Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner talk about Data’s role in Star Trek: Picard

On Thursday, January 23, Sir Patrick Stewart will return to the Star Trek universe as retired Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, in the aptly-named Star Trek: Picard. The show will pick up roughly 20 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. Picard has retired to his vineyards where he hangs out with his trusty canine, Number One, and has plenty of time to reflect on the destruction of the planet Romulus and mourn the death of his close friend, Data.

In the trailers and teasers for the show, fans have spotted who they think is Data (Brent Spiner) hanging out with Picard at his vineyard. However, as Stewart recently told a group of journalists: that ain’t Data, folks. “How can we have a character who we saw explode; when an entire ship blew up at the end of Nemesis?” he asked. “Well, that first appearance is a dream, which introduces Picard’s guilt and profound unease at the destruction of Data.”

Feeling rather spoilery, Stewart went on to confirm exactly which cast members from The Next Generation would be making a cameo appearance in the show’s first season: Data, William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) and Hugh the Borg (Jonathan Del Arco). “As far as characters from The Next Generation, I think that’s all that we see ,” he said. “However, we had other visitors on the set. LeVar Burton came to see us on the set. Michael Dorn came to visit us on the set of Picard.”

"And I am confident that we will be seeing them at some point in the future. And, of course, Jonathan Frakes directed two episodes of Star Trek: Picard. And when Jonathan is directing, you’re always having a good time because he’s a terrific director and an absolutely delightful person to be around."

While you’re pondering who will be on Picard and who won’t, enjoy this collage of Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen making out on the red carpet of the show’s premiere:

I ship it.

Back to Data, Brent Spiner himself played coy when speaking to SyFy Wire. “It was definitely important that we didn’t do anything that would undermine anything that had been done before,” he said. “But I think, when you see the whole season … I can’t say anything else.”

Of course, it’s always possible that Data’s android brother, B-4, shows up, and that’s who we’re seeing in the trailers, but Spiner isn’t spilling. He did, however, praise Stewart and the crew for pulling this show off:.

"The producers and writers of the show are incredible [and] really brilliant. There was Patrick [Stewart], which was a huge draw because I love Patrick and I love working with him … It was strange and wonderful and just curious. I remember when we shot the first scene in the show, the very first shot, and we were sitting across from each other, going, ‘Can you believe this?’"

We’ll see. Star Trek: Picard debut on CBS All Access on January 23.

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h/t Digital Spy