34 years later, Star Trek’s most disappointing TNG character exit still hurts

Wesley Crusher may not be the most popular Star Trek: The Next Generation, But I wish he had stuck around longer. Centering on Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew on the USS Enterprise-D, TNG Introduced an incredible cast of characters who came to feel like family. While I agree with the general consensus that Star Trek: Tng S The first season is the weakest of the show, a lot of the series worked from the beginning, including most of its characters.

Wil Wheaton’s Wesley Crusher was the youngest main cast member by far, and he offered a glimpse of what life on a starship would be like for a teenage boy. Although Wesley is not my absolute favorite character, I never understood all the backlash and hate he got from some viewers. The writer of Star Trek: The Next Generation He doesn’t seem to know quite what to do with Wesley much of the time, but I think the character has a lot of potential and I wish he had stayed on the show longer.

Wesley Crusher was mishandled during the early seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation

TNG’s early season writers didn’t know what to do with Wesley.

Wesley Crusher was originally conceived as a bit of a stand-in for Gene Roddenberry, and who wouldn’t want to be a young boy genius who gets to live on a starship? But Wesley’s genius was part of the problem. As a child prodigy, Wes sometimes found solutions to problems that eluded even the most senior members of the Enterprise crew. This made the more experienced crew members look incompetent, which didn’t exactly endear Wesley to viewers. Still, it’s not the character’s fault (or Will Wheaton’s) that Wes is too often poorly written TNG.

Wil Wheaton delivered a solid performance and Wes Has a lot of potential if only he was taken more seriously as a character and given better storylines. Episode VI TNG Season 1, Episode 3, “The Naked Now” and Season 1, Episode 8, “Justice” both have Wesley stories that fall flat. But the two episodes have weak stories from the beginning, suggesting Wesley is not the problem. In the early episodes, it was clear that the writers were still developing the characters, and Wes just didn’t get the development that many of the other characters did.

Wesley Crusher’s Later Star Trek: TNG Stories prove he has much more to offer

TNG’s “Last Mission” and “First Duty” were both strong episodes.

Wesley has some standout moments throughout TNG Seasons 1 and 2, such as “Where No Man Has Gone Before” and “Feather Pals,” but he didn’t get much to do in Season 3. It feels like the people behind the scenes saw that Wes doesn’t quite work as a character, So they stopped giving him relevant stories. But the last episode with Wesley as a member of the main cast is surprisingly good. in TNG Season 4, Episode 9, “Final Mission,” Captain Picard travels with Wes to Starfleet Academy, but their shuttle crashes on the way there.

When Picard is seriously injured, Wes has to keep him alive until the Enterprise arrives, and he turns out to be smart and capable. I have a particular fondness for “Final Mission,” As well as TNGs “The First Duty,” which shows another side to Wes. After being involved in a flight accident that kills another cadet, Wesley participates in a cover-up with his fellow Nova Squadron members that results in him receiving a dressing down from Captain Picard. I enjoyed that Wes acted like a normal teenager in “First Duty” but still came across as a genuinely good person.

I’m so glad that Wesley Crusher is finally returning to Star Trek

Wes’s return in Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 was a welcome surprise.

Back in TNG Season 1’s “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” a mysterious being known as The Traveler (Eric Minook) tells Picard that Wesley is destined for greatness. After Wesley left to join the travelers at “Journey’s End,” he was largely absent from Star Trek For 28 years (except for a brief cameo in Star Trek: Nemesis). Although he started Star Trek: Picard Season 2, Traveler Wesley made a more significant return in Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2. I’m glad we finally got to see Wes having fun, gallivanting across time and space, and saving the universe.

I can’t help but think of all the adventures we could have witnessed if Wesley had joined the travelers earlier in TNG. yet, Prodigy Delivered a great Wesley Crusher story, Provide some closure for the character if it’s the last we see of him. Although, since Wes can travel through time and space, he can make an appearance in any Star Trek project, regardless of its place in the timeline. I, for one, really hope for the future Trek Projects take advantage of this, giving Wil Wheaton’s Wesley Crusher the fun and compelling storylines he never had Star Trek: The Next Generation.