Who did Wil Wheaton play in Star Trek: The Next Generation? Actor recalls receiving mean comments over his character in the show

Wil Wheaton opened up about receiving mean comments over his character of Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation. In a Wednesday, July 24, 2024, interview with Collider, the actor discussed the strong positive reaction to his character in the recent show in the franchise, Star Trek: Prodigy. He stated:

"It's 35 years overdue."

Crusher was a child prodigy cadet who dropped out of the Starfleet Academy to travel with a mysterious being called The Traveler. The character was initially met with a strong negative reaction, with many likening him to the Mary Sue role. However, recently, the fanbase has come to appreciate the role.

Wheaton recalled working on the show as a teenager and finding a safe and happy place on the sets. (He explained that his home life was terrible and that he was abused).

"Work we did, people were mean to me about it. People who didn't know me, who I didn't know, got on what was Usenet at the time, and they were awful. They wrote angry letters to Starlog, and they were really mean to me. They were cruel to this child at conventions and stuff in ways that would never fly today," he continued.

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Wil Wheaton's character was teased during a post-credit scene in season 2 of Star Trek: Picard (2022)

Following his last canon appearance, Wil Wheaton's Wesley Crusher was with the Travelers, helping them ensure the universe's survival. Wheaton made a surprise appearance in a post-credit scene in season 2 of Star Trek: Picard (2022), where he recruits Kore Soong (played by Isa Briones) to join the Travelers.

Crusher returned as a time traveler in season 2 of Star Trek: Prodigy (2022), playing mentor to the young crew of the U.S.S. Protostar, aiding them in saving their timeline from certain doom.

Wil Wheaton's role was met with an overwhelmingly positive response. Talking about the role, the actor commented that he had the opportunity to consult on how the character would be portrayed. He explained:

"It's just such a freaking gift, man, to get to be him this way and to go into Star Trek forums a few days after the thing drops and look and see, like, “How did it go?” And just see 100% of people loving it and celebrating it and loving him, and loving the way that I played him. But it’s loving Wesley."

The 51-year-old added that show creators Kevin and Dan Hageman told him Chrusher was the "original prodigy," so there was no doubt he should appear in Star Trek: Prodigy.

Wil Wheaton also addressed the narrative, "Nobody likes Wesley," stating it was "empirically false." The actor elaborated that, despite the negative feedback, many fans loved Crusher.

Season 2 of Star Trek: Prodigy is currently streaming on Netflix.