Jonathan Frakes is interested in reprising his role as Captain Riker for the second season of Star Trek: Picard. Before season 1 of Picard, Frakes was amid a three-year hiatus from acting, last appearing in a movie called Devil’s Gate back in 2017. He has already become an integral part of the Star Trek spinoff, however, serving as both an actor and a director for the series, a partnership he appears eager to continue.
Before Picard, Frakes last played his iconic Captain Riker role – which originated with Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987 – in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005 (although he has voiced the character in a couple of episodes of Family Guy since then). As a director, however, Frakes returned to the franchise sooner, directing three episodes of Star Trek: Discovery before his two appearances towards the end of Picard’s first season. He also directed two episodes of season 1 of Picard: “Absolute Candor” and “Stardust City Rag.”
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Frakes is hungry for more. According to TrekMovie.com, the actor recently told the TrekGeeks podcast that he would be interested in reprising his role once more for the second season of Picard. He is already expected to direct at least one episode of the second season, which was ordered (along with a third season) before the first season even debuted, back in January 2020. Season 2 of Picard doesn’t have a release date, although it’s expected to air on CBS All Access either towards the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021.
See Frakes’ full comments below:
I did find myself getting into the lean as soon as I sat down. I liked that scene actually. I thought the writing was clever. I was wary of when they had gone to the well to have Riker show up again because he had said he had left Starfleet. But I think between Akiva [Goldsman], and [Michael] Chabon, and Alex [Kurtzman], they cleverly wove it into the story. And I hope that we see him again. I certainly hope to see… to have the spacesuit on again.
At first, it seemed Frakes wasn’t going to be teaming up with his old pal Patrick Stewart in Picard. Since then, however, it appears Frakes has been bitten by the Captain Riker bug and has no intention of turning his back on the franchise again. He is involved in helming future episodes of franchise shows, perhaps including Strange New Worlds, the spinoff set for 2021. He even wants to make an appearance on a Star Trek adjacent show he has already directed, The Orville.
How Captain Riker would function in future episodes of Picard is an open question. His first appearance on the series showed him married (to Deanna Troi) and with a child, no longer working as an active member of Starfleet. By the end of the season, however, Captain Riker was back in active duty. Future appearances of the character would likely show Captain Riker has an essential member of Starfleet once more, potentially leading to a more prominent role in Star Trek: Picard.
Source: TrekMovie.com