Brent Spiner just pitched the perfect Data idea for a newStar Trekstreaming movie. Since his introduction onStar Trek: The Next Generation,the android Lt. Commander Data has become one ofStar Trek’smost beloved characters. For seven seasons ofTNGand fourStar Trekfeature films, Data served aboard the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Data’s journey to find his humanity was one ofTNG’sbest ongoing storylines, and Brent Spiner’s nuanced performance made Data eternally popular.
Although Data sacrificed himself to save Captain Picard inStar Trek: Nemesis,Star Trek: Picardseason 1revealed that his consciousness had survived. Data made a more significant return inPicardseason 3, getting an upgraded android body that combined his consciousness with those of Lore (Brent Spiner), Lal (Hallie Todd), and Altan Soong (also Brent Spiner).This development opened the door for Data to return in futureStar Trekprojects, and Brent Spiner recently addressed his potential return to the character.
While speaking withScreenRantabout his appearance inNight Courtseason 3,Spiner proposedStar Trek: Data,adding thathe’s"always up for doing more,“as long as “the writing is good and the ideas are good.”
Data Is The Right Character To Build A Star Trek Streaming Movie Around
Brent Spiner’s Data Is The Perfect Choice To Star In A Trek Film
Brent Spiner may have been mostly joking aboutStar Trek: Data,but Data truly is the perfect character to center a new movie around. Not only has Data always been a beloved character, butStar Trek: Picardintroduced several new storylines for the newly-upgraded android.TheStar Trek: The Next Generationfilms squandered the opportunity to earnestly exploreData’s burgeoning humanity, instead turning to the emotion chip mostly for comedic relief. The Data introduced inStar Trek: Picardseason 3 has more organic emotions and deserves the chance to explore his newfound humanity onscreen.
Data’s 15 Best Star Trek Episodes & Movies, Ranked
Data starred in some of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s greatest episodes and his quest to be human became one of the show’s best storylines.
A Data streaming movie could bring backSoji Asha (Isa Briones), Data’s android “daughter” who debuted inStar Trek: Picardseason 1. Soji and her sister Dahj had been created by Dr. Bruce Maddox (John Ales) and Dr. Altan Soong using a single positronic neuron from Data’s brain.Picard immediately recognized elements of his android friend in Dahj and Soji,before either of the twins even realized they were androids. Although Dahj was killed, Soji was last seen traveling throughout the Federation on a diplomatic tour to alter people’s perceptions of androids after the devastating attack on Mars.
After the attack on Mars, would Data be allowed to return to Starfleet? Or would he choose to explore his humanity in a different way?
As the quintessential “good” android, Data could help foster goodwill toward synthetics, while perhaps helping Soji work through her own identity as an android. At theend ofStar Trek: Picardseason 3, Data visited Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) to discuss the many complications that come with his newfound humanity. A Data-centered streaming film could continue this exploration and even touch on Data’s experiences with death and resurrection.Data has a new future ahead of him,and it would be interesting to see how he feels about that and what he plans to do with that future.
Even If A Data Movie Happens, Paramount Plus Should Still Make Star Trek: Legacy
Whether or notStar Trekever makes a film centered on Data, Paramount+ should still make the proposedStar Trek: Picardspin-off,Star Trek: Legacy.Picardseason 3 ended withCaptain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan)in command of the newly rechristened USS Enterprise-G, with Picard’s son, Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speelers), as the special counselor to the captain. Despite this perfect set-up for a potential spin-off,Star Trek: Legacyhas seen no forward momentum.Still, fans remain invested in the concept, and it’s possibleLegacycould still happen at some point in the future.
I genuinely hope Paramount+ was listening when Brent Spiner pitched his idea for Star Trek’s next streaming film.
While aStar Trek: Legacyspin-off would hopefully feature theStar Trek: The Next Generationcast in some way, they were never intended to be the show’s main focus. Data could certainly make an appearance inLegacy,but the show would not be his story. AStar Trekstreaming movie would allow for a deeper exploration of Data’s character and the ways he has grown since his time onTNG.I, for one, would love to see more of Data’s story in any form, and I genuinely hope Paramount+ was listening when Brent Spiner pitched his idea forStar Trek’snext streaming film.
