Star Trek’s Patrick Stewart has high praise for Jonathan Frakes’ talent as a director in his autobiography “Making It So: A Memoir.”

Patrick Stewart has high praise for Jonathan Frakes as a Star Trek director and his longtime Star Trek: The Next Generation co-star would be his “first choice” to direct his proposed Star Trek: Picard movie. In his memoir, “Making It So,” Stewart delved into his many years playing Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, the TNG movies, and Star Trek: Picard. Most of those TV episodes and films involved Jonathan Frakes in front of and behind the camera.

In “Making It So: A Memoir,” Patrick Stewart wrote about how Jonathan Frakes rose to the occasion as the director of the second and best TNG movie, Star Trek: First Contact. Read the except below:

First Contact marked Jonathan Frakes’ debut as a feature film director. We all loved being directed by him during the show’s run, but here he really elevated his game. Jonathan is a funny, light-hearted man who always creates a positive atmosphere on the set, but this time, he sharpened his focus, demanding of us an emotional authenticity beyond what we’d given on the show. This was the big leagues, after all.

Patrick Stewart expounded on Jonathan Frakes’ directorial talent as one of the prime reasons why Star Trek: First Contact was such a success. Read the quote below:

A word here about Jonathan’s direction. Beyond his deft handling of the cast, he also demonstrated technical mastery, his camera capturing the intimacy of the film’s emotional scenes without being intrusive. First Contact was also the best-looking Star Trek film to date, a tribute to its excellent lighting design and sets, as well as Jonathan’s choices regarding camera movement and color palette.

Jonathan Frakes Is Star Trek Casts’ Favorite Director

Frakes has directed Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Jonathan Frakes has been praised by several Star Trek casts as their favorite director. After directing Star Trek in the 1990s and 2000s, Frakes helmed numerous other TV series and films before returning to the franchise to direct Star Trek: Discovery season 2 episodes. Frakes considers Discovery his “home” Star Trek show, but he also branched out to direct episodes of Star Trek: Picard, and Frakes directed the comedic Star Trek: Strange New Worlds crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks. All throughout, Frakes won over the various Star Trek actors with his warmth, humor, and ability to communicate. Meanwhile, Frakes and Patrick Stewart have worked together more than they have anyone else in their careers.

Toward the end of “Making It So: A Memoir,” Patrick Stewart pitched his idea for one, final Star Trek: Picard movie that would be “an expansion and deepening of the universe” of the TV series. Stewart says: “Jonathan is my first choice to direct it.” Frakes would likely accept the offer, but even if Star Trek: Picard season 3 is the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Jonathan Frakes has an extraordinary career, and he can look forward to directing more Star Trek in the future.