Star Trek's Brent Spiner Was Asked About Returning As Data After Picard Season 3, And Didn't Leave Us Guessing With His Response

There's upcoming Star Trek shows on the horizon, but with only Starfleet Academy and new seasons of Strange New Worlds to look forward to, certainly room for the franchise to greenlight more ideas. While we've heard whispers of a live-action Janeway project, there's an opportunity to highlight other characters. And if they're interested, Brent Spiner recently signaled he's ready to return as Data.

Spiner last played Data in Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard, but with the franchise seemingly uninterested in making a sequel series (despite stars advocating for it), it felt as though that may be the end of The Next Generation crew appearing on television. Anything can happen, however, and if the Trek executives decide they want Data back in the saddle in a series, Spiner told ScreenRant he's up for returning:

This is quite a shift from what Brent Spiner said years ago when he made sure Data wouldn't return for Season 2 after being killed off in Star Trek: Picard Season 1. It seems as though he's had a change of heart, though no doubt I think it helps that Data's "older" form has created a reason for the character to look different in the story.

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Though he fell short of appearing on CinemaBlend's list for best Star Trek characters of all time, Data remains a fan favorite for The Next Generation fans. No doubt there are many who would love to see the character have more adventures, though eventually, we do have to wonder when the franchise will start recasting some of these iconic roles as they've done for the original generation of actors.

Of course, there's probably something a little more tricky when it comes to recasting 94-year-old William Shatner with Paul Wesley and replacing Brent Spiner when he's still actively appearing on television. Worf actor Michael Dorn told CinemaBlend he hoped he'd be dead by the time Star Trek considered recasting his role, and I don't think it's a stretch to believe his TNG co-stars like Spiner feel the same way.

At the same time, Brent Spiner has the advantage in that he's also able to appear in Star Trek as one of the many ancestors and descendants of Dr. Noonien Soong, the creator of Data. We've seen him do that a handful of times across different eras of Trek, to the point it feels like a running gag that all of this guy's relatives look like him.

None of this really matters, however, if Star Trek doesn't have a way for Data to return. As I said previously, there doesn't seem to be interest in a follow-up to Picard, despite the series finale setting the stage for more adventures with Jeri Ryan's Seven of Nine teaming up with other past members of the Enterprise crew. Unless this follow-up is greenlit, the question of whether Brent Spiner will return as Data is likely moot.

Stream Star Trek: The Next Generation's Data episodes on Paramount+, and check out Brent Spiner appearing in Picard as well. Even if we never get more appearances, there's no shortage of great moments to enjoy from the past.