Need To Know
- Jonathan Frakes, in a rare joint sit-down interview with his wife, Genie Francis, talks about the legacy of the “Star Trek” franchise and its relevance in today’s world during an appearance on the “State of Mind” podcast hosted by Maurice Benard.
- The conversation, which releases on Sunday, November 23, is part two in a series that began last week.
- “He’s still kicking it, 94,” says Frakes of William Shatner.
On Sunday, November 23, “Star Trek” legend Jonathan Frakes joins his wife, Genie Francis (Laura Collins, “General Hospital”), in part two of her sitdown conversation with Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos, “General Hospital”) for his “State of Mind” podcast series.
In an exclusive sneak peek, Frakes, who portrayed the iconic William Riker on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” for all seven seasons of the series, reflects on why the iconic “Star Trek” franchise continues to inspire such a devoted fan base, with the actor saying, “I think [Gene] Roddenberry created ‘Star Trek,’ built a future in which there was hope.” He added, “It’s a bit of a cliche, there was hope. There was no racism, no sexism. It was the prime directive, where you didn’t f**k with people on other planets. You let them do what they wanted to do. I think that’s how the prime directive goes… And more and more and more, we need that.”
“‘Star Wars’ and ‘Star Trek’ are both exciting franchises, but ‘Star Trek’ provided, I think, more heart and promise and hope, and continues to… I mean, Gene left us in the third season of our show [‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’] back in 1990,” continued Frakes. “So talk about a legacy. Then they just announced something on Instagram yesterday, they sent his ashes up into space.”
“I used to watch ‘Star Trek’ on TV, man,” said Benard, noting his connection to the original series. “Shatner and Nimoy, Spock and Bones, and Kirk, that’s who we aspired to. They had that chemistry, that ironic chemistry the three of them had,” said Frakes in response.
Blake Little/ABC
“He’s still kicking it, 94,” commented Frakes of William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in the original “Star Trek” series. “I see him about once a month at a Con. Sometimes he’ll do two Cons in a weekend…He’s astounding.”
“Sharp as a tack,” remarked Genie.
“Sharp as a tack, curious, interesting, thoughtful, funny,” concluded in a sneak peek of Part Two of Genie Francis with Jonathan Frakes on “State of Mind with Maurice Benard,” premiering Sunday, November 23 on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.
Frakes and Francis have been married since 1988 and have two children together.
Watch the preview clip of their appearance on “State of Mind” below.