Recently I had a Star Trek The Next Generation dream. I was watching an old VHS rip of a "making of" documentry, which was hosted by, of course, Johnathan Frakes.
And it starts off pretty normal. Frakes was doing this thing of giving us the viewer a tour of the sets, and talking to us as if he's a TV presenter and fan of Star Trek, and then does the gag of saying "and now let's investigate the changing rooms of our prestigious stars" they enter Will Riker's room "it may surpise you who this handsom devil is plaid by" as the camera pans to a signed poster of Riker on the wall, naturally depicting Johnathan Frakes as Will Riker with his signature.
Haha ha funny gag, but it has that Johnathan Frakes charm so I don't think much of it.
Then Frakes tells us were going to the set and we'll meet the director of the episode being shot, they get there and Frakes says "it might surprise you what handsom devil directs for us" and the camera pans across the set from Frakes as the presenter to Frakes sat in the director's chair.
Okay this wasn't so weird because I know Frakes directed First Contact, the camera pan just seemed like a charming camera trick, and it seemingly validated the earlier joke.
But then we go to the make up department, Frakes is leading us there, still dressed as a director, and Micheal Dorn is in chair recieving Worf's prosphetics, and Frakes starts talking about their dilligant make up team, and the camera pans across to reveal Johnathan Frakes is the person applying Worf's prosphetics, again in a different costume.
At this point I'm confused, and I come to the conclusion that this must actually be a comedy skit I'm watching.
But now Johnathan Frakes is touring us through the set, dressed as a make up artist, saying "time to see a scene of a episode being filmed, an episode you're yet to see, where Deanna Troi discovers a secret of her mother's past, and you'll never guess who that handsom devil Deanna Troi is plaid by."
And it's Johnathan Frakes. Dressed in Deanna's jumpsuit with plunge neckline and giant eighties hair, doing Deanna's space accent.
Quickly it becomes apparent that Johnathan Frakes is the ONLY person working on Star Trek, and the studios suddenly feel utterly desserted as Johnathan Frakes is the only person there dressing up as different people and some how single handedly producing a prime time television show while also filming it's documentry.
