Throughout hisStar Trekcareer, Brent Spiner has proven himself as one of the franchise’s most versatile actors by portraying several different androids beyondStar Trek: The Next Generation’sLt. Commander Data. Data was created by Dr. Noonien Soong (also portrayed by Brent Spiner), a cyberneticist who built several androids over the course of his life. Brent not only portrayed Data and his creator, but Spiner also portrayed every other Soong android that has appeared onStar Trek,including Data’s evil twin brother, Lore.
Brent Spiner began acting in the late 1970s and is most well-known for his portrayal of Data inStar Trek: The Next Generation. In total,Spiner has portrayed versions of three different androids,as well as four differentmembers of the Soong family. Spiner is also known for playing Dr. Brakish Okun inIndependence DayandIndependence Day: Resurgence,and Bob Wheeler in the originalNight Courtand the 2023 reboot. Spiner has appeared in numerous television shows across genres, and most recently returned to voice an alternate universe version of Data in the animatedStar Trek: Lower Decks.
Lt. Commander Data
Star Trek: The Next Generation & Four TNG Movies
Lt. Commander Data served aboard the USS Enterprise-D under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) for over seven years. Data was then part of the USS Enterprise-E’s until his death inStar Trek: Nemesis. Data’s android abilities, as well as his resistance to disease and mental manipulation,made him an invaluable asset to the Enterprise.Despite being superior to humans in many ways,Data longed more than anything to be human.ThroughoutStar Trek: The Next Generation,Data observed and learned from the humans around him, especially his best friend, Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton).
Data’s Complete Star Trek Timeline, Explained
Brent Spiner’s Lt. Commander Data has had one of Star Trek’s most fascinating character journeys, from Star Trek: TNG through Star Trek: Picard.
Through his friendship with Geordi and the rest of the Enterprise-D crew, Data developed his own kind of humanity over the course ofStar Trek: The Next Generation.From being put on trial for simply existing inTNGseason 2’s “The Measure of a Man"to creating a daughter inTNGseason 3’s “The Offspring,“Data experienced several life-changing events throughout his time on the Enterprise.Brent Spiner’s nuanced performance helped make Data-centric episodes some ofStar Trek: The Next Generation’s best. With his endless curiosity and selfless kindness, Data remains Dr. Noonien Soong’s greatest achievement.
Lore
Star Trek: The Next Generation & Star Trek: Picard
Introduced inStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 1, episode 13, “Datalore,“Lore was the android Dr. Soong createdjust before Data. Lore was just as advanced as Data in many ways, but his emotional programming soon grew unstable.Lore came to see himself as superior to humansand had to be dismantled. After the crew of the Enterprise-D found and reassembled Lore in “Datalore,” he wasted no time trying to destroy the Enterprise and its crew. Lore later stole the emotion chip meant for Data, making him even more unstable.
Spiner reprised Lore inStar Trek: Picardseason 3.
After Lore allied himself with a group of Borg and tried to manipulate Data to join him, Data was forced to deactivate Lore, and he was once again disassembled. In all four of Lore’s appearances onTNG,Brent Spiner was clearly having fun playing the a villain the opposite of Data.Lore’s instability and calculating nature allowed Spiner to express more emotion than he ever got the chance to express as Data.Spiner reprised LoreinStar Trek: Picardseason 3, when the evil android’s personality fought for control of Data’s new golem body.
B-4
Star Trek: Nemesis
Star Trek: Nemesisintroduced another Soong android prototype in the less sophisticated B-4. The crew of the Enterprise-E found the disassembled body of B-4 on the planet Kolarus III in 2379 and reassembled him. Wanting to help his brother expand his capabilities,Data transferred his own memories to B-4,but the less advanced android had trouble assimilating them.Data and Geordieventually discovered that Shinzon (Tom Hardy) had placed B-4 in the Enterprise’s path and was using him as a spy.
Star Trek: Nemesis Ending & Why It Killed TNG Movies Explained
Star Trek: Nemesis wasn’t trying to kill TNG movies, but bad decisions and poor timing sounded the death knell for Captain Picard’s movie franchise.
Because of this, B-4 was temporarily deactivated until Data’s death, after which Captain Picard reactivated him to inform him of his brother’s passing. Some of Data’s memories soon began to resurface, but B-4’s future ultimately remained uncertain. When synthetic life was banned afterrogue synthetics attacked Mars in 2385,B-4 was disassembled and placed in storage at the Daystrom Institute.Dr. Altan Soong was eventually able to extract Data’s memories from B-4’s positronic brain and incorporate the personalities of both androids into his new golem body.
Data (Daystrom Android M-5-10)
Star Trek: Picard
Data briefly returned via dreams and pure consciousness inStar Trek: Picardseason 1, before making a full comeback in Star Trek: Picardseason 3. InPicardseason 3, Captain Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Captain Worf (Michael Dorn), and Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) infiltrated Daystrom Station and foundthe latest creation of Dr. Altan Soong (Brent Spiner) — Daystrom Android M-5-10.This new, more human-like Data, body, complete with emotions, combined the personalities of Data, Lore, B-4, Data’s daughter Lal (Hallie Todd), and Soong himself.
A race of synthetics, including the twins Dahj and Soji (Isa Briones), were built in secret from one of Data’s positronic neurons by Dr. Bruce Maddox (John Ales) and Dr. Altan Inigo Soong on the planet Coppelius.
After being rescued from Daystrom Station, thepersonalities of Data and Lorefought for control of their shared synthetic body until Data eventually triumphed. Data then took his old position on the newly rebuilt USS Enterprise-D and helped his friends thwart the Borg/Changeling plot to destroy Starfleet.Data experienced true emotions and relied on his gut instinct to fly the Enterprisethrough an intricate Borg cube to find the beacon at its center. Data later began attending near-daily counseling sessions with Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) to work through his newfound humanity.
Purple Data
Star Trek: Lower Decks
Brent Spiner returned to voice a purple alternate universe version ofData inStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 5, episode 7, “Fully Dilated.” As the USS Cerritos continued to investigate the quantum fissures that had mysteriously popped up across the galaxy, they sent an away team to the planet Dilmer III. When Lieutenants. Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells), and T’Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) searched for any evidence of the purple Enterprise’s accidental visit to Dilmer III,they stumbled upon Data’s disembodied head.Tendi found a way to reactivate Data’s head, and he helped her work through her problems.
Purple Data truly felt like a blast from the past in all the best ways.
As an animated show,Star Trek: Lower Deckshad more freedom to bring back legacy characters, and season 5’s multiverse storyline allowed the show to do just that. Data was not the only returning character inLower Decksseason 5, but his appearance felt particularly special considering the character’s death inStar Trek: Nemesis. Purple Data truly felt like a blast from the past in all the best ways. It’s largely thanks to Brent Spiner thatStar Trek: The Next Generation’sData became such a beloved character, and here’s hoping modernTrekfinds ways to keep bringing him back.
