Star Trek: Strange New Worlds crossover episode with Lower Decks might be the most beloved episode of both series, and rightfully so. Though we're well into the 2026 TV schedule and approaching the third anniversary of its debut, we're still learning great things about it thanks to Jonathan Frakes, who recalled the famous "Riker" moment by Jack Quaid.
Frakes has a new podcast with actor Brent Spiner called Dropping Names With Brent & Jonny, and on the latest episode, they took questions from Trekkies. When asked how fun it was to direct the crossover "Those Old Scientists," Frakes decided to share this story about Quaid's impromptu "Riker" line he'd uttered when Boimler got on the saddle. In his words:
I said to Jack, ‘Just examine the office, and I’ll follow you around with a steadicam… So he did, he checked the desk, and he checked some stuff. Then he threw his leg over the saddle. And I said, ‘Okay, that’ll be great. Let’s shoot that. This is going to be fun.’ So he does the same thing, we call the take, and as he throws his leg over the saddle and settles down, he goes, ‘RIKER!’ I was behind the camera, and I, of course, couldn’t not ruin the take.
Jonathan Frakes confessed that he had to laugh whilst filming the scene, but who can blame him? The Riker Manuever is such a niche joke harkening back to when Frakes invented it while filming The Next Generation, so it was a perfect joke to bring into that moment. The line arguably should've been in the script in the first place, so I'm glad Quaid had the quick thinking to say it.
Fortunately, fans can't hear Frakes' chuckling on the final cut, but I'm glad they still used that take. I'm sure that initial impromptu move made by Quaid would've been the best and most natural looking take, and might have felt more hammed up if he had to refilm it time and again.
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This story has me wanting to rewatch "Those Old Scientists" with my Paramount+ subscription, and it's making me sad all over again that Lower Decks was canceled. As for Strange New Worlds, we'll get Season 4 later this year, with the final season coming after that.
I've seen many fans beg Strange New Worlds' team for a sequel to the crossover with Lower Decks, but with the final season being abbreviated, I'm not sure it's going to happen. The show still has to introduce new actors who will join the TOS crew, and bring us up to when Kirk takes command of the Enterprise.
That said, there are ways to enjoy both shows even if they're ending, via a new one. Lower Decks star Tawny Newsome is on the writing staff of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which is getting great reviews from critics. Frakes is also attached to the series as a director, having worked on various shows in the franchise over the years. I'm not sure it'll ever get the chance to bring Jack Quaid's Boimler or Newsome's Mariner to the Academy through some temporal anomaly, but I would welcome that if it happened.
Episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks, and Starfleet Academy are all available to stream over on Paramount+. For those who have yet to check out the newest series, the first four episodes will be up by the end of January, so now would be a perfect time to binge them all and catch up.
