Data (Star Trek) Data (Star Trek) Data ( ) is a character in the fictional "Star Trek" franchise. He appears in the television series "" ("TNG") and the feature films "Star Trek Generations" (1994), "" (1996), "" (1998), and "" (2002). Data is portrayed by actor Brent Spiner. Data was found by Starfleet in 2338 as the sole survivor on Omicron Theta in the rubble of a colony left after an attack from the Crystalline Entity. He was a synthetic life form with artificial intelligence and designed and built by Doctor Noonien Soong in his own likeness (likewise portrayed by Spiner). Data is
Brent Spiner films. As a main character, he appeared in all but one of the series' 178 episodes; he was not in the episode "". He reprised his role in the spin-off films "Star Trek Generations" (1994), "" (1996), "" (1998), and "" (2002). Although billed as the final "Trek" movie for the "TNG" cast, the ambiguous ending of "" suggested a possible avenue for the return of Data. However, Spiner opined that he was too old to continue playing the part, as Data does not age, whereas Spiner had already aged considerably during the years in which he played the role.