Folks lucky enough to live in Chicago were graced with being the first stop for Creation’s ‘Star Trek’ themed Continuing Voyages Tour this past week, which featured numerous panels from the legendary franchise including some with cast members from ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation.’ For them, this is an interesting time for ‘Star Trek,’ and for Jonathan Frakes, who is involved in the new series ‘Discovery.’ As a director of an episode, he cannot help but see the parallels between the fan worries about 
‘Discovery’ and the worries that were held 30 years ago when ‘The Next Generation’ first came out (some fans were so against the new series back in 1987 that they even started a write-in campaign demanding the producers put the new show in “another space-time continuum” to protect the canon of the original show, which ironically enough, is pretty much exactly what J.J. Abrams did when he took over the movie franchise in 2009).
During a panel on Sunday with Brent Spiner, after a loyal fan commented that Frakes would not “let the ship go off the rails,” Frakes made sure to tell people not to worry about the newest addition to the franchise:
“There are people skeptical about Discovery. Which I was experiencing 30 years ago on The Next Generation, which was how loyal the fans were to Kirk and Spock and Bones. Some are more aggressive than others… and I deserve to let you know they know what they’re doing.”
Now while it could be said that Frakes is just towing the company line because he directed an episode of ‘Star Trek: Discovery,’ (not to mention he might have been told to behave after he accidentally let a spoiler slip about the new series at the ‘Next Generation’ reunion panel the day beforehand), it is a comfort to hear Frakes speak so confidently about the new show. Plus, it does fit in with what we have seen of the new series, which looks to have a high production value. To me, it seems clear that they took their time getting the show out, which could mean they wanted to make sure they got everything right, even with all the behind-the-scenes creative changes, which could lend credence to the idea that this show will indeed be something special.
What do you think? Do we take Frakes at his word? Should we raise our expectations for ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ based on this statement? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: Trek Movie
