Patrick Stewart teases Brent Spiner’s return to Star Trek: Picard

Patrick Stewart says Brent Spiner may return for Star Trek: Picard’s second season. – Spoilers

The story of Star Trek’s Data is over, but the start of Star Trek: Picard, Patrick Stewart, is teasing that the actor who portrayed him, Brent Spiner, may return to Star Trek: Picard for season two. Spiner’s iconic character Data was killed off, again, in the conclusion of the first season, essentially ending the character for good.

Or so we hope.

The decision was originally made to write Data out of the Star Trek: Next Generation movies with his appearance in Star Trek: Nemesis. That was supposed to be the last time we saw Data, and it nearly was, until the showrunners brought him back in Star Trek: Picard. Granted, it wasn’t like he was in past stories from this portion of Trek, but he had more than a few scenes where Spiner was in full Data design.

Yet Spiner and the rest of the Next Generation cast are so beloved that if you can find a way to bring them back beyond just as their character, it’s a smart idea to do so. Spiner played Altan Inigo Soong, the son of Data’s creator, Noonian Soong. Noonian used Altan’s appearance to design Data, Lorn, and the rest of the Soong-type androids.

In an interview with Deadline Hollywood‘s “Contenders Television” streaming event, Stewart went on to hint at the possibility of Spiner returning for the second season of CBS All-Accesses’ series, Star Trek: Picard.

"It was a very desirable and a very emotional experience, to be reunited with Jonathan [Frakes], with Marina Sirtis. And with Brent [Spiner] too, although he doesn’t appear that often, he has a very significant role in season one, and maybe he might again in season two. But I can say no more than that. Sorry to be so coy."

There are also rumors that Jonathan Frakes would return as well like Spiner Frakes returned to reprise his Star Trek: Next Generation role of William Riker. While the cast for season two isn’t known yet, and there could always be more surprises in store, most of the cast from season one is expected back.