Wesley Crusher
Encyclopedia
Wesley Crusher is a character in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation
. He is Beverly Crusher
's son and is portrayed by actor Wil Wheaton
, the character was a regular for the first four seasons. Afterwards, the character appeared sporadically. The character also appeared briefly in Star Trek Nemesis. His father is Jack Crusher.
with his mother, soon after Captain Jean-Luc Picard
assumed command. Captain Picard was annoyed by Crusher at first, as Picard is uncomfortable around all children, but he comes to realize that Crusher understands many things beyond his age and has inherited his mother's high intelligence.
An alien, known as The Traveler expressed to Captain Picard (who was told not to tell Dr. Crusher) that Wesley had a unique intelligence and great potential if provided encouragement and opportunity, comparing him to a child prodigy like Mozart. Picard soon appointed Crusher to an acting ensign.
In early episodes of the series, Picard did not allow Crusher on the bridge of the ship. Crusher eventually took the entrance exam for Starfleet Academy
. His test score ranked lower than required, and he was not accepted into the Academy in his first attempt. ("Coming of Age"). Later, he missed his second chance to take the Academy entrance exam in order to assist the Enterprise-D crew in rescuing William Riker
, Deanna Troi
, and Lwaxana Troi from hostile Ferengi
. Picard soon granted him a field promotion to full ensign ("Ménage à Troi").
Crusher was invited to reapply the following year, took the exam, and was accepted into the Academy where he joined an elite group of cadets known as Nova Squadron. His involvement with this group led to his losing academic credits ("The First Duty"), when a squadron-mate was killed attempting a dangerous and prohibited flight maneuver and, under pressure from the team leader Nick Locarno, Crusher abetted the squadron's efforts to cover up the truth. Although the crew's intervention and Crusher's own testimony saved him from expulsion, all of Cadet Crusher's academic credits for the year were canceled and he was required to repeat the year and graduate after most of the rest of his class. He remained in the Academy thereafter until the Traveler re-contacted him, whereupon he resigned his commission and went with the Traveler to explore other planes of reality ("Journey's End").
He subsequently appears in the non-canon A Time To... novel series, visiting his mother.
He is also seen sitting next to his mother in the background of the wedding scenes in Star Trek Nemesis. He is being transferred to Riker's new ship, The Titan.
and a stand-in for Gene Roddenberry
, whose middle name was "Wesley". On TV Tropes
, "The Wesley", a trope describing a character who is liked by the creators but disliked by audiences, is named after him.
Some fans disliked the idea of a young boy who seems to constantly save the whole ship. Commentators have observed at least seven times in which Wesley, "who has trouble getting into the Starfleet Academy" and is on a ship "filled with Starfleet's best and brightest crew members", has come up "with the needed solution".
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
. He is Beverly Crusher
Beverly Crusher
Commander Beverly Crusher, M.D. , played by actress Gates McFadden, is a fictional character on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and its subsequent spinoff films...
's son and is portrayed by actor Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton
Richard William "Wil" Wheaton III is an American actor and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gordie Lachance in the film Stand by Me and Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers...
, the character was a regular for the first four seasons. Afterwards, the character appeared sporadically. The character also appeared briefly in Star Trek Nemesis. His father is Jack Crusher.
Overview
In the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the character of Wesley Crusher first arrived on the Enterprise-DUSS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)
The USS Enterprise is a 24th century starship in the Star Trek fictional universe and the principal setting of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series...
with his mother, soon after Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Jean-Luc Picard
Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a Star Trek character portrayed by Patrick Stewart. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
assumed command. Captain Picard was annoyed by Crusher at first, as Picard is uncomfortable around all children, but he comes to realize that Crusher understands many things beyond his age and has inherited his mother's high intelligence.
An alien, known as The Traveler expressed to Captain Picard (who was told not to tell Dr. Crusher) that Wesley had a unique intelligence and great potential if provided encouragement and opportunity, comparing him to a child prodigy like Mozart. Picard soon appointed Crusher to an acting ensign.
In early episodes of the series, Picard did not allow Crusher on the bridge of the ship. Crusher eventually took the entrance exam for Starfleet Academy
Starfleet Academy
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet Academy is where the future's recruits to Starfleet will be trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded...
. His test score ranked lower than required, and he was not accepted into the Academy in his first attempt. ("Coming of Age"). Later, he missed his second chance to take the Academy entrance exam in order to assist the Enterprise-D crew in rescuing William Riker
William Riker
William Thomas Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes, is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe primarily appearing as a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation...
, Deanna Troi
Deanna Troi
Commander Deanna Troi is a main character in the science-fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and related TV series and films, portrayed by actress Marina Sirtis. Troi is half-human, half-Betazoid and has the psionic ability to sense emotions. She serves as the ship's counselor...
, and Lwaxana Troi from hostile Ferengi
Ferengi
The Ferengi are a fictitious extraterrestrial race from the Star Trek universe. They first appeared in "The Last Outpost", the fifth episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987, during which they made first contact with the United Federation of Planets in 2364 on the planet Delphi Ardu,...
. Picard soon granted him a field promotion to full ensign ("Ménage à Troi").
Crusher was invited to reapply the following year, took the exam, and was accepted into the Academy where he joined an elite group of cadets known as Nova Squadron. His involvement with this group led to his losing academic credits ("The First Duty"), when a squadron-mate was killed attempting a dangerous and prohibited flight maneuver and, under pressure from the team leader Nick Locarno, Crusher abetted the squadron's efforts to cover up the truth. Although the crew's intervention and Crusher's own testimony saved him from expulsion, all of Cadet Crusher's academic credits for the year were canceled and he was required to repeat the year and graduate after most of the rest of his class. He remained in the Academy thereafter until the Traveler re-contacted him, whereupon he resigned his commission and went with the Traveler to explore other planes of reality ("Journey's End").
He subsequently appears in the non-canon A Time To... novel series, visiting his mother.
He is also seen sitting next to his mother in the background of the wedding scenes in Star Trek Nemesis. He is being transferred to Riker's new ship, The Titan.
Reception
Many fans, including Wil Wheaton himself, considered the character to be a Mary SueMary Sue
A Mary Sue , in literary criticism and particularly in fanfiction, is a fictional character with overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as a wish-fulfillment fantasy for the author or reader...
and a stand-in for Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
, whose middle name was "Wesley". On TV Tropes
TV Tropes
TV Tropes is a wiki which collects and expands on various conventions and devices found within creative works. Since its establishment in 2004, the site has gone from covering only television and film tropes to also covering those in a number of other media such as literature, comics, video-games,...
, "The Wesley", a trope describing a character who is liked by the creators but disliked by audiences, is named after him.
Some fans disliked the idea of a young boy who seems to constantly save the whole ship. Commentators have observed at least seven times in which Wesley, "who has trouble getting into the Starfleet Academy" and is on a ship "filled with Starfleet's best and brightest crew members", has come up "with the needed solution".
External links
- Wesley Crusher biography at StarTrek.com