30 Years Later, Jonathan Frakes Reveals The Star Trek: First Contact Shot He Hates & Would Change

Published Oct 28, 2026, 9:31 PM EDT

John Orquiola is a TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 5,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises.

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Director Jonathan Frakes reveals the shot in Star Trek: First Contact that he still wishes he could change.

Star Trek: First Contact celebrates its 30th anniversary on November 22, 2026. The most popular and successful movie starring the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, First Contact was a special effects extravaganza, as well as an inspiring origin story about Star Trek itself. With Frakes calling the shots, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) battling the Borg on the USS Enterprise-E took Star Trek movie action to another level in 1996.

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Legendary Star Trek executive producer Rick Berman joined Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner on their podcast, Dropping Names... And Other Things. When Spiner explained how the pronunciation of Data's name was finalized, Brent then told Star Trek: First Contact's director and producer that he wishes he could fix how Data pronounced "futile" when the android said, "Resistance is futile!" Frakes then revealed the one "sh*tty" shot in First Contact that he still wants to fix. Read their quotes below:

Jonathan Frakes: “Well, there are a couple of things we could change. The only shot I would change in that movie is when [the Borg Queen] blew on your arm, and the hair…”

Brent Spiner: “The little hairs that…”

Jonathan Frakes: “No, the visual effect was sh*tty compared to…”

Brent Spiner: “Oh, that was actually my arm.”

Jonathan Frakes: “I know. Oh, that was the problem.”

Watch Rick Berman on Dropping Names... And Other Things:

The shot Frakes refers to is when the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) captures Data and tries to turn him to her side through seduction. The Queen began replacing parts of Data's android skin with organic tissue, allowing him to feel like a human, which was his heart's desire. The Borg Queen then blew on Data's new arm hair, arousing the positronic android.

Data and the Borg Queen's romantic subplot in Star Trek: First Contact was unusually kinky, although the android being seduced by the Borg's provocative female ruler made sense. Captain Picard theorized that the Queen wanted Data to be the "counterpart" that she once wanted Jean-Luc to be when he was assimilated and turned into Locutus of Borg.

However, Data would never betray Picard and revealed that he was just pretending with the Borg Queen all along when he defiantly used the Borg's own "Resistance is futile" catchphrase against the Queen. To this day, Spiner wishes he pronounced it "few-TILE" instead of "few-till," and Frakes agrees.

Minor quibbles that fans or the filmmakers have about Star Trek: First Contact are also futile as Frakes' first feature film as a director has stood the test of time. Star Trek: First Contact remains beloved by Trekkers and regularly ranks high or tops fans' lists of the best Star Trek movies.

Star Trek: First Contact is streaming on Paramount+