Star Trek: Picard - 4 Ups & 5 Downs From Et In Arcadia Ego (Part 1)

3. Brent Spiner

For a show that's primarily been about Data and legacy, there hasn't really been an awful lot of Data. We glimpsed him in Picard's dreams in earlier episodes, but since then there's only been fleeting mentions of him and this incredibly touching exchange. (As expertly remixed by our own Kris Thompson).

Having Brent Spiner return as yet another incarnation of Soong doesn't help bring Data back, but it does give us a much-needed tie to him. Spiner's brilliant in whatever role Star Trek asks of him, and given the circumstances this was probably the most logical way to reintegrate him.

His performance is of a whole new character, but with just enough Data in there that you can easily trace the lineage and familial ties. Unless it's Lore, of course, I mean his initials are literally A.I.