star trek watchers wesley crusher

'I Didn't Think I Could Love Wesley More:' Wil Wheaton And I Both Got Emotional As He Candidly Opened Up About Why Watching His Character In Star Trek: Prodigy Was So Moving

I was choked up hearing this.

It took some cross-collaboration between the good people of Star Trek: Picard and Prodigy to make it happen , but finally, Wesley Crusher's story continued in the new era. Wil Wheaton's character gets a big arc throughout Season 2 of Prodigy , and the actor was thrilled to bring the character back for many reasons. Wheaton recently talked to CinemaBlend about the return, and we both got a little emotional.

It's no secret that Wil Wheaton's first run on Star Trek: The Next Generation was a struggle. The young actor was facing private struggles at home, and while his co-stars were there for him, there was a rampant community of Star Trek fans who were very anti-Wesley Crusher. Even William Shatner was rude to him at what should've been a high point in his career, so I couldn't blame Wheaton if he just said goodbye to Trek after he left TNG .

He remained active in the franchise, however, via The Ready Room and convention appearances. He was eventually approached by the Hageman brothers to play out Wesley's first big adventure as a Traveler. Wil Wheaton recently watched the season, presumably with a Netflix subscription , having forgotten large chunks of it since he recorded his parts a couple of years ago. During my conversation with him, he shared an experience he had watching himself that was a career first:

For the first time in my career, I watched something I did with absolutely no self-consciousness. I wasn't watching one of my performances to see what I did wrong so I don't do that in the future. I was just loving Wesley and the way he was interacting with these kids and the production design and the visual design and all of it. I texted Jen [Muro] and I said, ’I didn't think I could love Wesley more, and I was wrong. I know him in a way now that I never did before. I feel like I get what kids when I was a kid got. I feel like I understand. I can feel Wesley Crusher the way people who love him, feel him, and it's different. I feel him as a fan in a way that I had only felt him as the guy that brings him to life.’

It's wonderful to hear Wil Wheaton's experience watching Wesley again on-screen was so eye-opening and a testament to my repeated statement that Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 is the best serialized story we've seen in the franchise. The show gave us the new Wesley, who definitely feels like the unofficial 16th Doctor from Doctor Who in this adventure, in case Russell T. Davies is reading and wants to pitch him for a crossover event.

Shoutout to staff writer and co-producer Jennifer Muro, who not only coined that term, which Wil Wheaton wished me to share, but talked to Wheaton about how Traveler Wesley is practically like the Trek universe's iteration of The Doctor minus the fact he doesn't have two hearts. After a pause, she retracted that statement and the actor shared what she shared with him via text message:

‘He does have two hearts. One heart is Wesley Crusher's heart, and one heart is your heart. And they both exist inside of this character.’ And I was like, ‘Well, I'm wiping away the tears now, and I'm also going to steal that and make sure the world knows that because I love that.’ And it's gorgeous. For every kid who loved Wesley and got made fun of for it, for everyone who felt like they had to defend a character because they cared about him and like the cool kids were making fun of him and the big kids were mean about it. I feel that I, you know, like not only was I a kid who loved that character and wanted to be represented on Star Trek. I was the kid who played it.

It is hard to see Wesley Crusher without seeing Wil Wheaton, but that's not at all a bad thing. Both have gone on a long journey to reach where they are right now, and a lot has changed since then. He once was the guy that even a tech writer tried to make life difficult for and has become a real advocate for the franchise beloved by fans.

That transformation is not lost on Wil Wheaton, who became emotional talking about what it means to see Wesley Crusher finally get his comeuppance with the fans. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little choked up as well as he spoke about it, having just a vague idea of how big this moment truly was for him:

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I was the teenager who adults, who knew better, were so viciously cruel to about this character. The love that he is receiving now. The love I'm receiving now. It's been a really long time, man. It's been 35 years, and oh my God, is it worth the wait [gets choked up]. It's just such a gift, and it's so special for everyone who loves and loved Wesley. I just feel this sense of, ‘Hey, look, you guys, we got there.’

We sure did get there, and as I and others continue to petition Netflix and Paramount to reach a deal on Season 3 or maybe even a Travelers series, there are opportunities for Wesley Crusher to appear elsewhere. Living outside of the confines of space and time does have its benefits, so if the prior two scenarios can't happen, perhaps we can keep our fingers crossed for a Wesley cameo in Strange New Worlds Season 3, or even the upcoming Section 31 movie. Just put him in every upcoming Trek series because we need as much info on him and the Travelers as we can get!

Star Trek: Prodigy is available to stream right now on Netflix. Hopefully, we'll get some news about the status of Season 3 or something else on the way with SDCC around the corner, so stick with CinemaBlend as we'll be on the scene and ready to provide updates.

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.

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How Wil Wheaton became Star Trek’s own “Time Lord”

The Star Trek icon and friend to geeks everywhere reflects on his time-traveling role.

Wesley Crusher has returned.

Or perhaps Welsley Crusher never left. In the season 2 finale of Star Trek: Picard , Wil Wheaton makes a pivotal cameo — a surprise appearance that suggests his character, Wesley, is now a bonafide time traveler. Actually, make that “Traveler” with a capital “T.” Like another Next Generation character called “the Traveler,” Wesley has become, as Wheaton says, Star Trek’s version of “a Time Lord.”

Just before Picard dropped the episode “Farwell,” Inverse caught up with the beloved actor, host, and writer to talk about his return to Trek, the endless possibilities for Wesley, and why we’re all so obsessed with time travel. Spoilers ahead for the Season 2 finale of Picard .

THE RULES OF TIME TRAVEL is an Inverse special issue exploring the evolution of science fiction's most imaginative sub-genre. From Marty McFly to Avengers: Endgame .

Mastering His Destiny

Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) says goodbye to his mother, Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), and Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) in the TNG episode, “Journey’s End.” In Picard Season 2, we finally found out what happened to Wesley next.

Starting in 1987, Wesley (Wheaton) was a precocious teenager on Picard’s Enterprise , who eventually joined Starfleet formally in The Next Generation . But in the episode “Where No One Has Gone Before,” a mysterious alien called The Traveler (Eric Menyuk) revealed to Jean-Luc that Wesley had special latent abilities. These powers would give him the ability to manipulate space and time.

“I have spent an incredible amount of time thinking: what would be going on in Wesley Crusher’s universe?” Wheaton tells Inverse . “And for years, I have thought space and time and thought are not disconnected the way people think they are. I mean, that’s just a Time Lord [from Doctor Who ] with more steps.”

“That’s just a Time Lord with more steps.”

Although Wheaton left TNG as a series regular in the season 4 episode, “Final Mission,” he returned as Welsey in a handful of episodes. In the season 7 episode, “Journey’s End,” the Traveler recruited Wesley to gallivant around all of space and time, using nothing but the power of their minds. Other than a very brief cameo in Star Trek Nemesis , this was the last time we heard from Wesley in Trek canon, which all changed in the Picard Season 2 finale.

“The Wesley Crusher, who I kind of made up and imagined based on the last time we saw him canonically in Star Trek, turns to be awfully similar to the Wesley Crusher, who now canonically exists in the Star Trek universe,” Wheaton says. “When [the Picard writers] came to me and told me what they were thinking, I almost fainted. I was so excited.”

Wesley/the Traveler (Wheaton) and Kore (Isa Briones) in the Season 2 finale of Picard .

Twenty-eight years after we saw Wesley in TNG , he’s become a timeless being who thinks of himself as the Traveler. On top of that, Wesley/the Traveler is also in charge of the mysterious “Supervisors” and “Watchers,” who make sure that the flow of time on Earth (and elsewhere) stays the way it should.

In this one cameo, Wesley retroactively became the boss of Gary Seven from The Original Series and Tallinn from Picard . He also recruits Kore (Isa Briones) into his organization, a genetic “child” of Adam Soong, who is tangentially connected to Synths.

“Wesley's journey and my journey are very similar.”

In short, Wesley is clearly the master of his own destiny, as well as having a profound impact on the fate of the entire galaxy.

“Wesley's journey and my journey are very similar,” Wheaton says. “We both were placed on paths that we weren't necessarily involved in choosing. Everyone expected Wesley to be a Starfleet captain someday. Everyone in my life told me, ‘You're going to be a big movie star someday.’ And at the same moment in both of our lives — the character and I said, ‘Wait a minute, this is not what I want.’”

Trekking a New Path

Wesley (Wil Wheaton), Picard (Patrick Stewart), and the Traveler (Eric Menyuk) in the TNG episode “Where No One Has Gone Before”

Since his Next Generation days, Wheaton has forged his own path in more than one way. Currently, Star Trek fans see his face often. As the host of the weekly Trek aftershow, The Ready Room , Wheaton frequently sits down with the movers and shakers in the final frontier.

This works because Wheaton is a true fan of Star Trek and science fiction in general. During the big Doctor Who renaissance of the early aughts, Wheaton was a huge cheerleader for the franchise. Similar to how he hosts The Ready Room now, Wheaton also interviewed many stars associated with Doctor Who on camera, making him an ally and signal-booster for geeks everywhere.

“It’s as old as science fiction.”

Wheaton’s fandom is real . It’s not affected. His first memoir, Just a Geek , has recently been republished and revised as Still Just a Geek . And because he is such a huge geek and is now canonically the most powerful Star Trek time traveler, why does he think we’re all so obsessed with time travel in general?

“It's as old as science fiction,” Wheaton says. “Like what is that thing that people have dreamed up forever and ever and ever: Oh my god, time travel! We can use the knowledge that we have earned from our own experience and apply it to that timeline and see how it changes things. It’s something we cannot ever accomplish in our reality as we understand the laws of physics. But giving us a chance to explore that is very aspirational.”

Seemingly, the reappearance of Wesley as the new Traveler in the Star Trek canon sets up a possible spinoff series, which essentially could take place in all the Trek time periods at once. Wheaton doesn’t want to “jinx” it, but he says he is excited about Wesley’s newfound ability to materialize in literally any new Star Trek project at any time.

“Star Trek loves to visit those timelines and take advantage of that,” Wheaton says. “There's just so much that they could theoretically do. I don't want to speculate. Because if I say something that ends up happening, they’ll be like, ‘He knew!’ But I don’t know. I hope to do a lot more with it.”

So, in the more immediate future, will Wesley Crusher return to Star Trek: Picard for Season 3 and join his other Next Generation castmates ?

“I wish so badly that I could say for certain it was true,” Wheaton responds. “But, what I can tell you is I love the opportunities and possibilities that are available to him. I also love this suggestion we pick up that there's a bit of ancient wisdom in Wesley similar to the way that there is a little bit of ancient wisdom in me.”

Star Trek: Picard Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming now on Paramount+ .

This article was originally published on May 6, 2022

• Science Fiction

'Star Trek: Picard' Season 2 Finale: Wesley Crusher's Surprise Cameo, Explained

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Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Picard Season 2. Star Trek: Picard has pulled off an impressive feat not just once, but twice, by keeping a huge spoiler under wraps. First, the show was able to keep the Season 3 The Next Generation reunion a secret, announcing the massive event on their own schedule. The show also was able to keep Wil Wheaton 's Wesley Crusher/Traveler hush-hush, surprising viewers upon his appearance in the Season 2 finale, "Farewell." This is an even more impressive achievement, considering fans' understandably upset reaction to the Season 3 announcement when Wheaton's name wasn't included. But with his last major appearance in the Star Trek universe happening some 28 years ago, audiences may struggle to remember exactly how he got into this position, and exactly what he is. Some Star Trek fans weren't even alive in 1994. (I wasn't!)

RELATED: Isa Briones Exits 'Star Trek: Picard' Becoming Fourth Actor Not Returning for Season 3

Supervisors

Gary Seven ( Robert Lansing ) was the first supervisor seen in the Star Trek universe, appearing in the 1968 Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "Assignment: Earth." When the USS Enterprise moves back in time to conduct historical research, they intercept Seven beaming onto Earth. Gary's mission is to prevent a nuclear missile launch. He is successful by the end of the episode and remains in place on Earth for future missions that will help keep the flow of time intact. Although Seven only appears in one episode in The Original Series , this would be the main piece of lore that Wesley's Traveler arc would rely on.

Supervisors, themselves, aren't seen again in Star Trek until Picard when Tallinn ( Orla Brady ) is introduced as an ancestor to the already-featured Laris, also portrayed by Brady. Her mission is to watch over and protect Renee Picard so she may make the discovery on the 2024 Europa Mission of a microorganism capable of helping solve climate change. Whereas Seven was taken by the Travelers millennium before the present day, Tallinn is a disguised Romulan working on Earth. The two agents show that Supervisors can have a multitude of missions, from preventing violence to protecting influential lives. This is the role that Crusher recruits Kore ( Isa Briones ) to in his surprise appearance on "Farewell."

The Traveler

Travelers weren't introduced until a 3-episode series-spanning arc on The Next Generation . The Traveler ( Eric Menyuk ) first appeared in the Season 1 episode, "Where No One has Gone Before." The Traveler possesses a swath of abilities, many of which can alter reality, time, and space. To study humanity, they used their abilities to act as a Starfleet propulsion expert's assistant, the secret driving force behind the propulsion expert's new revolutionary theory. While on the Enterprise, The Traveler accidentally sends them to a new galaxy, to the end of the universe, and back to the Milky Way. They notice Wesley while onboard, secretly prompting Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) to promote Wesley to an acting ensign, ultimately already helping to shape Wesley's life.

The second time The Traveler appears is in the Season 4 episode, "Remember Me." Wesley, having matured and begun developing his Traveler abilities, accidentally traps his mother, Beverly Crusher ( Gates McFadden ), in a warp bubble during an experiment, leaving her trapped in a parallel reality. The abilities draw The Traveler back to the Enterprise when they sense the situation and are able to help return her to safety but to do so, he has to convince Wesley of his own ability.

Season 7 Episode 20, "Journey's End" not only marks The Traveler's last appearance, but also Wesley's last appearance until his brief cameo in Star Trek: Nemesis , even briefer than his scene in Picard , as most of his appearance was cut from the scene that made it to the movie. In this episode, The Traveler appears incognito as a villager to Crusher, leading him to experience a vision of his father. He advises Wesley, who was already unsure of his Starfleet future, to follow his true journey outside Starfleet. Listening to the advice, Wesley resigns. Later, during a riot on a planet, he disassociates from time and The Traveler reveals their true form, for Wesley is ready to begin his new journey.

Wesley's Future

The younger Crusher's cameo doesn't just further solidify the connection between the Travelers and their chosen Supervisors, but it also cleans up the very different The Next Generation ending for Wesley and his appearance at Deanna Troi ( Marina Sirtis ) and William Riker's ( Jonathan Frakes ) wedding in Nemesis. While he attends the ceremony in Starfleet uniform, it's likely that this is just an appearance he projects as The Traveler did similarly in "Journey's End." From Wesley's comedic exposition in his recruitment speech to Kore, it's clear that he has spent plenty of time traveling and maintaining the flow of time. While his days as Wesley Crusher are far behind him, this new Traveler can still recall back to his days as the young Ensign on the USS Enterprise and use the totality of his experiences to bring other lost souls into the fold.

• TV Features

Why Wesley Crusher Left Star Trek, and Why He Came Back

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Wesley crusher went from boy genius to star trek time-travel god, wil wheaton was the 'big name' on star trek: tng, wesley crusher returned to star trek twice after leaving with the traveler, would wil wheaton return to star trek.

Despite running for seven seasons and keeping a grueling filming schedule, the central cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation didn't experience much turnover. In fact, of the regular cast who appeared in the series premiere and the series finale, only one character was absent. Wesley Crusher (played by Wil Wheaton) left Star Trek: The Next Generation early in the fourth season for a mix of personal and professional reasons. Still, Wesley returned a handful of times, and Wil Wheaton is still an active participant in Gene Roddenberry's universe. Despite Wheaton's unbridled enthusiasm for all things Star Trek and his experiences as part of The Next Generation family, his time playing the character wasn't the nerd's dream everyone thought it was.

The fans were harshly critical of Wesley Crusher , and the line "Shut up, Wesley!" from Season 1, Episode 13 became an early internet meme. In a promotional special, The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next , Roddenberry said the genesis of the character was himself at age 14, and "Wesley" was his middle name. Though, the Great Bird of the Galaxy admitted he was never the genius the eventual Starfleet cadet was in the series. Despite these struggles with Wesley Crusher's character, it was behind-the-scenes problems that inspired Wheaton to leave Star Trek: The Next Generation .

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Wesley was the only son of Doctor Beverly Crusher and her late husband Jack, the best friend of Captain Picard. He was a deeply curious boy, but he was often treated harshly by the crew and its captain. In the sixth episode of Season 1, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," Wesley befriends and impresses the mysterious Traveler, an alien with strange abilities. At the end of that episode, despite his disdain for children, Captain Picard promotes Wesley to "Acting Ensign" allowing him to serve on the bridge in advance of his application to Starfleet Academy.

Wesley's time in Starfleet Academy was tumultuous despite his genius and experience serving on the Enterprise. He failed the entrance exam the first time he took it, though so did Captain Picard. Once he was accepted, he left the ship and only appeared in a few episodes. While at the Academy, he joined Nova Squadron led by Nick Locarno . He was part of a cover-up with the squad, hiding the death of a classmate while performing a forbidden flight maneuver. After admitting the truth, he had to repeat that year at the Academy.

In Star Trek: TNG's final season , Wesley Crusher returned to the Enterprise on leave from the Academy. His grades were dropping, and he was in danger of failing out of the program. He challenged Starfleet's and the captain's orders in order to stand up for a colony of Native Americans being forcibly removed from their home to appease the Cardassians. He experienced a vision of his father, Jack, telling him Starfleet wasn't his path. Instead, Wesley joined the Traveler to ascend to "another plane of existence" paying off the arc that began in the first season. What that meant, however, remained a mystery .

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The youngest TNG character went through some changes in development. Legendary Star Trek producer Robert H. Justman lobbied to make "Wesley" into "Leslie," according to Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion by Larry Nemecek, but Roddenberry eventually overruled the decision. They also struggled to come up with a justification for why this young man was so special, earning a coveted position on the bridge. In a memo, Justman wrote that Wesley's youth gave him a brash, assertive nature the adults on the crew lacked, making him "a one-man 'think tank' without pre-conditioned limitations.'"

Despite LeVar Burton's iconic role in Roots and the popularity of Reading Rainbow , it was Wil Wheaton who was the "big name" in the cast . Best known as Gordie in Stand By Me , the burgeoning movie star jumped at the chance to be in The Next Generation . "I was a Trekkie," Wheaton said in The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman. However, Wheaton said that even he was annoyed by how Wesley was written, calling him "pretentious." When he was offered a role in a film directed by Milos Forman, The Next Generation producers wouldn't let him do it. They told him he was going to be in a "really important to the series" episode during the filming window, but Wheaton said the producer "just lied to me." Wheaton also revealed that "years later," Deanna Troi actor Marina Sirtis told him she'd heard the producers were worried the film would make him an even bigger star.

If Wheaton's star rose, "it would have been harder for them to deal with me. I felt so betrayed by that," he said in The Fifty-Year Mission . Despite his love of Star Trek , this slight made Wheaton desperate to leave the series . However, in his memoir, Still Just a Geek , Wheaton detailed how his parents pushed him into acting in the first place, when he wanted "to just be a kid." This neglect, plus instances of abuse on various sets, particularly The Curse , soured him on the profession for many years. Still, Wheaton also maintains his fellow cast on The Next Generation are like family to him. Their love and support helped him and helps explain why he returned to the show for guest-spots. Returning was "like coming home for me," he told Entertainment Tonight in 1992. "I always have a terrific time [on set.] I adore the cast."

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Star Trek: The Next Generation has became as iconic as The Original Series, but one fan-favorite character wasn't done justice throughout the series.

Despite leaving Starfleet and going off with the Traveler in "Journey's End," Wesley Crusher almost returned. Wheaton filmed scenes for Star Trek: Nemesis at the wedding of Riker and Troi. Wesley was again a Starfleet officer and slated for duty aboard Riker's ship, the USS Titan. However, the scene was cut from the film . In Still Just A Geek , Wheaton wrote about the experience. Even though it ignored Wesley's final episode on The Next Generation , Wheaton enjoyed the experience working with the cast as an adult. While it might have seemed like another slight by Star Trek producers, cutting the scene worked to the advantage of the character.

In Star Trek: Picard Season 2, Wesley Crusher appeared in the 21st Century to Isa Briones's character Kore Soong. He explained that he was part of a group called "the Travelers" who worked to protect the universe, all of reality from "annihilation." It's a difficult job apparently, since the last time Wesley made a joke he apparently changed a century of history. While the Travelers mostly observe, knowing when to act is a crucial part of their task. He recruited Kore into the group, and when she accepted, they both beamed away. The beaming effect was not like those audiences have seen from Starfleet or other species and organizations in the galaxy.

It seems Wesley Crusher and the Travelers were connected to Talinn, played by Orla Brady, in Picard Season 2 . She watched over Reneé Picard whose destiny was even more important than her famous starship captain ancestor. The group can also trace itself back to the Season 2 episode of Star Trek: The Original Series "Assignment: Earth" that introduced Gary Seven . An attempt at a spinoff series by Gene Roddenberry, Gary was a not-so-ordinary human tasked with protecting the 20th Century, specifically the space program.

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Outside of this brief appearance on Picard , Wil Wheaton's involvement with the Star Trek universe has been as a professional fan . As the host of The Ready Room he talks to the actors, producers and others about making this third wave of series. His charm and grace put his guests at ease, because while he's still very much a fan of Star Trek , he's also been where they were. His time on the set and playing Wesley Crusher was both joyous and troubling. Ironically, the character that adult fans hated the most when he debuted is now the best ambassador to the Star Trek fanbase they have.

While Wheaton still does some on-camera work, he's mostly done voice acting of late. Still, Picard Season 3 introduced his half-brother Jack Crusher. Wheaton seemed enthused by the idea of teaming up with actor Ed Speelers for a "Crusher brothers" adventure , either a series or feature. Wesley Crusher's appearance at the end of Season 2 was a lovely coda for a character who deserved better . If that's all fans get, it might be enough. But after all these years, fans would likely be very excited to see Wesley again, especially if he's teaming up with Jack.

Star Trek series are available to stream on Paramount+, and The Ready Room can be found on YouTube.

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Star Trek Producers Fought Over Which New Shows Get To Bring Back Wesley Crusher

| May 9, 2022 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 170 comments so far

[SPOILER WARNING]

One of the big surprises in the season two finale of Star Trek: Picard was the appearance of Wesley Crusher, with Will Wheaton returning to his Star Trek: The Next Generation character, now a full-fledged Traveler. It turns out Picard isn’t the only show that wanted to bring back Wesley.

The war for Wesley

Today Paramount released a “Wesley Crusher’s Return” video feature that was also included in The Ready Room . The video features executive producers Akiva Goldsman and Alex Kurtzman discussing the fact that after the idea of Wesley returning on Picard was brought up, it started a sort of Crusher conflict with at least one other series:

Akiva Goldsman: And then this really funny thing happened. For the first time so far in the Star Trek Universe, people went to war over a character. Alex Kurtzman: The one thing that pretty much everybody wanted was to figure out a way to bring Wesley back to their own individual shows. So it was a little bit of a fight to bring him back. Akiva Goldsman: [mocking conversation with other producer(s)] “ We’re using Wesley.” And I was like, “But we want Wesley here, he’s a Next Gen character.” “Well, we’re already using him.” “Well, we can use him too.” “Well, no…” It’s like Wesley Crusher was the belle of the ball. Alex Kurtzman: But obviously bringing him back to Picard was necessary because he had to return to where it came from.

Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher with Isa Briones as Kore in the Picard season two finale

UPDATE: Wheaton responds

On Tuesday Wil Wheaton posted a link to this article on his Facebook page with the following message:

I had no idea that the showrunners of the different Star Trek shows were fighting over who could write Wesley into their story. This just feels like such a huge validation and such a huge win for Wesley, for me, and for all the other kids who were weird, unseen, awkward, or any of the other qualities we all had in common that made him important to us. And as long as I have your attention: I feel seen and celebrated right now, in a way I never have before. I feel like it’s personal in a way that is brand new, that *belongs* to me, because it is a gift that was given to me. I don’t know who all the people were, at every step of the way, who made Wesley’s return to Star Trek canon happen, but I am so grateful to all of them for making this happen. And I’m so grateful to everyone who has celebrated me, and Wesley. It feels really good and it means a lot to me.

What is the other show?

It’s not stated what other show was “already using” Wesley Crusher, but it wouldn’t be Strange New Worlds, as Goldsman is the showrunner for that new series. Given that Wesley is now firmly established as a time and space spanning Traveler , he could show up on Discovery even in the 32nd-century setting; however, work on the upcoming fifth season hadn’t begun when these producer debates would have been happing.

That leaves the two animated Trek series as the most likely candidates. Just last month Wil Wheaton was talking about wanting to pitch Lower Decks showrunner Mike McMahan on an idea for Wesley, although it’s possible this was a fakeout—but it could also have been a genuine pitch. That leaves Prodigy as the other candidate for the show that was “already using him,” and there is nothing about the setting of that show in time or space that would preclude Wesley as a Traveler from showing up on the USS Protostar.

Regardless, unless his inclusion in Picard negated what was planned for this other show, it looks like we could be seeing more Wesley in the future.

Wheaton happy to come back as Traveler Wesley

The video explains the spark to bring Wesley back began with resolving a timeline issue with the character of Kore (Isa Briones), and it was executive producer Terry Matalas who had the solution:

When we started realizing that there was an opportunity for Kore to go somewhere, that she had to actually go somewhere for the timeline to be restored, [executive producer] Terry [Matalas] said, “What about Wesley?”

In the video, Wheaton expresses his thanks to the Picard writers for cementing the Traveler version of Wesley into canon:

I was so excited when I read the scene and saw the writers for Picard had taken the Wesley who’s existed in my head for all these decades and canonized him.

For his part, today Matalas turned to Twitter to express how thrilled he was to see it happen:

Beyond thrilled to have this Traveler make an appearance… @wilw https://t.co/KEZOWIEO0D — Terry Matalas (@TerryMatalas) May 9, 2022

And here is the same video on YouTube.

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Um, I still don’t think Wesley Crusher came back. That was Wil Wheaton only, not Wesley.

My words as well. That was not Wesley, it was Will Wheaton 100%. Could of at least shaved the beard and/or costumed up a bit!

AGREED 100%

You “could of” written a sentence that made sense when leveling your criticism.

“could of” is a huge pet peeve of mine. All I see is “I don’t read much”

And it’s almost always people expressing obnoxious negative opinions who use it

His clothes were exactly right for the 2020’s.

Millennial slob..?

Wil Wheaton is Wesley Crusher in this timeline, so… no problem.

That seems like a silly hill to die on, but okay.

What a bizarre stance to take.

No its Wesley. He just looks and sounds like Wil Wheaton, since Wheaton is the actor who plays Wesley. And Wesley is about 30 years older than when we last saw him.

I understand the sentiment if you’re saying it’s yet another portrayal that’s more like the actor than the original character (like Picard and Seven, even Q a little in the finale). But since he was still practically a kid when we last saw him and being a Traveller is a pretty extreme lifestyle change, I’ll give them some leeway. Besides, based on his candid interviews and The Ready Room, if that performance was Wil Wheaton, it was still dialed down to like a 3.

It’s true, he didn’t act anything remotely like Wesley. Not that he had much to work with, but Wesley did not beam and gush like that. Whoopi Goldberg was also playing herself rather than Guinean although was better in her final scene.

Wheaton on Picard played the same character he is playing on The Ready Room.

Wheaton on Picard played “Wil Wheaton from The Big Bang Theory”.

Might have been a deliberate in-joke.

Just to clarify, I don’t mean that in a nasty way. Wheaton really did seem to be channelling his Big Bang persona — and I think that was intentional. Wesley made a remark about how he cracked a joke once and accidentally changed 10 years of history; since he was on Big Bang for around a decade, I think it was an amusing easter egg reference to that. The scene overall just came across as a relaxed and easygoing epilogue to one of the story arcs.

I also agree with the comments downthread objecting to the weird nastiness from some people here. It comes with the territory of online commenting, especially fansites, since the latter tend to have a higher than average proportion of people who are clearly on the Aspergers spectrum. The internet in general also has a fair number of commenters who are sociopaths if not outright psychopaths (academic studies have confirmed this). The other thing is that the Covid pandemic has resulted in a noticeable spike in pointless emotional cruelty, including public behaviour. Whether you’re criticising Wesley’s depiction in PIC, Wheaton’s acting skills, or the fact that Wheaton appeared in a surprise cameo at all, there are plenty of ways to do it without descending to overreactions and sadism.

I was hoping for Picard to beam into the scene to say “shut up Wesley!” .

Well, after his abysmal performance on STP, just give him some acting lessons and you’ll be in business.

Also, I love the guy as a super-fan and as an author, but given we all have this perception of him as this sort of annoying never quite grown up teenager, can he at least do his beard so it doesn’t look like he’s a young man who can’t fully grow a legitimate beard? Is that too much to ask? :-)

Appearance is one thing, but the amateurish acting from Wheaton was embarrassing to watch. Painful. You’d never guess that he was an actor with some years under his belt. No exaggeration, on the day they filmed his scene, they could have pulled an average Joe off the street to perform the part, and it would probably have gone at LEAST as well.

Yeah, I think the whole package is not working. Better to just say, OK he got his live action cameo, and then put him back on the shelf for another decade or two (think Raiders of the Lost Ark DOD warehouse!). At most, let him guest star on a couple eps of the kid/teen-focused animated shows that seem all the rage right now…lol

Well the problem might be for over a decade his only acting experience he has had is playing “Wil Wheaton” on Big Bang theory. So it really doesn’t come as a surprise he is coming off as himself a bit here.

Not SNW, that’s, uh, good for any of the other shows.

He could literally appear on any show now which is crazy. I would be curious to see how Travelers control Watchers like Gary Seven and Tallinn. They are hinting at a bigger mythology. I wonder if they are setting something up for future stories in the shows?

I did love seeing Wesley back but I do agree with others, if he does come back again, hopefully Wheaton’s acting is a little stronger.

So we got Travelers, Q, Guinan’s new superpowers, and of course the Holodeck. What a great tool-bag for lazy writers who can’t give us a real Star Trek science fiction space travel story every week like we are suppose to get from this franchise?

Starting with Berman, and continuing with JJ and Kurtzman, we are getting way too many convenient plot device characters who are like superheroes who can show up whenever they want and do nearly whatever in the hell they want to do.

I hope SNW stays away from all of that.

I wouldn’t hold my breath! ;)

It’s the SAME people who are writing for all these shows. I don’t know why people don’t acknowledge that? They are using the same tool bags because it’s all crazy sci fi and takes place in the same universe, it makes it easier to connect the multiple dots. And dude, TOS used god like super power aliens every season lol. Organians, Guardian of Forever, Metrons, Trelane, Charlie X, freaking Greek god Apollo and on and on. It didn’t start wit Berman. It started with Roddenberry. They have been doing using God like beings with superhero powers since 1966.

Some people got upset when the Guardian of Forever showed up in the 32nd century on Discovery but what did people expect? It’s a sentient machine that was already billions years old with very vague powers. Of course it can now morph into a guy who can hop to planet to planet and now have the ability to teleport people to other parallel universes because nothing before suggested that it can’t. That’s the very definition of lazy toolbag writing, but they are going to take advantage of it as we also saw it with Guinan on Picard (and that I dream of Genie summoning Q bottle she had just sitting at her bar was just astronomically stupid). Again, it’s the SAME people writing all this stuff. And there will be a lot more of it as we go in every new show.

People claim they want a return to TOS stories, well that’s what a lot of them dealt with. If people don’t want Q’s, Organians and Travelers, I get that, but that’s what Star Trek has been doing since 1966. You can’t complain about it now.

“  all crazy sci fi and takes place in the same universe, it makes it easier to connect the multiple dots. And dude, TOS used god like super power aliens every season lol ”

Exactly. Those complaining about omnipotent beings being on the new shows really haven’t been paying attention. A lot of Star Trek fans just like to be miserable and angry all the time.

There is a subset of fans who seems to have the delusional idea Star Trek at its core is a hard sci fi show that relies on theoretical science and concepts to tell their stories.

I have NO idea where they got this from, but it certainly wasn’t from Star Trek itself. Star Trek is obviously not a fantasy based concept like Star Wars, but it’s not The Expanse either. And I think for some strange reason some fans want Star Trek to be closer to that show and not the show where Kirk outwits a Greek God or teams up with Abraham Lincoln on a planet for a fight to the death. The episode Wolf in the Field started as a standard murder mystery involving Scotty that concluded with the reveal a powerful non corporal alien entity snatching bodies for centuries was behind it and was also Jack the Ripper. THAT’s the show you’re watching. You’re not going to find anything like that on The Expanse.

Star Trek exists in a very trippy universe where any and every possible thing can happen in it. What other show can have an alien snap his fingers and suddenly everyone is in Sherwood Forest playing Robin Hood? Or go to a planet where anything you imagine can literally exist? That’s why I love it, it’s so ridiculous and absurd lol, but very imaginative absurdity.

The omnipotent and multidimensional alien thing is something Roddenberry was really obsessed with beyond anyone else running Star Trek after him. We all know the story how Q was created, because he was forced to add another hour to Encounter at Farpoint and just on a whim came up with another god like alien to fill the time. The Traveler, in case people forgot, came from his time running TNG too. That just seem to be his go-to box. He was also the guy that wanted Kirk to meet an alien Jesus in a movie. In TAS, there is an episode where the Enterprise run into a planet full of Satans with magical powers in the center of the galaxy. The Star Trek universe is filled with these freaks lol. This is the show you’re watching and TOS did it more than any show since.

Well said. But, you know, the Expanse first couple of seasons basically turned people into superhuman space zombies courtesy of the protomolecule.

True, but that would’ve just been a typical episode in a season of Star Trek. The Expanse really didn’t go into the bizarre very much. But I still haven’t seen the last season so I could be missing something.

You’re making me laugh as I agree. But TOS did “stand for” more science in the SF than anything else running at the time. Prentend-Hard-Science was part of the branding.

I certainly believe that for its time and why people were so enamored with it. And of course I’m not saying Star Trek doesn’t have a strong emphasis on real science. At its backbone, what is great about the show is that it does try to frame everything through a scientific lens. But same time, it only relies on hard science when it suits the story they are telling. Anytime it doesn’t they just throw any ridiculous idea they want but still frame it where at least sounds sciency enough even if nothing about it is remotely feasible which its been doing for over 50 years now.

And of course, a lot of Star Trek have believable and straight forward story telling. And those are the episodes people point to as why the show is considered more lofty in the genre than others. Philosophical debates over if an android should be considered a sentient life or not is something right out of an Issac Asimov story. Stories about an automated planet killing machine from another galaxy is very solid science fiction as well.

But then the next week, it will be about going back in time to past Earth to stop someone from destroying the timeline (yet again). The week after that, the crew are fighting aliens dressed as Nazis. Hell, one episode actually combined both of those things lol. It’s imaginative and (usually) thoughtful in all the best ways we think of Star Trek, but yeah at its core, it’s also really really silly.

I just wish people stopped treating this property as if it’s some kind of documentary of the future or a hard look of how technology and discovering real alien life would one day look like.

I’m trying to imagine some day, when man will be able to harness incredible energies that will hurl us trillions of miles to other worlds in spaceships just to run into ‘aliens’ that look and act completely human, built exact replicas of Earth looking cities and their entire civilization somehow became influenced by either Nazism or bad 1920s Chicago gangster movies. Fun for Star Trek but none of that exactly screams hard science fiction either.

And let’s be honest: the core concept of a “starship” being operated like a 1960s aircraft carrier is absurd. It may have made sense as a storytelling device in the 1960s, and maybe even the 1990s, but in the 21st century there are people with self-driving cars. The idea that something as complex as a starship would have human “navigators” steering the ship is just silly.

I think you are 1/2 right. Star Trek has always from the beginning shown beings that have abilities that go far beyond what humans can do, but I would call them abilities, not powers. Even the Q continuum, to quote Q2, shouldn’t be thinking of as of as omnipotent but far more evolutionary advanced than humans. Yes people like Troi have abilities that humans don’t but Trek is much more likely to explain this in the realm of science than magic.

When explaining Troi’s mental capabilities as it were Trek is more likely to say that Troi has a developed part of her brain that can read transmitted brain waves than they are to say that she can use the force.

Yeah of course you’re right. I wasn’t really implying they just got them like a superhero does and that is the difference obviously. As you said, these are just species that evolved in time. Some probably billions of years. But one thing Star Trek rarely do is explain how aliens got all their crazy abilities and just basically leave it for people to decide. No one in their right mind can explain something like the Q or even Travelers became as powerful as they did, which is OK. It’s all just fiction and many things you have to just accept as true.

But they are all part of the Star Trek universe and what’s crazy is a lot of beings in Star Trek are way more powerful than you would find in any comic book universe. I’m trying to think who in Marvel or DC are as powerful as the Q Continuum? There could be someone but I don’t know who personally. But once again, why Star Trek is fun, because so many of these entities exist in the first place which you DON’T find in a lot of other space operatic genres.

Agreed. But to answer your question from the DC universe / Watchmen we have Dr Manhatten

LOL, you are correct of course.

I think just dealing with this sort of thing for 10 freaking eps of Picard that could have been condensed into a two-part ep just has me down.

All is not lost with my comment though — look who scored some points here, happy to throw a desperately needed bone…LOL

Well we fully agree on Picard. Yeah that didn’t need to be ten episodes and some of the Guinan stuff like the Astral Projection scene in the FBI basement almost took me out of the show lol. We never seen an El Aurian do that before. But yes, as long as there isn’t anything in canon that says they CAN’T astral project themselves, then its all fair game I guess. But just because you can doesn’t mean you should!

But I actually thought how they used Q worked. People complained about him being on the show because he’s always been too magical but this is the most grounded he’s ever been used I thought. I am not super happy how he was used overall but I didn’t mind that direction either. But the show had another HUGE missed opportunity of something as big as a Q dying as something they could’ve really explored on the show and gave the season a real layer it was missing. Instead, it was done in the most lazy way possible with Q spouting off a few lines about it and that was it. But we really needed 3 episodes of Rios stuck in ICE custody. Sigh

“some of the Guinan stuff like the Astral Projection scene in the FBI basement almost took me out of the show lol. We never seen an El Aurian do that before.”

I turned to my wife, and said, “is this Charmed or Star Trek?” Like WTF was that, right? ;-)

Good points on Q. Rio’s romance was boring and so contrived, yet the actors really tried…and the acting overall by the cast (excepting young Guinan who I did not find convincing) saved the season for being a lot worse.

Also, if you are going to have Whoopie appear in the season, then use her in all the Guinan eps…hundreds of year lifespan, no need to have a younger replacement?

Finally, and please, the never ending versions of Dr. Soongs have run their course…JUST STOP ALREADY!

If I start talking about last season of Picard, I’ll get the urge to throw something. So much made no sense. Rios entire arc in season 2 was to just meet a girl and stay behind. He did practically nothing dealing with the mission itself because they gave him nothing to do. Yes the actor really tried. They all did, most were just wasted. Seven and Raffi spent the entire season looking for people basically. The only one that had anything close to an interesting arc was Jurati and the Borg Queen. And II hated how that was resolved too.

And yeah stop with the Soongs. We know Spiner will be back next season but if he’s not playing Data don’t great another Soong. They will probably bring back Alta Soong but I’m starting to think the producers are now looking at it as a long running joke but they are the only ones who thinks it’s funny.

Yeah, we are at the point where a Soong appearance/reference Trek ep viewing drinking game may be viable, and that’s not a good thing.

I’m not loving the fact that Adam Soong and to a minor extent Q are the ones responsible for Khan.

Regarding the whole Whoopi thing, that was probably done because of the View more than anything else. She is VERY busy.

Thank you for mentioning Fake Guinan’s “I Dream of Jeannie” bottle. I thought I was the only one who saw it that way.

I have a question. Leaving aside the issue of who comes from what timeline, if Guinan looked the same in 1893 as she did in the TNG era, why doesn’t she look the same in 2024?

“I have a question. Leaving aside the issue of who comes from what timeline, if Guinan looked the same in 1893 as she did in the TNG era, why doesn’t she look the same in 2024?”

GREAT QUESTION

They should have just had Whoopie play her the entire season. I don’t know if there was a cost issue or perhaps a superficial appearance concern, but I would have much preferred Whoopie and the gravitas that she brings to that part regardless of cost or any other possible concerns. She is Guinan.

Even hopped up on steroids like she said she was, Goldberg would have been a much more engaging scene partner in the 2024 setting. It was hard to see Guinan in Aghayere’s performance. A big part of that is in the writing though, we already have seen how hard it is for even the same actors to bridge drastically altered characterizations. But I kept thinking back to how much TNG’s Rascals got the voice of the de-aged characters right, Guinan in particular.

That bottle was the low point for me in a season of low points. Really, in a show about advanced technology and communication, you’re using mystic bottles to summon an alien presence….that you keep in a bar? Why not just use a crystal ball then, but I guess that might be seen as silly…

As for the look of Guinan, I think the producers was afraid that people couldn’t ignore Whoopi Goldberg had simply aged since she still would’ve looked different from her time in TNG. To be honest I don’t know what they could’ve done that satisfied everyone.

But many people have pointed out that Soong’s, Soji’s and Laris’ 2024 ‘ancestors’ oddly look exactly like their future versions centuries later; but Guinan in 2024 who is suppose to be the same character looks totally different lol. This show man, I swear.

The more I think about that, the more pissed off I get about that moronic scene.

That bottle scene really was epically stupid. The only thing I can possibly do to “head canon” my way out of that is that the Q gave it to the El Aurians as a metaphor and the bottle really isn’t a bottle at all but rather a symbol of a gesture of peace.

Right, because the original series or TNG would never use any silly magic

<eyeroll>

A lot of Star Trek comes off as magical because how advanced some of the tech or species are. I think we made that pretty clear. But no, I don’t remember anyone getting in touch with someone from a bottle either lol. That comes off silly to me, sorry. But If you can pinpoint me to that episode, I will stand corrected.

Honestly some canon issues just have to give way to real world issues. Whoopi Goldberg was probably just too busy to give that mush time to the show.

because whoopi doesn’t look the same? I swear, some people just love to bitch

There are a lot of issues I have with modern Trek but God like beings is not one of them. It’s silly to expect that all aliens we encounter “out there” will have human like limitations and be on Star ships.

Also I know we are only one EP in for SNW but that ep was great and unlike PIC, reviewers have seen 1/2 the season of SNW already and they are raving so far so even if these are the same writers I am hopeful the 3rd time is the charm for live action Tv Trek.

I don’t either of course. I really love a lot of those stories and Q is one of my favorite characters of all time. Star Trek has always been based more on a ‘what if’ scenario and it’s more about the possibilities than actual reality. That’s what some fans either don’t get or just don’t acknowledge when they desperately try to treat the show as a hard Physics lesson instead of the utterly fantastical and mystical universe it exists in. And maybe we do live in that type of universe in real life too. If you truly believe a God exist, which is as fantastical and mystic as you can get, then nothing stops the other supreme beings we see on Star Trek from existing either. They just may not exist in our own galaxy but they too can be out there somewhere.

I’m repeating myself a lot, but it’s why I love Star Trek. It’s probably the greatest imaginative science fiction property in history. And for me the trippier these stories and aliens get the better Star Trek it is! I hope we run into species like the Q as long as Star Trek continue existing.

As for SNW, I’m hopeful about it and I really did like the first episode. Hopefully after Discovery and Picard this will be a show that is more in their wheelhouse and doesn’t leave me frustrated every season like I have felt for the past six with the other two.

I think that is one things DIS S4 got right. Making the aliens of the season so fantastical.

I think the Aegis ought to either have been left mysterious, or explored more fully. Merely saying that the Aegis were really Travellers and leaving it at that was a bit of a cop-out.

Also, he should have shaved the beard. It’s Wheaton’s trademark as a talk show host/blogger, but it does not fit with his *character*.

I agree with you, there could’ve been more for sure. Yeah, it was basically rushed and only half thought out…but you have watched the season as a whole? That’s sort of its M.O. ;)

And I would LIKE to think it’s just the start of the story and they two species relationship will have a bigger arc going forward. Now that they have reintroduced both the Travelers and the Aegis maybe we will see them more in SNW or even Discovery.

Or it will probably be dropped and forgotten kind of like how the Synths and XBs were after season one. This one is probably the right answer unfortunately.

Maybe they hoped this would have been a “growing the beard” moment 2.0 LOL

For a while I was thinking that the producers might be building up to an epic confrontation between the supernatural powered beings of the Trek universe. If they get the metrons and the organians involved then we’ll see.

I just commented this above. But for over a decade his only acting experience he has had is playing “Wil Wheaton” on Big Bang theory. So it really doesn’t come as a surprise he is coming off as himself a bit here.

Goldsman’s comments (“What about Wesley?”) and that they needed Kore to “go somewhere” accurately depict the problem with the finale, and you could say the second season as a whole. A feeling of being rushed, and out of the blue, sometimes unnecessary plot twists. It would’ve been great if they would’ve alluded to Wesley at any other point in the season, or re-introduced him in Kore’s story sooner. It felt like undeserved moment of awkward fan service. Glad Wheaton is still getting work in the universe, but his cameo was a lowlight of the season for me.

Yeah, that ‘what-about-ism’ is becoming a sticking point for me. Not just in Star Trek but in popular culture in general. So many things we watch now contain these setups for more and more content. It’s almost like the shows themselves are becoming their wiki sites. Follow this link to see more!

But I don’t always want to see more. Sometimes a self-contained story is preferable.

Did anyone really want Wesley to come back? Besides a little more information about the Traveler and to clarify whether the Nemsis scene was valid or not (which we’ve now got), is there anything else for him to do? I don’t blame Will for taking a job but the writers need to show some restraint.

Can we please just focus on new characters? Apart from Discovery still limping along, all of the current projects are nostalgia bait. And even Discovery started that way.

I know new characters are a bigger risk but they literally just threw away a mostly well received crew for no reason in Picard. Soon every actor in Trek will either be old or playing a younger version of an older actor’s character. The franchise cannot continue that way.

I don’t disagree that much, but nostalgia bait works and why people were so excited for shows like Picard and SNW in the first place. Those have been the biggest hyped shows thus far. Paramount sees that and the idea is probably to just do more like those.

I agree fully though I would love the next show to be with completely new characters in a post-Picard show. I DON’T have a problem with seeing old characters at all of course but now that we have three shows staring legacy characters (Picard, Janeway and Pike), it would be nice to have a show with totally new characters again.

I would like whatever show replacing Picard to be something new in the 25th century. Most of us thought the Picard cast was being prepped to spin off for a possible Stargazer show and couldn’t be more wrong lol. I guess it could still happen if Seven is now a Starfleet officer, but that wouldn’t exactly be a new character of course. And I have a feeling if there is a spin off show from Picard it probably will be with another TNG character as well. Now that Star Trek is behind a pay wall, they probably feel this will entice more casual fans to watch.

I agree, I do like having old characters sprinkled into new shows here and there and it’s a nice way to see characters from different shows interact. Use old characters as seasoning, not the main course. TNG did it right with Spock, McCoy, and Scotty.

Is SNW being hyped because it is nostalgia bait? Or because it’s a promise of a return to an episodic show? Neither Enterprise not Discovery worked well as prequels and I don’t think anyone was really asking for another one.

And I still can’t believe they threw a Stargazer spinoff away. WTF were they thinking. Unless they are hoping to do a Gary Seven/Khan/Adam Soong show that nobody wants, I have no idea what possessed them.

With SNW, it’s both but I think it’s clearly more nostalgia bait than anyting. We didn’t even know SNW would be episodic until over a year after it was announced. People really just wanted to see Pike and Spock again on the original Enterprise.

And I can’t act like I’m immune to seeing legacy characters back. Out of all the new shows, the two I was most interested in was Picard and SNW by far. Picard was a little different though. I was excited that Patrick Stewart was coming back, but frankly I was more excited we were finally getting a post-Nemesis show. But having Picard again made it feel extra special. I didn’t care that much about Prodigy because it sounded like something more for kids until the day it was announced Janeway would be on it and as a pivotal character. I became excited for the show from that point on.

So these things work lol. And they work very well. They make a lot more headlines obviously. But for fans like us, we’re excited for any thing as long as the premise itself is interesting enough. But that doesn’t mean everyone will care either and we are living in a competitive franchise streaming war. Look at Star Wars, it too seems to think fans will only care more if they bring Luke, Boba Fett, Ashoka and etc to all the new shows. The Mandalorian started out as it’s own thing with original characters. But by the second season it was now a back door to bring in every character from the OT and prequels it could. I;m expecting Yoda to show up in third season lol.

As for Star Trek, we could still get a Stargazer show of some kind. I’m much less hopeful now for it, but it doesn’t stop them from filling it with new characters and Seven as a holdover IF enough people call for it loud enough.

And they know fans really just want another Starship based show in the 25th century now that Picard is winding down. So hopefully we’ll get something in that direction at least.

I was excited about Picard because of Picard of course but what I wanted to show in canon that the Prime universe continued after the events of Star Trek 2009. I know TPTB said it did but there was nothing that said they couldn’t change their minds still Picard happened.

One of the big reasons I wanted a post Nemesis show was also due to the events after Romulus was destroyed. I remember watching the 2009 movie and I became much more excited about going back to the Prime Universe and the state the Alpha Quadrant would be in after that.

And when it was revealed Picard was coming back, that was actually the first thing I was curious about, would they include Romulus as part of the show, which of course they did. I still had some issues with how it was handled (mostly being in the back drop and the Mars story line really taking precedent) but I was just happy to see it included. And they can always focus on it more in the future. They don’t really need to but with so much Trek coming I suspect they will at some point again.

Yeah same here. I’m happy it was addressed but I’m sad that the entirety of Starfleet seemed to go to the dark side after that

I think it would have been cool if Seven had crossed paths briefly with Not-Ducane (the FBI guy) and done like a double-take when she sees him (even though he’s older).

LOL, that would’ve been a funny easter egg.

But what would’ve been even better? If Seven crossed paths with the actual Ducane! So many many missed opportunities.I just don’t get how badly this season was designed, especially by show runners who act like big fanboys themselves.

I think it would have been cool if they somehow got David Duchovney for the role LOL. Maybe Robert Patrick.

Seven isn’t just a Starfleet officer now, IIRC she is a Captain. She could totally be the next Captain of the Stargazer and lead her own Star Trek: Seven show. But I would prefer it if Raffi wasn’t there. I have no issues with LGBTQ but I just don’t like that character. She can come back as a frequent guest star to keep the relationship.

The Seven thing is still confusing to me though. We’ll see what they do with it next season but I have a hard time believing Picard giving her a field commission means she is now Captaining a ship. Many think it’s more silly than actual Travelers lol. But this is part of the same brain trust who made Kirk a Captain in the KU, so you can’t be shocked by anything they do. But I won’t be complaining about it at all (unlike Kirk). It would be great if she was in charge of the Stargazer next season!

As for Raffi, she was originally one of my favorite characters when she was introduced but then soured for me by the end of the first season. I originally loved she was sassy and not a perfect person. But then she got more annoying and overbearing as it went on. I don’t mind she will be there next season (someone from the old cast has to be ;)) but I don’t think I would’ve missed her if she was gone too. Seven and Rios were the only two characters I truly loved on the show and hey least half of them are coming back lol.

I tend to think of it like this. Picard has done something similar like this before with Wesley. Wesley still needed to go to the academy though because even tho he was a genius he was never trained. Seven doesnt have that issue. She has the assimilated knowledge of SF captains as we learned from VOY.

I get that, but didn’t you just proclaim here last week that you aren’t going to watch any more eps from the Kurtzman team? If so, why would it matter to you what they do with the characters since you will not be watching any of the series’ regardless? No worries, but you certainly sounded like you were just moving on from all this anyway?

I said I didn’t feel like watching anymore because I was annoyed at how they ended Picard. I did say in one comment that I wasn’t saying it to be dramatic and that I might very well change my mind if the new shows look appealing or if I’m able to better seperate them in my mind.

I do want to watch new Star Trek but as things go so far, I’ve reached a point where I’m tired of not enjoying it. I do think I would enjoy a new show more if they focused on new characters in a post Nemsis setting, as well as fixing the obvious things like plot issues.

So to summarize, it matters to me because I want to enjoy new Star Trek. If they keep making poor choices, I have to accept new Trek is not for me, which I don’t really want to do.

OK, thanks.

If you look back just a few weeks, Wheaton was having to field quite a few “But what about Wesley?!” questions from people who were annoyed he wasn’t part of the season 3 TNG reunion.

Wesley makes sense if you are bringing everyone else back. I’m sure people would react the same way if someone else was seemingly left out. However, I don’t think many people were calling for a solo Wesley appearance before that and certainly not multiple appearances.

That’s a pretty specific little needle you’re threading.

Not really.

I found your comment about “nostalgia bait,” interesting. There is a whole broadcasting industry built around nostalgia. MeTV, Cozi TV, Laff TV just to name a few. In some markets,the Andy Griffith Show, wins in its time slot, Which raises another question(s)? How do we recreate that show? Should we? Should we film it in 4X3 aspect ratio, in black and white? Should Aunt Bea be in a same sex relationship, helping raise Opie? I know I’m being a bit silly, using the AG show as an example, but these are the questions Trek has to answer, when reimagining a show. What aspects do we honor and respect? What aspects do we bend or ignore? Will AG “purists” watch it?

You’re right that nostalgia does sell but it’s not sustainable long term. New actors playing known characters are seldom more popular than the original (unless it’s a minor character like Pike), plus the more they focus on a character, the messier respecting canon becomes. There’s also the issue of characters being written very differently than before, such as we have recently seen with Seven and Picard, and Kirk in the JJ verse.

Saying that, I do think it’s fine to use a restrained amount of nostalgia bait to encourage people to watch the new shows. Plus it’s fun to see characters from different shows interact with each other. But the franchise is going to burn itself out very quickly if they continue this way. The TNG crew looked tired in Nemesis and that was 20 years ago. In Picard, PatStew seemed hoarse in some scenes and looked like he needed a stunt double to climb some stairs (understandable considering his age). Even Wesley is now almost 50.

I don’t know about AG specifically, but comparing with TOS, obviously some things need to be continually updated to keep the show looking futuristic, but without losing the classic Star Trek look. An example of this would be a holographic LCARS screen.

Pike is easy to recast because even though he has been played by 2 other actors already he has only ever been in 2 episodes of Trek.

I can’t believe you’re actually asking this question. The schizophrenia in some aspects of the fan base is jaw dropping. We want new characters and de-age/digitize/deep fake Shatner (or any other dead actor in Trek) are pretty common in the same conversation.

I was never a Wesley Crusher fan, but that was because it was rare that the writers really knew what to do with him. Despite that, I was delighted to see Wesley as a Traveler in Picard, and would also be happy to see him pop up in other series. This even opens the door for a multi-show crossover plot, with the different crews in their different times and places having to play some role in setting something right.

But here’s an even bigger idea. Have Traveler Wesley show up in other Paramount/CBS shows. This would never happen (who would care except Star Trek fans), but I love the idea of Wesley traveling around interacting with entirely different shows to pull pieces together to solve some sort of galaxy-threatening problem.

an MCU level connected plot involving multiple series at once, culminating in a two hour epic would be inspired. Alas….probably beyond their will to do such a thing.

“ This even opens the door for a multi-show crossover plot, with the different crews in their different times and places having to play some role in setting something right.”

i hope it wouldn’t be one of those things where parts of the story are in one series and parts are in another series that maybe you don’t watch. They did that with “Sleepy Hollow” and that David Boreanaz show, which apparently take place in the same universe (and maybe Tommy Westphal is there too). I didn’t watch the Boreanaz show, so there were parts of “Sleepy Hollow” that didn’t make any sense to me. I can understand why network shows might do that, to increase viewership for the other show and try to sell more products through its commercials, but I don’t see why they’d need to do it on a streaming platform. If you’re signed up for Paramount+ you have access to all the Star Trek shows, so what do the “network” execs care if you’re not watching one or more of the shows? I’m watching only “Picard” and “Strange New Worlds.”

I would like to see Wesley as a bit like the Observer from Fringe (although hopefully without the eventual invasion from the future). He could just pop up in the background of the various Trek shows.

I would hate that idea. Hate it. Wesley is one of the least liked characters in Trek history. Why would anyone want him showing up in various Trek shows?

The supervisor Garry Seven back in TOS, was supposed to lead into a spin off show, which never came. Linking the travellers and supervisors brings the whole background story back into the throw.

I’d genuinely like to see another attempt at a Gary Seven like character.

A made for streaming movie, with Wesley, including perhaps other established characters (perhaps some of those dropped from Picard or recurring characters from older series), could be fun and profitable in it’s own right while introducing the Watchers/supervisors.

So Wesley can be in Halo and Yellowstone then? An Halo appearance might be doable but I really can’t see how it’ll work in Yellowstone unless Taylor Sheridan plans to make a Yellowstone spin-off set in space.

I like it a lot.

I’m tired of fans whinging about what was cut from Nemesis.

Why should a trivial deleted scene from a film that nearly killed the franchise, and was directed by someone who didn’t understand Trek at all, have any relevance?

In Treklit, Wesley remained a traveler and it worked very, very well. The Relaunch universe isn’t Prime Universe canon now, but the idea of Wesley connecting Trek continuity across the multiverse is excellent.

If anything, I’m grateful for what was cut from Nemesis. The deleted scenes aren’t any better than what we got, and the fates of Wesley, Worf and Crusher that John Logan wrote in them are unimaginative at best and totally contradict the well-considered trajectories set up for them at worst.

Oh no, please don’t turn Trek into the Arrowverse lol

Love the guy and the role, but that beard is just not working, dude.

SO enjoyed Wesley’s return to the ST screen,, and cementing his place in the lore as a Traveller. Watched the ep at midnight when it dropped, almost woke the kids with my jumping around in delight. Kudos Wil, on both Wesleys and your own personal arcs. You have persevered through some tough times in each, and are all the better for the journey! 🖖👍👏

Yeah, Wes’s return was the best thing about the episode.

I was super excited to see him too but by that point in the episode, I was kind of ready for it to end. So to get a surprise like that was nice IMO; especially since he was talking up how he wasn’t going to be in season 3 (and he could still be lying about that) so it was kind of a nice misdirect.

Also people are complaining he just looked (and sounded) too much like Wil Wheaton. That’s true but I think wearing regular street clothes was really the bigger mistake. They should’ve put him in a costume like a Traveler would wear. And no he didn’t have to actually meet her on a random street either. He could’ve appeared anywhere (although now thinking about it since they beamed out on a public street in daylight, what difference would wearing a futuristic costume have made? So another reason to do it). But the scene feels weak because it does feel like it’s Wheaton sounding and acting like Wheaton. Make it a little more interesting and make it clear the guy is coming from space to meet her and not from his house.

I’d like to add a nitpick – he shouldn’t have beamed out, they should have reused that Venetian blind visual effect of how the Travelers phased out of time and space.

Yep another odd decision. Why not have the same effects of the original? I liked that the Watcher had something more unique as well and should’ve did something different for that scene too if they didn’t want to do the original effect. Not a huge deal but it felt odd to me too like they were just beaming to another ship or something.

100% correct.

I got a solution to their squabbles…use his Traveler character in with Prodigy and/or Lower Decks. Get him to appear in an episode in which a frequent character screws up with the string theories and the Traveler (Wesley) hopefully accompanied by Kore, put the tangled cords of space-time back to their rightful state.

Believe they may already have. Because Picard show runner wanted him, and another ST show runner said you can’t have him are already using him.

In addition, why not feature him every once in a while in Section 31, but the story has to be plausible and valid enough to require his appearance.

If they tied the Section 31 show with the Temporal Cold War, they could do all kind of crazy things with a Traveler as well.

It would be fun.

The final books in the Relaunch Trek Litverse had Wesley trying to work with and save the Guardian of Forever at certain points.

There’s a lot of potential in the multiverse, Temporal Wars, the Watchers as well as the Guardian and Wesley the Traveler to work with.

Yeah that would be fun for sure!

And that’s the thing, these new shows are reintroduing more mystical characters and concepts in Trek; some we haven’t seen since TOS! We gotten Q, GOF, the Temporal Wars, Watchers and now Travelers mentioned or shown in very recent seasons. They also referenced the Kelvin universe in season 3 of Discovery. But does any of it MEAN anything? Do you think they are hinting at a bigger mythology in the future or is it all just a lot of references or one time story points for the fans to just feel like it’s all connected?

If it is something bigger then maybe this is all being set up for the Section 31 show and are dabbling more than just political and espionage stories. Maybe we will see time travel/multiverse plots and using the GOF and other entities fighting the TCW or something. I’m not really excited about this show but something like that would change that for sure!

They keep saying they want every show to feel different or unique, this would definitely fit that description. And it would maybe get more fans onboard who hate the concept of Section 31 and can see them more than just the evil black ops group.

I enjoyed it because I am a fan but honestly the whole season could have been done better with 2 hours.

2 might be too short. I’d say more like 4.

I would have thought it was the other way around – fighting to keep him off their show.

Nope. He’s been a sought after actor for over 35 years (Stand By Me).

I loved getting to see him, and hope to see him again. If not onscreen, then I’ll take comics/novels about the adventures of the Wes and Kore.

Wow, writers and producers really on a different planet to fans, nice to have him back but my god was that forced into the episode “just because we can”, and wasn’t Wesley…it was Will!

Seemed like Wesley enough to me, it’s been 30 damn years. The lines about the Tapestry of the universe just felt very Wesley to me, that even as a Traveller he still has some awe about it.

I think Wheaton hit it out of the park and don’t understand all the weird complaints on this board. Elsewhere, people seem to have loved him in the role. I say, keep bringing him back!

I have a LOT of criticisms for S2 (and S1) of Picard, but in both instances I think the entire cast gave it their best in each scene, trying to elevate the haphazard scripting as best they could. I also thought Wheaton was absolutely fine, and it was a nice little surprise cameo moment, which one must assume is going to be followed up on some way, and not dropped between seasons like so much else. People are saying he was more like Wheaton than Wesley, but as we haven’t seen Wesley properly in decades, why wouldn’t he act more like Wheaton? :)

Could be setting up a 50 year old promise to have a US based Who style knock-off w/ Gary Seven.

Dr. Whil-Wheaton show could have him partnering w/ the Temporal Investigations or…ugh…I don’t even want to type it, but: Section 31. X-Files meets Who w/ Wes at the center.

All I can say about Wil Wheaton’s return is “About time!” (no pun intended)

In the early days of TNG, Wil’s character suffered from lazy writing. Whenever the Enterprise got into some sort of trouble, it was usually the Chief Engineer du jour for the Epic Fail, then swoop in kid Wesley for the win! The fans were sick of it and it made them dislike Wesley. And that made even Wil Wheaton dislike Wesley! Ultimately it led to him leaving the show, with the occasional guest return. “The Game” was good use of Wesley-as-savior, with most of the crew being taken over, and Wesley and episode GF, managing to just stay ahead of them, and getting Data back online for the save. It was ultimately a team effort, with even Wesley in peril at the end, with no magic trick up his sleeve. But that was too, too late. The damage was already done.

This brings back Wesley as a full-fledged Traveler, and perhaps even sets up further reappearances, or maybe even another Trek-related series at some point. And at long last, fans had actually been clamoring for Wheaton to return on PICARD, even upset for him, that he wasn’t announced for season 3 like the rest of the TNG cast.

What made them dislike Will even worse was ‘Shut up Wesley’. He’s still having to overcome that. I say: ‘Shut up haters’.

Welcome back Wesley. Now let’s see Sybok and Spock: The Wonder Years.

I also got a kick out of the Wesley cameo, but because I see him weekly on the Ready Room he should have changed up his appearance. It was jarring to see Wil approach Kore instead of Wesley. As others have said losing the beard would have been an easy solution.

I’m appreciating everyone’s differing perspectives on Picard S2. Not arguing or bickering, just varying points of view. I agree with those who point out the weak writing. It would serve Paramount well to hire a respectable script consultant to go over the writing before production begins, maybe Ronald Moore? Some of the writers in this chat would also make for excellent feedback, although we know the stuffed shirts putting these shows together would never have it.

Other random thoughts: I agree with whoever said Whoopi should have played Guinan in 2024. She knows the character better than anyone. The younger version just didn’t work for me and pulled me out of the narrative.

Too much time spent with Rios in ICE custody. Less ICE and a little more Rene Picard would have been appreciated.

I too had my hopes set on a Stargazer show. Despite the writing issues I had come to care about this new cast developed over two seasons. We really do need a new show set in the 25th century. Rios’ personality and swagger were pretty much wasted this season. Rios, Raffi, Seven and Elnor would have made a good foundation for a crew.

I don’t mind characters from TNG, DS9 or Voyager showing up on a new crew as long as they aren’t shoehorned in. No more stunt casting for cameos.

Please, NO MORE SOONGS! Probably wishful thinking because Brent is coming back yet again next season and he’s not playing Data.

For what it’s worth, most of the cast gave it their all. And I thought the conclusion was decent. Q and Picard’s final moments were well done.

I think Ron Moore is absolutely done with Trek which in a way is a good thing because thats why we got BSG. His final years in Trek seemed like they were torture for him which is in part why we got Star Trek Generations.

Not just weak writing, but weak Direction when Jon Frakes is unavailable. It would have been simple for the Director, when looking at ‘dailys’ to say, “that seems off, let’s have Will shave and put on a costume and walk thru the portal, instead of beaming up’.

I just have so enjoyed how fussed the Wes-haters have been about this. LOL

Do people ever get tired of whining about everything? I wonder ….

Bit “Doctor Who” innit?

Frankly, Wil returning a Wesley is as cool as Tom Baker returning as “The Curator” in the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special.

Fought over? You mean, like, to the death?

with the Amok Time music playing in the background? :))

For the people who say that Wil Wheaton seemed a bit too much like Wil Wheaton and not enough like Wesley Crusher… let me posit that you are perhaps right, but that it actually makes a lot of sense in the context of Star Trek.

Wil Wheaton has talked a lot about the fact that he was abused and taken advantage of as a child and teenger — he was *profoundly* unhappy in real life. This bled over into his portrayal of Wesley Crusher, who was also quite sullen a lot of the time. Wheaton has described himself as a young man who grew up without a father, and that his two major characters (Gordie in Stand By Me as well as Wesley) happened to also be young men who grew up without a father.

Wil and Wesley have always been very closely linked.

Nowadays Wil writes about how he has escaped a destiny he didn’t want (being trapped as an actor) and developed into a happy and well-adjusted adult who loves his life and his job. Think about it — Wesley has also escaped a destiny he didn’t want (being trapped in Starfleet) and developed into a happy and well-adjusted adult who loves his life and his job. In other words, Wesley — like Wil — is truly happy and free as a Traveler in a way he never got to be as a regular human.

So the portrayal of a smily, happy Wesley (who resembles a smily, happy Wil) makes a hell of a lot of sense to me. He’s living his best life, just like Wil is living his. Honestly, I think it’s perfect. I totally buy that this is what Wesley looks like after he sheds all his baggage and is free to just be the ideal version of himself.

That is a fair point, Gilbetron. Nicely said.

Thanks for saying this Gilberton.

It needed to be in this thread and it’s well put.

Fair point. Also I would add (as I have above) that Wil has spent over a decade now literally playing the character of Wil Wheaton on the Big Bang Theory so these days it is more natural for him that ever before to play the role of himself.

Psychologically, right on point! I was thinking along similar lines,but you nailed it.

Without knowing what they do with Worf in season 3, it’s fascinating to me how much leeway we have just because Nemesis was too long and had a number of deleted scenes that would have spelled out the next steps for so many characters. Because their scenes were deleted, Wesley was free to be a Traveler again, Worf could have remained an ambassador and Beverly might not have gone back to Starfleet medical.

I will say I wish they’d found a little time for Beverly to miss her son. She rarely talked about him in seasons 5-7, and never in the movies. Then he becomes a Time Lord and now refers to his identity as Wesley Crusher as a past life? That’s gotta be hard on his mother. Obviously he’s seen her since he’s visible at Riker and Troi’s wedding, but imagine random visits from your son and he’s becoming less and less like the child you raised. It’s rather bittersweet and TNG really never did enough with this relationship.

And then from Wesley’s perspective, I have to wonder if he ever went back in time to meet his dad. I sense not many here are interested in this at all, but I for one never hated Wesley, and his little storyline in “Family” where he got the only message his father ever made for him was quite touching.

That’s a good point. And a great plot point. Do you go back in time to meet your father because you love and miss him so much. Or do you listen to the lessons you learn from your adoptive father Picard and not interfere with the timeline?

So basically Wesley is now the Uatu the watcher of the Trek universe and that means technically he can appear anywhere at anytime.

This is all about Wheaton. He would do anything to stay in front of any camera. The majority of fans aren’t interested in seeing him return to Trek. ” Shut up Wheaton”

I’m always bemused when people speak with such authority on the behalf of the majority of fans.

Wow, that just nasty.

Sounds like you can’t get over your own resentment about how the TNG writers wrote him as an unappealing child prodigy.

Especially mean-spirited as Wheaton was a child actor who pulled out of the business for an extensive period of time as an early adult and who has been quite forthcoming about his mental health struggles.

15 years ago he was better known as a very successful blogger than as an actor entertainer.

Sincerely, making these kinds of assertions in the absence of evidence are toxic.

Sheldon Cooper is freaking out right now.

If you look carefully in the background of the scene where Wesley meets Kore you can see security pinning him down.

For a very long time I struggled to understand how Wil felt when he would describe the early days of TNG and the toxic fandom that lingered over the decades. Then I read this thread and I suddenly understand how his time in Trek was both a gift (for the fan in him) and a curse (as someone with anxiety and depression issues). Holy cow am I disappointed in fans. A character we haven’t seen or heard from appeared on screen in a scene that basically canonized the actor’s head canon for the character. Not enjoying how it was worked into the story is one thing. But the negativity on this thread is just gross. Wil Wheaton is a human being, and while I have no idea if he reads this site, I sincerely hope he doest’t after seeing these comments.

Thanks for saying this. I agree that it’s awful.

I don’t even have an issue with the cameo, it’s consistent with his departure from TNG. People are going on about the entire three effin minutes he spent on screen like he was gleefully stomping baby kittens. Yeah, the general negative reaction is very embarrassing…

I LOVE Wil Wheaton, as a host, as an author, and as a survivor. His acting, in the season finale? His excitement got the better of him, and his performance, suffered for it. I wish the Director had have gave him more rehearsal time and what a crap location for shooting the scene. The Director Of Photography had zero room to work with and his shot options were few. It showed up in the editing of that part of the episode. Wil Wheaton deserved more than two pages of dialog, appearing as, well, Wil Wheaton, and not a Traveler.

I’m actually more thrilled that they made Wesley Crusher as a reference to TOS as well as the obvious TNG reference.

Give the guy a break. STNG basically shit canned Wil Wheaton after the show was off the air. I personally enjoyed seeing him in Picard. For those smucks that are hating on his performance, f#%k off.

The whole “Producers Fought Over Which New Shows Get To Bring Back Wesley Crusher” is a lie. They were not fighting over that Character, not in the least. The were probably deciding which show actually wants him. Lets be honest, Wil’s performance was basically the same as he acts on “The Ready Room” While his character was once part of TNG, he’s basically been forgotten and in some ways that’s a good thing. In other ways it’s sad. The character was only there to appease Gene Roddenberry’s ego. Which from what I’ve read over the years got bigger and bigger as the years went on.

it. was. a. joke!

If anybody deserved a guest spot on Star Trek Picard, it’s Will. He is one of its biggest fans. He has literally lived the life. I hope they have more of him.

My, and probably Wesley’s response: ‘Shut up, haters!’

Yeah, while I’m not getting why the blowback, it does make me understand the rationale some talent has offered up when walking away from the franchise.

I was really happy to see Wesley back. I hope we get to see more of him going forward. I much prefer we get to see him in live action shows.

Man, I’m not getting the vitriol being aimed at Wil Wheaton here. It’s a couple minutes of screen time and a few lines of dialog, the way people are going on you’d swear that Romeo and Juliet was being adapted for South Park.

Those who get upset regarding the criticism against Wheaton should give their head a shake. Actors in TV and film get praised or criticized by viewers every single day. No exceptions. If Wil Wheaton is so fragile and insecure that he can’t take the criticism of a bad performance, he should never have stepped in front of the camera in the first place. He may have been forced to perform as a child actor, but that was long ago and nobody is forcing him to be in show business now. He could have gotten some desk job if he didn’t want to endure the withering critiques of a bad acting performance, but did he do that? No, he elected to stay in show business. Well, it’s time to put on the big boy pants if you’re going to continue pursuing an acting career. Taking some acting classes wouldn’t hurt either.

I’m not the tiniest bit upset by the inter-webs reaction here. Anyone who’s been on this page for a while understands there are visitors here who would never, ever, have the stones to say to someone’s face the comments being shared here in relative anonymity. That isn’t criticism – it’s just rude. Context is everything, the raging going on that Mr. Wheaton’s entire existence has been nothing more then a waste of valuable oxygen because he had the audacity to f**k up a few lines in a cameo (in their opinion) defies explanation. It was a throw away scene to close up a lose end, not f**king Citizen Kane. If some in the fan base are that annoyed about it, you know it’s there, put on the big boy pants and fast forward through it.

Except for one thing; you can’t fast forward through a part you don’t like until you suffer through it for the first time, thus knowing you don’t like it. That leads to two negatives: One, you get yanked out of the episode in the first place by crap. Two, why should a viewer have to suffer through crap in the first place? The producers should get it right the first time (and not include subpar garbage).

They argued over him? “You take him”. “No, you take him, really!” “NO!” “I INSIST!!!”

“Take my Wesley, please!”

Sounds like a line from Data’s stand-up routine! :-D

Yes, originally spoken by Henny Youngman, “Take my wife, please!”

I think we are most likely to see Crusher show up on Discovery and / or Lower Decks, and perhaps season 3 of Picard. I don’t think he will have a big role in Picard if he does show up but it most certainly would not surprise me to see some type of reunion with his Mother Beverly Crusher in Picard. Perhaps a scene or two of him coming to the aid of the crew on the Enterprise against this new “villain” who is all the rage according to Terry Matalas. Just a side note, I think Matalas is going to deliver in season 3; he is a true Trek fan who lists TNG as his first love of Sci Fi and has made repeated comments of having the honor to properly give them the send-off they deserve, so I am excited for sure! And I am not one to criticize seasons 1 & 2, I enjoyed them and seeing Jean Luc Picard back was a thrill I never thought I would see again, so to me it was all “gravy” if you will, vs. others who have been spewing vitriol towards the show. I understand with some of the reasons why folks seem to hate it, and as another poster mentioned, the type of folks who tend to post negative stuff and why they do are mostly folks who either 1) Never watched TNG and / or have little past connection with it or the characters; or 2) Did and would have only been satisfied with a 100% continuation of TNG, which Steward would not have agreed to do and it would not have done the series justice, it would be much too far-fetched to simply have them on the Enterprise blasting around the quadrant, but I am relatively confident that now we know season 3 is the closing chapter, it will be very well received by fans, as the quality/gravitas of the writers, the production pros who have come back for season 3, and the huge show budget vs. TNG itself, all combine so I have never been as excited for a TV show or movie as I am for Picard season 3! I too grew up watching it, as a 20 year old I was able to watch it (and related movies – and yes I enjoyed all of them, even Nemesis) in real time over the years, and although it took me almost a year to warm up to the new crew because I was a avid TOS fan of the reruns and the characters, to me it is easily the best and most beloved cast of characters ever, not to mention it being Star Trek! Thank you in advance to Terry Matalas and for Steward and the rest of the legacy characters for doing this! I really almost don’t care if season 3 were written by a high school newspaper volunteer contributor group, just to see them all together one more time and knowing what they have been doing for the past 37 years will have an indelible impact on my life…

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Star Trek viewers shocked as ‘most despised character’ ever returns

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Star Trek viewers seem to have finally embraced a character who was once dubbed the franchise’s ‘most despised’.

First introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation , Wesley Crusher has always been played by actor Wil Wheaton , first appearing on screen when he was just 15-years-old .

During that spin-off, he appeared over 85 episodes between 1987 and 1994.

He then returned to Star Trek in 2002 and 2022, reprising his role in cameo appearances in Star Trek: Nemesis, and in the season 2 finale of Star Trek: Picard.

The son Beverly Crusher and Jack Crusher, Wesley was not well received by fans of the franchise, which clearly affected the actor.

Will, now 51, once shared that when he was younger, people gave him ‘such a hard time about Wesley Crusher’ that there was a time in his late teens and early twenties when he ‘resented Star Trek’.

‘It felt so unfair that people who had never met me were so cruel and hateful toward me as a person because they didn’t like a character I played on a TV show, I wanted to put Star Trek behind me and forget that it was ever part of my life.’

However he’s now made a return again but this time around fans have been far more welcoming.

After a cameo during Star Trek: Picard season 2’s finale last year, he recently featured in the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy.

In the episode titled The Devourer of All Things, Part 1 he surprised viewers when popping up, and they were pretty excited.

‘I never thought I would say this, but we need more Wesley Crusher!’ one fan posted on X.

‘When I was young, I thought Wesley Crusher was annoying…now that I am old and wise, I realise he was cool,’ someone else shared.

‘We were all disappointed that Wesley Crusher wasn’t in #StarTrekPicard season 3 after he cameoed in season 2’s finale. Thank the Travelers #StarTrekProdigy had something way better in the works!’ another added.

The tenth Star Trek series, Star Trek: Prodigy was created by Kevin and Dan Hageman and premiered in 2021.

It is the first to specifically target a younger audience, and the franchise’s first solely 3D animated series.

It follows a group of young aliens in the 24th century who find the abandoned starship Protostar and learn about Starfleet and also features the voices of Brett Gray, Ella Purnell and Jameela Jamil.

Kevin recently told Screen Rant that others seemed ‘afraid to touch’ Wesley and ‘bring the character back’, but they weren’t deterred.

‘I’m like, “Let’s do something great with him. Let’s make him a wonderful mentor, but a little scatterbrained and a little untrustworthy”.’

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Star Trek: The Next Generation — Wesley Crusher Comes Face-to-Face With His Late Father, Jack

"Family," Season 4, Episode 2

Wesley Crusher, who will be turning 18 soon, finally comes face-to-face with his late father, Jack.

Star Trek: The Next Generation actor kept his Prodigy return a secret for years

WARNING: This post contains spoilers from season two of Star Trek: Prodigy now streaming on Netflix.

Long before season two of Star Trek: Picard aired in 2022, one Star Trek: The Next Generation knew he was returning to the Star Trek franchise as more than a cameo. The final episode of Picard's season two brought The Next Generation's Wesley Crusher [ Wil Wheaton ] back for the briefest of moments. And it left fans wanting more, something which Star Trek: Prodigy delivered on in its second season. Surpisingly, though, Wheaton already knew about his return to Prodigy before filming began for season two of Picard, something which meant the actor had to keep a secret for a long time.

In an interview with Screenrant [ via CBR ], Wheaton shared that he had to keep the news about his Prodigy appearances a secret from more than just the fans. In fact, many of his castmates from The Next Generation weren't aware that he would be resuming the role of Wesley Crusher. The only two actors from TNG who knew were Jonathan Frakes and Gates McFadden.

The actor went on to say that for years people had been saying how they wanted to see Wesley again and asked Wheaton if he thought he would be in any of the Star Trek series like Strange New Worlds or Prodigy, a question which forced him to lie.

For years - years! - people have been saying to me, 'Man, I want to see Wesley again. Do you think he'll be in Strange New Worlds? Do you think you'll be in Prodigy? Do you think he'll be in –?' And every time I was like, 'I'm going to tell you a big old lie right now because that's what I have to do. I don't know.' So sorry, everybody. SURPRISE!"Wil Wheaton

Prodigy didn't just bring Wesley back for a brief pop-in. He returned as a much stronger character than he'd ever been before, even on The Next Generation. He had a reason for being there, a purpose, and his return made sense, considering what was happening in the timeline. Prodigy did right by Wesley!

This article was originally published on redshirtsalwaysdie.com as Star Trek: The Next Generation actor kept his Prodigy return a secret for years .

Star Trek: 6 Things You Didn't Know About Wesley Crusher

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The Boys Season 4 Ending, Explained

Wednesday season 2 broke a record, and here's what that could reveal about the next season, house of the dragon: the two betrayers & the dragonseeds hugh hammer and ulf white, explained.

Since its debut in 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation has been a significant part of global popular culture. The character Wesley Crusher, portrayed by actor Wil Wheaton, has played a substantial role in the series' timeline. Created by Gene Roddenberry, Wesley Crusher was the son of the Enterprise's doctor Beverly Crusher. He was intended to represent youthful intelligence and optimism; someone young people could look up to for inspiration. Throughout his time on the show, he consistently demonstrated an aptitude for mathematics and engineering that sometimes surpassed even the crew members.

RELATED: Star Trek: Things You Didn’t Know About Commander Riker

Wesley Crusher is one character that many fans have come to know and love over the years , but it wasn't always this way. He was the son of the ship's doctor Beverly Crusher and held a special place in Captain Picard's heart. While most people may recognize the character, there are still plenty of interesting facts that many surprise people.

6 When He First Appeared On The Show, Fans Hated Him

When the character of Wesley Crusher was introduced to the world of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987, many fans were unhappy. He was portrayed as a whiny teenager who thought he was more intelligent than everyone else, and that caused quite a bit of frustration among viewers. His character wasn't seen as very likable or relatable. It didn't help that despite only being fifteen years old, he seemed to repeatedly save the Enterprise in early show episodes, which fans found unrealistic.

Despite the initial hatred from fans , it didn't take long for them to change their minds about Wesley Crusher. As the series progressed and the show writers began to give the character a more fully fleshed-out personality, viewers began to appreciate his importance. They even recognized his value as a positive role model for kids watching at home, which is what the show's creator always wanted.

5 The Creator Of Lower Decks Wants To Bring Wesley Crusher Back

Since leaving The Next Generation , fans have wondered if they will ever see Wesley Crusher return as a character in a different Star Trek series. He made a cameo on Season 2 of Star Trek Picard but sadly was not invited back for season 3. Now, reports are surfacing that the creator of the animated spin-off Lower Decks , Mike McMahan, wants to bring back this beloved character.

RELATED: Where to Watch Star Trek: Lower Decks

McMahan spoke recently about his interest in bringing back the iconic character and stated that he would love to include Wesley Crusher in a future episode of Lower Decks . Their main concern is to find an exciting storyline for him that won't retcon the character's past. If they can make it work, we could see an animated Wesley Crusher alongside the crew of the USS Cerritos soon.

4 Jean Luc Picard Could Be Wesley Crusher's Father

Since the first episode of The Next Generation aired, there has been a rumor among fans that Jean Luc Picard , the captain of the Enterprise, and Wesley Crusher are father and son. The reason for this was because of the interest Captain Picard took in the wellbeing of Wesley, not to mention the mutual romantic feelings between Picard and Wesley's mother, Beverley Crusher .

RELATED: Star Trek Picard: Beverly Crusher Should Revive TNG Romance With Jean-Luc

Many subtle hints throughout the show suggest a deeper connection between them. While the writers never confirmed anything on-screen, they did admit that there had been conversations surrounding this idea early on in production. Whatever the truth, it's a fan theory that persists even today.

3 Wesley Crusher Only Left The Show Because The Actor Playing Him Quit

Despite fans' less-than-favorable reception, the Next Generation creators had no intention of writing Wesley Crusher out of the show. In fact, Wil Wheaton, the actor who played Crusher, decided to leave because of his treatment by the show's producers rather than the fans.

In an interview many years after leaving , he revealed that he decided to leave mainly because it was restricting his ability to work on other projects. He was increasingly interested in working in feature films, but the producers wouldn't give him time off from the show. Wheaton felt he needed to hang up his Starfleet uniform and move on to benefit his career. Sadly, we'll never know the writers' long-term plans for him.

2 Two Different Actors Have Played Wesley Crusher

When we think of Wesley Crusher, we immediately associate the character with the actor Wil Wheaton, who played him throughout his run. However, in the season one episode "Hide and Q," Wesley is transformed into a 25-year-old man, this time played by actor William A Wallace.

This was the only time another actor donned the infamous ugly sweater of Wesley. Strangely, nobody seemed to mention that they looked nothing like each other or that he had different colored eyes and hair!

1 There Is An Evil Version Of Wesley Crusher In Star Trek Online

Star Trek Online is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game that was launched. Players can create their own characters and explore the universe as starship captains. Since the original Star Trek series, writers have used the idea of a "mirror universe" as a plot device to explore an alternative timeline where the characters are evil versions of themselves. In this "dark" timeline, humanity took a different path to the one we know from the Star Trek universe, using force instead of diplomacy to take control of space.

In the Star Trek Online mirror universe , Wesley Crusher rules the empire. In an exciting twist, Emperor Crusher rules without mercy, destroying anyone who dares to oppose him. It was a stroke of creative genius by the creators to take the goody two shoes fans got to know in The Next Generation and turn him into an evil Emperor!

MORE: Why Wesley Crusher Is Better As A Traveler Than In Starfleet

Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Wesley Crusher

Have you ever wondered about Star Trek's wonderchild?

10. The Mozart Effect

'Gee, golly, gosh, gloriosky,' thought Mary Sue as she stepped on the bridge of the Enterprise. 'Here I am, the youngest lieutenant in the fleet — only fifteen and a half years old.'

Jack Kiely is a writer with a PhD in French and almost certainly an unhealthy obsession with Star Trek.

The Traveler

A being who described himself as a Traveler , but whose real name he claimed was unpronounceable by Humans , was a humanoid from a mysterious species , encountered by Starfleet during the 2360s . Reported to be from Tau Alpha C , he himself claimed to be a traveler on a journey to experience "your reality ". He also claimed that while by his understanding he was not from another time, he might be according to Starfleet's understanding of time . ( TNG : " Where No One Has Gone Before ", " Journey's End ")

The Traveler had certain abilities, like the ability to act like "a lens which focuses thought ", which allowed him to alter space , time , and warp fields with the power of his mind. He could phase out of time and dimension and move between planets and starships . These abilities were based on his ability to focus the energy of thoughts and in his advanced understanding of the nature of reality. According to The Traveler, thought was the basis of all reality. In addition, Deanna Troi noted that his presence could not be detected with the empathic abilities of Betazoids . He could also shapeshift to appear as humanoids from other species with different clothing. ( TNG : " Where No One Has Gone Before ", " Journey's End ")

Around 2364 , The Traveler had been trading his understanding of propulsion for passage on Starfleet vessels. This was the first time his species visited this culture. He claimed to be motivated by curiosity, his stated goal being experiencing "your reality." During these travels, he became an assistant to Starfleet propulsion expert Kosinski , who claimed to have discovered a revolutionary new method of warp drive . Although some of his theories did have merit, Kosinski's formulas turned out to be bogus, as Wesley Crusher discovered that it was actually Kosinski's assistant , The Traveler, who was the driving force behind the propulsion method. Things went awry, however, and the USS Enterprise -D was catapulted millions of light years to the galaxy known as M-33 . Later, while attempting to return back to the Milky Way Galaxy , the Enterprise instead traveled to the end of the universe , a billion light years away. The Traveler collapsed in exhaustion and was taken to sickbay , where he revealed the secret of his abilities. He eventually returned to engineering , where he helped return the ship and crew home to the Milky Way Galaxy.

The Traveler noticed something special about the young Wesley Crusher , comparing him to a young Mozart . Inspired in part by this, Captain Picard promoted Wesley to an acting ensign in the traditions of Starfleet. The Traveler played a significant role in the destiny of Wesley Crusher. ( TNG : " Where No One Has Gone Before ")

In 2365 , when the Enterprise encountered a duplicate version of Captain Picard, apparently transported six hours back in time, the contemporary Captain Picard briefly suspected The Traveler as a cause of this anomaly - noting that The Traveler was capable of movement through time using the power of his mind. Commander Riker , perhaps recalling The Traveler's largely benign nature, did not share this suspicion. ( TNG : " Time Squared ")

The Traveler was next encountered by the Enterprise crew in 2367 , after a " warp bubble " experiment by Wesley Crusher went awry and trapped his mother Beverly Crusher in an alternate reality. Due to Wesley's increasing realization of his powers, the Traveler was drawn to him and sensed the predicament. He appeared and directed the crew on her rescue. He needed Wesley's help in opening a doorway to the other reality and had to convince him he had the ability. They succeeded in rescuing the elder Crusher, while the younger Crusher continued his maturation. ( TNG : " Remember Me ")

In 2370 , The Traveler appeared incognito as Lakanta , a villager on Dorvan V , to Wesley Crusher. Lakanta, who seemed to have intimate knowledge of Wesley, directed him to seek the answers to his troubled destiny. Wesley was, at the time, quite uncertain about his future in Starfleet. The Traveler guided Wes to the " habak " where Wesley had a vision of his deceased father telling him that his destiny lay somewhere other than with Starfleet. The cadet heeded the advice and resigned from Starfleet, after which in the middle of a riot he managed to dissociate himself from time; it is then that The Traveler revealed his true identity and promised to mentor the young man on his new journey. ( TNG : " Journey's End ")

In 2024 , Wesley revealed to Kore Soong that he and the Traveler were part of a larger group who had created the Watchers to help ensure the survival of various species throughout time and space. Much like the Traveler had done to Wesley, Wesley extended an invitation for Kore to join them which she accepted. ( PIC : " Farewell ")

In 2384 , after a temporal paradox threatened to destroy the prime universe , the Traveler and the rest of his kind decided that the paradox was too complicated for them to resolve, particularly as their numbers had been depleted by the Temporal Wars , and they left for other realities. The sole exception was Wesley who refused to abandon his home universe to destruction and insisted upon remaining behind to fix the paradox. When the USS Protostar crew arrived at the Travelers' time ziggurat , Wesley and the Traveler were arguing on the matter and were audible to the crew in the outer areas of the temple. The Traveler insisted to Wesley that there were other realities, and this plane of existence was doomed, but Wesley wouldn't give up. The Traveler was forced to leave without Wesley ( PRO : " The Devourer of All Things, Part I ") who was ultimately proven to be right, repairing the broken timeline and saving the prime universe with the help of the crews of the Protostar and the USS Voyager -A . ( PRO : " Ouroboros, Part I ", " Ouroboros, Part II ")

• 1.1 Appearances
• 1.2 Background information
• 1.3 Apocrypha
• 1.4 External links

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " Where No One Has Gone Before "
• " Remember Me "
• " Journey's End "
• PRO : " The Devourer of All Things, Part I " (voice)

Background information [ ]

The Traveler was played by actor Eric Menyuk .

Menyuk was a finalist for the role of Data , and was given the recurring role of The Traveler as a consolation prize. ( Starlog , December 1988 , Issue 137, p. 54; Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion , 2nd ed., p. 36; Star Trek Encyclopedia , 3rd ed., p. 520)

An early draft of " Journey's End " included the revelation that Boothby was, in fact, The Traveler. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion , 2nd ed., p. 290)

Apocrypha [ ]

According to the Q Continuum series, The Traveler even has a significant reputation among the Q Continuum ; when the female Q learned that Wesley had been chosen by The Traveler, she was almost impressed by this fact.

External links [ ]

• The Traveler at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 2 Star Trek: Prodigy

Screen Rant

I'm okay if netflix's star trek: prodigy ends with season 2.

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Star Trek: Prodigy Season 3 - Everything We Know

Star trek just remade a popular voyager time travel episode, i’m thrilled star trek finally revealed voyager's mirror universe.

• Star Trek: Prodigy's season 2 was a great way to end the series, tying up loose ends and showing character growth.
• The finale's time-travel plot closed the loop and brought back classic TNG elements, pleasing fans of all ages.
• Connections to Picard and Voyager added depth, tying in key events and setting up potential future stories.

While it would be great to see more Star Trek: Prodigy , the ending of season 2 serves as a great send-off for the young crew members of the USS Protostar. Following Dal R'El (Brett Gray) and his ragtag group of friends, Prodigy was the first Star Trek geared specifically toward children. Despite this, the show has something for Trek fans of all ages, with numerous connections to past Star Trek shows. Star Trek: Prodigy was great from the beginning, but its second season, in particular, felt like classic Star Trek in the best way.

Although Paramount+ unexpectedly canceled Star Trek: Prodigy and removed it from their platform, Netflix picked up the show as the streaming home for seasons 1 and 2. Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 follows Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the former Protostar crew as they embark on a dangerous mission to rescue Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran). Hopefully, more people will discover Prodigy on Netflix, and the streamer will decide to tell more stories with Dal and his friends. Even if this doesn't happen, though, I think Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 was a great way to end the series.

Netflix has the option to order Star Trek: Prodigy season 3. Here's what we know about the young Starfleet crew of the USS Protostar's return.

Star Trek: Prodigy's Season 2 Finale Circled Back To The Show's Beginning In A Cool Way

Prodigy season 2's finale circles back to the show's premiere, illustrating how far the characters have come..

Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 not only continued to incorporate characters and elements from Star Trek: Voyager , but also added aspects from Star Trek: The Next Generation . TNG is my favorite Star Trek show, and I love that Prodigy brought back Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) and put his Traveler powers on full display. With a Traveler in the mix, Star Trek: Prodigy was able to play around with even more time-travel shenanigans , as Wes fought to save his favorite universe — the one where his mom, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) lives, of course.

I have always enjoyed stories involving time travel, particularly when everything comes together to make a loop by the end of the story. As Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 came to a close, Admiral Janeway and the Prodigy kids sent the USS Protostar back in time to Tars Lamora where Dal first discovered it back in Star Trek: Prodigy 's series premiere. This closed the loop, and nicely tied up any loose ends, but also showed how far Dal and his friends have come.

For me, Star Trek's greatest strength has always been its characters. And as I spent more time with Dal, Gwyndala (Ella Purnell), Rok-Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui), Jankom (Jason Mantzoukas), Zero (Angus Imrie), Morph (Dee Bradley Baker), and Ma'jel (Michaela Dietz), I fell in love with them just as I have with every other Star Trek crew.

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 Also Led Into Star Trek: Picard

Prodigy offers more insight into the devastating attack on mars..

Like many Trek fans, I love when one Star Trek show references another, especially when it fills in gaps in the Star Trek timeline. In the final scenes of Star Trek: Prodigy's season 2 finale , the aspiring cadets watch the news break that rogue synths have attacked Mars. This tragedy became part of Star Trek lore in Star Trek: Picard season 1, leading to a ban on artificial intelligence and a Starfleet whose main goal was no longer exploration. I particularly enjoyed seeing how Starfleet Command and Admiral Janeway reacted to the Mars attack.

In the devastation following the attack on Mars, Starfleet planned to decommission the recently completed Protostar-class ship, USS Prodigy, but Janeway convinced them to let her use it as a training ship. Janeway, Chakotay, and the Doctor (Robert Picardo) then come together to send off Dal and his friends for a mission of exploration, with Hologram Janeway as their guide. While this nicely sets up another season or film for Star Trek: Prodigy, it also serves as a lovely open-ended conclusion. After all, nothing feels more quintessentially Star Trek than a group of wide-eyed young Starfleet officers boldly setting off on a mission to explore the stars.

Star Trek: Prodigy

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