Latest news with #JonathanFrakes
Geek Tyrant
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY Cast Says the Series Isn't Just YA - It's "Young Adults Going Through Some Real Sh*t" — GeekTyrant
We've been hearing some interesting things about the upcoming series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , including the fact that Star Trek alum Jonathan Frakes said the series is for the hardcore fans, and the fact that the show has already been renewed for a second season ahead of its first season release. The series is set in the 32nd century and follows a class of cadets as they train to uphold Starfleet's legacy. Unlike most Star Trek shows, this one is primarily set on Earth, offering a fresh perspective on the franchise. While the story has been billed as 'Young Adult,' the cast has offered up a little correction on that thought. Stars Kerrice Brooks and Bella Shepard recently spoke to about Starfleet Academy , and specifically touched on whether it was a series geared toward young adults. Shepard said it's more of an "everything" show and added it's "young adults going through some real shit," while Brooks went on to add: 'Yeah. To be honest, it doesn't feel super YA. I don't think things are like simplified or just like life brings you to a level, that's what the show feels like it's doing to the cadets. It feels like it is bringing us to a level instead of coming down to a YA, not that it's a negative thing. But instead of coming to us, we're like joining a Federation, so we've got to come up.' The series looks like it will be an exciting new take on the franchise, weaving established characters with fresh faces, including Voyager 's Robert Picardo reprising his role as The Doctor, Discovery alum Oded Fehr returning as Admiral Charles Vance, and Tig Notaro back as Jett Reno. Holly Hunter is stepping into the franchise as the Academy's chancellor, while Paul Giamatti joins as a recurring villain. Although filming wrapped in February 2025, Paramount+ has yet to announce a release date. Stay tuned for updates on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy .
Metro
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
90s TV star so ‘embarrassed' by one episode he wanted it pulled from streaming
Every one of us has done something embarrassing in our careers. Take me for example, I once spent an entire day in the rain asking people how they felt about compulsory porn filters – not an article that's going to make it into my portfolio. That said, it's not just regular folks like you and me who have skeletons in our proverbial working closet. Believe it or not, some of the biggest and brightest celebs are mortified by some of their old work. It's well known that Sabrina Carpenter is embarrassed by Adventures in Babysitting, Sandra Bullock can't bear the fact that she was in Speed 2, and I don't know if Al Pacino is afraid to admit he's in Jack & Jill, but I know he should be That said, as far as I'm aware, not many celebs are so appalled by something they've made that they've said they want it pulled from streaming, although I do know one. Jonathan Frakes made his name in the iconic 90s sci–fi show Star Trek: The Next Generation, where he played Commander William Riker, the first officer on the Federation flagship the Enterprise-D. From 1987 to 1994, Riker and the crew of the Enterprise boldly went where no one had gone before, meeting new worlds and civilisations as they explored the unknown. This wonderful show is regarded by fans of the genre and TV historians as one of the greatest and most important series in history, and there are countless classic episodes, including Measure of a Man, Best of Both Worlds, and Darmo,k all of which regularly rank on lists of best TV episodes ever. Yet there's one episode you'll never see on any of these lists. Season one, episode four, 'Code of Honor' is one such episode. This frankly awful instalment sees the Enterprise visit the planet Ligon II, where one of the crew is abducted by the planet's leader. While the concept seems benign enough, someone somewhere along the way decided to change the script so the people of Ligon II went from a reptilian race to a parody of 1940s tribal Africa. Needless to say, as a result, the episode is incredibly uncomfortable to watch and was accused by viewers of being racist. In fact, the episode is so despised that it regularly ranks among the worst episodes of Star Trek ever made and has been called by some the single worst thing from the franchise. Jonathan Frakes clearly agrees. He famously called it 'embarrassing' and a 'racist piece of sh*t' during a STLV panel in 2011. However, it was during an interview with TrekMovie in 2020 where he was asked whether the episode was appropriate for streaming. 'I thought that they had taken it out of the rotation when they sold the show, ' Frakes replied. After the hosts explained that it was still available, he went on to say 'I was told or I was under the impression that it had rubbed so many people the wrong way that it was pulled.' 'I think they should take it out of the rotation. I think it is a great time to make that kind of – as small as it is – to make that kind of a statement would be fabulous.' More Trending When pressed on the matter, and whether that was a bit bold, Jonathan did agree it might be a tad overkill, but it was clear something needed to change. 'Maybe it should be included with an appropriate statement of reason. A proof of concept. This is not who we are,' he explained. 'This is not what we stand for. It's an embarrassment to the franchise, and Gene [Roddenberry] would want us to do this. Something like that.' Sadly, five years later, it doesn't look like Jonathan has got his wish, as the episode still appears on streaming without any statement or warnings about the content. All seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation are available to stream now on Netflix. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More »
Geek Girl Authority
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS: 16 Returning Franchise Characters
In many ways, Star Trek: Lower Decks was built on the Franchise shows that preceded it. True, the show did break new ground by showing us a new side of Starfleet. But it also brought back many characters who had previously appeared in other shows and movies. For this week's Trek Tuesday, we're sharing X Star Trek characters who debuted elsewhere in the Franchise and returned on Lower Decks. Did we include your favorite? Riker and Troi Photo Cr: Best Possible Screen Grab CBS 2020 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The first major returning Franchise character appeared in the Lower Decks Season 1 finale, 'No Small Parts.' In this episode, the U.S.S. Cerritos came under attack by the Pakleds in the Kalla system. But just when the California class ship is about to succumb to the Pakled party, some familiar heroes show up to lend a hand. RELATED: Unpacking Star Trek: Lower Decks Opening Battle Scene Through the Seasons These are William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis). Both characters were originally introduced in the series premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation, 'Encounter at Farpoint.' Riker (or at least his transporter clone) would later appear on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, while both Riker and Troi appeared on Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Picard. And both characters appeared in all four The Next Generation era Star Trek movies. Tom Paris Photo: PARAMOUNT+ ©2021 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved One of the great things about Lower Decks is that it takes place after the final The Next Generation era movie, Star Trek: Nemesis. This means that it is also set after the Voyager finale, which means that it takes place after the U.S.S. Voyager has returned to the Alpha Quadrant. Lower Decks took advantage of this chronology in Season 2's 'We'll Always Have Tom Paris.' In this episode, Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) from Voyager visits the Cerritos. This is a during a handshake tour which Paris is undertaking in the wake of Voyager's return to Earth. Sonya Gomez Photo: PARAMOUNT+ ©2021 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved In the Lower Decks Season 2 finale, 'First First Contact,' Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) reunites with one of her old friends, Sonya Gomez (Lycia Naff). Now, Gomez is the captain of the U.S.S. Archimedes. RELATED: Star Trek: Lower Decks : 8 Big Bradward Boimler Episodes But when we first met Gomez, she was just an ensign aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise-D. She appeared in The Next Generation Season 2 episodes 'Q Who' And 'Samaritan Snare.' But in those episodes, Gomez held the rank of ensign. The character's appearance as a captain in Lower Decks emphasizes that even the higher ranking officers originally start off on the lower decks. Quark and Kira Photo: PARAMOUNT+ ©2022 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved The Lower Decks Season 3 episode 'Hear All, Trust Nothing' sees the Cerritos visiting Deep Space 9. Since Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) previously served on the station, she's less enthusiastic than the other beta shifters. However, the rest of the Cerritos crew encounters Quark (Armin Shimerman) and Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor). Both characters originally debuted in the Deep Space Nine series premiere, 'The Emissary.' According to the commentary track for the episode, Shimerman found it necessary to wear his prosthetic Ferengi teeth while recording his voice over lines. Leeta and Rom Photo Credit: Paramount+ In Lower Decks Season 4's 'Parth Ferengi's Heart Place,' the Cerritos visits Ferenginar. Once again, the visit opens the door for several Deep Space Nine alums to make an appearance on the animated show. RELATED: Star Trek: Lower Decks : 9 Essential D'Vana Tendi Episodes Due to the nature of their mission, this brings Freeman in contact with the leaders of Ferenginar. Thanks to a narrative development from the climax of Deep Space Nine, there are now Grand Nagus Rom (Max Grodénchik) and his wife, Leeta (Chase Masterson). Nova Squadron Photo Credit: Paramount+ Over the course of Lower Decks Season 4, ships throughout the quadrant have been disappearing. In the penultimate episode of the season, 'The Inner Fight,' the person behind these disappearances is revealed. It's Nick Locarno (McNeill). Locarno originally appeared in The Next Generation Season 5's 'The First Duty.' That episode also introduced the rest of Nova Squadron, which includes Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton). Several other members of the squadron appear in a flashback in the Lower Decks Season 4 finale, 'Old Friends, New Planets.' These are Sito Jaxa (Shannon Fill) and Crusher. The Anaximander Crew Photo credit: Paramount+. In the penultimate episode of Lower Decks fifth and final season, several legacy characters return. These characters comprise the crew of the U.S.S. Anaximander, under the command of William Boimler (Jack Quaid). These include T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) from Star Trek: Enterprise , Garak (Alexander Robinson) and Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) from Deep Space Nine and a plethora of Harry Kims (Garrett Wang) from Voyager . Later, the crew meets a variant of Lily Sloane (Alfre Woodard) from RELATED: Star Trek: Lower Decks : Who's Who on the Anaximander 's Bridge Crew Technically, these characters aren't returning characters. Instead, they are multiversal variants of characters we've met in Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Enterprise and Star Trek: First Contact. But it is never the less exciting to see these familiar faces return, even if they are coming from another timeline. These Star Trek: Lower Decks episodes are currently available for streaming on Paramount+. STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS: 5 Merchandising Ideas for Paramount's Profit Avery Kaplan is the author of several books and the Features Editor at Comics Beat. She was honored to serve as a judge for the 2021 Cartoonist Studio Prize Award and the 2021 Prism Awards. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her partner and a pile of cats, and her favorite place to visit is the cemetery. You can also find her writing on Comics Bookcase, NeoText, Shelfdust, the Mary Sue, in many issues of PanelxPanel, and in the margins of the books in her personal library.
