Star Trek's Brent Spiner Was Fired From The Star Wars Universe Years Before Data

Paramount Pictures

Prior to landing the high-profile role of Data on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Brent Spiner was briefly part of the "Star Wars" universe. So briefly, in fact, that we probably never even got a chance to listen to him perform the role he was recruited for, as the actor was fired from his "Star Wars" gig before his work made it to air.

On an episode of the chat show "Dropping Names with Brent and Jonny," as hosted by Spiner and his "Next Generation" co-star Jonathan Frakes, Spiner and Frakes were interviewing Terry Matalas — the showrunner on "Star Trek: Picard" Season 3 and the acclaimed Marvel TV series "VisionQuest" — when Matalas asked Spiner point blank if he had ever been fired from anything in his acting career. Spiner admitted that he had, although he hemmed and hawed for a moment, being coy about what the job was.

Finally, Spiner let it slip that he was fired from one of the radio versions of the original "Star Wars" movie trilogy, a rare piece of "Star Wars" media. Matalas immediately wanted more information, and he claimed to own the radio version of "Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back" on cassette. Spiner capitulated, explaining:

"I can't tell that story. It's a long story. [...] It's a very embarrassing story. [...] It was actually a radio show. But a big radio show. I was doing 'Star Wars.'"

He even recalled the one line he was supposed to say, which was "Captain, the Millennium Falcon has landed." When he tried to repeat the line, however, he stumbled over the phrase "Millennium Falcon," which, he added, he also did back in the 1980s. In other words, Spiner was fired because he couldn't say the term without getting tongue-twisted.

Lucasfilm

For those who aren't in the know, high-profile, ultra-slick radio adaptations of the original "Star Wars" film trilogy were, in fact, produced at one point. The radio version of "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope" aired on National Public Radio for 13 episodes in 1981, while the radio edition of "The Empire Strikes Back" followed suit for 10 episodes in 1983. In contrast to that, the radio adaptation of "Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi" didn't premiere on NPR until 1996 (for reasons that we'll get into shortly). Wilder still, creator George Lucas apparently sold the "Star Wars" radio rights for a mere dollar. 

A lot of details about the "Star Wars" radio dramas can be found in Frank Mankiewicz's "Encyclopedia of Radio," which notes that the shows drew in huge crowds of listeners in their time. Sadly, though, there was a financial crisis at NPR that caused the delay of "Return of the Jedi." (For those who were not aware, Ronald Reagan demanded that funding for NPR be cut during his tenure as U.S. President in the 1980s.) All three shows were written by Brian Daley and helmed by John Madden, the latter of whom would go on to direct "Shakespeare in Love."

As for Brent Spiner, he doesn't remember his specific character or even which "Star Wars" radio show he was initially hired to deliver his "Millennium Falcon" line for. But he does recall at least a couple of the big name actors that he caught wind of during his time working on the project. Not to mention, he did, in fact, join the "Star Wars" universe properly decades after that.

Lucasfilm

The cast of the "Star Wars" radio adaptations was impressive, to say the least. Mark Hamill (whom Brent Spiner name-dropped specifically) and Anthony Daniels reprised their roles as Luke Skywalker and C-3PO, respectively, while the evil Darth Vader was voiced by "Star Trek" legend Brock Peters (whom Spiner mentioned as well). Meanwhile, Han Solo was portrayed by Perry King, Princess Leia by Ann Sachs, and Grand Moff Tarkin by Keene Curtis. Adam Arkin and David Paymer also had supporting roles, with Bill Dee Williams reprising his role as Lando Calrissian and John Lithgow playing Yoda (!).

Whichever "Star Wars" radio show it was, Spiner had already accrued credits on TV shows like "Family," and in movies like "Stardust Memories" and "Rent Control." He was still early in his career, but he was no neophyte. Both shows came before Spiner's notable recurring role on "Night Court," a role he has revisited since. The "Star Wars" radio dramas weren't vital to his career, but it never feels good to be let go from a gig.

Eventually, though, Spiner re-entered a galaxy far, far away when he voiced the senator-in-exile Gall Trayvis on the animated series "Star Wars Rebels" in the 2010s. By then, we can safely assume that his inability to say "Millennium Falcon" was long forgotten.