Jonathan Frakes reveals the Star Trek: First Contact shot he hates and would change, 30 years later
A shot Frakes would change
On the podcast Dropping Names... And Other Things, Rick Berman joined Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner to discuss Star Trek. Spiner said he wished he could change how Data pronounced “futile” in the line “Resistance is futile!”
Frakes then named a shot he still wants to fix. He said the moment was when the Borg Queen blew on Data’s arm, adding that “the hair” was part of the problem.
The Borg Queen’s attempt
The scene comes as the Borg Queen, played by Alice Krige, tries to draw Data to her side. She replaces parts of his android skin with organic tissue, giving him the ability to feel as a human would—a desire he had long held.
The Queen blows on the new hair on Data’s arm. The story describes the scene as an unusually kinky romantic subplot, while Picard believes the Queen wanted Data as a counterpart, much as she once wanted him after he became Locutus of Borg.
Data’s loyalty and the film’s legacy
Data ultimately reveals that he had been pretending to side with the Borg Queen. He turns the Borg’s own catchphrase against her, saying, “Resistance is futile!” Spiner still wishes he had pronounced “futile” as “few-TILE” rather than “few-till,” and Frakes agrees.
Star Trek: First Contact was released in 1996 and celebrates its 30th anniversary on November 22, 2026. Frakes’s first feature film as a director remains popular with Trekkers and regularly ranks among fans’ top Star Trek movies.
Key points
- Frakes says the Borg Queen blowing on Data’s new arm hair is the shot he would change.
- Spiner wishes Data had pronounced “futile” as “few-TILE.”
- Star Trek: First Contact marks its 30th anniversary on November 22, 2026.
- The film remains a favorite among Trekkers and ranks highly on fans’ lists.