Brothers (TNG S4E3) | Star Trek Journey 184

[@targetaudience]

UPDATE - There are no current plans to continue BSG or GOT on the channel at this time. The remaining episodes of Season 1 for both shows have UNCUT reactions on Patreon, but will not be edited for KZbin. We will be going in a different direction for our content outside of Star Trek. More to come on that soon.

[@HowToX]

This is disappointing. Seems like BSG reaction got decent views. Perhaps you are preparing for the eventual overlap between TNG and DS9, which will be time consuming.

[@makasete30]

Ah, that’s a shame. I was looking forward to seeing how you reacted to end of BSG. But if you are not enjoying it , or not the amount of viewers you would like, then that’s fair.

[@targetaudience]

The views on the BSG reactions started very strong but consistently declined with each episode. Almost every episode was also copyright claimed. Has nothing to do with Star Trek. As the update states we are going in a different direction. That’s the reason.

[@RetroRobotRadio]

My vote goes to something like Blake's 7 or Andromeda. Blake's 7 was the British response to the original Trek. Lower budget, but darker and serialized. It was "What if the Federation was evil and we follow some outlaws as the main characters?" Andromeda was a pilot written by Roddenberry as something in the Trek genre, but just different enough to not violate Paramount's ownership of Trek. It was very much "What would happen to the peaceful galaxy if the Federation collapsed?"

[@thebigboo5]

Do you think either of you will continue watching the shows on your own time? I never managed to get in to GOT but personally enjoyed the majority of BSG.

[@JeremyNoblitt]

Lore is like Andre the Giant. You want him there every episode but you know it's best he only shows up once in a while. He's that special.

[@VonPatzy]

Crusher’s line at the end about brothers she refers to the boys - but BOTH Data and Picard are in frame - both of whom have JUST had emotional and complicated brother based episodes.

[@russellharrell2747]

Yeah, great catch.

[@randommusic4567]

The reason Lore is not in the first half of the episode is because the actor was unavailable to shoot those days

[@tjkhanks]

😂 yes, I think he was shooting scenes for Night Court at that time. 😅

[@CrankyGrandma]

😂

[@modernrelic7092]

Lol! The more you know... 😂

[@personzorz]

Yeah, he was busy on a different set!

[@kingofjacks]

10 comedy points to you my friend!

[@TheElderBlotch]

Lore is one of Trek's best villains, a powerful android who also acts like a petulant child full of mirthful sadism. He's like a snake, whenever he's onscreen you're on edge because it feels like he could lunge at any moment. Yet there's also depth in his relationship with brother and father that keeps him from being too one-dimensional. It's been said before but man, Spiner's triple performance in this episode is phenomenal, the guy took a three-course meal and made it a bona fide feast!

[@DavidBrown-xm8ou]

Data whistling 'Pop Goes the Weasel' is also a callback to his first meeting with Riker in Encounter at Farpoint.

[@MiniT2025]

The way Data is able to just effortlessly take control on the enterprise is kinda scary, but so fucking cool

[@vcg73]

I love Brent Spiner. He really does get the MVP for this episode for the way he fully inhabits each of the three characters. Like, Soong has lots of prosthetic makeup, but the hunched posture, rolled shoulders, and the way Brent moves his arms and hands like a tired old man with arthritic joints really informs the character. And you KNOW almost immediately when Dr. Soong activates his son with the emotion chip that it's Lore, in spite of the Starfleet uniform. Even when he's not speaking, there is always a look of cunning and sly menace in Lore's eyes. (Not easy through heavy yellow contact lenses!) And Data says so much with a mild facial expression. The difference between 'automaton' Data who takes over the ship, and normal android Data is amazing. That enigmatic look in the final shot to "brothers forgive" was perfect.

[@matthewcollins4773]

Lore wearing a Pakled uniform is a nice touch.

[@russellharrell2747]

How many pakled’s died for just that one uniform

[@randallwong7196]

Lore could have killed one, then the other Pakleds ran off? But where would they go, on a ship?

[@jerome1lm]

Now I want an episode showing us what happened with Lore and the Pakleds.

[@MrDeathpilot]

it's probably the only alien costume that fit Spiner. Just slap it on him and add a line to the script. Oh, those poor Pakleds. 😪 Lore probably killed them all.

[@johncrawford5225]

​@@randallwong7196 Pakleds look for things. Things that make them go.

[@NessOnett8]

"Rick Berman." Remember that name. He is THAT GUY. And when you get to DS9, he really takes over.

[@BurritoVampire]

You see, we bamboozled you guys! Season 3 was merely where it went from good to great, the last 4 seasons make it legendary!

[@Wayner-Bee]

Brent Spiner is next level here. The crazed evil twitching delivery of “I don’t know what it’s doing but it’s doing something” gave me chills.

[@trayolphia5756]

A dash cam footage channel I follow recently started using tiny clips of trek in the footage (someone tries to force/barge their way in, clip of Picard declaring “denied”) (cammer makes offhand comment about the poor driving ability and phrases it as a question - clip of Picard “agreed”) Most recently, someone appears lost, changing lanes multiple times for no apparent reason - clip of lore “I don’t know what’s it doing, but it’s doing something 😂

[@Michael-id9bw]

Lore amongst the Pakleds, he must have been running that ship in less than 10 minutes.

[@randommusic4567]

I dont think so the Pakleds are very smart

[@tjkhanks]

​@@randommusic4567😂 and they are StRoNg!

[@donovanbradford8231]

Pakleds respect strong so the moment Lore killed one of walking tanks, Lore would run that ship.

[@goncaloalmeida7029]

@@tjkhanks And besides that, Lore could make them GO 😆

[@actor_jim]

They would have given him the biggest hat.

[@idea2go]

Brent you're pretty good, but that guy who plays your Dad is amazing!

[@justinschmelzel8806]

3 episodes in and 3 bangers. Heck of a start.

[@VonPatzy]

Amazing how Data can flip from the most innocent loveable friend to all into the terminator with nothing more than a subtle facial expression has always been astounding.

[@justsomebody-1665]

TA after S4 E2: wow, Brent Spiner actually wasnt in this episode at all Me: dont worry, he'll be in the next one three times.

[@charlottehammond8975]

yeah, i chortled at that too

[@MrDeathpilot]

That must have been difficult to hold in, although it wasn't necessary, since Alex and Josh had already seen this episode at that point. I still respect your restraint.

[@togroglog2457]

One of my favorites. The beginning of season 4 is really good.

[@coulsonintahiti]

"This is getting out of hand. Now there are THREE of them!" -VFX artists trying to put multiple Brent Spiners on screen

[@BrandonBlume]

I just realized that the clothes Lore was wearing were Pakled just before you mentioned it. Never even noticed that level of continuity. I love this show.

[@shinyagumon7015]

This episode shows how terrifying Data would be if he was evil. Also love the detail of Lore being in shock and denial about Soong's imminent death, would've been easy to have him be glad that he's dying (especially because of what happens later) but I like that Lore had a bit of a heart here and didn't want to believe his father was dying.

[@Wayner-Bee]

Another *Oh Crap* moment is def “Often wrong Soong has a broken heart, can’t even tell his boys apart!” 😮

[@vohbovohborian28]

I really dislike the absense of the Lal reference here. Because Data DID follow in Soong's footsteps.

[@jdb101585]

Right? Imagine the line of, "You had a granddaughter." or something.

[@ThomasReeves-s7u]

Oh I meant to say something on that in an earlier post. Yes, not mentioning Lal was weird. There's an episode of Picard (they may never watch that series or not reach it for like a decade) that also annoyed me for not mentioning her.

[@GrandManor]

Definitely! Maybe two minutes less of the ship-side brothers to discuss the dead daughter. Now that I think about it, Soong might’ve told Data how to avoid Lal’s demise, prompting him to try again.

[@peterschmidt4348]

When I saw this episode for the first time I didn't even notice that Brent Spiner was playing Dr. Soong ! I didn't notice it either because here in Germany they gave Dr. Soong a different voice actor than Data and Lore !

[@markkosten]

Patrick Stewart has often said Spiner’s acting as Data was not fully appreciated and thought him brilliant in the role.

[@marydodsonmt]

It has always bothered me that Data doesn't tell Dr. Soong about Lal when Dr. Soong says he wishes Data had become a cybernetist. But I think I understand why now; it came to me in a sudden flash. Data doesn't have emotions (supposedly) but he knows that Dr. Soong does. He knows, or at least can extrapolate based on available information, that hearing about Lal will make him sad. Data doesn't tell Dr. Soong about Lal because he doesn't want to cause him sadness. Having such limited experience with emotion, he doesn't understand that this is something that his human father would want to know about no matter what, and that the sadness would be mixed with other emotions. Or maybe Berman just forgot about Lal when he was writing the script. Who knows?

[@s.henrlllpoklookout5069]

I know they ADR'd Patrick Stewart's voice when Data's impersonating Picard, but IRL Brent Spiner does a killer Patrick Stewart impression

[@s.henrlllpoklookout5069]

@fredcasdensworld are you disrespecting Bob & June Wheeler?

[@CrankyGrandma]

He does an amazing impression

[@dupersuper1938]

@@s.henrlllpoklookout5069 They must've gotten massively overcharged for a candy bar by them.

[@willvgo2950]

@@CrankyGrandma My friends call me Patrick. You may call me Mister Stewart... In fact, you may call me Sir Mister Stewart.

[@MrSheckstr]

We now know why there was no DATA or Bridge scene in “Family”

[@BrandonFrancey]

"Look Brent, we're going to give you this episode off. Nothing personal, we just want you to rest up because in the next episode, well you basically play every character in it. " "Wait, even the captain?" "Yes even the captain now get out of here before you get even more rolls!"

[@beyonderbill3409]

Packleds probably thought Lore was some badass tech that they could use to 'make them strong'. He killed them all, I'm sure.

[@willvgo2950]

He might have made a deal with them. He helps them get technology & they serve him.

[@atrus3823]

When this came on when I was a kid, it blew my mind! It really solidified data as my favourite character.

[@TerribleEnglish]

I think the main purpose of the B plot was to have the "oh no, we need to get this kid to.. but Data's hijacking the ship" - jeopardy. Otherwise it would be "Oh, Data's taking us somewhere, interesting, let's see where.."

[@hagbardceline7118]

Gives a ticking clock to the plot as well.

[@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502]

Yeah, I see the point of the kid existing, but I think the episode would have been better if most of the scenes with the kids got cut. Leave the ones at the start and end, then just mention them throughout the episode without showing them.

[@CowabungaWo101]

It does a couple things. It adds stakes to the plot, a ticking clock, and a nice thematic parallel to Data and Lore. Realistically, they could have done any random event that the Enterprise needed to get to for stakes, but I feel like using two brothers tied it in better with the overall episode.

[@rlickers1946]

@@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502 That's what I like about shows like Discovery - it isn't network TV and if they need 65 minutes to tell a story, then that's what they do. This episode could have been longer.

[@urbangrouse]

The B-plot allowed Dr. Crusher to deliver the last line: "They're brothers... brothers forgive each other", which is so poignant!

[@RandomNPC001]

TNG is so good that the a emotionless automaton is able to evoke such emotions on the fan base.😎

[@ShamrockParticle]

Prior to season 3, he was devised more as an imperfect AI. Season 3 onward, the "I am an android" routine started to get surprisingly bland, especially in rewatches of the series

[@j.chappel1160]

I like the new format for the videos.

[@artboymoy]

Having the kid subplot was really all done to have that moment at the end of "brothers forgive".

[@Crazy5711]

The sheer skill of Brent Spiner being able to play emotionless android Data and also believably play Data under control of soong's homing beacon where there's a visible difference is just next level.

[@greenbrown7776]

100% agree. I'll even go so far as to say I like Spiner's "Data under control" acting better than his turns as Lore and Soong, which were a bit overdone to me.

[@benspratling9041]

I think he did a fantastic job playing Data and Lore, granted. Other characters…..? frankly they always seemed a bit transparent to me.

[@The-Secret-Door]

Appreciate you guys! There are other Star Trek reactors I like, but you are the only ones I watch who remember Pakleds when Lore mentions them. Stuff like this and the indepth discussions makes you stand out big time.

[@benspratling9041]

How can anyone forget the Pakleds? well, maybe it was just because when I saw this as a kid, my mom persistently said “he can make it go” referring to me about basically every project I did for several years.

[@OnTheRocks71]

Great episode. Brent Spiner knocks it out of the park taking on these 3 roles.

[@bradbarter8314]

Did you notice at the very end when Dr. Crusher says, "they're brothers Data. Brothers forgive." That in the background Picard reflected on his own recent encounter with his own brother in Family and is in a way a direct continuation of that episode continuing to deal with family, in this case Data's father and brother.

[@trayolphia5756]

Gutted you didn’t include the clip I was going to make a patron take but missed the dead line “I aM nOt LeSs PeRfEcT tHaN…THE LOOORRRREEEE!!!”

[@thomasgrimm1664]

FYI, "Noonien Singh" is Khan, "Noonien Soong" is Data's dad.

[@samlanganke1262]

"Whatever" - James T. Kirk

[@seraphinaaizen6278]

I think he was just collecting dinosaur skulls and toys because "I'm a scientists and dinosaurs are cool".

[@JessTea]

Brent Spiner transcends Star Trek in many ways.

[@heatherrose5594]

Dr. Crusher’s advice to the boy telling him a patient shouldn’t “raise his arm/stand up” if it makes him feel bad has been stuck in my head for decades. I tell my 10 year old son that now.

[@benspratling9041]

Oh, sure it’s funny; we used to joke about it in my family. But think for a moment to what’s happening here medically. It means he’s progressing to a stage Beverley not only can’t treat, but can’t even alleviate the symptoms. Remember how much energy she put into the Captain’s headache in season 1? it means he’s dying and she’s helpless to do anything beyond recommending not triggering the symptoms.

[@BiggestDawgEver]

I don't know it for a fact, but it seems like the reason Data wasn't in "Family"(and that the bridge set wasn't used) might be because Brent Spiner was shooting the majority of "Brothers" simultaneously. It would make sense given the average time alotted to shoot each episode and the unique demands of this particular episode. It also explains why the actors that had the least to do in one episode had more to do in the other. Also, "Family" was largely location shooting while "Brothers" was entirely on the Paramount lot.

[@maxshenkwrites]

I wonder if "Brothers" was originally a plot thread in "Family" which became its own episode.

[@marydodsonmt]

"Brothers" comes before "Family" in production order. It makes sense that Brent Spiner wouldn't be in "Family" after playing 3 parts in this episode.

[@curtisberard7831]

Amazing, that access code is the same as my luggage!

[@jamesalexander5623]

MIne is 1 2 3 4 5 ....

[@curtisberard7831]

@@jamesalexander5623 bravo sir bravo

[@Warp10x]

And my Bitcoin key

[@tranya327]

Guys, I think you missed something basic: The reason that the "sick little kid" plot was introduced, was for exactly the same reason that "Sulu's landing party is going to freeze to death on Alfa 177, unless they can get the transporters working" in TOS's "The Enemy Within." In other words: In the TOS episode and here, they introduce SERIOUS time pressure. No, Kirk's crew doesn't get infinite time to fix the transporters, and tinker, to everyone's preferred level of satisfaction: There are lives to be saved, and action is needed in the absence of full certainty. So too, in "Brothers" - Picard and crew •CAN'T• take infinite time to diagnose data's sabotage, and they also can't merely 'wait around and do nothing' while Data and Soong wrap up their business on the planet: They needed a "serious time pressure" element (not normally present) to be introduced - where life is at stake. ...Other than this point, I'm glad you enjoyed the episode - it's a very memorable one!

[@peterkoester7358]

You noted Data was missing from the episode "Family." Now you know why! Triple-duty!

[@mjbull5156]

Lore going into debial about the state of Soong's health is funny. "Lore, you are not broken. You are just a tremendous jerk."

[@JAYWALKER1000]

Speaking of singing - Brent Spiner released an album (lead vocals) in 1991 - Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back (it's a Sinatra reference).

[@The_Real_Mr_Al]

Now you know what it's like to be a Clone Wars / Bad Batch fan with every amazing clone-related episode just being Dee Bradley Baker hitting you in the feels by talking to himself!

[@MiningForPies]

Thats only reading though. Not comparable.

[@r.j.sullivan2104]

Production-wise they filmed Family and Brothers at the same time.

[@SixshotRevan]

As a 90s kid playing with Star Trek Micro Machines, they made one of the Enterprise D Shuttlecraft, and the name painted on it was "Berman". I showed it to my parents, and they caught on that the toy was a reference to Rick Berman.

[@c1ph3rpunk]

If you’re after this episode and can’t admit Spiner is just awesome, ya gots issues. I really wonder how they pulled that off so well. See why everyone said “just wait” when you’re in season 1? It’s not that the first 2-3 seasons are bad or anything, they just got SO much better. Season 4 is one of my favs but there’s just soooo much good yet to come. You’re in peak TNG, enjoy.

[@gumbomudderx7503]

Props to y’all’s new video format. I meant to mention it on the last one. I’m not one who watches the videos of just discussions, so with them combined I for sure stick around a lot more to see y’all’s takes on the episodes. 👍

[@theendistheend123]

"3 Brent Spiners!" Now you know why he wasn't in the last episode.

[@5thRace]

It's amazing that they allowed Data to continue to serve on a starship after they now know he can be remotely controlled over a massive distance.

[@paul_andrews]

33:40 the forcefield in sickbay doesn’t impede anything. Because it was running when Data activated the forcefields around the bridge, they still had control of it. So they used the sickbay forcefield’s energy to overload the bridge one.

[@ProfAfonso]

Rick Berman is the Star Trek Boss, as Gene get sicker and Older, Berman was given more and more Power

[@stopgeorge]

Brent Spiner deserved an Emmy or 2 with his roles on the show.

[@GrandManor]

As good as he was, he really had no chance. There were comedy categories and drama categories. The winners at that time were invariably on one of the major networks; the drama winners were mostly from “crime” shows.

[@stopgeorge]

@@GrandManor Yeah, shows we never watch again. Unlike classic Star Trek. It's a shame.

[@humanvideosponge4529]

Probably the best Data episode. And let's face it, almost all Data episodes are good. If for no other reason than Data is terrifying when he takes over the ship and you have no idea what he's up to.

[@atariboy9084]

I grew up watching Star Trek in the 70s and still own my old MEGO toys figures of Kirk, Spock and others and first saw TNG in 86 and been watching every ep first aired and saw this on day one.

[@8ootySmasher]

Cuz of this episode, I know cant officially wait for you 2 to watch the TNG movies

[@VonPatzy]

Often Wrong's got a broken heart - Can't even tell his boys apart.

[@julianozaur444]

Brent Spiner just maxed out his charisma and skill with that one

[@mjbull5156]

Commander Adama: "That's why I don't let AIs on my ship".

[@chrissonofpear1384]

I do find it odd, meanwhile - why Soong is so much older than Ira Graves was. He, ah, mentor.

[@julianozaur444]

@@chrissonofpear1384 could stop with the spoilers ?

[@Vulcanerd]

The younger Potts was stress eating after he thought he killed his brother 😅

[@philly83]

I was disappointed to hear there were no Romulans in Alien Romulus

[@senker1544]

True 😅

[@vohbovohborian28]

Or that's what they want you to think. They do have cloaking technology

[@dupersuper1938]

They know better than to appear in anything after the first two.

[@My-Name-Isnt-Important]

You're reminding me about the old Alien comic books, where various characters from other comic books would fight the Xenomorphs. Pretty sure there is an Aliens vs Star Trek comic. I think it's the Voyager crew though and not TNG. I can't remember it's been a long time. I know Batman and Judge Dredd have fought the Aliens, and Wolverine too.

[@5ilver42]

I think you are half right about why the side story of the young brothers was included. Some of it is to act as a limitation on our character's options available to them. It also adds a ticking clock to solve their trouble with Data. But it also works as a bookend to the episode to compliment the Data-centric story about Data and Lore's relationship. AND it also works well as a fake out to the reveal of the episode title. When I first saw "Brothers" on screen after the intro sequence, I assumed the episode would be about the two young kids, and it made the reveal of Lore really impactful; on top of the surprise it was also immediately followed by the realization of the meaning behind episode title: "Oh... 'Brothers.' Gotcha! THIS is what the episode is about: Data-Lore!" I think this is a perfect example of amazing writing, when you are able to take a single element and get so much use out of it. It's the sort thing I will always be happy to see more of.

[@jan-rs6im]

so hoping you guys like this episode - as i've said Brent Spiner is my fav and this episode shows his skill to the max!! thanks Target Audience

[@TonyTheLoneRiderSmith]

Nah he has better episodes plus generations

[@RetroRobotRadio]

Funny thing is that before Star Trek Brent Spiner was as a reoccurring hick father on the comedy series Night Court. You can search for videos of him.

[@Daviddaze]

There's a movie he did as a struggling new Yorker . Early 80s.

[@CrankyGrandma]

And he was hysterical

[@Reepicheep-1]

He was seduced by the glamour of worm ranching.

[@johncrawford5225]

​@@Reepicheep-1in Yugoslavia

[@jerome1lm]

Data is just a usually nice Terminator.

[@jeffcampbell3031]

Did you guys know that Brent Spiner had a recurring character on Night Court and it was so popular that they offered to make him a regular cast member? He ended up turning it down to take the role of Data on TNG.

[@russellharrell2747]

Alternate universe Night Court has 4 spin-offs and multiple movies while TNG is cancelled after 2 seasons.

[@ThomasReeves-s7u]

I believe he revived it in that new, not as good granted, Night Court. Weirdly his character in that had a daughter in the first episode with him but then she just kind of disappears. Maybe she saw Disney World and never returned. Or maybe she died from emotion.

[@marydodsonmt]

I think it was Jonathan Frakes who said that episodes like this, which require one or more Data stand-ins, made the directors really appreciate Brent Spiner and his subtle performance. Apparently, the stand-ins would do exaggeratedly robotic movements and it would be distracting. The first time I saw this episode, I didn't realize that Brent Spiner was playing Dr. Soong. I probably didn't figure it out until I saw the end credits. I don't have a problem with the subplot in this one because it adds some urgency and also underscores the main theme. However, I do wish there had been some brief onscreen explanation about why Data had to hijack the entire Enterprise instead of just, say, stealing a shuttlecraft. Obviously, the real reason is to create as much drama as possible, but I wish there had been just one line such as, "Oh, if he had just stolen a shuttlecraft, we could have used our tractor beam to prevent his escape!" Or something. This is an A-tier episode for me, but I wouldn't argue with someone who rated it S.

[@benspratling9041]

I knew it was Spiner playing Soong, but I didn’t figure out he was supposed to be old. The make up was so bad. I figured he was some random alien species. Had no idea why.

[@scenesfromthecouch1288]

I have been waiting for this video. Your reaction did not disappoint

[@targetaudience]

Glad you enjoyed

[@MajorMagna]

Re: the shot of Data on the bridge, it really shows how weird it feels to see the bridge so empty.

[@Drakoni23]

THE LOOORE! Totally didn't notice that Soong was played by Brent Spiner until I watched panels way later xD

[@GreenJeepAdventures]

Picard gets his own "brothers" moment, now Data. I am detecting a theme to this season.

[@Vulcanerd]

Three!! Brent Spiners! 😄

[@damienkakoschke3099]

Ah, the emotion chip!

[@KevinPSmith-fk5eb]

Eric Menyuk was the runner up for the part of Data. He did get cast for the guest spot of The Traveler from Tau Alpha C, Wesley's friend and Kosinksi's assistant in the episode Where No One Has Gone Before S1-E6

[@andyfournier5343]

My favourite part of this episode is the last 'brothers forgive' scene with Data, Dr. Crusher and Picard. The easily missed expression on Patrick Stewart's face in the background as he thinks of his brother Robert is just a joy.

[@AgentParsec]

His identity was revealed too Soong 😏

[@NEPatsFan]

I think it was after the pilot episode you said something about predicting that Data was probably a fan favorite. I remember thinking yup, and for good reason. I knew you guys would be fans of Data/Spiner too. Also, now you know why Data wasn’t in the previous episode. I think they were giving him extra time to prepare for Brothers.

[@bunnygrill]

Bore? There's no way they'll ever have another Data brother whose name rhymes with Lore.

[@brandonhill2183]

Rob Bowman also directed multiple episodes of The X Files, and Vince Gilligan of Breaking Bad was part of The X Files as well. Highly recommend eventually watching that show if you guys haven't seen it yet.

[@radwolf76]

Fun fact, Brent has a pitch perfect Patrick Stewart impersonation. Would sometimes intercept phonecalls from his wife at the time for fun. One time at DragonCon my spouse and I were at the autograph Walk of Fame, and she was hanging around Sean Patrick Flanery's table trying to figure out if he would be back soon. The next table over was Norman Reedus (paired together because the Con was promoting them as the stars of Boondock Saints, this was before The Walking Dead). Brent Spiner snuck right up to cut Norman's line to discuss some Hollywood Business Talk real quick, and the person who was next in line for Reedus asked "Is that another celebrity?" My spouse answer with "Yeah, it's Patrick Stewart!" Spiner overheard and gave us a knowing nod and a smirk.

[@Deegee_1969]

Fun fact : Spiner can actually mimic Patrick Stewarts voice, and well enough to almost fool Patricks wife once. There was no dubbing when Data emulated Picards voice. Also, there's a tiny continuity error in the scene of Data emulating Picards voice whilst entering the lockout code. What Spiner says and what's shown on the monitor doesn't quite match up.

[@jdb101585]

His Patrick Stewart impression is superb!

[@Axys_0_Rex]

It was dubbed in the show, but yes, Spiner does do a mean impression of Stewart

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

"He made ANOTHER one?!" the fans:

[@Analog_Mind47]

40:24 I think over time Data has developed the underlying impulses that emotions are built on, but not the emotions & feelings themselves just the thin undercurrent

[@luckycharms9489]

This is one of my top three favorite episodes. I absolutely love this one, the conversations with data and soong and then with lore have so much depth. Also, I died of laughter when you said “data ate the fruit” 😂

[@victorjohnson7512]

Once again, federation security protocols are proven to be insanely easy to breach. This ship doesn't even have emergency oxygen masks on the bridge...

[@DavisJ-ln6fw]

That don't them

[@Reepicheep-1]

"It was an inside job, I SWEAR!"

[@miller-joel]

Dude. They don't have SEATBELTS.

[@MrDeathpilot]

Making your brother think he killed you does not motivate him to eat dangerous fruit. That's a bit of a stretch. The writers of this "prank" didn't put a lot of thought into it. They also didn't put much effort into Crusher's "classic" joke, (10:57) and the way she delivered it made me wince.

[@greenbrown7776]

Agreed. I had no issue with the basic idea of the complementary subplot, but the particulars were weak. Although I'll grant you coming up with an incident that Bev and the Enterprise can't treat but a Starbase can is a bit challenging.

[@multilicus5773]

Dunno what was scarier: the Slack intro or the Patreon add, but I switched the lights on in my room right away.

[@BlackMatt2k]

Geordi sends Maddox a selfie roll with Soong propped up like they're partying and building androids together.

[@captkirc]

Various TNG actors over the years have said that Brent Spiner gets the best out of them onscreen because he’s such a phenomenal actor

[@CrimsonRevenant666]

Calling it now. Best guest star, of the season Brent Spiner.

[@jediyakare]

Very good chapter that expandsof the Noonien Soong family...

[@exhistoriascientia]

Originally the role of Dr. Soong was going to be played by actor Keye Luke. Luke was in the TOS episode "Whom Gods Destroy" as Cory, the administrator of the Elba II asylum. Unfortunately Luke passed away before filming began and the decision was made to have Brent Spiner play Soong as well as Data and Lore. The idea was that Soong made Lore and Data had a bit of ego and was creating them in his own image. It also allowed Spiner a chance at a command performance that Star Trek had not yet seen before (obviously actors had played multiple roles before such as in "The Enemy Within" or "Hollow Pursuits").

[@-Hunter240x]

Data is my favorite character out of ANY Star Trek series.

[@sagaignu7399]

Brent Spinner is awesome, I love the impressions he does of Patrick Stewart, he does those every now and then at CONs, there are some YT videos of him doing it and they are so funny

[@willvgo2950]

My friends call me Patrick. You may call me Mister Stewart... In fact, you may call me Sir Mister Stewart.