One of the best things about Star Trek: Picard was that it gave Will Riker the chance to become the captain of his own starship to help Jean-Luc Picard. So what was it like to return to Starfleet? Jonathan Frakes commented on how playing the retired Riker was very different from his portrayal of Captain Riker.
Frakes recently spoke to Comicbook.com where he admitted he was a lot happier about playing Captain Riker compared to his character's initial appearance in the episode Nepenthe.
"That was a really different experience because I was alone," Frakes said. "I was 'self-directing.' I was in a captain's chair. I had a spacesuit on. I had my beard trimmed, my Riker hair put back on, my bald spots covered up."
Aside from the costume and general appearance, Frakes stated that it was almost like being back on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
"It felt very familiar, and it was like a flashback. Because of how well Nepenthe went, I was less nervous and, I got to say, thrilled to have been asked back, to be perfectly frank," he said.
Of course, this doesn't mean Frakes didn't enjoy working on Nepenthe. He explained that he was happy that the series revealed what happened to Riker and Deanna Troi after the events in TNG.
"It felt wonderful and different and somehow logical that they would have done what they could," Frakes said of Riker and Troi. "I love that they had kids, and one has died and that they had gone somewhere to try to save his life. All that I thought was spectacular."
But what are the chances we'll see more of Riker in the second season? Frakes chose to play coy about the character's return. For now, we'll have to wait for more updates on the series.
Star Trek: Picard has already been renewed for a second season although it has not yet been given an official release date.
Related: Jonathan Frakes Shares New Details from Star Trek Discovery Season 3
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