Jonathan Frakes on the Star Trek: TNG Actor Who Can Do an Almost Haunting Impersonation of Patrick Stewart
Brent Spiner, the actor who brought the beloved android Data to life in Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), has a hidden talent. According to Jonathan Frakes, his TNG co-star and director of Star Trek: Picard, Spiner can do an uncanny impersonation of Patrick Stewart, who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the franchise.
Actors who work together for a long time often start to act and talk a bit like each other. Spiner spending years on set with Stewart as part of the starship crew likely gave him a front-row seat to Picard’s mannerisms and way of speaking. No wonder Spiner can do such a great impression! This kind of real-life friendship is a big reason why Star Trek: The Next Generation is so popular.
Jonathan Frakes Revealed Co-Star’s Accurate Sir Patrick Stewart Impression Talent
When actors get along off-screen, it shows on screen too. Jonathan Frakes, who starred alongside Brent Spiner in Star Trek: The Next Generation and directed episodes of Picard, said Spiner does a legendary impression of his former co-star Sir Patrick Stewart.
In a recent interview with Michael Rosenbaum on Inside of You, Frakes revealed that Spiner can perfectly mimic the 88-year-old’s voice, even doing specific impressions like Stewart talking to another Star Trek actor.
“He’ll do Patrick Stewart talking to Serene McAllen,” Frakes said, referring to the actress who played Data’s ‘child’ Lal in a memorable episode. Frakes explained what makes the impression so funny, referencing the comedian’s famous impressions on Saturday Night Live:
Their accents are just different enough that it’s like Dana Carvey. When Dana Carvey does George Bush talking to the Church Lady, Brent doing Patrick talking to Serene is priceless.
For those who might not know, Dana Carvey is a famous comedian who used to perform on Saturday Night Live. He’s known for his amazing impressions of people, and two of his funniest were a President and a funny old lady named the Church Lady.
These characters were hilarious because they were so different from each other. Just like Carvey’s impressions, it seems Spiner’s Picard voice is really good at capturing how Stewart actually talks on Star Trek.
Brent Spiner Delighted the Audience Once with a Hilarious Sir Patrick Stewart Impersonation
During a panel at Supercon in Raleigh, North Carolina (via Aquatic Robot‘s YouTube video), Brent Spiner delighted the crowd with his impersonation of Patrick Stewart — complete with the actor’s accent, voice, and way of speaking.
In the video, Spiner began with a dramatic, “This is appalling! I am appalled! I would never… We are professionals!” He was telling a funny story about how Stewart reacted to a particular episode of Star Trek.
In that episode, Spiner mentioned it was the one “where Data goes up on the hill to remember Tasha.” Stewart initially pretended to be very upset about something, but his mood quickly shifted.
He climbed to the top of the hill and started singing, “The hills are alive!” from The Sound of Music. Spiner played Data from 1987 to 1994, while Stewart captained the Enterprise for all seven seasons of The Next Generation.
Watch Star Trek: The Next Generation on Paramount Plus!
