Brent Spiner’s Shocking Reason for Hesitating to Return as Data in Star Trek: Picard Season 3!

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As a seasoned movie critic, I can confidently say that Brent Spiner truly shone in his roles as Dr. Brakish Okun in both the original “Independence Day” and its sequel. However, it’s his portrayal of Commander Data, an android, that has undeniably cemented his place in sci-fi history. Now, this two-time Saturn Award winner is opening up about what led him to reprise his iconic role as Data in “Star Trek: Picard,” despite initial reservations.

In a specific episode, Brent Spiner was featured, hosted by Katee Sackhoff from Battlestar Galactica, and discussed the reason he nearly declined the chance to portray Data once more. It’s worth noting that Data met his end in the 2002 film, “Star Trek: Nemesis.

Brent Spiner Thought He Was ‘Too Old’

To begin with, I initially envisioned Data as a youthful character, much like the young Harpo Marx who captivated audiences with his charm and innocence. As Harpo aged, he lost some of that childlike allure, and I feared the same would happen to Data as he grew older. The juvenile aspect that once made him endearing seemed to diminish, so I thought, “This role is beyond my capabilities now; I’m too old for it.” And indeed, I was.

The notion that, being an android, Data should not grow older, stirred some doubts in Spiner about reprising his role. However, the concept proposed by Picard Season 3’s showrunner eventually won him over, leading to his decision to play Data once more. Given the grandeur of the situation, it was fitting that Data would return.

Star Trek Picard 2020-2023 (Paramount+)

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score IMDb Rating
89% 57% 7.5/10

Data Returned in Picard Season 3

Initially, when it came to the Picard series, particularly season three where I reprised my role as Data, it was a real surprise. Terry Matalas had an innovative idea and a way to execute it. Frankly, we weren’t certain if it would succeed, but it seems it did. It certainly pleased the fans, at least.

In the first two seasons of Picard, Brent Spiner wasn’t portraying Data, but rather, another character from the Soong family was present – Adan Soong, who turned out to be a relative of Altan in Season 2.

In Season 3, it was discovered that Data’s consciousness had been transferred into a novel synthetic body that could exhibit signs of aging. This body was functioning as a database on Daystrom Station. The resulting “Data” was the most human-like portrayal of the character yet, reflecting not only Data himself, but also his brother Lore, B-4, and his daughter Lal’s personalities.

Star Trek: Picard is streaming on Paramount+.

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2025-06-08 00:20