20 Years Ago, Jonathan Frakes Used One of the Worst ‘Star Trek’ Episodes To Steal an Unreachable Record From Leonard Nimoy

Until 2005, Star Trek icon Leonard Nimoy held a franchise record that was right on the cusp of being beaten, but Jonathan Frakes took it from him. Making his debut as Spock in 1966, Nimoy appeared as the Vulcan/human hybrid in every season of Star Trek: The Original Series, and went on to reprise his role in various corners of the sprawling space opera. In 2009, he even made the jump to J.J. Abrams’ Kelvin Timeline, returning as Spock Prime in Star Trek. That said, the late legend is primarily remembered for bringing the character to life in the Prime Timeline.

Similarly, Jonathan Frakes’ seminal role falls within the Star Trek universe, stepping into the shoes of Commander William T. Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation and beyond. His connection to the franchise goes beyond playing one of its most prominent characters. He has also directed many episodes across the franchise, as well as a pair of Star Trek movies. He continues to be a staunch ambassador for the saga, and given how pervasive his Star Trek presence has become, it’s not surprising. It also seems unlikely that the record he took from Nimoy in 2005 will ever be surpassed.

‘Enterprise’s Despised Series Finale Meant Jonathan Frakes Had Appeared in More ‘Star Trek’ Shows Than Leonard Nimoy

The Previous Record Was 3 Shows

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Star Trek: Enterprise Season 4, Episode 22, “These Are the Voyages…” ended the show in an incredibly meta and divisive manner. Rather than allowing the main cast to serve as the finale’s focal point, Enterprise brought in Jonathan Frakes as one of two main guest stars. It made the episode a canonical companion piece to Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s “The Pegasus,” which had premiered 11 years earlier. It wasn’t the first show since TNG to let Frakes play Riker again, but it does stand out for the uproar it caused among Trekkies — especially Enterprise fans.

Still, ignoring the episode’s poor reception for a second, “These Are the Voyages…” did mean Frakes had managed to play his character in four Star Trek shows. After TNG, he also had guest appearances in Deep Space Nine and Voyager​​​​​​. Before the Enterprise finale, Frakes had a tally of three, just like Nimoy. Spock appeared in Star Trek: The Original Series, The Animated Series, and then in 1991’s “Unification” two-parter in The Next Generation. Other than archive footage and other actors playing Spock, the original character has never returned in any other Star Trek show. Nimoy and Frakes both also played their respective characters in multiple Star Trek movies, but that’s a record for another day.

Jonathan Frakes Has Appeared in Even More ‘Star Trek’ Shows Since ‘Enterprise’

His ‘Star Trek’ Show Record Has Increased to 7

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While Nimoy’s final total of Star Trek shows is three, Frakes’ run as Riker wasn’t over when he appeared in Enterprise. It would admittedly be a little while until another show would open the door for Riker’s return, but 2020 brought about two such opportunities. Now holding the rank of captain, Riker appeared in the inaugural seasons of Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Lower Decks, with Frakes reprising the role in both projects. Another voice performance in Star Trek: Very Short Treks in 2023 brought Frakes’ tally to an impressive seven shows, putting him way out in front of Leonard Nimoy and other franchise stars.

Just as he directed episodes of multiple Star Trek shows during the classic era, Frakes also helmed several installments when the franchise was revived for the modern age. Since 2018, he has received directorial credits for Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds — including the episode that crossed over with Star Trek: Lower Decks. Even just holding the record for appearing in the most Star Trek shows is impressive, but paired with his directing accolades within the franchise, it’s impossible to deny how important he’s been to the beloved space opera as a whole.

Why Jonathan Frakes’ ‘Star Trek’ TV Record Is Unlikely to Ever Be Broken

‘Star Trek’s Next Era Doesn’t Make Fun Cameos Very Easy

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Star Trek is known primarily as a TV franchise, with movies either tying directly into a specific show or taking place in another reality. When the modern era began with Discovery in 2017, initial plans seemed to be to move on from the classic era by focusing primarily on new characters. While that philosophy hasn’t been abandoned, there have been more familiar faces returning than initially seemed likely. This allowed Frakes to come back several times and add to his appearance record. However, Star Trek TV shows have become less of a priority in more recent years. At the moment, only Strange New Worlds and the upcoming Starfleet Academy are flying the flag for Star Trek‘s TV library.

Both shows make it canonically difficult, but not impossible, for franchise stars to return and reprise their roles. For example, Robert Picardo will play the Doctor again in Starfleet Academy, but it only really makes sense for him to show up in the 32nd century because of his holographic nature. Most Star Trek characters wouldn’t survive long enough to see the 32nd century. In short, there are fewer and fewer opportunities for returning actors. However, Picardo will be tying what was once the record when he appears in Starfleet Academy, after also appearing in Voyager and Star Trek: Prodigy.

Furthermore, the upcoming Star Trek movie at Paramount sounds as though it’ll be set before most of the shows that currently exist. Prequels can be notoriously difficult when it comes to the possibility of folding in fun cameos without breaking canon, and the movie in question very much seems like it’ll be a standalone project with a fresh batch of characters. If it spawns spinoff shows set around the same time, expect Jonathan Frakes’ Star Trek TV record to stand for an incredibly long period — if not indefinitely.