'Star Trek’s' Jonathan Frakes Explained How The Shows Use Fire And Sparks On The Bridge Sets Without Burning Everything Down

Back in the classic days of "Star Trek," a shaking camera and the crew acting like they were being tossed around would emulate a Starfleet vessel being attacked. We have sparks and fireballs in modern shows, which I've always thought were awesome, but I was also very confused about them. How exactly are these effects done while ensuring the crew's safety and preservation of the set? Fortunately, frequent "Trek" director and actor Jonathan Frakes had an answer for me.

I spoke to Frakes toward the end of "Star Trek: Discovery's" run and realized he was the perfect person to ask this question. As the director of several episodes of modern Trek, all of which are available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription, I asked how the crews manage to make sparks rain down to the floor without worrying about a fire breaking out.