20 Things You Didn't Know About Star Trek: First Contact
9. There Were Pre-Release Rumours About Data Being Recast
Before First Contact's release, aggressive rumours did the rounds that the film would feature a subplot where Data's skin is removed by the Borg, leaving the door open for another actor to take up the role in the future.
This rumour emerged amid concerns about an aging Brent Spiner, who was seemingly no longer able to convincingly play the ageless android. And though the film does feature a sequence where the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) grafts human skin onto Data, it's only temporary.
Given the iconic stature of Data and the utterly statuesque nature of Spiner's portrayal, this is one of those parts that just can't be recast, and so thankfully the pre-release scuttlebutt was a load of bull.