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,
Borderland (Star Trek: Enterprise) Series" and "The Next Generation" due to ongoing low ratings. It was not originally planned to include an ancestor of Noonien Soong in the episode, with executive producer Manny Coto instead planning for the character to be Colonel Phillip Green from "" episode "The Savage Curtain". The character was to be a straightforward villain, but after discussion with "" Spiner, the character was re-written to become Arik Soong, described as a "misunderstood genius". It was Spiner's first "Star Trek" role since the film "Star Trek Nemesis" in 2002, having previously played Arik Soong's descendant Noonien Soong and his creations Data