Jonathan Frakes Makes Star Trek History With LEGO USS Enterprise-D

by

Nearly four decades after Star Trek: The Next Generation first aired, Jonathan Frakes helped make Star Trek history with the help of LEGO. LEGO recently announced its first Star Trek set: a detailed model of the USS Enterprise-D, complete with nine miniature figures of the show’s iconic cast.

Each episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation famously started with Captain Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart, delivering the iconic opening lines: “Space, the final frontier… These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise…”

When Star Trek: The Next Generation reimagined the opening of The Original Series, it updated the famous phrase “where no man has gone before” to the more modern and inclusive “where no one has gone before.”

During the run of Star Trek: The Next Generation, only Captain Picard delivered the iconic “Space… the final frontier…” introduction. Interestingly, that speech never appeared in any of the four Next Generation films. This meant that Commander Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes, never had the chance to recite the famous lines… until recently.

Jonathan Frakes Finally Says Star Trek’s Opening Speech Thanks To LEGO

Jonathan Frakes, who played Commander Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation starting in 1987, recently had the chance to deliver the iconic Star Trek opening speech – “Space, the final frontier…” – for the first time! He recited it in a promotional video from LEGO for their new USS Enterprise-D set. You can watch this special moment for both Frakes and his character below.

The famous opening speech, “Space, the final frontier…”, is traditionally delivered by the Captain of the Enterprise in each Star Trek television series. During Jonathan Frakes’ time working on the show, only William Shatner as Captain Kirk and Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard spoke those iconic words at the beginning of each episode.

Although Commander Riker served as First Officer on both the USS Enterprise-D and the Enterprise-E (as seen in the Star Trek: The Next Generation films), and sometimes even captained the ship, he primarily played a supporting role to Captain Picard, played by Patrick Stewart.

Jonathan Frakes gets to deliver the iconic “Space, the final frontier…” line as Riker, and it’s fitting that he does, now that he’s a Captain in Star Trek: Picard.

Which Captains Have Said Star Trek’s Famous Opening Speech?

The famous line, “Space, the final frontier…” is the defining motto of the Starship Enterprise. As a result, only three captains consistently deliver it in every episode of their respective shows: William Shatner as Captain Kirk, Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard, and Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

It’s surprising that Scott Bakula, who played Captain Jonathan Archer in Star Trek: Enterprise, never actually said the famous phrase, “Space, the final frontier.” He only delivered the line, “To boldly go where no one has gone before,” and he said it at the very end of the series, after Captains Kirk and Picard had already used it.

The famous phrase “Space, the final frontier” appears surprisingly few times in the Star Trek films – only three times in total. Leonard Nimoy, as Spock, delivers the line twice: once at the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and again in the 2009 Star Trek film. At the conclusion of Star Trek Beyond, the entire cast recites the iconic phrase together.

Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation can now proudly display a LEGO version of the USS Enterprise-D. Thanks to this $400 set, Commander Riker – as portrayed by Jonathan Frakes – can join other iconic figures in reciting the famous line, “Space, the final frontier…”

Read More

2025-11-07 13:28