Actor Brent Spiner is best known for his role as Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The actor played the role of the loveable android for seven seasons and four films before being killed off temporarily in the final film. He then returned in the spinoff show Picard.
Spiner wrote a memoir about his experiences as a Star Trek celebrity with the audiobook containing cameos by Patrick Stewart and other members of the TNG cast. While Spiner claimed that many of the events of the memoir were fabricated or enhanced to entertain, one incident regarding LeVar Burton’s wife is particularly harrowing.
LeVar Burton Reportedly Gave Brent Spiner His Daughter’s Placenta To Store In The Fridge
Brent Spiner played the android Data for several years and became a global star along with the rest of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast. The actor received worldwide fame for his role as the emotionally complex android whose goal is to become close to humans by the end of his journey.
Much like other cast members of the franchise, Spinner wrote a memoir about his experiences as an actor, particularly in Star Trek. Being one of the most celebrated TV actors at the time, Spiner’s experiences with fame are reportedly gleefully exaggerated by the actor in his memoir, Fan Fiction: A Mem-noir: Inspired by True Events.
However, some instances seemed to be so bizarre that fans seemed to question if it was part of the reality section or the exaggerated section of the book. Spiner recounted one instance with co-star LeVar Burton where he reportedly gave his daughter’s placenta to store in the fridge. He clarified in an interview with Vanity Fair,
Here’s the thing: in the prologue, there’s that disclaimer that ‘none of this is true, but it may have happened in a parallel universe.’ I do not think Michaela [Burton] would be happy if I were to … well, I don’t think she’s going to be happy I put it in the book at all.
Many of the moments in the memoir, he mentioned, were exaggerated for entertainment as he did not want to write a usual memoir.
Brent Spiner Appreciated Star Trek Fans’ Sentiments While Acknowledging The Entitlement They Felt With Data
In Brent Spiner’s memoir Fan Fiction, the actor reportedly stages multiple incidents that border on stalker behavior from fans and leans into the ‘noir’ element in the title. While Spiner mentioned that some incidents were real, he would not reveal which ones were and also mentioned that the most bizarre ones were true.
Despite the number of stalking incidents he has described in the book, Spiner actually appreciated the fans and spoke about the duality in their behavior. He said,
I’ve had wonderful fans, and people have been incredibly kind. I get terrific feedback on Twitter. Sure, there’s the odd person, and that isn’t too much fun to deal with, but by and large, fans are great. Also, I’ve been moved by a reality that I had no idea back about when I was doing the show. As in the book, I did meet Dr. Oliver Sacks, who explained how Data was important [to people on the autism spectrum].
The actor also mentioned how some fans felt entitled to Data’s values which Spiner did not necessarily believe in.
Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream on Paramount+.
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