If you consider crucial individuals in Star Trek historical past, when it comes to actors at the least you would possibly look to the legacies of individuals like William Shatner or Patrick Stewart. However the actual reply to that query is most likely Jonathan Frakes, who has been part of just about all televised Trek for the reason that ‘70s—and when Discovery ends in a number of months, it’ll break the development of his affect, at the least in entrance of the digicam.
Since starring as William T. Riker in The Subsequent Technology, Frakes has made a visitor look in virtually each Star Trek collection since, both as Riker or a facsimile of him, or his villainous transporter clone brother Thomas (answerable for the best pretend beard reveal in tv historical past, because of Deep Area 9). Simply three collection have gone with out an on-screen Frakes look to this point—Discovery, Prodigy, and Unusual New Worlds—and now we all know at the least one in every of them by no means will.
When requested by Den of Geek at a latest look throughout SXSW whether or not or not Frakes would make an on-screen look in Discovery’s closing season, co-creator and producer Alex Kurtzman supplied a really resoundingly flat “No.” It’s not shocking contemplating that, as Discovery is now to this point into Star Trek’s future, Riker is extraordinarily useless at this level. A minimum of it should at all times have a particular connection to Frakes by his position as a equally constant Trek director—Frakes has been repeatedly directing episodes of Discovery since its first season, and can direct the penultimate episode of the present in season 5. But it surely does certainly imply the top to a decades-long development of creating Frakes probably the most constant Trek actors within the franchise historical past, and there’s one thing oddly unhappy about that.
Prodigy and Unusual New Worlds each nonetheless have time to have their very own Frakes appearances—Prodigy is about in 2385, whereas Riker was nonetheless in lively service even after the delivery of his son Thaddeus, for whom he would step again from lively obligation to attempt to assist deal with when he was identified with mendaxic neurosclerosis within the run-up to the occasions of Star Trek: Picard. Unusual New Worlds (which like Discovery has a Frakes connection by directing; he shot the present’s implausible crossover with Decrease Decks, “These Outdated Scientists”) being pre-original Trek would make a Riker look very troublesome, however Frakes might nonetheless play some position, whether or not it’s an ancestor or a wholly new character.
We’ll have to attend and see—and behold what Frakes cooks up as his parting reward for Discovery—when season 5 begins streaming on April 4.
This story initially appeared on io9. Need extra io9 information? Take a look at when to count on the most recent Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on movie and TV, and every little thing it is advisable to find out about the way forward for Physician Who.