As Lt. Commander Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Brent Spiner saved the Enterprise
on more than one occasion, and allowed the show to explore ethical questions about just
what it means to be an android in a world of humans.
Despite being the least human of the cast, Data quickly became a fan-favorite character,
all the way through the series' 1994 finale and four subsequent films… but what happened
to Spiner after Star Trek ended?
Independence Day
In 1996, Spiner made an appearance in the smash science fiction hit Independence Day,
though many fans may not have recognized him after seeing him as the stoic Data for so
long.
You can spot Spiner in the part of Dr. Brackish Okun, the unkempt and enthusiastic director
of Area 51 who joins a surgical team during an autopsy on one of the aliens.
Although Okun appears to meet a messy end, Spiner returned to reprise his role in the
2016 sequel.
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
In 1999, Spiner landed a co-starring role alongside Halle Berry in the HBO production
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, a bio-pic focusing on the life of a singer, dancer, and actress
who battled against pervasive racial discrimination during her incredible career.
Spiner appears as Earl Mills, Dandridge's friend and manager.
Throughout the rise and fall of her too-brief career, Mills stood by her side until the
end — the day he found her body after she passed away at age 42.
Return to Star Trek
Even though Data's storyline was wrapped up during the course of 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis,
the franchise wasn't completely done with Spiner.
While the door was left open for him to potentially return as an identical android, Spiner felt
he'd gotten too old to play the ageless robot.
But in 2004, he appeared on Star Trek: Enterprise as Arik Soong, a criminal geneticist and ancestor
of Data's creator, Dr. Noonien Soong… who was also played by Spiner.
By the end of Soong's arc in the prequel series, the foundations are laid for the creation
of Data.
Spiner on film
Although many of his film roles have been relatively minor, Spiner has had some scene-stealing
moments, including his appearance in the 1996 John Travolta fantasy drama Phenomenon, as
an FBI doctor.
In 2002, Spiner appeared as bad guy Devlin Bowman in the notoriously awful Dana Carvey
comedy The Master of Disguise.
The entire movie was a vehicle to showcase Carvey's impressive mimicry skills, but it
didn't work.
The Master of Disguise was a commercial and critical flop, and playing a ridiculously
flatulent villain didn't do Spiner any favors.
"Is he dead?"
Spiner also appeared in the Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau comedy Out to Sea, and made
a brief appearance in the 2004 Howard Hughes bio-pic The Aviator.
In 2006, Spiner returned to the big screen for another comedy, the teen-focused Material
Girls, starring Hilary and Haylie Duff, playing the nefarious co-founder of a cosmetics company.
Although it fared slightly better with critics than The Master of Disguise, that also isn't
saying much.
The film was nominated for multiple Razzies and was one of the worst-reviewed films of
the 2000s.
"Oh s---."
Threshold
In 2005, Spiner starred along with Peter Dinklage and Carla Gugino in the CBS sci-fi series
Threshold.
The trio formed the core of a secret U.S. governmental think tank tasked with humanity's
first extraterrestrial contact, with Spiner playing Dr. Nigel Fenway, a NASA microbiologist.
The top-secret "Red Team" is in charge of researching and containing an incident on
an American naval vessel where several crew members die horribly after encountering a
UFO.
Although it was canceled after only one season, Threshold is a must-watch for Brent Spiner
fans.
Voice acting
Because Spiner has such a rich theater background, it probably shouldn't be surprising that he's
done plenty of voiceover work over the years.
In the 1999 movie South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, he provides the voice of talk-show
host Conan O'Brien.
He's also taken voice roles on several TV shows, including the role of the Joker on
Young Justice.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt your regularly-scheduled mayhem to bring you this."
His credits also include Purple Man in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, The Simpsons,
Star Wars Rebels, and Family Guy.
"I want some McNuggets!"
"We'll get to you, Brent."
If you're a fan of the video game Elite Dangerous, now you can get Spiner's voice in your spaceship;
he provided a voice pack for Vega in 2016.
Fresh Hell
In 2011, Spiner co-created and starred in his own web series, Fresh Hell.
The show depicts a fictionalized version of Spiner trying to rebuild his career after
losing everything.
Spiner's unexpected comedic talents shine, and the episodes are short and funny.
Fans who haven't seen it yet should definitely give it a watch.
Spiner has also made plenty of guest appearances as himself on TV, including the Friends spinoff
Joey, and The Big Bang Theory, where he reunites with his Next Generation costar Wil Wheaton
at a birthday party.
Spiner has also appeared as himself on The Guild, as well as many other shows.
Warehouse 13
Spiner made his return to science fiction in several episodes of the SyFy series Warehouse
13 during the show's fourth season.
Over a six-episode arc, Spiner appears as Brother Adrian, a Vatican agent and member
of the "Brotherhood of the Black Diamond."
Upon returning to science fiction, Spiner told SyFy,
"I'm not like really zeroed in focused on sci-fi.
But if it's good sci-fi, I like it.
I like westerns too.
I like comedy.
I was much more of a Lucy kind of guy than I was a Star Trek kind of guy.
But fate has taken me in this direction."
Outcast
Since 2016, Spiner's biggest project has been the Cinemax horror series Outcast, in which
he plays Sidney, a mysterious preacher involved in a tale of demonic possession in a small
West Virginia town.
For fans who loved Spiner's work as Data, seeing him in such a dark role might be disturbing
at first, but it showcases a menacing side of his acting — one we haven't really seen
since Data's brother Lore was deactivated for good.
And playing a gassy villain doesn't count.
"Hahaha."
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