Star Trek: Picard's Brent Spiner Discusses The 'Risky' Data & Lore Scene
Season 3 of "Star Trek: Picard" is a treasure trove of nostalgia for fans of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." From the return of Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), Worf (Michael Dorn), and Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) to the comeback of the Enterprise-D, there have been plenty of big moments for fans to take in this season. And that includes the return of the sentient android, Data, and his evil brother, Lore.
In Season 3, Episode 6, "The Bounty," Worf, Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), and Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) discover Data in the Daystrom Station as they search for a manifest linked to a plot to attack Starfleet on Frontier Day. In Season 3, Episode 8, "Surrender," Data and Lore battle for control of Data's body, requiring Spiner to switch between both personalities on a dime. And it was a risky performance, according to Spiner.
During an interview on The Ready Room with fellow "Star Trek: The Next Generation" cast member Wil Wheaton, Spiner said, "Well, you know, the most difficult part of it was just doing it in front of people ... It's just committing to what you have to do ... You know, you've got challenges that you want to meet ... And there were times where, literally, I just stepped around the camera and became the other character."
What Spiner wants to explore with Data in the future
Despite the risk of taking no cuts and needing to instantly switch between the earnest Data and the worldly Lore, Spiner's performance pays off with great success. Data absorbs Lore, and now Spiner is looking at what Data's future would look like if he were to reappear in the "Star Trek" universe.
Season 3 of "Star Trek: Picard" marks the end of the series, despite the cliffhanger that finds Q (John de Lancie) paying a visit to Jean-Luc and Beverly's son, Jack (Ed Speleers). But Brent Spiner has some thoughts about the return of Lore if there was ever a continuation of the series. He told TrekMovie.com, "But I would think if it [the show] went on, it would be inconceivable for it not to come out and come to the surface occasionally and have to be dealt with and grappled with."
Season 3 finds Data coming to terms with more human emotions and even talking about his difficult transition during a counseling session with Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) during the series' final episode. And this exploration of his human self is something that Spiner would like to see Data explore even further. "Well, right now I think he's still not comfortable with being human. I think that's where he could go." Spiner noted that Data's transformation from pure artificial intelligence to an android with mostly human capabilities is something that "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry planned for during "Star Trek: The Next Generation."
As for continuing Data outside of "Star Trek: Picard," Spiner said that he would be open to joining his friends again for another adventure or — cheekily — doing a series on his own.