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A beloved TV character came to life today, Star Trek: The Next Generation's Data, 'born' (that is to say permanently re-activated by Dr. Noonien Soong) on this day in the future year of 2338. Happy Birthday Data!

FORT HUACHUCA — Even the stars were a little starstruck. It’s one thing to portray the military in Hollywood, as the cast of the blockbuster “Independence Day” did 20 years ago in a story that featured people of Earth banding together to topple alien invaders. Much of the cast has regrouped, with some new cast members, for “Independence Day: Resurgence,” the much anticipated sequel that hits theaters this Thursday. But to visit the troops on their turf and see what they do to defend the U.S. is quite another thing. Two stars from the new film, Jessie T. Usher and...

By LUAINE LEE Scripps Howard News Service December 10, 2002 NEW YORK - Don't ask Brent Spiner, the lovable yellow-eyed Data from "Star Trek: The Next Generation," what happened in Episode 17. Or 42. Or 135, for that matter. Spiner doesn't watch the show much, even though he starred on it for seven years and is back again, squeezed into his Spandex leotards and pancake-batter makeup for the new feature, "Star Trek Nemesis." "I didn't watch the show," he says, looking strangely normal on this brisk afternoon in a bustling hotel here. "I did it one time, and it was...