Jonathan Frakes didn’t just secure the role of Commander Riker on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” over several other hopefuls, he also became a key director within the franchise, directing over 30 episodes. His expertise is evident when he talks about what makes a “Trek” story great. Frakes has singled out two of his “Next Generation” episodes as classics: Season 3’s “The Offspring” and Season 5’s “Cause and Effect,” both of which are highlighted in lists of top “TNG” episodes.

In an interview with StarTrek.com, Frakes expressed his enduring fondness for “The Offspring,” noting, “I still hold the first episode of ‘TNG’ I ever did so dear to my heart.” He recalled being extremely prepared for it. In a distinct 2022 interview, he described how the studio executives backed his transition to directing. They provided valuable training for him, offering a director’s crash course starting from Season 1.

Frakes shared that producer Rick Berman played a significant role, humorously referring to this experience as “Paramount University.” He explained that he was involved in all facets of production, including pre-production meetings, casting, visual effects, and art department collaborations. He emphasized the strong support he received from this talented community.

Since his start in 1990 with “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Frakes has directed other shows such as “The Librarian,” “Burn Notice,” and “Leverage.” His directorial debut on “The Offspring” involved a storyline focusing on the android Lt. Commander Data. This episode is celebrated as one of the series’ best, with Patrick Stewart opining that Brent Spiner should have won an Emmy for portraying Data.

In “The Offspring,” Data (played by Spiner) tries to create an android offspring, Lal (played by Hallie Todd), who has a sentient positronic brain designed by Data. This act causes concern for both Captain Picard and Starfleet, who view the creation of artificial life as perilous. Starfleet orders Admiral Haftel (Nicolas Coster) to seize Lal, sparking a moral debate on individual rights led by Data and Picard.

Frakes highlighted that “The Offspring” was exceptional for several reasons, noting it was René Echevarria’s first episode as a writer for “TNG” and later, “Deep Space Nine,” where he became a producer. Frakes praised Hallie Todd’s performance and reflected on the camaraderie among the cast and crew who supported him while affectionately teasing him, calling it a unique and defining moment in his career.

In Season 5 of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Jonathan Frakes directed what might be the biggest fan favorite episode of the series, “Cause and Effect,” one of the best time loop stories ever written. Crafted by writer Brannon Braga, the episode opens with the destruction of the Enterprise in a shocking fashion, and the rest of the story follows the crew repeatedly living out their last moments while trying to figure out a way to end the cycle.

“At first, I didn’t really get that what Brannon was trying to do was a different kind of ‘Rashomon’ story,” Frakes told the Hollywood Reporter in a look back at the episode. “It was an evolution almost of the way [the characters] understand what was going on.” Frakes saw the episode as one of his biggest challenges, forced to come up with creative ways of shooting the same scenes in new ways to avoid repetition.

“There are only so many shots you can do,” Frakes said. “So, stylistically, we tried different things for different scenes.” Though he initially thought the script was a joke, it turned out to be a blast to work on and has gone down as one of the most beloved stories in the franchise. “Once I realized that [Brannon] wasn’t f***ing with me, it was fun.”