While Jonathan Frakes is best known for his portrayal of Commander Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation, his influence on the franchise extends well beyond his acting. As a director, he worked on some of the best episodes of the franchise, including TNG's "Cause and Effect" and DS9's "Past Tense, Part II," not to mention two of the feature films, First Contact and Insurrection.

In this episode of Stage Nine, John and Mike are joined by Star Trek expert Larry Nemecek to discuss Frakes' work as a director. We look at his directing origins, the qualities which led him to the features, and his work outside of Trek. In news, we cover the latest Discovery casting announcements, and what they tell us about the show.

Originally published as Stage Nine 36: Two Takes Frakes.