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Actor Jonathan Frakes, who plays William Riker, reportedly has one theory on whyStar Trek: Strange New Worldshas been the most well-receivedStar Trekshow in the recent past. Part of the new Alex Kurtzman series of shows from the sci-fi franchise,Strange New Worldshas reportedly broken viewership records for the franchise for Paramount+.
TheStar Trek: The Next Generationstar has also been a part of more spinoffs of the popular franchise such asDiscover, Picard, Voyager, and more. He has also gone on to direct a couple of episodes in the shows and also helmed the filmStar Trek: First Contact. According to Frakes, the format ofStrange New Worldshas worked well with audiences.
Jonathan Frakes Has A Theory WhyStar Trek: Strange New WorldsWorks Better
While the JJ Abrams-ledStar Trekreboot was occurring for the big screen, Paramount reportedly started to capitalize on the franchise’s renewed fanbase after it began streaming on Netflix. The first series in the revived series of shows wasStar Trek: Discovery, which was created by Alex Kurtzman. The show’s success led to multiple other shows being developed.
WhileDiscoverywas set in the 32nd century, taking it away from the usual setting of the series, other spinoffs such asPicardgo back to the familiar world. However, the new showStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseems to have achieved a middle ground by setting it a few years before the original series. It also seems to have impressed most of the fans with its unique format.
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According to actorJonathan Frakes, who also directed some episodes of the series, the reason whyStrange New Worldsis working better thanDiscoveryorPicardis due to its format of standalone episodes. The show releases episodes weekly and most of the plot is self-contained without any real continuation with respect to the next episode.
Talking about the episodes he worked on in the upcoming season, he toldCinemablend,
[They will] Certainly [be worth it]. The one I just finished is spectacular. They take big swings on Strange New Worlds. I think that the fact that they are stand-alone episodes has made this, arguably, the favorite Star Trek since Next Gen, probably.
The actor, who played Captain William Riker inStar Trek: The Next Generationand other shows, reportedly also credited the show’s writers and showrunners Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman, and Jenny Lumet for taking ‘big swings’ with the story.
Jonathan Frakes’ Theory ForStar Trek: Strange New Worlds’Success Makes Sense
While Netflix’s strategy of releasing episodes at once contributed to binge culture, the practice seems to be waning now as more shows seem to be opting for a weekly format. Many shows such asX-Men ‘97and other Marvel andStar Warsshows reportedly followed the weekly format after a premiere of more than one episode.
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Jonathan Frakes’ theory onStar Trek: Strange New Worlds’ success due to its self-contained format makes all the more sense when this trend of weekly releases catches on. Fans do not seem to have the time to set aside their daily work for a binge anymore. According to theStar TrekblogRed Shirts Don’t Die, the format works best since the time to follow an interconnected storyline is just not available.
Hence, despite good ratings for shows such asStar Trek: DiscoveryandPicard,the shows do not have the same universal love asStrange New Worldsdue to their interconnected nature.Picarditself is a continuation of the ‘90s seriesStar Trek: The Next Generation. This has also led toStrange New Worldsgetting the strongest opening for aStar Trekseries ever for Paramount+ (viaTrek Movie).
Star Trek: Strange New Worldsis currently streaming on Paramount+.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
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