12 Actors Who Hated Being On Star Trek

2. Brent Spiner

Brent Spiner Data
Paramount

Another actor who has stepped back into the Trek franchise, 'ole yellow eyes was quite infamously killed off at the end of Star Trek Nemesis. This was a stipulation of Spiner's as, after almost twenty years, he was ready to walk away from the show.

To be clear, not all of his time in Star Trek was a negative experience. He remains very close to the rest of the cast and frequents fan conventions. His return for Star Trek Picard was helped by the time away from the show.

The role of Data typecast-ed him for a long time, despite starring roles in films like Independence Day, one of the biggest films of the '90s. He has often expressed ire at the questions he is asked by reporters and fans about his time on Star Trek, as he has been facing the same questions for 15 years.

However, as time has gone by and enough distance has grown between him and the everyday aspect of the role, he seems to be happier to look back fondly on his time and, though he may forever be Data in many peoples' eyes, he seems to have quietly put his feelings of disquiet behind him and embrace the franchise once more.

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Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"