Patrick Stewart played Captain Jean-Luc Picard for seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation and four films, and while he directed a handful of television episodes, Stewart never directed a Star Trek movie. Star Trek: The Original Series’ Leonard Nimoy became the first Star Trek actor to helm a Trek film when he directed Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, as well as its sequel Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. William Shatner, too, took a stab at directing a film with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Several TNG actors directed episodes of that show, but it was Jonathan Frakes who took on two of the TNG films, Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection.
The Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection Blu-ray that was released in 2009 included a documentary called Star Trek: The Captains’ Summit which brought together Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, William Shatner, and Leonard Nimoy. Whoopi Goldberg led the 70-minute round table discussion, during which the actors discussed their Star Trek careers. When the subject turned to directing, Nimoy and Shatner asked Patrick Stewart why he had never directed a film. Read the discussion between Stewart and Nimoy and watch the full Captain’s Summit below.
Patrick Stewart: I haven’t directed a film because I’m probably the only one of this group here – I didn’t want to direct the films.
Leonard Nimoy: I was going to ask if you chose not to.
Stewart: Oh, deliberately. I think it came up, I think sitting in [Paramount CEO] Sherry Lansing’s office one day talking about the next movie, it was suggested, but I killed it flat… I didn’t want to direct because of what I’d seen Jonathan [Frakes] do, particularly on his first movie. … I don’t want to direct in the theater either because I’ve been lucky to work with great theater directors. I can’t do what they do, you know. Stick to what you can do. I love directing the series, in fact, I would say the six episodes I directed, they kept me going during those last years, seven years, to know that somewhere in a few episodes time there was an episode coming up with my name on it was fantastic. And to be directing these episodes with your pals in front of the camera and even more important, with your pals behind the camera too.
Nimoy: I don’t understand the distinction. You said you really enjoyed doing the episodes, but you didn’t want to direct the film…
Stewart: Yes, because I’d been in the films and they were outside my abilities, the scale and scope was too– also, I felt I couldn’t play the captain and take on that responsibility. I don’t know how it was for you, when we were directing episodes, I hated the days when I had to act, and furthermore, I couldn’t act in the episodes I directed. … I was so stiff in my own episodes and I tried to get them to cut my scenes down – they would do that anyway, they would give you an episode in which you were light. We never directed anything in which we were especially heavy.
Jonathan Frakes Is Patrick Stewart’s “First Choice” & Favorite Star Trek Director
Star Trek’s Patrick Stewart has high praise for Jonathan Frakes’ talent as a director in his autobiography “Making It So: A Memoir.”
Jonathan Frakes Became One of Star Trek’s Best Directors
Many Star Trek actors have praised Frakes’ skills as a director.
Patrick Stewart may not have embraced directing, but his Star Trek: The Next Generation castmate Jonathan Frakes made a career out of it. While Frakes has had a few acting and voiceover roles since his time as Commander William Riker, he chose to focus more on directing. Frakes has directed episodes of many popular shows, including Castle, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Librarians, and The Orville. But Star Trek, of course, has always held a special place in Frakes’ heart.
Jonathan Frakes came back to Star Trek in 2018 to direct an episode of Star Trek: Discovery season 1, and he would go on to direct seven more episodes of that series. Frakes helmed the excellent Star Trek: Strange New Worlds crossover episode, which saw Ensigns Brad Boimler (Jack Quad) and Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) from Star Trek: Lower Decks visit the USS Enterprise of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). Frakes directed two episodes each of Star Trek: Picard seasons 1 and 2 before reuniting with his Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members for the nostalgic tour-de-force that was Picard season 3.
