Jonathan Frakes hopes Captain Riker will return in Star Trek: Picard season 2

Bill Smith and Dan Davidson of Trek Geeks, with Jonathan Frakes on their charity livestream

Last Thursday, actor Jonathan Frakes interviewed with the Trek Geeks Podcast Network in their first Charity Livestream to support Feeding America. TrekMovie.com reported on the fundraiser, where the actor shared his thoughts on reviving his iconic role, as well as wanting to be back in the captain’s chair for season two of Star Trek: Picard.

When it came to being Will Riker on screen again, Frakes wasn’t quite as comfortable jumping back into the role as his Next Generation co-stars. Noting that Sir Patrick Stewart was “the best he’s ever been” and with Marina Sirtis having just performed on London’s West End, Frakes may have felt a bit rusty as an actor. “I was comfortable about halfway through the first day,” Frakes said of the return. “I hadn’t acted in a decade! And I really didn’t want to get buried by my friends,” he added with a laugh.

Though he once again found his footing in Riker’s character, the Star Trek veteran did have some initial fears about where the role might have been heading. “I was wary of when they had gone to the well to have Riker show up again because [...] he had left Starfleet,” Frakes remembered. He continued, saying “they cleverly wove it into the story. And I hope that we see him again. I certainly hope [...] to have the spacesuit on again.”

In a moment of sincerity, Frakes acknowledged the enormous responsibility of bringing Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision into the future. “I think everybody who has been given the reins [...] are very, very conscious of honoring Gene’s [vision],” Frakes said during the fundraiser. “Gene inspired all this. The reason we are all watching and fortunate enough to be working on these shows is because of Gene’s vision. And that vision is big enough and carried us for fifty years, and will for another fifty I am sure.”

Last week’s Charity Livestream raised over $5,000, well in excess of the original goal of $2,000, but it isn’t too late to help out. If you’d like to donate to the Trek Geeks Feeding America fundraiser, you can still do so at Tiltify.com. For more information, including how to donate, head to TrekGeeks.com.