Why Brent Spiner Couldn’t Stop Laughing While Filming This Star Trek: TNG Episode

Star Trek: TNG’s breakout star, Brent Spiner, recounted the filming of one of the show’s most popular episodes and how he could not stop laughing on set. The season 7 episode, ‘Masks’, is the kind of cheese the ‘90s were known for, and Spiner admitted none of the cast could hold it together while filming.

The episode shows Spiner’s Data reenacting multiple mythological stories of an alien species. While ‘Masks’ exhibits the actor’s incredible prowess and penchant for balancing multiple personalities within the same character, the absurd premise looks silly, which Spiner himself acknowledged.

Brent Spiner Knew the Crew Hated Him On ‘Masks’

Actor Brent Spiner’s performance as Data in Star Trek: TNG made him a household name and a legend in the sci-fi genre. Spiner’s nuanced performance as an android understanding humanity has been praised by many throughout his tenure, with series lead Patrick Stewart even slamming the Emmys for snubbing him.

Despite the show and the actor’s cult classic status, Spiner admitted that there were some episodes that did not have the same quality as the others. The actor mentioned in an interview with Trek Movie that episodes like the season one episode, ‘Code of Honor,’ were unintentionally racist.

However, the one episode that seems to stay in memory was ‘Masks’. The actor mentioned that he and the rest of the cast were laughing throughout filming due to the absurdity. One sequence in particular shows Spiner and Patrick Stewart wearing masks and reenacting a mythological story. 

The scene apparently left them in stitches, and they could not get through it at all. Spiner mentioned in the Inside of You podcast,

There was a point, when we finally got to the end of [the episode], Patrick and I were in masks and facing one another at 2 o’clock on Saturday morning. He was playing the god of the sun, and I was the goddess of the moon. We couldn’t get through the scene. We were laughing at each other so much that the crew hated us because they wanted to go home! But we couldn’t control it.

While it may not be the cheesiest episode in Star Trek: TNG, ‘Masks’ definitely stands somewhere near the top of that list. The cast and crew seemed to be well aware of it, too.

Spiner’s Terrible Star Trek: TNG Episode Is a Fan Favorite

Brent Spiner mentioned in the Inside of You podcast that he remembered ‘Masks’ vividly because of the tremendous amount of feedback he has received for the episode over the years. Among the hundreds of episodes in Star Trek: TNG, the episode still stands out for its absurd premise and the hilariously cheesy climax.

Still, the episode has many takers. Spiner himself mentioned to Trek Movie that though they were all laughing while filming ‘Masks,’ it is a fan favorite.

We were laughing at each other’s faces at the acting we were doing in “Masks,” but that is a fan favorite…We were thinking, ‘this is preposterous,’ but you cut it together and add the music, and it works. 

Fans have also remarked on how good the episode is despite the absurdity (via Reddit). Data exhibiting multiple personalities became a highlight. Spiner has done several such experiments throughout the show and also regularly plays Data’s evil twin, Lore.

While ‘Masks’ may not be the best episode of Star Trek: TNG, fans seem to be more forgiving of the episode than its cast and crew, as it has received some appreciation beyond its absurd premise.

Best Star Trek: TNG Episodes	Season and Episode Number	IMDb Rating (as of April 21)
The Inner Light	Season 5, Episode 25	9.4
The Best of Both Worlds	Season 3, Episode 26	9.3
The Measure of a Man	Season 2, Episode 9	9.2
Yesterday’s Enterprise	Season 3, Episode 15	9.2
All Good Things	Season 7, Episode 25	9.1

Which is your favorite Star Trek: TNG episode? Do you have a pick beyond the usual top-rated episodes? Comment below.

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