Jonathan Frakes is best known as Commander William T. Riker on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” But his science fiction resume stretches far beyond the Enterprise. Over his career, Frakes has appeared in time-travel adventures, anthology horror, alien dramas, and even animated comedy.
Here are five sci-fi TV shows Frakes appeared on that aren’t part of the “Star Trek” world.
Voyagers! and Charles Lindbergh
A few years before “TNG,” Frakes took his first official stab at science fiction in “Voyagers!,” the 1982 one-season series centered on time travel. The show followed a man and a young boy, both part of a community of time travelers called Voyagers, who use a futuristic device to correct world events.
Frakes appeared as a guest star in the tenth episode, “An Arrow Pointing East.” He played Charles Lindbergh, the aviator whose first nonstop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris in 1927 ushered in a new era of aviation. In the episode, the main characters aid him in his historic flight after visiting Robin Hood in 1194.
The Twilight Zone (1985)
Frakes joined the first revival of the iconic anthology series, which premiered in 1985. The reboot followed the Rod Serling original structure but updated it to include multiple storylines per episode.
He appeared in the thirteenth episode of Season 1, “But Can She Type?” The story centered on a burnt-out secretary (Pam Dawber) who acquires a copier that brings her into an alternate universe where secretaries are put on a societal pedestal. Frakes had a cameo, credited as “Single Guy,” in a scene where he flirts with Dawber’s character at a bar. The episode aired in December 1985.
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
Frakes hosted this underrated anthology series, which showcased mysterious tales and revealed whether they were real or fake at the end of each episode. He wasn’t the first host — James Brolin hosted Season 1 in 1997 before Frakes took over for Season 2 the following year.
Frakes hosted through 2002. He then returned for a set of revival episodes aired from 2021 to 2025, produced specifically for the German television market. Those episodes never aired in the United States and are not available to watch there.
Roswell
The legendary drama series, which aired for three seasons from 1999 to 2001, presupposed that the UFO that allegedly crashed in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 does exist. Three alien beings masquerade as local high school teens.
Frakes’ part came as a one-episode cameo, appearing as himself in the thirteenth episode of Season 1, “The Convention.” In the telecast, one of the show’s key teen leads — secretly the leader of the aliens — hosts Frakes while he’s in town for the local UFO convention. It might be Frakes’ most meta sci-fi appearance.
Future-Worm!
Frakes didn’t avoid animated sci-fi. He had a recurring role on the 2016 Disney XD series “Future-Worm!,” which follows a boy named Danny (voiced by comedian Andy Milonakis) who invented a time machine out of a lunch box.
The show started as shorts and became a full series of 21 episodes aired from 2016 to 2018. Frakes voiced Steak Starbolt in six episodes, the hero of leading character Danny. Starbolt stars in his own series within the show and traverses space in a steak-shaped spacecraft.
| Show | Year(s) | Frakes’ Role |
|---|---|---|
| Voyagers! | 1982 | Guest star as Charles Lindbergh |
| The Twilight Zone (1985) | 1985 | Cameo as “Single Guy” |
| Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction | 1998–2002, 2021–2025 | Host |
| Roswell | 1999–2001 | Cameo as himself |
| Future-Worm! | 2016–2018 | Voice of Steak Starbolt |
Frakes’ genre work shows a real devotion to science fiction beyond his flagship franchise. From historical aviators to animated steak heroes, he has taken the genre seriously — and often playfully — throughout his career.
Source: tvline.com
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