With the sequel experiencing a variety of delays, Riker actor Jonathan Frakes says he reached out to J.J. Abrams about directing Star Trek 4. Frakes has a storied history with the Star Trek franchise, beginning his tenure with Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987. Frakes also went on to make appearances in several other franchise shows, including Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and most recently, Star Trek: Picard. During his time with the series, Frakes acted in Star Trek films, Generations, First Contact, and Insurrection. Frakes then revealed that he reached out to Abrams about potentially directing the next Star Trek movie and regaled his love for the franchise but noted the unlikelihood of his landing the job. Frakes has a long history of directing within the Star Trek franchise. His first directing job ever was helming an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, with him going on to direct another seven episodes of the show. He also directed episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. More recently, Frakes has directed seven episodes of Star Trek: Discovery and six episodes of Star Trek: Picard. Unlike many other TV directors, Frakes has also been able to helm for the big screen, having been behind the camera for 1996's Star Trek: First Contact and 1998's Star Trek: Insurrection. He has even ventured into the video game realm, directing 1996's Star Trek: Klingon, a game that featured full motion video segments. . Given they have encountered a difficult path to get the project off the ground, one could argue Jonathan Frakes' ongoing involvement in the franchise could make him the best pick to helm the long-delayed Star Trek 4.
