Improvisation Led To A Hilarious Moment In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds/Lower Decks Crossover

"Star Trek" might have a buttoned-up reputation as the thinking man's sci-fi, taking a much more philosophical bent than rival "Star Wars," but nothing quite punctures that largely exaggerated aura like the (surprisingly frequent) moment when this franchise lets its hair down a little. On top of its many other charms, "Strange New Worlds" has managed to find a satisfying balance to such disparate tones, capable of debuting an episode that basically gave the creative team an excuse to go LARP-ing one week (as was the case last season) along with going someplace shockingly dark and sobering, as with the most recent episode, "Under the Cloak of War."

One of the most highly-anticipated episodes came one episode earlier, however, with the hilarious crossover episode between "Strange New Worlds" and the animated "Lower Decks" series. (You can check out /Film's recap by Witney Seibold here.) Of the many delightful surprises packed within the hour, such as seeing actors Jack Quaid and Tawney Newsome fully embody Ensigns Boimler and Mariner respectively in live-action, perhaps the highlight came from seeing who had been approached to direct the episode: none other than William Ryker himself, franchise royalty Jonathan Frakes.

In a new interview with Variety, the longtime "Trek" actor and director opened up about his memories of the franchise, his various directing work on both movies and shows, and his experience taking the helm on "Strange New Worlds." Having directed the season 2 episode of "Star Trek: Discovery" that first introduced Anson Mount's Captain Pike, Ethan Peck's Spock, and Rebecca Romijn's Una Chin-Riley, Frakes was already well familiar with the main trio. But in working with Quaid and Newsome, Frakes found that the energy they brought to set made room for some hilarious improvised moments — one of which involved Spock.

Based on the overwhelming positive reception of the episode, the "Strange New Worlds"/"Lower Decks" crossover successfully managed to appeal to both fans of "Lower Decks" and those who may not have gotten around to the animated series just yet. But longtime viewers were not disappointed to see the essence of both Boimler and Mariner effectively translated into another medium entirely, thanks in large part to Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome essentially acting like live-action cartoons in the best possible way. According to Frakes, their chaotic vibes had an "infectious effect" on the rest of the "Strange New Worlds" cast and convinced producers Henry Alonso Myers and Akiva Goldsman to give them free rein — a marked departure from the days when Frakes was acting in "The Next Generation."

When that subject of improvisation came up, Frakes noted to Variety:

"Which doesn't happen a lot on 'Star Trek,' as you probably have heard. I mean, especially in our f***ing show ['The Next Generation'], they were so strict. It was like we were doing Shakespeare or Chekhov."

One can imagine the classy and no-nonsense presence of Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard likely had the biggest influence on the sense of atmosphere on set during those days, but having everyone loosen up on "Strange New Worlds" definitely led to one of the most hilarious moments in the entire episode. According to Frakes, the entire exchange between Boimler and Mariner over how unexpectedly hot Spock is at such a young age was completely improvised during filming. Fans know just how well this fits in with Mariner's personality throughout "Lower Decks," making this the perfect moment for the fun-loving character to bounce off the stuffy Spock. Be sure to check out the full interview.

"Strange New Worlds" is currently streaming on Paramount+.