Summary
- Patrick Stewart directed five episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, with a focus on Lt. Commander Data, showcasing both his proficiency behind the camera and Brent Spiner's talent in front of it.
- Stewart sought advice from Jonathan Frakes, another beloved Star Trek director, for his directorial debut.
- "A Fistful of Datas" was a comedic episode that leaned into the ridiculous aspects of TNG, utilizing Western tropes and containing genuinely funny moments.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard himself, Patrick Stewart, directed five episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Since playing Commander William Riker on TNG, Jonathan Frakes has largely stepped back from acting (though he did return as Riker for Star Trek: Picard), to become a prolific director and perhaps the most beloved of the Star Trek helmers. Frakes has continued to direct not only Star Trek projects but many other episodes of television. Patrick Stewart, on the other hand, has few directing credits but continues to perform on stage and screen, as well as in voice-acting roles. While Stewart may not have taken to directing with the same zeal as Frakes, he directed five solid and enjoyable episodes of TNG.
At the recent Vulture Festival, Patrick Stewart reminded fans about his directing credits on TNG. He went on to point out how invaluable Jonathan Frakes was when it was Stewart's turn to sit in the director's chair. Interestingly, four of the five episodes directed by Patrick Stewart focused on Brent Spiner's Lt. Commander Data. In his autobiography, Making It So: A Memoir, Stewart praised Spiner's acting in particular, saying it is a "major injustice" that Spiner never won an Emmy for portraying Data. It's fitting, then, that the episodes Stewart directed often featured Data, showing off not only Stewart's proficiency behind the camera but also Spiner's obvious talent in front of it.
