RE: Riker's beard

[MadBaggins]

To whom it may concern,

What is the REAL story behind the appearance of Riker's beard in season two? I heard at the time that Jonathan Frakes (the actor who plays at Riker) had suffered an injury in an car crash to his jaw and was left with a hideous scar which would ruin his character's handsome face, so he had to grow a special beard to disguise it. However, in the acclaimed feature film Star Trek: The Insurrection, Riker is seen without a beard but with NO hideous scar. He even has a sex bath with Troi. So what is the real reason behind the growing of the beard?

 

[Lord Garth]

Jonathan Frakes grew a beard over hiatus in 1988 and Gene Roddenberry liked it so much that he thought he should keep it.

 

[asp7485]

Riker grew a beard because the real Jonathan Frakes died in a plane crash between seasons one and two. Thankfully, Frakes's bearded twin brother, Jerry Frakes, agreed to step into the part, but asked to be billed in his brother's name, as a tribute. He agreed to play Riker exactly as his late brother did, but with one stipulation. He asked to keep the beard he had grown which was the only way his family could tell the two brothers apart. Roddenberry agreed.

-Aaron

 

[2of1million]

asp7485 said:
Riker grew a beard because the real Jonathan Frakes died in a plane crash between seasons one and two. Thankfully, Frakes's bearded twin brother, Jerry Frakes, agreed to step into the part, but asked to be billed in his brother's name, as a tribute. He agreed to play Riker exactly as his late brother did, but with one stipulation. He asked to keep the beard he had grown which was the only way his family could tell the two brothers apart. Roddenberry agreed.

-Aaron

No, they were actually triplets! The third one came on to play Thomas Riker in the 7th season episode "Second Chances"

 

[Outpost4]

This is so much bunk. Everybody knows that when Jonathan Frakes died in that plane crash they quickly cloned a replacement. The replacement began life in a petri dish within days of the accident.

In other words, they had a bowl of Clone Frakes.

 

[Scatta]

That was bad enough without the "Clone Frakes." I guess that was oked by the Grrrreat Bird himself?

 

[USS Excelsior]

I think it's because he didn't like having to shave twice a day when filming the episodes so having a beard prevented having to do that.

 

[Scatta]

Seriously, I heard that he grew it for a film set around the time of the civil war that he did between seasons, and decided to keep it. But, that's just another rumor.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I think it had something to do with a plan to have Picard adopt a new catchphrase, "By Riker's beard!", but it didn't take.

 

[Outpost4]

Scatta said:
Seriously, I heard that he grew it for a film set around the time of the civil war that he did between seasons, and decided to keep it. But, that's just another rumor.

And a bad rumor at that. He was in the mini-series North and South, but that was before TNG. Late in TNG's run, another installment of the mini-series was filmed but he'd had the beard for a long time by then.

I remember the story told above. He grew it during the hiatus for no good reason and was planning to cut it off for Season 2 but GR liked it and it stayed.

 

[Sisu]

Wasn't there a union regulation about the amount of hair allowed by the male leads? And with Patrick Stewart bald, Frakes had to make up the follicle shortage with his beard.

 

[Jack Bauer]

There was a cartoon in Starlog that had the pre beard Riker going on shore leave and somehow he got these tatoos mocking Picard on his face so he grew the beard to hide them. It was pretty funny.

 

[ByrdMan]

Lord Garth said:
Jonathan Frakes grew a beard over hiatus in 1988 and Gene Roddenberry liked it so much that he thought he should keep it.

Roddenberry thought it gave him a 'nautical' look which worked well for his character. (At least that's what he told me when I asked him at a convention around '93. Frakes, that is. Not Roddenberry.)

 

[Spider]

Outpost4 said:

In other words, they had a bowl of Clone Frakes.

O.M.G. If I could get away with warning you for that, I would.

 

[erastus25]

2of1million said:

asp7485 said:
Riker grew a beard because the real Jonathan Frakes died in a plane crash between seasons one and two. Thankfully, Frakes's bearded twin brother, Jerry Frakes, agreed to step into the part, but asked to be billed in his brother's name, as a tribute. He agreed to play Riker exactly as his late brother did, but with one stipulation. He asked to keep the beard he had grown which was the only way his family could tell the two brothers apart. Roddenberry agreed.

-Aaron

No, they were actually triplets! The third one came on to play Thomas Riker in the 7th season episode "Second Chances"

Nonono. You have it all wrong. Jonathan Frakes was presumed dead and replaced by Jerry Frakes after season 1. Several years later Jonathan Frakes reappeared after hanging out with Al Gore in the mountains. He complained that they had recast his part and demanded the role of Riker back. The authors came up with the Thomas Riker scenario to satisfy Jonathan's demands while also allowing them to keep Jerry in the co-starring role.

On a serious note...does starfleet even allow beards??? I can only remember seeing one other plus Sisko's goatee (and Geordi's lame attempt) in modern Trek. And if there is a regulation against it how did Riker get away with it?

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

ByrdMan said:

Lord Garth said:
Jonathan Frakes grew a beard over hiatus in 1988 and Gene Roddenberry liked it so much that he thought he should keep it.

Roddenberry thought it gave him a 'nautical' look which worked well for his character. (At least that's what he told me when I asked him at a convention around '93. Frakes, that is. Not Roddenberry.)

He said the same thing at a convention in San Diego during the summer hiatus between the second and third season. IIRC, he said that he grew it because he hated shaving (or was tired of it) but was ready to have it shaved off when they returned to production. Roddenberry saw it, liked it and said it had a "nautical look," to which Frakes joked with the audience, "What the hell is a nautical look?" But he didn't care since he got to keep the beard.

The funny thing, he mentioned, was that the producers couldn't agree on how high up the cheek it should go. At first it was about mid-cheek, but then they trimmed it, then decided they liked it the other way, and so make-up had to add fake hair until it grew back. Then, of course, it had to be trimmed again because the producers wanted it shorter. Frakes said that it took a few episodes before the beard was finally trimmed the same for the rest of the season.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

This reminds me of an old Starlog comic, wherein Riker wakes up hung over after a night of hedonistic debauchery on the Planet of Facial Tattoos...

Mark

 

[WillsBabe]

^ It reminds me of a fanfic written in the early days of production of Insurrection in which Riker returns to the Enterprise sans beard and has to explain to Picard down which back alley he lost it.

 

[jimbo1973]

.

On a serious note...does starfleet even allow beards??? I can only remember seeing one other plus Sisko's goatee (and Geordi's lame attempt) in modern Trek. And if there is a regulation against it how did Riker get away with it?

[/QUOTE]

Seems there was an Admiral on Next Gen had one, I remeber Capt. Bateson had one also.

 

[flandry84]

Actually Frakes has been hirsute of face for along time.I remember him bearded in an episode of "Hill street blues".