However, before they got to Frakes, Romijn and Mount were quick to note that Newsome and Quaid were impressive performers and skilled comedians. There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of improv on the set of “Strange New Worlds,” so hearing its guest stars make up lines and jokes on the spot was a welcome change of pace. “They both have a lot of improv experience and have never done the same thing twice,” Romijn said. “They did something different, they took it off the page and played with it in every take.” Monu commented that she had never seen guest stars “arrive with such ownership of the material” before.
Romijn then commented that Frakes, a long-time “Star Trek” veteran, was eager to combine the light-hearted adventure tone of “Strange New Worlds” with the unabashed comedy of “Lower Decks.” It is notable that Frakes directed a Trek movie that was action oriented and another that was juvenile and silly. The director seems interested in keeping “Star Trek” as light-hearted and bright as possible. Romijn noticed Frakes’s intentions and said:
“It was a lot of fun, and having Jonathan Frakes there was very important to massage the two worlds together so that they were cohesive, so that they came from this animated show and now they’re on the Enterprise, which is a very, very different tone. It was really important. that he was there to blend those tones”.
mount added:
“I don’t think anyone else could have directed the episode.”
It certainly took someone with experience. As Trek actors go, LeVar Burton could have been good too; he has directed 28 episodes of “Star Trek.” Roxann Dawson from “Voyager” would also have been a good choice, as she’s directed 12 episodes of Trek and dozens of other TV shows.