Brent Spiner Brent Spiner Brent Jay Spiner (; born February 2, 1949) is an American actor, comedian, and singer best known for his portrayal of the android Lieutenant Commander Data in the television series "" and four subsequent films. In 1997, he won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Data in "", and was nominated in the same category for portraying Dr. Brackish Okun in "Independence Day", a role he reprised in "". He has also enjoyed a career in the theatre and as a musician. Brent Jay Spiner was born on February 2, 1949, in Houston,
Star Trek: The Next Generation for over 12 years, until the debut of "Star Trek: Discovery" on CBS, but thereafter exclusively available on the internet service CBS All Access (Netflix internationally) at that time. The film franchise was rebooted in 2009. On August 4, 2018, Patrick Stewart stated on social media that he would return to the role of Jean-Luc Picard in a project with CBS All Access. Stewart wrote, "I will always be very proud to have been a part of "Star Trek: The Next Generation", but when we wrapped that final movie in the spring of 2002, I truly felt my time with