathan Frakes Broke Millions of Star Trek Fans’ Hearts With The Next Generation Movie Update

The interstellar universe of Star Trek has been a narrative of explorers and adventurers traveling the vast expanse of galactic space in search of new worlds, new species, new cultures, and identities. With a whole array of movies and series serving as a blueprint for the sci-fi universe, the otherwise empty expanse never feels so empty anymore even with the constant threats of having to encounter unknown alien entities.

With Star Trek: The Original Series, the world first launched into an inquisitive exploration of what the universe had to offer beyond the scope of this galaxy. As the years rolled on, the ambition of mankind evolved parallel to the ambition of the motion picture and television industry. To keep up, the sci-fi franchise also progressively elevated its search for new worlds and new adventures.

But after half a century, it finally seems like the world has arrived at an impasse regarding what next to do with the Star Trek universe and its future at Paramount.

The Star Trek Franchise Arrives At an Impasse at Paramount

Whether Paramount is willing or not, the future of the Star Trek franchise seems to be at stake. After the formidable J.J. Abrams reboot featuring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, and Zoë Saldaña, the trilogy effectively revived and resurged the mass interest in the IP against its Star Wars competitors. But, the plans to move forward with a Chris Hemsworth prequel stalled after the studio arrived at an impasse regarding the future of the franchise.

Despite the immensely positive reception of the Abrams-directed trilogy and the good momentum of the IP, Paramount remains stalled with Star Trek 4. As such, fans, theorists, critics, and veterans of the franchise hunkered down to speak up on their possible options regarding the future of Star Trek. During one such session, Star Trek: Insurrection director Jonathan Frakes revealed to TrekMovie –

I say greenlight the [Quentin] Tarantino and Noah Hawley, if you are lucky enough to get either of them. And if they are too busy to direct, I’ll be available.

Although Tarantino expressed interest in directing an independent Star Trek film before, his stance on the subject might be very different now given his retirement plans after finishing The Movie Critic. Similarly, Fargo creator Noah Hawley has remained mostly silent on the subject due to Paramount’s unwillingness to move forward with the Chris Hemsworth prequel.

Star Trek Veteran Has a Theory About the Franchise’s Future

Jonathan Frakes, a ubiquitous face in the Star Trek universe – for his extensive on-screen work as well as for his contributions behind the lens – is best known for portraying William Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Alongside the impressive cast comprising Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, and LeVar Burton, Frakes launched on a mission across space in a revolutionary series that refined the concept of Captain Kirk by replacing him with a more evolved Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

In the numerous years spent serving the sci-fi universe, Jonathan Frakes has accumulated enough know-how about the workings of the franchise to deliver a verdict on its future direction. According to Frakes, the best decision in terms of reviving the IP would be to pick up the story from where it last ended, with Star Trek Beyond serving as a doorstop.

An expansion of that storyline, whether in the prequel or sequel form would be the most profitable, considering the A-list status of Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth even more so now than when they first appeared in the 2009 reboot.

However, with a more flexible budget after the success of the new smaller series, Star Trek: Discovery, Picard, and Strange New Worlds, the franchise could headline a prestige movie with some of its older cast members to reignite fan nostalgia. According to Frakes, that supposed movie was supposed to arrive in the form of a Next Gen venture with his former castmates.

Nonetheless, that plan fell through, and when asked by TrekMovie whether there were any rumors about a possible reunion for Star Trek: The Next Generation cast in the future, the actor-director replied, “I’ve never heard that rumor. No.” At least it’s safe to say that the fandom will remain adrift among the stars for longer than expected.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is available for streaming on Paramount+