Actor Jonathan Frakes, who plays William Riker, reportedly has one theory on why Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been the most well-received Star Trek show in the recent past. Part of the new Alex Kurtzman series of shows from the sci-fi franchise, Strange New Worlds has reportedly broken viewership records for the franchise for Paramount+.
The Star Trek: The Next Generation star has also been a part of more spinoffs of the popular franchise such as Discover, Picard, Voyager, and more. He has also gone on to direct a couple of episodes in the shows and also helmed the film Star Trek: First Contact. According to Frakes, the format of Strange New Worlds has worked well with audiences.
Jonathan Frakes Has A Theory Why Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Works Better
While the JJ Abrams-led Star Trek reboot was occurring for the big screen, Paramount reportedly started to capitalize on the franchise’s renewed fanbase after it began streaming on Netflix. The first series in the revived series of shows was Star Trek: Discovery, which was created by Alex Kurtzman. The show’s success led to multiple other shows being developed.
While Discovery was set in the 32nd century, taking it away from the usual setting of the series, other spinoffs such as Picard go back to the familiar world. However, the new show Star Trek: Strange New Worlds seems to have achieved a middle ground by setting it a few years before the original series. It also seems to have impressed most of the fans with its unique format.
According to actor Jonathan Frakes, who also directed some episodes of the series, the reason why Strange New Worlds is working better than Discovery or Picard is due to its format of standalone episodes. The show releases episodes weekly and most of the plot is self-contained without any real continuation with respect to the next episode.
Talking about the episodes he worked on in the upcoming season, he told Cinemablend,
[They will] Certainly [be worth it]. The one I just finished is spectacular. They take big swings on Strange New Worlds. I think that the fact that they are stand-alone episodes has made this, arguably, the favorite Star Trek since Next Gen, probably.
The actor, who played Captain William Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation and other shows, reportedly also credited the show’s writers and showrunners Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman, and Jenny Lumet for taking ‘big swings’ with the story.
Jonathan Frakes’ Theory For Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Success Makes Sense
While Netflix’s strategy of releasing episodes at once contributed to binge culture, the practice seems to be waning now as more shows seem to be opting for a weekly format. Many shows such as X-Men ‘97 and other Marvel and Star Wars shows reportedly followed the weekly format after a premiere of more than one episode.
Jonathan Frakes’ theory on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ success due to its self-contained format makes all the more sense when this trend of weekly releases catches on. Fans do not seem to have the time to set aside their daily work for a binge anymore. According to the Star Trek blog Red Shirts Don’t Die, the format works best since the time to follow an interconnected storyline is just not available.
Hence, despite good ratings for shows such as Star Trek: Discovery and Picard, the shows do not have the same universal love as Strange New Worlds due to their interconnected nature. Picard itself is a continuation of the ‘90s series Star Trek: The Next Generation. This has also led to Strange New Worlds getting the strongest opening for a Star Trek series ever for Paramount+ (via Trek Movie).
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is currently streaming on Paramount+.
