90s TV star so ‘embarrassed’ by one episode he wanted it pulled from streaming

Everyone has something in their careers they’re not proud of (Picture: BBC TWO)

Every one of us has done something embarrassing in our careers.

Take me for example, I once spent an entire day in the rain asking people how they felt about compulsory porn filters – not an article that’s going to make it into my portfolio.

That said, it’s not just regular folks like you and me who have skeletons in our proverbial working closet. 

Believe it or not, some of the biggest and brightest celebs are mortified by some of their old work.

It’s well known that Sabrina Carpenter is embarrassed by Adventures in Babysitting, Sandra Bullock can’t bear the fact that she was in Speed 2, and I don’t know if Al Pacino is afraid to admit he’s in Jack & Jill, but I know he should be

That said, as far as I’m aware, not many celebs are so appalled by something they’ve made that they’ve said they want it pulled from streaming, although I do know one.

Frakes made his name on The Next Generation (Picture: Paramount Television/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

Jonathan Frakes made his name in the iconic 90s sci–fi show Star Trek: The Next Generation, where he played Commander William Riker, the first officer on the Federation flagship the Enterprise-D.

From 1987 to 1994, Riker and the crew of the Enterprise boldly went where no one had gone before, meeting new worlds and civilisations as they explored the unknown.

This wonderful show is regarded by fans of the genre and TV historians as one of the greatest and most important series in history, and there are countless classic episodes, including Measure of a Man, Best of Both Worlds, and Darmo,k all of which regularly rank on lists of best TV episodes ever. 

Te beloved sci-di series is considered one of the best TV shows ever made (Picture: Paramount Television/Kobal/REX/S)

Yet there’s one episode you’ll never see on any of these lists. Season one, episode four, ‘Code of Honor’ is one such episode. This frankly awful instalment sees the Enterprise visit the planet Ligon II, where one of the crew is abducted by the planet’s leader.

While the concept seems benign enough, someone somewhere along the way decided to change the script so the people of Ligon II went from a reptilian race to a parody of 1940s tribal Africa. 

Needless to say, as a result, the episode is incredibly uncomfortable to watch and was accused by viewers of being racist. 

Code of Honor has been criticised as racist (Picture: Paramount) It’s almost universally loathed in the Star Trek community (Picture: Paramount)

In fact, the episode is so despised that it regularly ranks among the worst episodes of Star Trek ever made and has been called by some the single worst thing from the franchise. 

Jonathan Frakes clearly agrees. He famously called it ’embarrassing’ and a ‘racist piece of sh*t’ during a STLV panel in 2011.

However, it was during an interview with TrekMovie in 2020 where he was asked whether the episode was appropriate for streaming.

‘I thought that they had taken it out of the rotation when they sold the show, ’ Frakes replied. 

After the hosts explained that it was still available, he went on to say ‘I was told or I was under the impression that it had rubbed so many people the wrong way that it was pulled.’

Frakes didn’t pull any punches when sked about Code of Honor (Picture: Paramount)

‘I think they should take it out of the rotation. I think it is a great time to make that kind of – as small as it is – to make that kind of a statement would be fabulous.’

When pressed on the matter, and whether that was a bit bold, Jonathan did agree it might be a tad overkill, but it was clear something needed to change.

‘Maybe it should be included with an appropriate statement of reason. A proof of concept. This is not who we are,’ he explained.  ‘This is not what we stand for. It’s an embarrassment to the franchise, and Gene [Roddenberry] would want us to do this. Something like that.’

Sadly, five years later, it doesn’t look like Jonathan has got his wish, as the episode still appears on streaming without any statement or warnings about the content. 

All seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation are available to stream now on Netflix.

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