Regarding Wesley Crusher

[SoTrill]

Did anyone else notice how in the first season it was almost as if they were setting up Wesley to be some kind of child genius, with like a savant level of understanding when it came to engineering?

That didn't playout. Maybe it was purely because Will Weaton is such a bad actor.

Anyway, his final episode, the one with the Native Americans, I would probably vote as my all-time least favorite episode. Some random Indian is just like, "oh yes, white child, let me guide you on a vision quest." I lol'd.

 

[Triskelion]

Wesley's genius didn't play out?

Are you trying to say Wheaton didn't convey it, or that the character arc went another direction? Personally I am just glad when kids hit their marks and say their lines, move onto the next scene. But if you watched the series through you know this genius characteristic was a plot point for many an episode.


As for the Random Indian thing, yeah, it's definitely a limitation - but you can see where it might help avoid a lot of baggage by not naming any certain Indian tribes; sort of how the show skirted a lot of contemporary culture clashes through the use of character and metaphor. Yes, the show glossed over many things. Not for lack of ability, but for staying on point. If you focus entirely on contemporary things, you never get around to envisioning a qualitatively different future. So I can definitely understand the desire to not get bogged down. Anyway, cultures change, too. They mix, move, misremember, and adapt.

Not sure why a majority culture shouldn't have stories featuring itself...? Wouldn't it seem like pandering if it featured stories about everybody else all the time? You know, this is one reason I love fan stories. You can tell stories that were never meant for selling soap.

 

[Ginners]

If you read the Star Trek TNG "bible" from 1987, a lot of the characters ended up going in different directions to what was intended. From recollection Wes was supposed to be a genius/prodigy, and a central part of the series, but it seems that negative fan reaction scaled back a lot of what was planned for him.

It's a good thing the ideas of the "bible" were largely disregarded by S3, as it would have made TNG an extremely boring and tedious show.

 

[Cardassian General]

Did anyone else notice how in the first season it was almost as if they were setting up Wesley to be some kind of child genius, with like a savant level of understanding when it came to engineering?

That didn't playout. Maybe it was purely because Will Weaton is such a bad actor.

Anyway, his final episode, the one with the Native Americans, I would probably vote as my all-time least favorite episode. Some random Indian is just like, "oh yes, white child, let me guide you on a vision quest." I lol'd.

Every wesley episode I just tuned out. Almost as bad as holodeck episodes

 

[JeffinOakland]

Wesley was deliberately set up as a Mary Sue to please Roddenberry. Even Wheaton hated the role.

 

[TheGoodStuff]

Did anyone else notice how in the first season it was almost as if they were setting up Wesley to be some kind of child genius, with like a savant level of understanding when it came to engineering?

That didn't playout. Maybe it was purely because Will Weaton is such a bad actor.

Anyway, his final episode, the one with the Native Americans, I would probably vote as my all-time least favorite episode. Some random Indian is just like, "oh yes, white child, let me guide you on a vision quest." I lol'd.

It didn't play out? Uhh... is constantly referred to as a child prodigy, has a genius-level intellect and eventually has such an understanding of the universe that he becomes some 'next stage' in human evolution and can stop time itself. I'd say his 'child genius' angle MORE than played out.

I always liked Wesley so his arc doesn't bother me. Except 'Journey's End' which is just a poor, poor episode of utter nonsense.

 

[tomswift2002]

I think the worst episode for Wes, but at the same time was also a great episode, was the first one where he returns from the Academy and everyone is hooked on that game. With Gene Roddenberry being on his death bed during the filming of the episode, it seems like the powers-that-be-who-did-not-like-Wesley-in-the-first-place, were finally able to establish their control on the character, and send him off on a completely different story arc. That scene with Wheaton and Judd in engineering where Judd tells Wheaton that his "neutrinos are drifting" seemed to have come out of nowhere and almost seemed to be trying to make Wesley into a Barclay-type character.

 

[Eckauskas]

Am I really that alone in not hating Wesley Crusher?

He's not even close to the character I disliked the most, Pulaski.

 

[Gojira]

I have never understood the hatred for the Character Wesley Crusher. I also thought Wheaton did a fine job.
Pulaski is the character that I dislike the most.

 

[Spot's Meow]

Yeah, I'm not getting the hate either. Towards the character or the actor. Wesley wasn't my favorite, but I didn't dislike him either. They did play him up as a child prodigy of sorts, and that continued throughout the series. I also think Wil Wheaton is a good actor, and played that role exactly as I would have expected. Child geniuses often come off as know-it-alls, but it didn't bother me, I guess because people in my own life called me a know-it-all when I was a kid!

 

[TheGoodStuff]

Am I really that alone in not hating Wesley Crusher?

He's not even close to the character I disliked the most, Pulaski.

I post on a regular basis stating I like Wesley [and Neelix], you certainly aren't alone.

 

[mellis1701]

Yeah, I never got the hatred Wesley got either. I like him as a character, and I like Wil Wheaton as an actor. Mind you, its the same thing with Adric on "Doctor Who" - child genius who all the fans hate (except me, it would seem).

 

[OldManDoom]

I have never understood the hatred for the Character Wesley Crusher. I also thought Wheaton did a fine job.
Pulaski is the character that I dislike the most.

I partially agree with you. Pulaski wasn't a great character, but Alexander really is the WORST.

 

[LJones41]

As an individual character, Wesley Crusher never bothered me as a character. However, I found it annoying that Picard allowed him the run of the ship . . . even on the Bridge.

 

[locutus101]

I thought Wesley was a shallow, annoying character. I sometimes fast forward the scene where he's in and I tend not to watch the episodes where he plays a prominent part.

 

[diankra]

The 'Wesley saves the ship' trope from a few early episodes (which seems to have been part of Roddenberry's concept of Picard/Riker/Wesley being the same 'man' at different ages) irritated people immensely at the time (including myself). The first episode I recall liking him was Coming of Age, the first to treat him as a normal if bright teenager. But by then the Wesley-hate was already habit, so it was left to Jake and Nog to play that approach out properly later.

 

[smp4life]

Isn't Wesley supposed to be the author character aka Gene Roddenberry? He never bothered me. I always thought if you were hatin' on Wes you were hatin' on Gene.

 

[Paradise City]

He gushes alot with Picard in a couple of episodes which I found very cringeworthy. Therein lies my dislike of him. Although some people seem to think those things are a plus. There's an "ah, shucks" simplicity to him as well, that's kinda annoying. The problems he encounters are generally sanitised. The whole child prodigy thing is not something that bothers me per say.

What they did was dreamily and aimlessly, in the joy that was the first season, set expectations high with the Mozart thing but hadn't one iota of an awareness as to do with him after that. And while they steadied the character up as the seasons progressed, they actually never did figure out what to do with him. The First Duty was his good episode here. And while I like the rebellious turn...he goes off with the traveller...to do whatever. Then, if you are quick on the uptake, you can spot him make brief cameos in the films...and that's it. (Or were those scenes cut? Can't remember now)

 

[locutus101]

He gushes alot with Picard in a couple of episodes which I found very cringeworthy. Therein lies my dislike of him. Although some people seem to think those things are a plus. There's an "ah, shucks" simplicity to him as well, that's kinda annoying. The problems he encounters are generally sanitised. The whole child prodigy thing is not something that bothers me per say.

What they did was dreamily and aimlessly, in the joy that was the first season, set expectations high with the Mozart thing but hadn't one iota of an awareness as to do with him after that. And while they steadied the character up as the seasons progressed, they actually never did figure out what to do with him. The First Duty was his good episode here. And while I like the rebellious turn...he goes off with the traveller...to do whatever. Then, if you are quick on the uptake, you can spot him make brief cameos in the films...and that's it. (Or were those scenes cut? Can't remember now)

I only saw him in Nemesis and in Starfleet uniform. So maybe he got tired of wandering about with the Traveler and decided that Starfleet was worth a second try.

 

[sbk1234]

I never hated Wesley, but I do think he was misused. The problem with prodigy characters, IMHO, is that it makes it very hard for most of the audience to relate. The character needed growth room, which he didn't get until later, after he left the show. The First Duty was outstanding for showing that. Accepting him as a very bright and gifted kid, I think it was still pushing credibility to have him working in the same job that fully trained starfleet officers generally do, flying the ship. I think he would have been much better served as part of the team in engineering, contributing, but still more closely under supervision of group of "teachers." Show him learning and a gradual shift to independence as an officer.