Since his introduction as Lieutenant Commander Data in Star Trek: The Next GenerationBrent Spiner has been one of the strongest actors in the franchise, and this is even more apparent when he plays villains. Data quickly became one of the TNG’s most beloved characters, thanks in large part to Brent Spiner’s nuanced performance. Throughout your Star Trek journey, Data wanted nothing more than to be human, and Spiner always did an excellent job of hinting at Data’s humanity, even when the android was at his most robotic state.
Still, portraying Data required a subtle form of acting that didn’t always allow Spiner to truly let loose in the role. While there have been a few instances where Data has been possessed or taken over by another entity, Data’s evil twin brother Lore and the various members of the Soong family have allowed Brent Spiner to show his full range as an actor. Spiner proved he could chew scenery with the best of them, as Lore and most of the Soongs had big personalities that allowed the actor to have fun.
Lore let Brent Spiner reproduce a distorted version of the data
Spiner managed to mock and chew landscapes as tradition
Introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 13, ‘Datalore’, Lore was created before Data and soon became unstable and resentful of humans. Dr. Noonien Soong then created Data, which became the cyberneticist’s greatest creation. Data was Soong’s most successful android, and Lore had all the negative characteristics that Data lacked. With his arrogance and duplicitous nature, Lore allowed Brent Spiner to portray a distorted version of Data. Lore was still an android, but although Data had a subtle form of humanity, there was nothing subtle about Lore.
It’s clear from Brent Spiner’s first scenes as Lore that he is very different from his brother. Even when Lore pretends to get along with the Enterprise-D crew, it’s obvious there’s something different about him. After his initial appearance, Lore continues to be a mocking villain, manipulating Data, attacking his creator, and eventually working with the Borg. Spiner always makes it clear which android he’s portraying, even in scenes where Lore pretends to be Data, and it’s especially fun when the two banter with each other.
Brent Spiner lets loose as a member of Star Trek’s Soong family
Spiner managed to portray a range of emotions as the various songs
In addition to Data and Lore, Brent Spiner portrayed several members of the Soong family. In TNG Season 4, Episode 3, ‘Brothers’, Spiner was almost unrecognizable as Dr. Noonien Soong, creator of Data and Lore. But Noonien was mild compared to his Soong ancestors and descendants. In Star Trek: Enterprise, Arik Soong stole a group of Augment embryos and raised them as children despite the Federation’s ban on eugenics.
Two different Soongs appeared Star Trek: Picard, in the late 24th century in seasons 1 and 3, as well as in the 21st century in season 2. When Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his friends traveled back in time to 2024 in Picard Season 2, they found Adam Soong. Adam was a geneticist who created a series of clones and cared more about his own image and legacy than anything or anyone else.
Although Altan Soong initially sided with his droids in Picard In the first season, he later created an advanced golem body that combined the personalities of Data, Lore, B-4, and Data’s daughter Lal (Hallie Todd). Data’s personality eventually became the dominant one, bringing the android as close to humanity as he could hope for. All of these different characters not only showcased Brent Spiner’s impressive range as an actor, but also gave him the chance to free himself more than ever with Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation.