It was actually Wesley who got me into Star Trek. When I was four years old, my dad showed me "The Man Trap", saying it was like Star Wars. But seeing the lady turn into a monster scared little toddler me away from Trek. Then one night, I'm 14 years old, and channel-surfing after my usual viewing marathon was disrupted by network rescheduling, and I stumbled across Wesley speaking with Mendon in "A Matter of Honor". I was surprised to see a person near my own age driving a gigantic starship, because I'd never conceived anything like it. This was a weeknight rerun, at the time. So, I began watching the weeknight reruns, and learned about Deep Space Nine, which had two more young people my age (Jake and Nog), even if they weren't in the same position as Wesley. So, yeah, DS9 became the first Trek series I followed from beginning to end. That's one thing I like about Star Trek - even though I'm now in my mid-40s, I can still feel like the teenager I was when I first saw Wesley Crusher. Thank you, Wil!
I discovered Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1991, when I was seven years old. I don't remember which episode it was, but I was hooked on Trek after that!
There's an interview by Patrick Stewart on the Bluray set that says "Wil Wheaton said, quitting the show was bad for Wil Wheaton the actor and very good for Wil Wheaton the person."
Will is a komplex person wit a very thorn up personal history. We man not liket his moving away from Star Trek, but if this step made him a bit more whole as a person I am honestly happy for him!
As a gifted kid, Wesley REALLY resonated with me. At that age where you don't care too much yet about things being realistic in any way, and as someone who at times was catapulted into the adult world without wanting to ("can you explain thing X to your classmate? You're done with your own tasks anyway, and I'm busy here right now") and at other times longed for being included MORE in that world ("why doesn't anybody take me seriously and act like I can't possibly know what I am talking about just because of my age?") I really wanted to be seen in that way my mind somehow imagined Wesley to be seen: where he was allowed to pilot the Enterprise, because the adults in his life understood that he was able to. It was only when I myself got older that I started to see the annoying way in which he was often written. Cause that's the thing with Wesley, in my opinion: him being annoying isn't a feature of the character, but of the writers. Anyway, I still have a soft spot for him. But an even softer one for Will Wheaton: he seems like a really cool dude, and both his character and Will himself were done dirty. He doesn't deserve the hate.
The older i get, the more i appreciate Wesley. I really wish he had been in the last season of Picard. I still think he is really Picard & Beverly's first kid. Wesley acted like Picard was his dad, he never really seemed interested in learning about his late father, but very interested in Picard and making him proud.
I feel absolutely the same! Back then there were rumors, that Wesley was not Jack Crushers biological son, but Picards. And beside of that although I loathed back then at Wesley, I kinda digged the performance of Will Weathon. He filled up the role of the first generation Trekkies for the TNG series.He brought us wehre we needed to be to understand Star Trek. So Will Weathon if yo ever, most likely not, but still, if you ever read this, know you made a lot of us into real Trekkies.
You are quite wrong, he often asked about his father and wanted to know more about him. There was absolutely nothing indicating that he was Picards son. It's just wishful thinking on your part.
You're acting surprised that a young human being could become emotionally attached to a living human, treat that human as a surrogate father figure in the absence of the real dad, and in making that surrogate father figure proud, when that living person could give the praise and affection craved, unlike what a dead dad could do. That's not evidence for Picard being dad, that's just what happens with kids in real life a lot when dads aren't around for whatever reason.
I never met (irl) a Trekkie who said they actually hated Wesley in my corner of the planet (I don't live in the US). And I certainly didn't. Back in the 90's I watched TNG as a young teenager and I always preferred smart people over "cool" people. Beeing a teen myself I often emphasized with his annoyance at not beeing heard by the adults, now, as a mom, I understand Beverly's struggle too😂. Wil Wheaton wasn't on my radar for quite some time, but I do now enjoy his content. So I'm ready for more Wesley Crusher in Trek!
I was a precocious kid. I always liked Wesley and identified with him. Never understood why people didn’t like the character. Never understood why people called me a know it all. These things are not connected
Oh, no, of course not connected. It's tiring to be forced to shut up about things you want to share, so that you won't be considered a show-off and a know-it-all, doesn't it? Also, not easy being fluent in 4 languages by 14 (I live in a bilingual country, so I had an edge)
I'm really glad you mentioned Wheaton's appearance on Michael Rosenbaum's podcast. That whole episode of the podcast is incredible and well worth anyone's time to listen to.
"NDAs have an exclusion for family" has such a double meaning for Wil considering it was Gates who let that slip -- while it feels like Wil has two or three Space Dads that stood in for his apparent absolute bastard of a Bio-Dad (Gene, Patrick, and personally I sometimes think the strongest male role model in his life was Jonathan) there's always been something to the fact that he always calls Gates "Space Mom" and not only that, Anne Wheaton calls her "Space Mom-in-Law". No word if Nolan and Ryan Wheaton call her "Space Grandma" though.
While he did not appear in the final season of Picard, the behind the scenes video of Wil touring the rebuilt bridge of 1701-D was very heartwarming… and the fact that he got to sit at his old station, and the captain’s chair was great!
I always really liked Wesley, especially as I was watching TNG as a kid myself. It wasn’t until years later, I realised I probably had an early crush on him too (especially once he got his own uniform!). Wil Wheaton himself is an absolute legend in the fandom now and it’s so sad that his home life was so toxic at the time.
I always hated the Wesley Crusher character. My animosity didn't carry over to Will Wheaton because I blamed the writers, not the actor. However, when Wheaton appeared as himself on The Big Bang Theory, I discovered that I loved the grown up that seemed to enjoy making fun of himself, his former character, and the Star Trek fan base. I credit Wheaton for bringing that character to life in such a wonderful way, but also the TBBT writers who did such a great job with every episode.
@xBINARYGODx The Wesley character was insufferably smug on TNG. I also hated the Counselor Troi character. My wife and I called her "Counselor Useless" in every episode in which she appeared except one, Dark Child. And, my opinions regarding Crusher and Troi were formed many decades before "influencers" existed. I don't listen to such people now, either.
@@badbiker666 "The Child" no such episode called "Dark Child". And THAT ep was panned as being one of the worst in the TNG series along with Shades of Grey and a few others.
@@andrewmurray1550 You may be right. I am unfamiliar with that one. I misnamed the episode to which I referred. I meant, Season 7, Episode 7, "Dark Page." My bad.
I always thought of Wesley as the Star Trek version of the 80s kid. After all, when the parents needed someone to program the VCR, who did they turn to?
I saw Wesley as me, when I was 12 years old at my first Star Trek Convention. Considering the hell that Wil Wheaton was put through during TNG by his folks, I will go full on Klingon on any Wesley/Wil critics. Hank Green approves!
I was 6 years old when TNG was aired for the first time in my country. Wesley was just this other kid for me, that happened to live on this space ship with his mom. So I can't relate to these haters on the internet.
Nice nod to "Far Beyond The Stars". Kudos. In-jokes abound, like on Armin's desk about a proposal for a teenage girl vampire killer. "No one would believe this". One of my absolute favs. The big shocker for me was seeing Martok without makeup. Mind. Blown.
I always loved Wesley Crusher. Star Trek was about human evolution, and I always felt like Wesley was the next step for mankind. I never understood why people didn't see that. All they saw was a teenager. All I saw was potential. I guess you have to think deep to really get Star Trek and this character. By the way, I've watched Star Trek since the original series. I'm a Trekkie for life.
He got an absolutely beautiful moment in season 2 of Picard. It was short, sweet, and perfect. I love Wesley, too, and I thought his send-off couldn't have been better.
I never understood why so many people didn't like (and even hated) Wesley. I thought he was adorable, and cute as a puppy! He was a child genius...yes, a bit of a stretch, but so is science fiction, overall. Thank you for the video and all the info, but you spoke so darn fast that I had to pause it every 20 seconds or so to digest what you were saying. My brain doesn't travel at light speed.
If there’s one thing that sums up Roddenberry’s limitations as a creator, it can be nothing else than thinking a male character inherently has more storytelling possibilities than a female character when the basic backstory and personality descriptions are the same
I think I only hated Wesley in Season One. He did get better as the series went on though never to a point where he was one of my fan favourites. Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars started off a little similar, but when she improved she was a much interesting character.
I liked his appearance in the "A Time to" series of TNG books that took place between Insurrection and Nemesis. They really go into detail on The Travelers and their rules in one of the books and Wheaton's comments on their rules against interference with the people from their lives from before becoming Travelers is in line with that.
Great video. I liked the Wesley Crusher character and I think Will Wheaton did a fine job. Some of my favourite episodes of TNG include: Where No Man Has Gone Before, The Game, and Remember Me.
honestly hearing what happened to Will and other actors in Star Trek just goes to show that the issues plaguing the industry have sadly always been there, the industry as a whole needs to change to survive. Making someone pass on a role, then cutting him after he did what you asked him to is such a low blow. I've gotten the chance to meet Will at Emerald City Comiccon in Seattle a few times, nothing but a great person he is, and to be treated like this (many others have been too) is just another sign of the changes needed. The actors do not need more money, they need respect and humanity from their producers and directors. Money means nothing if you hate coming to work every day, but still want to do the thing you love. I would never treat anyone in my studio like this, I wouldn't have one left if I did.
Wesley's mirror universe counterpart appears in Star Trek Online, with Wil Wheaton returning to voice him. The episode "The Eye of the Storm", released in September 2022, reveals that the mirror Wesley is the Emperor of the Terran Empire, who possesses incredible "personal power", including the ability to freeze entire fleets in a "time bubble".
He made a few naive decisions in early season 1 that felt like the writers suddenly started writing a much younger child prodigy than Wesley was actually meant to be, but overall I honestly always liked him and his character only got better with time. His episodes centered around his learning at Starfleet Academy, and especially his exit from the regular cast, were fantastic episodes that I hold very near and dear.
I've liked Wesley, could never understood why some fans disliked the character. I have also always liked Will Wheaton and still do! Maybe I am not your average trek fan? I'd love to see a Star Trek series based on Wesley, as captain of the Enterprise, or even just Wesley the time traveling antagonist.
I loved your WHAT IF idea, imagine if Wesley became head of the Marquis and a thorn in Sisko's side before the Dominion Wars. Total brain fart, but that could've been quite good.
I wish Picard (the series) had dealt more with Dr. Crusher's feelings of guilt over losing Wesley. We get that one line to Picard (the character) that he has taken both sons from her, but exploring that more would have been nice. It's kind of funny that Wil Wheaton said how one of the rules of being a Traveler is that you can't interact with people from your former life because it might screw up their timeline--but isn't that exactly what leaving did to Dr. Crusher anyway? She left Starfleet to protect her second son arguably out of guilt for losing her first. It's a shame the franchise hasn't better handled Wesley because there's still quite a bit to unpack in his relationships.
I liked Wesley a lot until he went to the academy, I thought he was making a lot of stupid decisions and backslid as a maturing person. It was his last TNG episode that redeemed all of that for me. He was being a dummy because he was in the wrong place. It was a good closing of his story. I really enjoy reading and sometimes replying to his live tweeting while watching the LA Kings play. Go Sharks! ;-)
I never hated or had an issue with the Character Wesley or the actor who played him. I was around 10 when TNG came out. I liked the character because he was a young kid doing amazing things. And like any other kid Wesley never got any respect unless he got frustrated and asked for it. What kid who wouldn't identify with that. I have a lot respect for Will. He has to go through all of that hate for so many years and he is still happy to be a part of Star Trek and the fans.
Never understood the dislike for Wesley, given all of what TNG was supposed to be and its possibilities, His character seemed to fit with all the oddities of other characters like a Frenchman with a British accent that no one seemed to think was odd .
Being more than couple of years his junior, during the original run of TNG, I looked up to and identifed with Wesley more than the other characters. Of course I had seen TOS in reruns, and very much enjoyed them. But here was a kid! On the bridge! Like me! I think the problem with the Wesley hate was that it didn't take into account how younger viewers saw him as their gateway into the show--unliked the adults or even teenagers equal to or older than Wesley. He was, and he remains, my favorite Trek character for that reason. Through him, I saw myself in that crew of adults doing adult things but In Space!
All together now "Shut up Wesley!" the biggest joke from that being that in all later appeances on other shows both Trek & not Wheaton has been great, in what I've seen at least, still cant shake that Picard put down from my mind though
I think that while Wesley served as a kid's proxy on TNG, he was also a reminder to the older generations that they were ignorant about technology and science to the point that "even a kids can do it" that they projected that hatred on to the character and kids.
Nice separation from the character and actor for this. It's impossible to tell the story without mentioning both of them, but this was a very nice division, congrats for pulling that off. I don't think I have ever heard the JD Roth thing before, or I just forgot, but let's just say life would be wayyyyyy different. Off to watch Fun House now. ]
The first episode of Next Gen I watched Final Mission, when I was 10. I loved that episode and was hooked. I always liked Wesley in the series although he can be annoying at times.
I loved Wes back in the eighties and I still do. It meant a lot to see a nerdy, awkward kid my age being accepted by the people around him. Was he a Mary Sue? Absolutely. Is that bad? Absolutely not. He gave us hope.
I remember back in the day. Wesley Crusher was despised by boys. BUT the girls back then lusted after him like the plague. I remember it vividly for back then girls were not into sci-fi. Then suddenly they were LOL
There have always been girls interested in sci-fi. The sci-fi world (Fiction/movies/tv) has always been male-dominated. Very few Science Fiction writers wrote decent female characters(50s/60s were great for it w/Asimov and Heinlin). Times are changing, thank goodness.
I love the "Update" I imagine Sean and Ellie both realizing they wanted to add something but are too busy for a reshoot/VO recorrding so just went screw it i have my phone.
I didn't think Wesley was a genius, he is for sure smart. As for being a traveler I thought he was just a special human. I just thought that him being a genius was a strange thing for me to miss. I have watched TNG about 4 times.
the hate came from some, when young, who were not good looking or getting great grades - so he irritated them and some of those people when grown up, decided to get their vengeance online. I don't remember anyone at school saying anything about him one way or the other, and if you were a gay youngster like me, you had a crush on him. I was surprised to find the hate later on in life on the internet, and I thought it was just a meme at first. But nope, others who accept most anything an influencer tells them, decided to get cooped into the "grr arg Wesly bad" narrative. So bad, even Will himself tried to play into it, until others pushed back on that over-the-top narrative (Wesley is mostly doesn't fix anything, so can he be marrysue?) and then he pushed back properly too. The modern internet is really good and taking something minor, getting people to hyper fixate on it, and then exaggerate its good or bad qualities to an insane level, and then for that sort of thing to go viral. It's all narratives, usually not supported by any real facts, propped up by bots and people who apparently cannot think for themselves and are desperate to "belong" (where no such thing is actually possible).
oh nvm, even this video is just repeating myths. Wesley is ultra smart, but not smarter than everyone else in all ways - experience is something he lacks and also wisdom (book smarts are not everything). He is also not perfect, and has been the sole savior once and the sole reason for issues once (without being the savior) - other times he is just part of the team. He is nothing like a Mary Sue.
I had a crush on Wil Wheaton/Wesley when I first saw The Next Generation, and he was my favourite character then. (I was a kid, so it's understandable.) I didn't hate him and don't now, but I do appreciate the awkwardness of Mary Sue/Gary Stu characters.
I have always felt that one of the biggest problems with WC's character, especially early on, was how he was directed. Always standing there with that goofy smile - it was hard to get passed that. I don't blame Wheaton, I blame the writers and directors.
Always loved Wil in everything I saw him in. Why this person says people didn't like him? He was my favorite character in Next Gen and loved him in Stand By Me. I also enjoyed his moments on Big Bang.
We didn't liked Wesley, we were Wesley! Will did a great acting as a proxy! Wesley as much as I hated him back then, was the reason I got into Star Trek after all.
You know it'd be fun if they did something with Will Wheaton based on that scene from Picard, and work in that he's just time travelled back to the 24th century, from 2010's Pasadena having had to deal with a particularly annoying 21st century physicist who works at Cal Tech having put him on the pathway to getting a Nobel prize for physics...
10 Things I KNOW about Wesley Crusher... 10. SHUT UP WESLEY!! 9. SHUT UP WESLEY!! 8. SHUT UP WESLEY!! 7. SHUT UP WESLEY!! 6. SHUT UP WESLEY!! 5. SHUT UP WESLEY!! 4. SHUT UP WESLEY!! 3. SHUT UP WESLEY!! 2. SHUT UP WESLEY!! 1. SHUT UP WESLEY!! Seriously, though...2:43-2:57 when Wesley enters the bridge in his Starfleet uniform for the 1st time is one of my ALL TIME fave ST:TNG moments. And Gates McFadden selling of the proud Mom was outstanding👍
I left this somewhere else once, I have a theory that Wesley is a representation of Gene Roddenberry as he was a Traveler that came back to create Star Trek and try to set us on the right path. Hopefully we don't shoot Spock's Grandpa.
Shows like the Ray room really have gotten me to appreciate the actor Will Wheaton. And I appreciate his life story a lot more as well. He is the type of actor who really embodies Star Trek thanks for putting this together.
It was actually Wesley who got me into Star Trek. When I was four years old, my dad showed me "The Man Trap", saying it was like Star Wars. But seeing the lady turn into a monster scared little toddler me away from Trek. Then one night, I'm 14 years old, and channel-surfing after my usual viewing marathon was disrupted by network rescheduling, and I stumbled across Wesley speaking with Mendon in "A Matter of Honor". I was surprised to see a person near my own age driving a gigantic starship, because I'd never conceived anything like it. This was a weeknight rerun, at the time. So, I began watching the weeknight reruns, and learned about Deep Space Nine, which had two more young people my age (Jake and Nog), even if they weren't in the same position as Wesley. So, yeah, DS9 became the first Trek series I followed from beginning to end. That's one thing I like about Star Trek - even though I'm now in my mid-40s, I can still feel like the teenager I was when I first saw Wesley Crusher. Thank you, Wil!
I discovered Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1991, when I was seven years old. I don't remember which episode it was, but I was hooked on Trek after that!
There's an interview by Patrick Stewart on the Bluray set that says "Wil Wheaton said, quitting the show was bad for Wil Wheaton the actor and very good for Wil Wheaton the person."
Will is a komplex person wit a very thorn up personal history. We man not liket his moving away from Star Trek, but if this step made him a bit more whole as a person I am honestly happy for him!
very good for the fans too
@@pauloricardo-wn6ps oh look a bot pushing the same narrative that is now crusty and old
@@xBINARYGODx sorry you like bland characters for some reason, but time is not gonna make 90% of wes' scenes any interesting
He also talked a lot about it in a podcast with gates McFadden.
As a gifted kid, Wesley REALLY resonated with me. At that age where you don't care too much yet about things being realistic in any way, and as someone who at times was catapulted into the adult world without wanting to ("can you explain thing X to your classmate? You're done with your own tasks anyway, and I'm busy here right now") and at other times longed for being included MORE in that world ("why doesn't anybody take me seriously and act like I can't possibly know what I am talking about just because of my age?") I really wanted to be seen in that way my mind somehow imagined Wesley to be seen: where he was allowed to pilot the Enterprise, because the adults in his life understood that he was able to.
It was only when I myself got older that I started to see the annoying way in which he was often written. Cause that's the thing with Wesley, in my opinion: him being annoying isn't a feature of the character, but of the writers. Anyway, I still have a soft spot for him. But an even softer one for Will Wheaton: he seems like a really cool dude, and both his character and Will himself were done dirty. He doesn't deserve the hate.
I agree - he never deserved the hate. I loved his character.
The older i get, the more i appreciate Wesley. I really wish he had been in the last season of Picard. I still think he is really Picard & Beverly's first kid. Wesley acted like Picard was his dad, he never really seemed interested in learning about his late father, but very interested in Picard and making him proud.
I feel absolutely the same! Back then there were rumors, that Wesley was not Jack Crushers biological son, but Picards. And beside of that although I loathed back then at Wesley, I kinda digged the performance of Will Weathon. He filled up the role of the first generation Trekkies for the TNG series.He brought us wehre we needed to be to understand Star Trek.
So Will Weathon if yo ever, most likely not, but still, if you ever read this, know you made a lot of us into real Trekkies.
You are quite wrong, he often asked about his father and wanted to know more about him. There was absolutely nothing indicating that he was Picards son. It's just wishful thinking on your part.
@davidponseigo8811 all I ever heard him say was his father died when he was young. Never heard him ask anyone about Jack Crusher (senior).
He literally asked in the fourth season episode "Family". And watched a message from his dad on the holodock, recorded before he died.
You're acting surprised that a young human being could become emotionally attached to a living human, treat that human as a surrogate father figure in the absence of the real dad, and in making that surrogate father figure proud, when that living person could give the praise and affection craved, unlike what a dead dad could do. That's not evidence for Picard being dad, that's just what happens with kids in real life a lot when dads aren't around for whatever reason.
I never met (irl) a Trekkie who said they actually hated Wesley in my corner of the planet (I don't live in the US). And I certainly didn't. Back in the 90's I watched TNG as a young teenager and I always preferred smart people over "cool" people. Beeing a teen myself I often emphasized with his annoyance at not beeing heard by the adults, now, as a mom, I understand Beverly's struggle too😂. Wil Wheaton wasn't on my radar for quite some time, but I do now enjoy his content. So I'm ready for more Wesley Crusher in Trek!
I never met anyone who actually likes him. He is seen as a speck of crap on an otherwise enjoyable piece of media, like neelix or dax
We would have star trek watch parties and run "shut up wesley" clips before we started.
Couldn't stand him then, can't stand him now.
@@jjbees7911 Never liked his character and the dude as a person is an ass.
I was a precocious kid. I always liked Wesley and identified with him. Never understood why people didn’t like the character. Never understood why people called me a know it all. These things are not connected
Oh, no, of course not connected. It's tiring to be forced to shut up about things you want to share, so that you won't be considered a show-off and a know-it-all, doesn't it? Also, not easy being fluent in 4 languages by 14 (I live in a bilingual country, so I had an edge)
I'm really glad you mentioned Wheaton's appearance on Michael Rosenbaum's podcast. That whole episode of the podcast is incredible and well worth anyone's time to listen to.
That was a fantastic interview
"NDAs have an exclusion for family" has such a double meaning for Wil considering it was Gates who let that slip -- while it feels like Wil has two or three Space Dads that stood in for his apparent absolute bastard of a Bio-Dad (Gene, Patrick, and personally I sometimes think the strongest male role model in his life was Jonathan) there's always been something to the fact that he always calls Gates "Space Mom" and not only that, Anne Wheaton calls her "Space Mom-in-Law". No word if Nolan and Ryan Wheaton call her "Space Grandma" though.
Will is such a genuinely nice guy. I've met him a few times and I've always enjoyed our interactions.
He is an opinionated arrogant kuck
I've seen the exact opposite he has managed to piss off everyone he has ever worked with and his political views or the way he engages in them...
@@darthbane2669 I'll take "Bullshit MAGAts say" for $5000 please, Mayim.
My oldest son is called Wesley after the great character. His gran used to call him Crusher
Poor kid lol
I named my son James with a middle name Tiberius and his last name is burk so yeah lol
While he did not appear in the final season of Picard, the behind the scenes video of Wil touring the rebuilt bridge of 1701-D was very heartwarming… and the fact that he got to sit at his old station, and the captain’s chair was great!
I always really liked Wesley, especially as I was watching TNG as a kid myself. It wasn’t until years later, I realised I probably had an early crush on him too (especially once he got his own uniform!). Wil Wheaton himself is an absolute legend in the fandom now and it’s so sad that his home life was so toxic at the time.
Wesly back from his first year at the academy is hottest Wesly.
I never knew Ron Moore was in the navy. That explains so much.
Personally, I always liked Wesley. In a similar vein, I always liked Adric in Doctor Who.
I always hated the Wesley Crusher character. My animosity didn't carry over to Will Wheaton because I blamed the writers, not the actor. However, when Wheaton appeared as himself on The Big Bang Theory, I discovered that I loved the grown up that seemed to enjoy making fun of himself, his former character, and the Star Trek fan base. I credit Wheaton for bringing that character to life in such a wonderful way, but also the TBBT writers who did such a great job with every episode.
lol "hated" why? never mind, don't answer, no answer you give won't have already been said by the influencer you got the thoughts and feelings from.
@xBINARYGODx The Wesley character was insufferably smug on TNG. I also hated the Counselor Troi character. My wife and I called her "Counselor Useless" in every episode in which she appeared except one, Dark Child. And, my opinions regarding Crusher and Troi were formed many decades before "influencers" existed. I don't listen to such people now, either.
@@badbiker666 "The Child" no such episode called "Dark Child". And THAT ep was panned as being one of the worst in the TNG series along with Shades of Grey and a few others.
@@andrewmurray1550 You may be right. I am unfamiliar with that one. I misnamed the episode to which I referred. I meant, Season 7, Episode 7, "Dark Page." My bad.
Wil Wheaton is older now than Patrick Stewart was in season 1.
We’re all old, now.
@@UtahDelaCruz So we are 😭😭
I loved this! It might be my favorite of the things you didn’t know about a character videos.
I always thought of Wesley as the Star Trek version of the 80s kid. After all, when the parents needed someone to program the VCR, who did they turn to?
CaptainRC, great comment, lol!
I saw Wesley as me, when I was 12 years old at my first Star Trek Convention. Considering the hell that Wil Wheaton was put through during TNG by his folks, I will go full on Klingon on any Wesley/Wil critics. Hank Green approves!
Qapla‘ ✊🏽
P'Tak!
I was 6 years old when TNG was aired for the first time in my country.
Wesley was just this other kid for me, that happened to live on this space ship with his mom.
So I can't relate to these haters on the internet.
Nice nod to "Far Beyond The Stars". Kudos. In-jokes abound, like on Armin's desk about a proposal for a teenage girl vampire killer. "No one would believe this". One of my absolute favs. The big shocker for me was seeing Martok without makeup. Mind. Blown.
I always loved Wesley Crusher. Star Trek was about human evolution, and I always felt like Wesley was the next step for mankind. I never understood why people didn't see that. All they saw was a teenager. All I saw was potential. I guess you have to think deep to really get Star Trek and this character. By the way, I've watched Star Trek since the original series. I'm a Trekkie for life.
OMG not the SAO Kirito clip.... I am dying.... the editor is a ledge for that.... 🤣🤣🤣
He got an absolutely beautiful moment in season 2 of Picard. It was short, sweet, and perfect. I love Wesley, too, and I thought his send-off couldn't have been better.
great job on Westley, please give more for Barkley
@kaysimpson, or a list of the times Riker stood up & yelled, "WORF!!!" when he inadvertently blew something to smithereens😂
Bar...oh, you mean Broccoli?
I never understood why so many people didn't like (and even hated) Wesley. I thought he was adorable, and cute as a puppy! He was a child genius...yes, a bit of a stretch, but so is science fiction, overall.
Thank you for the video and all the info, but you spoke so darn fast that I had to pause it every 20 seconds or so to digest what you were saying. My brain doesn't travel at light speed.
I think a lot that helped Will wheaten and his popularity was his appearances on the Big Bang theory. He was really good on there.
If there’s one thing that sums up Roddenberry’s limitations as a creator, it can be nothing else than thinking a male character inherently has more storytelling possibilities than a female character when the basic backstory and personality descriptions are the same
I was 6 when TNG premiered so to me Wesley was awesome. He was my hero.
Love the Wesley crusher character! Truly enjoying the ready room, go will!!!
I always loved Wesley and Will Wheaton is an awesome person and actor. He over came so much in his life.
Oh Sean….Wesley Crusher had the ultimate character arch…look where he left off with the Traveler..
Awesome. 🏜🕺🏻🐕🏖
I think I only hated Wesley in Season One. He did get better as the series went on though never to a point where he was one of my fan favourites. Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars started off a little similar, but when she improved she was a much interesting character.
WHEATOOOOON!
I liked his appearance in the "A Time to" series of TNG books that took place between Insurrection and Nemesis. They really go into detail on The Travelers and their rules in one of the books and Wheaton's comments on their rules against interference with the people from their lives from before becoming Travelers is in line with that.
I liked Wesle Crusher because he was a very smart kid.
He had his moments where he was able to shine, especially his last few episodes.
Great video. I liked the Wesley Crusher character and I think Will Wheaton did a fine job. Some of my favourite episodes of TNG include: Where No Man Has Gone Before, The Game, and Remember Me.
He wasn't the most popular character, but he was memorable.
I haven't even watched yet but THANK YOU 💖💖💖🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I loved Wesley as a kid, it wasn’t until the internet became a big thing that I heard people didn’t like the character 🤷🏻♂️
Same here.
honestly hearing what happened to Will and other actors in Star Trek just goes to show that the issues plaguing the industry have sadly always been there, the industry as a whole needs to change to survive. Making someone pass on a role, then cutting him after he did what you asked him to is such a low blow. I've gotten the chance to meet Will at Emerald City Comiccon in Seattle a few times, nothing but a great person he is, and to be treated like this (many others have been too) is just another sign of the changes needed. The actors do not need more money, they need respect and humanity from their producers and directors. Money means nothing if you hate coming to work every day, but still want to do the thing you love. I would never treat anyone in my studio like this, I wouldn't have one left if I did.
Wesley's mirror universe counterpart appears in Star Trek Online, with Wil Wheaton returning to voice him. The episode "The Eye of the Storm", released in September 2022, reveals that the mirror Wesley is the Emperor of the Terran Empire, who possesses incredible "personal power", including the ability to freeze entire fleets in a "time bubble".
That story was total garbage
That's awesome
I was like 8 when ST TNG came out & have always adored Wesley & Will Weaton 💖 Would love to see what happened to him & the Traveler 👏👏
Hope a similar video is done on Harry Kim in the future.
He made a few naive decisions in early season 1 that felt like the writers suddenly started writing a much younger child prodigy than Wesley was actually meant to be, but overall I honestly always liked him and his character only got better with time. His episodes centered around his learning at Starfleet Academy, and especially his exit from the regular cast, were fantastic episodes that I hold very near and dear.
i wont mind to see him again at some point
when i was a kid, watching star trek for the first time, i loved wesley. when i watched it as an adult, i still liked him. never understood the hate.
Wesley was my favorite character, being a preteen at the time, I could relate to him. I was also a fan of Wil Wheaten since Stand By Me.
I've liked Wesley, could never understood why some fans disliked the character. I have also always liked Will Wheaton and still do! Maybe I am not your average trek fan? I'd love to see a Star Trek series based on Wesley, as captain of the Enterprise, or even just Wesley the time traveling antagonist.
Thank you so much 😊😊😊
0:36 Update: Spoilers
He shows up in Season 2 of Prodigy!
I loved your WHAT IF idea, imagine if Wesley became head of the Marquis and a thorn in Sisko's side before the Dominion Wars. Total brain fart, but that could've been quite good.
I wish Picard (the series) had dealt more with Dr. Crusher's feelings of guilt over losing Wesley. We get that one line to Picard (the character) that he has taken both sons from her, but exploring that more would have been nice. It's kind of funny that Wil Wheaton said how one of the rules of being a Traveler is that you can't interact with people from your former life because it might screw up their timeline--but isn't that exactly what leaving did to Dr. Crusher anyway? She left Starfleet to protect her second son arguably out of guilt for losing her first. It's a shame the franchise hasn't better handled Wesley because there's still quite a bit to unpack in his relationships.
I liked Wesley a lot until he went to the academy, I thought he was making a lot of stupid decisions and backslid as a maturing person. It was his last TNG episode that redeemed all of that for me. He was being a dummy because he was in the wrong place. It was a good closing of his story. I really enjoy reading and sometimes replying to his live tweeting while watching the LA Kings play. Go Sharks! ;-)
That was excellent.
I never hated or had an issue with the Character Wesley or the actor who played him.
I was around 10 when TNG came out. I liked the character because he was a young kid doing amazing things. And like any other kid Wesley never got any respect unless he got frustrated and asked for it. What kid who wouldn't identify with that.
I have a lot respect for Will. He has to go through all of that hate for so many years and he is still happy to be a part of Star Trek and the fans.
Never understood the dislike for Wesley, given all of what TNG was supposed to be and its possibilities, His character seemed to fit with all the oddities of other characters like a Frenchman with a British accent that no one seemed to think was odd .
Being more than couple of years his junior, during the original run of TNG, I looked up to and identifed with Wesley more than the other characters. Of course I had seen TOS in reruns, and very much enjoyed them. But here was a kid! On the bridge! Like me! I think the problem with the Wesley hate was that it didn't take into account how younger viewers saw him as their gateway into the show--unliked the adults or even teenagers equal to or older than Wesley. He was, and he remains, my favorite Trek character for that reason. Through him, I saw myself in that crew of adults doing adult things but In Space!
From STTNG S3 (which I started full time on TNG) I was major fan of Wesley Crusher. He reminded me of myself, looking for approval.
Shoukld Wesley get the part of Jack Jr. Crusher/Picard in the Picard Season 3? Honestly no! Should he get the pa
So glad they showed a clip from his guest appearance on Critical Role.
Makes you wonder if Corey Feldman being up for the role was a red herring considering Corey was Will's co-star in Stand By Me.
Another thing ya didn't know: He has a Pasadena bowling team named after him.
If this isn't showing true love, I don't know what else.
@@Hydracat404 Sheldon named them.
I've got the shirt!
@@mikemillette4936 Pics or it didn't happen ! 🤓
I always liked Wesley, I thought he was awesome and Wil Wheaton is also awesome and wish to see more of him in Star Trek
All together now "Shut up Wesley!" the biggest joke from that being that in all later appeances on other shows both Trek & not Wheaton has been great, in what I've seen at least, still cant shake that Picard put down from my mind though
I was early 20s when next gen came along. I always liked Wesley. I always wished that I was like Wesley.
0:39 I wish he appears in Prodigy or Lower Decks (just for the lulz).
Unabashedly had a crush on Wesley Crusher… my first tv crush
Wesley is just the Star Trek version of Adric from Doctor Who
Wesley Crusher and Prequil Anakin Skywalker.. blame the writers, not the actors
I think that while Wesley served as a kid's proxy on TNG, he was also a reminder to the older generations that they were ignorant about technology and science to the point that "even a kids can do it" that they projected that hatred on to the character and kids.
I was half expecting Kovich to be a much older Wesley and could had tied into Picard season 2 ending
that would have been a very interesting twist!
Loved Wil
Nice separation from the character and actor for this. It's impossible to tell the story without mentioning both of them, but this was a very nice division, congrats for pulling that off. I don't think I have ever heard the JD Roth thing before, or I just forgot, but let's just say life would be wayyyyyy different. Off to watch Fun House now.
]
The first episode of Next Gen I watched Final Mission, when I was 10. I loved that episode and was hooked. I always liked Wesley in the series although he can be annoying at times.
I loved Wes back in the eighties and I still do. It meant a lot to see a nerdy, awkward kid my age being accepted by the people around him. Was he a Mary Sue? Absolutely. Is that bad? Absolutely not. He gave us hope.
I remember back in the day.
Wesley Crusher was despised by boys.
BUT the girls back then lusted after him like the plague.
I remember it vividly for back then girls were not into sci-fi. Then suddenly they were LOL
There have always been girls interested in sci-fi. The sci-fi world (Fiction/movies/tv) has always been male-dominated. Very few Science Fiction writers wrote decent female characters(50s/60s were great for it w/Asimov and Heinlin). Times are changing, thank goodness.
Yup. Basically discounting the value of female fans.
Wesley was always my fave.
At the end of Discovery with the Kovich reveal, for just a few seconds I thought he was going to be Wesley.
2:05 They should add an Ensign Mary Sue in SNW, just for fun.
I love the "Update" I imagine Sean and Ellie both realizing they wanted to add something but are too busy for a reshoot/VO recorrding so just went screw it i have my phone.
I love how they put the picture of Nancy Regan to the right of Wesly on the thumbnail of this video.
I didn't think Wesley was a genius, he is for sure smart. As for being a traveler I thought he was just a special human. I just thought that him being a genius was a strange thing for me to miss. I have watched TNG about 4 times.
the hate came from some, when young, who were not good looking or getting great grades - so he irritated them and some of those people when grown up, decided to get their vengeance online.
I don't remember anyone at school saying anything about him one way or the other, and if you were a gay youngster like me, you had a crush on him. I was surprised to find the hate later on in life on the internet, and I thought it was just a meme at first. But nope, others who accept most anything an influencer tells them, decided to get cooped into the "grr arg Wesly bad" narrative. So bad, even Will himself tried to play into it, until others pushed back on that over-the-top narrative (Wesley is mostly doesn't fix anything, so can he be marrysue?) and then he pushed back properly too.
The modern internet is really good and taking something minor, getting people to hyper fixate on it, and then exaggerate its good or bad qualities to an insane level, and then for that sort of thing to go viral. It's all narratives, usually not supported by any real facts, propped up by bots and people who apparently cannot think for themselves and are desperate to "belong" (where no such thing is actually possible).
oh nvm, even this video is just repeating myths. Wesley is ultra smart, but not smarter than everyone else in all ways - experience is something he lacks and also wisdom (book smarts are not everything). He is also not perfect, and has been the sole savior once and the sole reason for issues once (without being the savior) - other times he is just part of the team. He is nothing like a Mary Sue.
I had a crush on Wil Wheaton/Wesley when I first saw The Next Generation, and he was my favourite character then. (I was a kid, so it's understandable.) I didn't hate him and don't now, but I do appreciate the awkwardness of Mary Sue/Gary Stu characters.
I have always felt that one of the biggest problems with WC's character, especially early on, was how he was directed. Always standing there with that goofy smile - it was hard to get passed that. I don't blame Wheaton, I blame the writers and directors.
Always loved Wil in everything I saw him in. Why this person says people didn't like him? He was my favorite character in Next Gen and loved him in Stand By Me. I also enjoyed his moments on Big Bang.
I always loved the char and was sad when he left the show might be because I was a geeky kid when I watched the show
Ah, the immortal arch enemy of
one Dr Sheldon L. Cooper .
Oh a New video on the doctor who of the star trek universe
Idk, but most things ive read about wesley Crusher showed most Trekkies liked Wesley Crusher.
We didn't liked Wesley, we were Wesley! Will did a great acting as a proxy! Wesley as much as I hated him back then, was the reason I got into Star Trek after all.
The writing of the character bothered me..Mr Wheaton never bothered me
You know it'd be fun if they did something with Will Wheaton based on that scene from Picard, and work in that he's just time travelled back to the 24th century, from 2010's Pasadena having had to deal with a particularly annoying 21st century physicist who works at Cal Tech having put him on the pathway to getting a Nobel prize for physics...
10 Things I KNOW about Wesley Crusher...
10. SHUT UP WESLEY!!
9. SHUT UP WESLEY!!
8. SHUT UP WESLEY!!
7. SHUT UP WESLEY!!
6. SHUT UP WESLEY!!
5. SHUT UP WESLEY!!
4. SHUT UP WESLEY!!
3. SHUT UP WESLEY!!
2. SHUT UP WESLEY!!
1. SHUT UP WESLEY!!
Seriously, though...2:43-2:57 when Wesley enters the bridge in his Starfleet uniform for the 1st time is one of my ALL TIME fave ST:TNG moments. And Gates McFadden selling of the proud Mom was outstanding👍
She treated him like a son, took him to Disneyland with her sibling's kid/s IIRC.
I always like him!
It WAS Phoenix Comicon, it now is Phoenix Fan Fusion, thanks to San Diego...I wonder what Mr. Weaton would think about this list...
I left this somewhere else once, I have a theory that Wesley is a representation of Gene Roddenberry as he was a Traveler that came back to create Star Trek and try to set us on the right path. Hopefully we don't shoot Spock's Grandpa.
I had a crush on Wesley Crushed when I was a young teenager. I was sad to see him go.
Same. It was great to see a young adult character be smart, strong, and compassionate. And he was hot.
@@Darapsa he had a gay following, as well....cute, well-hung, smart!
I loved the character and never understood the hate.
Shows like the Ray room really have gotten me to appreciate the actor Will Wheaton. And I appreciate his life story a lot more as well. He is the type of actor who really embodies Star Trek thanks for putting this together.