Spiner Celebrates Star Trek's Longevity

Though Brent Spiner believes he would look ridiculous playing the ageless android Data again, he said that he would be happy to return to Star Trek, joking that it would be possible even if it meant playing Worf or Counsellor Troi.

Speaking to FilmFocus, Spiner said that it was a shame that there is currently no Star Trek show on the air, because the fortieth anniversary "would really be a huge celebration." Even so, he added that it had worked to his advantage that there is no current series, because it increases his invitations to events in honour of the series.

Spiner admitted that he still has not seen his Enterprise episodes, saying that he is "a mild fan" and expressing affection for the franchise's passionate following, though "if I was on a desert island and I could only have five shows to watch for the rest of time I don't think that Star Trek would be one of them, but I do think it's very good." He said that he was certain in 1987 when he first became involved with The Next Generation that the franchise would continue to be successful.

When an interviewer mentioned that many shows are cancelled before their time, Spiner laughed, "You're referring to Threshold here, obviously," and expressed sympathy about the frustration of Enterprise. "They came in with a whole new agenda and it was based strictly on numbers without ever fully understanding that all of the Star Trek series eventually got good," he said. "Enterprise was getting really good when they took it off. I think it was premature, but there you go."

Spiner expresses no embarrassment about being so closely associated with Star Trek, saying, "I've been in some of the worst movies ever made and I'm completely fine with having been in them. I had a really nice time doing them...what it means to me is that I did it. I got to do it, you know."

The actor remains uncertain that J.J. Abrams will indeed be the saviour of the Star Trek franchise. "Maybe he'll be able to do it, maybe he'll be able to bridge the gap between the fans and the general public, but everyone's tried to do that - that's always been the intention - and they've never been able to do it. They've realised that if you spend any more than fifty million dollars on one of these movies you're going to lose money." Spiner called Abrams "a perfectly capable guy and his shows are fun and he seems to know what he's doing", but his doubts about what he calls the new regime at Paramount remain.

The full interview is here.

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