Every Villain Brent Spiner Played in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Ranked by Threat Level

Brent Spiner played Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation with utmost conviction, but he took on additional roles in later seasons. While Data’s natural curiosity for life and humanness made him lovable, Spiner’s other characters were not so positive in tone. Some, in fact, were villains.

Show Name	Star Trek: The Next Generation
Created by	Gene Roddenberry
Showrunners	Maurice Hurley, Michael Wagner, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor
Main Cast	Sir Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Denise Crosby, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis
Number of Seasons	7

From evil minds taking over Data’s consciousness to evil twins resurfacing after years, Spiner played them all with equal conviction, proving why he deserved at least an Emmy nomination for his performances. Here are all the villains he has played in Star Trek: TNG, ranked by threat level.

5 Data as a Gunslinger

Data’s adventures in the holodeck were great filler episodes in Star Trek: TNG. They provided some much-needed fun and frolic after heavy philosophical episodes, and gave Brent Spiner a chance to showcase his talents. In the season 6 episode, ‘A Fistful of Datas’, we see Spiner portray multiple characters within a Wild West scenario.

While most characters are supporting in the episode, Frank, a gunslinger, is the most dangerous. He holds Worf’s son, Alexander, as a hostage and prevents the gang from leaving the holodeck without finishing the adventure. He is not a major threat, but for a moment, he definitely becomes dangerous.

4 Dr. Noonien Soong

Brent Spiner not only played Data but also his creator, Dr. Noonien Soong. Soong is famous across the Federation for his work on androids and cybernetics. He is responsible for creating sentient beings like Data, who have been extremely helpful to the Federation. However, he has also created androids like Lore.

While Dr. Noonien Soong is framed as a villain, he is more of a tragic figure. He isolated himself and worked on his creations alone, falling in love with a woman named Juliana. After her death, he created a replica of her, which has several moral implications. His threat level is still not as much as the other, as he has his heart in the right place.

3 Masks Persona

The season 7 episode ‘Masks’ may have been ridiculous enough for Brent Spiner and the cast to laugh while filming, but that did not stop the actor from delivering a delicious performance. Taken over by mythological figures such as Ihat, Masaka, Korgano, and more. 

He is an agent of chaos in this episode, becoming unpredictable and dangerous to the Enterprise crew. Captain Picard finally resolves the issue by assuming the persona of the moon god Korgano when Data is taken over by the Sun god Masaka, and having a conversation with him.

2 Dr. Ira Graves’ Consciousness

Dr. Ira Graves, another legendary cybernetics expert, becomes a threat to Data when he transfers his consciousness to the android to escape his own mortality. Graves is suffering from a terminal illness called Darnay’s Disease, and when his assistant beams the Enterprise, he recognizes Soong’s creation, Data, and tries to use him.

From here on, Brent plays a split personality of Data and Dr. Graves. More of Graves’ personality begins to take over Data, but he realizes that Data is more of a human than he expected, making his plan far more immoral.

1 Lore

Among all the villains played by Brent Spiner in Star Trek: TNG, Lore was the biggest threat. Lore is Data’s ‘brother’, created before him by Dr. Soong but deactivated after exhibiting malevolent tendencies. He is arrogant, deceitful, and the exact antithesis of Data. The USS Enterprise reactivates him, and he becomes a significant threat to the crew.

Spiner plays both Data and Lore with delicious ferocity, making sure viewers know the difference between the two, proving why he deserved an Emmy nomination at least. At no point do any characteristics or expressions overlap, as they are supposed to be opposites. Lore’s access to Data’s deepest emotions makes him the most formidable threat among Spiner villains.

Brent Spiner Villains	Appearances in Star Trek: TNG
Gunslinger Data	A Fistful of Datas
Dr. Noonien Soong	Brothers, Birthright I, and Inheritance
Masks Personas – Ihat and Masaka	Masks
Dr. Ira Graves	The Schizoid Man
Lore	Brothers, Datalore, Descent Pt. I & II

Which Brent Spiner villain do you think is the most dangerous? Comment below.

Star Trek: TNG is available to stream on Paramount+.