Every Data & Android Brent Spiner Played In Star Trek

Throughout his Star Trek career, Brent Spiner has proven himself as one of the franchise's most versatile actors by portraying several different androids beyond Star Trek: The Next Generation's Lt. 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 on Star 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 in Star Trek: The Next Generation. In total, Spiner has portrayed versions of three different androids, as well as four different members of the Soong family. Spiner is also known for playing Dr. Brakish Okun in Independence Day and Independence Day: Resurgence, and Bob Wheeler in the original Night Court and 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 animated Star 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 in Star 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. Throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation, Data observed and learned from the humans around him, especially his best friend, Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton).

Through his friendship with Geordi and the rest of the Enterprise-D crew, Data developed his own kind of humanity over the course of Star Trek: The Next Generation. From being put on trial for simply existing in TNG season 2's "The Measure of a Man" to creating a daughter in TNG season 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 of Star 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 in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 13, "Datalore," Lore was the android Dr. Soong created just 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 humans and 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.

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 on TNG, 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 Lore in Star Trek: Picard season 3, when the evil android's personality fought for control of Data's new golem body.

B-4

Star Trek: Nemesis

Star Trek: Nemesis introduced 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 Geordi eventually discovered that Shinzon (Tom Hardy) had placed B-4 in the Enterprise's path and was using him as a spy.

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 after rogue 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 in Star Trek: Picard season 1, before making a full comeback in Star Trek: Picard season 3. In Picard season 3, Captain Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Captain Worf (Michael Dorn), and Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) infiltrated Daystrom Station and found the 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.