Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) has a pet cat named Spot in Star Trek: The Next Generation, but there's a certain irony in the android's choice of pets. Throughout TNG's seven seasons, Data wanted nothing more than to be human and he spent much of his time observing the humans around him. As the second officer on the USS Enterprise-D under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), Data was responsible for saving the ship and its crew on numerous occasions. In his free time, Data practiced human hobbies, such as painting, performing music, and caring for his cat.
Despite Data's protests that he is incapable of feeling, he clearly cares for his cat, Spot. He dotes on Spot just as any pet owner would, training her, playing with her, and ensuring she is always happy and healthy. He even designed 221 different formulas of cat food, trying to find one that Spot liked best (supplement 25). When Data entrusted Spot's care to Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn), the android insisted that Worf tell Spot how pretty she was, but Worf only promised to feed her. While Data's love for Spot was obvious, Brent Spiner's feelings were slightly different.
Over the course of
TNG's
seven seasons, Spot was portrayed by six different cats – Monster, Brandy, Bud, Tyler, Spencer, and Zoe – and one lizard named Willie.
Why Data’s Love Of Cats Is Ironic In Star Trek: TNG
Brent Spiner Wasn't The Biggest Fan of Spot
Data's love of cats, and Spot in particular, is ironic because Brent Spiner himself is not a huge fan of cats. Or, at least, he's not a fan of the specific cats who portrayed Spot. Spiner has spoken in various interviews about how the cats who played Spot were often difficult to work with. In several Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes, Spot was meant to jump onto Data's desk or stay still for a specific amount of time. Cats are notoriously difficult to train, so it's not particularly surprising that the cats playing Spot weren't the best at taking direction.
Adding to the irony, it was Brent Spiner who proposed that Data should have a cat in the first place, according to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion. Perhaps he was unaware at the time of how much of a headache the TNG cats would come to be. By the time of Star Trek Generations, Spiner even joked during the film's commentary that he didn't want to go back for Spot after the Enterprise-D crash-landed. While Spiner might have come to regret his suggestion that Data get a cat, the introduction of Spot made sense for the android as a character.
How Data Loving Cats Helped Make Him More Human
Spot Was One Of Many Things That Made Data Seem Human
Data's obvious love for Spot makes it difficult to believe he is incapable of feeling. Like Data's love of painting and Sherlock Holmes, his relationship with Spot made him more human. Data gained more and more human characteristics over the course of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but he was always human in all the ways that mattered. Despite being an android, Data is one of the most caring crew members on the Enterprise-D, making him the perfect caregiver for Spot. Spot became incredibly important to Data personally, but also as a part of the android's journey to discover his humanity.
Not only did Data cycle through hundreds of different cat foods trying to find the right one, but he also composed a lengthy ode to his beloved cat, appropriately entitled
Ode to Spot
.
In Star Trek: Picard season 3, Data received a new synthetic body with the ability to experience organic emotions. Within this new body, Data's personality battled with that of his evil brother Lore (Brent Spiner) for control. As Data struggled not to lose himself, Spot was one of the things that helped remind him who he was, allowing him to triumph over Lore. While Brent Spiner may not be composing any odes to Spot anytime soon, the adorable cat was a welcome addition to Data's story on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
