Star Trek Legend Jonathan Frakes on 35 Years Directing

Jonathan Frakes has been directing Star Trek for over three decades, and he's still amazed at how the show brings people together through genuine human connection.

The veteran director, who's helmed 31 Star Trek TV episodes and two major films, just wrapped work on Starfleet Academy's penultimate episode. His secret to great science fiction? Focus on the feelings between characters, not just flashy special effects.

"The real success is when you care about the people who're doing these wonderful things," Frakes explains. In his latest episode, titled "300th Night," the emotional core centers on a mother and son reuniting after 15 years apart. Without that human connection, he says, even the most spectacular sets mean nothing.

The technology helping tell these stories has transformed dramatically since Frakes started directing Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1990. Back then, actors stared at green screens with tape marks, pointing at tennis balls on sticks while pretending to see alien ships. Today's Volume technology surrounds performers with realistic digital environments they can actually see and react to in real time.

"It's a really incredible creation," Frakes says of the Toronto set he worked on. The advanced system displays flying objects and environmental depth all around the actors, making their performances more authentic and emotionally resonant.

Why This Inspires

Frakes' approach reminds us that even in stories set centuries in the future, what moves audiences hasn't changed. Technology serves the story, but caring about characters makes us return episode after episode.

His two guiding questions for every script speak to this wisdom: Where's the levity that makes these people real? And where are the emotional connections that make us care? The action, he notes, takes care of itself.

Working with Oscar winner Holly Hunter on Starfleet Academy gave Frakes another chance to dig deep into character. He describes Hunter's Captain Nahla Ake as smart, tough, and funny—a wonderful leader audiences can root for.

After 31 episodes across nearly every Star Trek series, Frakes continues finding new ways to help actors connect with material that could easily get lost in spectacle. His dedication to emotional truth over visual flash has made him one of the franchise's most beloved directors.

The evolution from tennis balls to virtual environments represents more than just technical progress—it's given actors better tools to do what they've always done best: make us believe in the story and care about each other.