Star Trek's Brent Spiner Played A Villain On A Sci-Fi Show That's Rarely Talked About Today

Most sci-fi fans know Brent Spiner for playing Data on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." His performance is so good that, despite everyone's fears about the dangers of artificial intelligence, it's hard not to root for Spiner's android. However, did you know that the actor hasn't always played the good guy in small-screen sci-fi fare? In fact, he has a pretty awesome villainous role as Brother Adrian on "Warehouse 13" — a project that reunited Spiner with fellow "Star Trek" alum Saul Rubinek.

"Warehouse 13" follows U.S. Secret Service agents who get assigned to the eponymous base. It's a top-secret facility for agents tasked with hunting down artifacts that possess otherworldly abilities. Spiner is a big part of Season 4, with his character leading a sect of Templar Knight descendants in cahoots with the Vatican. Brother Adrian makes life difficult for Warehouse 13's Artie (Rubinek), stealing his artifacts and being a general nuisance.

The dynamic between Artie and Adrian is a reverse of Rubinek and Spiner's "Star Trek: The Next Generation" characters. On that show, Rubinek plays an evil collector who specializes in obtaining rare artifacts — and he wants to add Data to his collection. With that in mind, sci-fi fans will get a kick out of them butting heads in another story involving artifacts. "Warehouse 13" enjoyed a five-season run on Syfy before joining the endless list of sci-fi TV shows that were canceled way too soon. The series isn't discussed as often as it should be these days, but at least Spiner enjoyed working on it.

Bret Spiner and Saul Rubinek's characters are at odds on "Warehouse 13," but don't mistake their on-screen conflict for anything other than that. The actors had a blast working with each other behind the scenes, and Spiner cited reuniting with his "Star Trek: The Next Generation" cohort as a key reason for accepting the part of Brother Adrian.

"Honestly, what I enjoyed most is working with this company, it was just a great bunch of people from the top down, and the top being Jack [Kenny]. See? You kiss me, I kiss you," Spiner joked in an interview with Sci-Fi Vision. "But seriously, and it was the opportunity to work with Saul again. And the experience, I went back and forth to Toronto six times from Los Angeles, and each time I looked forward to going because I knew I was going to have a pleasant experience."

Given that Brent Spiner hated playing Data sometimes, it's great to know that his time on "Warehouse 13" was extremely positive. However, not enough people have seen the show, or else the masses would still be raving about it. If you're among that crowd, check it out as soon as possible, especially if you enjoy sci-fi with a sense of humor.