Brent Spiner has had to deal with a major problem every season of The Next Generation that he never faced on Star Trek: Picard

The Star Trek the franchise has featured countless interesting and amazing characters throughout its run. While characters like Jean-Luc Picard or Captain Kirk are more prominent characters, Brent Spiner’s Data has remained an equally vital part of the mythos. Representing immortal An android named Data, Spiner has remained a fan favorite for decades for his approach to the complex character.

Despite portraying the character as well as he did, the actor faced a serious dilemma while playing Star Trek: The Next Generationwhich thankfully wasn’t a problem for him when he reprized the role decades later Star Trek: Picard.

Brent Spiner’s Dilemma in Star Trek: The Next Generation

Brent Spiner is best known for his iconic portrayal of Android Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation and the rest Star Trek franchise. A favorite of many, the actor did an effortless job of bringing the robotic being to life throughout the show’s seven seasons. However, he faced a unique challenge in the Data game that later plagued him as each season passed.

According to the actor, he was worried about “aging” throughout its seven seasons The next generation. Although he knew that the role of an android had certain requirements, Data being designed to be always youthful bothered him the most. This made him worry about his character’s appeal, as well as fan reaction if his aging became more apparent.

In an old interview with StarTrek.com, the actor noted:

I was 38 when I started playing Data.

So it occurred to me, “How long is this going to take?” I looked pretty young for my age at the time, but I thought, “If I was 10 years younger, I could play this for 30 years.” But I wasn’t. I was pushing 40 years. I thought, “How long will I look acceptably young to continue playing this role?” Fortunately, it lasted as long as it did.

Luckily for him, fans didn’t worry because they loved the way Brent Spiner played the part. After appearing in seven seasons of The next generationactors getting older the dilemma was resolved when he later reprized his role in Star Trek: Picard.

Brent Spiner didn’t have to worry about aging in Star Trek: Picard

Brent Spiner and most Star Trek: The Next Generation they later reprized their respective roles in Star Trek: Picard. Running for three full seasons, Spiner was just as great as Data as he had been before. However, his appearance in Picard he didn’t mind aging because the actor ended up portraying a bunch of different characters thanks to Star Trek infinite possibilities.

Despite some similarities to his original character, Spiner later explained the following about his appearance in Star Trek: Picard (by reverse),

He’s a new character in a sense. But I also think what we’re saying is that we are our memories. Obviously, we all have memories of the things we love. But also things we don’t love. Of sad things. Of horrible things. Data is all that now.

And so, despite the challenges of portraying an ageless character, Star Trek Finally, the franchise made it possible for the actor to reprise his fan-favorite role without worrying getting older. Spiner’s ability to adapt and embrace all of these changes is another testament to the actor’s talents and a reason why fans of the sci-fi franchise continue to love him as Data.

Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard can be streamed on Paramount+.