Brent Spiner has been an irreplaceable part of the Star Trek universe. The franchise is about to turn sixty next year, and Spiner’s Data is still one of the franchise’s most beloved characters, and Spiner is the only one to play the android. The actor has played the role in The Next Generation and returned to play the variants in Picard.
Since Enterprise was canceled prematurely, the Star Trek franchise has undergone a movie reboot and a TV/streaming revival. Shows like Discovery and Picard have introduced the franchise to a whole new generation. While J.J. Abrams’ reboot was not entirely unanimous in praise, Spiner considered the longevity of the franchise a win.
Brent Spiner is happy that the Star Trek franchise is alive despite divided opinions on the reboot
While the original 1966 series Star Trek was canceled after only three seasons, the ‘80s and ‘90s were dominated by the franchise with shows like The Next Generation, Voyager, and Deep Space Nine. It was only until Enterprise that the franchise lost its mojo and had to take a break to get things in order again. The studio also seemed to want that Star Wars blockbuster cash.
Thus, J.J. Abrams stepped in with a revamped Captain Kirk and Spock, and a more theatre-friendly Star Trek in 2009, that was less talk-y and more explosive. This was great for the action lovers, but the series has never been about the explosions, but about the philosophy of interstellar exploration. It works best serialized.
This has divided fans, but actor Brent Spiner, who played Data, felt that it was great that the franchise was still alive and kicking. Acknowledging the divisive responses, Spiner spoke about the reboots with positivity. He said (via Vanity Fair),
Anything that’s half a century and still going, you’ve got to kind of pay attention and say, ‘Well, what’s this all about?’ I’m really pleased to be part of what I consider the great American epic. On it goes, and hopefully it’ll go forever.
Though the actor himself has stayed away from appearing in any shows after TNG until Picard, Spiner still seems to be fond of the franchise and is proud of his work there.
Brent Spiner mentions what exactly is the divided opinion on Star Trek
Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek was less of an adventure across space and time but more of a diplomatic mission, aimed at gathering new sources of knowledge and making the universe a more connected place. The setting works best when it is serialized, and due to it being a sci-fi show from the ‘60s, the effects and even the writing are sometimes silly.
Hence, despite the franchise running for almost sixty years, a new Star Trek show does not have the same optics as its main competitor, Star Wars, which is far more theatrical and sensational in its approach. Brent Spiner described how exactly the perception of Star Trek was back when it was the only sci-fi show on TV. He said,
You know, it’s the 50th anniversary of Star Trek. A lot of people are kind of divided. Some people find Star Trek really profound and amazing, and other people find it silly. In fact, I think it’s kind of a combination of both, and that’s what gives it its charm. I always said it was like when you used to tie a towel around your neck and fly around the house, except that you might be doing Shakespeare while you were doing that. That was sort of Star Trek.
Spiner also expressed his adoration at conventions being more prevalent due to a large number of shows being produced in the genre, and credited the ‘nerds and the geeks’ for taking over the Earth and making these things profitable.
Star Trek: TNG is available to stream on Paramount+.
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