Star Trek: Picard's Ed Speleers Convinced An Employee Jonathan Frakes Had Been Fired
Joining the cast of "Star Trek: Picard" in its third season could be one seriously intimidating thing, as the core cast has worked together and known one another for more than 30 years. But English actor Ed Speleers found himself right at home. The performer plays Jack Crusher, the son of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), making him the one who could possibly carry the torch for the cast of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" into the next generation. Thankfully, Speleers fit into the cast and world of "Star Trek" like he had belonged there all along, bringing a swashbuckling roguishness that "Picard" was lacking. But what was it like for Speleers personally, joining such an esteemed crew and being a part of such a monumental part of their story? About the same!
In an interview with Collider, Speleers shared his experiences filming the series, including a pretty great anecdote about when he first got to America and played a little trick on one of the office employees involving actor and director Jonathan Frakes. It sounds like there's a whole lot of Speleers in Jack Crusher and vice-versa, which is a bit of a casting miracle.
Assuming the captain's chair
The interview discussed family at length, because not only are Jack and the La Forge girls introduced, but the crew of the Enterprise is its own found family. When asked about what it felt like being inducted into that family, Speleers shared how quickly he felt at home:
"Yeah, Jonathan Frakes took me under his wing very quickly. Very, very quickly. We have the same U.S. agent who's wonderful [...] Because he texted me saying, 'I knew you were coming onto set,' and everything. [...] I was in the production office and my family hadn't arrived yet, and I was trying to do loads of things to do with really boring stuff about getting set up in America, which was really frustrating me, but I needed to use an office, and it was a production office. The only office they could give me was Frakes' director's suite, and I basically sat down, and took a selfie of myself saying, 'This is my place now, mate. Basically, I'm running the show. You're no longer the director.'"
While Speleers was working on getting set up in the States and having a bit of fun in the bosses' office, someone from the accounts department came in looking for Frakes, and Speleers had a bit more fun, telling the poor employee that Frakes had been fired and he was now in charge. The worker bought it and Speleers had to tell them that it was only a joke. After all, who would fire Jonathan Frakes?
No Starfleet hazing!
While Speleers might have faced some practical jokes or hazing of his own joining the series, he didn't recall any when talking with Collider, instead sharing the moments that he bonded over with various members of the cast. He shared that he and Marina Sirtis, who plays Counselor Deanna Troi, bonded over their shared love of the British football team Tottenham Hotspur, while he and Stewart had a lunch where they discussed their lives, acting, and the series. From what it sounds like, the elder Starfleet officers took the younger ones on like their actual children, helping to bring them into the "Star Trek" family in a very real way.
The younger cast of "Star Trek: Picard" might end up getting to have a "Star Trek" of their very own if showrunner Terry Matalas gets to create "Star Trek: Legacy," which would continue the adventures of Jack Crusher, Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) and Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). Who knows, maybe in 35 years or so, some plucky upstart will borrow Speleers' director's chair and tell someone he's been fired. What goes around comes around, Jack!
"Star Trek: Picard" is available to stream on Paramount+.