Approximately 162% of the total population of Twitter users has sent me this Gizmodo post about some mostly-awesome custom (unofficial) LEGO minifigs that are inspired by the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Approximately 600% of them asked me to comment, and since I can’t do that in 280 characters without resorting to the dreaded [THREAD 1/66], I’m doing it here.
Before I get into the Wesley part of this that you’re all here for: I love that this set exists. I love that enough people want to do TNG LEGO to create a market demand for these figures. I can’t speak for the rest of the cast, but things like this, based on us, are always awesome. Earlier this year, a guy gave me a little minifig that he made of Wesley, and even though it’s unofficial, it is a delightful thing to own. He’s in his little red spacesuit, and he looks like he’s got a course you can plot. I love it.
In this particular custom set, though, Wesley is depicted as a crying child, and that’s not just disappointing to me, it’s kind of insulting and demeaning to everyone who loved that character when they were kids. The creator of this set is saying that Wesley Crusher is a crybaby, and he doesn’t deserve to stand shoulder to minifig shoulder with the rest of the crew. People who loved Wesley, who were inspired by him to pursue careers in science and engineering, who were thrilled when they were kids to see another kid driving a spaceship? Well, the character they loved was a crybaby so just suck it up I guess.
“Oh, Wil Wheaton, you sweet summer child,” you are saying right now. “You think people actually loved Wesley Crusher. You’re adorable.”
So this is, as you can imagine, something I’ve spent a lot of time dealing with for thirty years. It’s been talked about to death (on this very blog, more than once), but I’ll sum up as briefly as I can: I reject the idea that nobody liked or cared about the character. Now, It is absolutely true that, for the entirety of the first season, Wesley was a terribly-written character. He was an idea, a plot device, and was not handled with much care or respect. I think the best example of this is in Datalore, which I wrote about in Memories of the Future Volume 1:
Wesley, who was sent to check up on Data, does what any smart Starfleet officer would do: He reports to his captain that something fishy is going on with the robot and suggests that maybe they shouldn’t be so quick to trust him.
Picard, the captain who recognized Wesley’s intellect and promoted him to acting ensign, and Riker, who chose Wesley over everyone else on the ship to check up on Data and report back on what he found, not only ignore Wesley’s concerns, they actually tell him that he’s out of line for expressing them!
“Data” (actually Lore) leaves the bridge — after making it clear that he doesn’t know what “make it so” means and arousing absolutely no suspicions from Picard — and Wesley decides he’s had enough of this bullshit.
“Sir,” he says, “I know this may finish me, but —”
And Picard, the captain who recognized Wesley’s intellect and promoted him to acting ensign, and the closest thing to a father figure Wesley has ever known, responds with three words that follow and haunt me to this day: “Shut up, Wesley!”
Trekkies around the country gasp in delight as an episode that was veering dangerously close to the Tkon empire suddenly has redeeming value. Printing presses, silk screens, and button-makers go into overdrive as entrepreneurial fans do what they do best: skirt the borders of IP infringement to make a quick buck. Children are still attending college today from the sales.
[…]
Wesley points out that everything he said in his report, and all of his concerns, would have been listened to if it came from an adult, or a competent writer. Picard considers this retort momentarily, and then sends him to his room to organize his sweaters. Then, for good measure, he sends Dr. Crusher to keep an eye on him.
“Personally, I hated the way they handled Wesley in this episode. He’s already on his way to becoming a hated character by the adults in the audience, and the writers cranked it up to Warp 11. It was stupid of them to have Picard give him an adult responsibility and then dismissively treat him like a child when he carried it out. It undermines both of the characters — how is the audience supposed to take either of them seriously?”
Another brief and related note on “Shut up, Wesley”, from a Reddit thread seven months ago:
People have been saying this to me since I was fourteen. I’m nearly 45. I’ve heard this for the entirety of my adult life. It’s annoying. It isn’t funny, it isn’t clever, and it’s just become obnoxious.
More than that, though, let’s put it into dramatic context: an adult says that to a kid who is doing his best to help, to do his job, to live up to the expectations that have been placed upon him. It’s used to shut him down, to disregard and silence him. And it turns out that, holy shit, the kid was right all along. In context, if we accept that it’s all real: Picard never says that to Riker, or Geordi, or Tasha, or to literally anyone else under his command because that would be profoundly unprofessional. But there are different rules when you’re dealing with the kid among the adults (and, believe me, the producers and directors on TNG treated me the exact same way).
So it’s a loaded phrase that bothers me, and I’d really like it if it just went away forever.
So back to the minifig: it’s “Shut up, Wesley,” made into what would otherwise be an awesome minifig, in a collection of truly amazing and beautiful minifigs. It’s a huge disappointment to me, because I’d love to have a Wesley in his little rainbow acting-ensign uniform, but I believe that it’s insulting to all the kids who are now adults who loved the character and were inspired by him to go into science and engineering, or who had a character on TV they could relate to, because they were too smart for their own good, a little awkward and weird, and out of place everywhere they went (oh hey I just described myself. I never claimed to be objective here).
I want to be clear here, because I know that future members of my Twitter blocklist will send me a cropped image of LEGO Wesley crying, or tell me to shut up because I’m making too much of this: this isn’t about me. This is about thirty years of people kicking Wesley Crusher around because writers in the first season of Next Generation (who gave us such memorable gems as Angel One, Code of Honor, and The Last Outpost) didn’t write him as well as writers did in later seasons, and once the fandom narrative was fixed, no amount of Final Mission or Starfleet Academy -like episodes could change it.
I understand that a lot of people will see the humor in this, and I respect that. From a certain point of view, it is very funny. I don’t think that this was done this way to be mean/ If anything, it’s just lazy. But because so many people asked me what I felt when I saw it: I’m disappointed, because this isn’t the way I’d like to see Wesley portrayed in a medium that I love. I just feel like Wesley Crusher and the boys and girls he inspired deserve something that isn’t making a joke at his expense, or just reducing him —again– to little more than an idea.
Here’s the thing, Wil.
No one, including myself – and I was the target demographic for Junior Crusher – hated Wesley because he was smart. I mean, it’s blessed /Star Trek/, for gods’ sake.
Those of us who /do/ hate Wesley hate him because he was an insufferable, whiny bitch.
And, frankly, we dislike you now because you never moved past being an insufferable, whiny bitch.
As this post demonstrates.
Seriously. You wrote how many hundreds of words over a /minifig/?
Own that shit and move on, rather than proving your detractors right at every turn.
Hey guy who clearly missed the definitive statements that make it clear he did this only because lots and lots of people asked- I just wanted to let you know he only did this because he was asked by lots and lots of people.
Shut up Jonathan!
Oops, meant for other commenter.
Shut up Jonathan‼️ You’re the one who is whiny and word vomiting🤮
Weird glitch🤔❓ The replies were meant for the commenter above Chris Bake. Don’t know why they keep endind up here. I clicked on the reply button to Jonathan. Sorry, Chris, that the glitch is dumping my replies here.
So whines Jonathan as he passes into the loneliness of obscurity, his brief moments of mortality pass by in unremarkable critiques of character and actor, unable to distinguish between the play and the player, and too cowardly and inept to make his own mark upon the world other than a trail of digital excrement. Lead the charge into the void of vile contempt Jonathan and tarry not to look back to see who follows lest you be consumed by the momentum and mass of what you have left behind.
Good gracious. Here we are, almost a month later, and the self-absorbed white knights are still slobbering all over the whiny actor in some vain attempt at acceptance.
Bless your hearts.
The problem with the Crusher figure isn’t his expression, it’s that he was included at all. Actual fans of The Next Generation would have preferred a figure devoted to Tasha Yar, Ro Laren, or Guinan. Anyone really.
Shut up commenter with gross screen name! 🙄…😅…😆😂🤣~
It was just a job you took and got paid for to pretend to be someone you aren’t. Imagine going through life as Gilligan or some character that was memorable for saying a certain line and being constantly asked to “do that thing you do” everywhere you go. You got off easy. The beauty of it is, because it was a child role, most people wouldn’t recognize you now in a mall, so you can lead a fairly normal life.
If you can find humor in the fact that people are poking fun at a character that was intentionally written as a whiny kid it would be more endearing than taking offense at it.
You obviosly don’ punderstand or have empathy for what Wil Wheaton has to deal with. You should read all the troll comments and put yourself in his shoes. Then you would know how hurtful that is.
Correction: …don’ understand…
A lot of people know what he looks like. Star trek isn’t the only thing he is known for. Like his work with gaming.
I liked Wesley Crusher, and despite his Season 1 flaws, I still do. He was a kid like me (at the time) and he was part of the crew of the Enterprise.
I never watched TOS and I was skeptical when TNG first started airing because of things I’d heard about Kirk. Wesley probably had a lot to do with drawing me into the show because he was a signal that there was a place for me on the Enterprise too. Whenever I daydreamed about having adventures with the TNG crew, Wesley Crusher was always there to be my friend, introduce me to everyone, show me around, and work with me to save the ship from some impending catastrophe.
When I watch the show now, I am aware that he was written poorly in the first season, and I do understand why many people found him irritating. However, I didn’t see any of that back then. When I consider how much of a factor Wesley Crusher probably was in my introduction to a series that I adore to this day (I’ve seen all of the series multiple, multiple times), I’m very grateful that he (and you) were there. So thank you for bringing Wesley Crusher to life. I’m forever grateful to you both for giving me the gift of Star Trek.
Cool comment, hope Wil reads it.
I thought Wil was great as Wesley – he was acting a part, people! I know people get caught up in these shows, but you DO KNOW that Wil Wheaton was playing a scripted role as Wesley Crusher. Wil was so great as a child actor in “Stand by Me” – this was a-once -in-a-lifetime role and it is surely has become a classic film. Wil remains a working actor – which is not always a “given”, or even the “norm” for child actors. So, good for you Wil. Keep up the good work. From your Bio, it looks like you lead a very full life. Don’t let the fools get you down.
I was in the demographic for Wesley and I liked him.
I’ve found that the reason I disliked early Wesley was actually different than other people. I’ve always had a soft spot for mildly annoying precocious kids (Dawn gets this too. I wonder if society just hates young people.), so that aspect of Wesley was fine. What bothered me was he was always right. ALWAYS. Like… half of the episodes could be resolved if they had just asked Wesley. Half of the remaining ones /were/ solved by asking him. He doesn’t get into Starfleet the first time because he helps someone, not because of his abilities. Because his abilities are just so darn amazing and he’s so smart and kind and is this a self insert because the writing feels like it.
I don’t know. If I possessed nigh godlike intellect yet was stuck in a form where no one listened to me, I might whine a bit too.
Sadly, bullies like to pick on the young. But not all of society is like that, just the trolls.
I never had a problem with Wesley as a character, and agree that later seasons portrayed him more competently. Also, due to his amazing kindness and generosity at Dragon-Con one year, I’m totally cool with Wil Wheaton as well.
That was actually beautifully written! I came to Star Trek as a 14-year-old (who was never interested in it before) because I was following your acting career, and honestly, Wesley Crusher was was my favorite part of the show (Data a close second). I don’t think that I would have every found my way into the fandom otherwise, and for that, I am grateful. And I think I also deserve more than a Crybaby Wesley. Those of us who are using these minifigs to introduce our kids who already love Legos into a fandom by sharing what we loved from it are made to appear silly because why would we love a crybaby? I sincerely hope the company decides to do a reissue and give Wesley the dignity that he, you, and we as fans all deserve.
P.S. You’re also the reason I found my way into the Big Bang Theory fandom, which I love SO much, so thanks for being you!
I was in grad school when TNG came out and not the demographic for Wesley but I always liked him (I agree he wasn’t always well written but I still liked him). I didn’t know until years later that people didn’t like him. The measure of the comment trolls is that 1. They don’t seem to understand the difference between a character and the actor who plays him 2. They think that because they don’t like something then no one likes it – and if they do, they are not “true” fans. Which by the way seems airily antithetical to the star fleet world Roddenbury created.
The trolls are rock hearted and narrow minded. Their lack of understanding is clearly in defecit, just spewing their raging bitterness at whoever they deem weak. But clearly, Wil is strong with the power of words
Yeah, it’s the same for me: I never even knew that others didn’t like the character Wesley and for my parents, my brother and me he was and still is an enjoyable character. As the youngest for me he was certainly relatable as well. I’m sorry Wil Wheaton got bullied; as you say, that’s antithetical to the world Roddenberry created!
As a young adult when ST:TNG premiered, I dug the Wesley character — even though he was poorly-written early on. I liked that a hyper-intelligent young adult could occasionally be an intellectual match (or superior) to seasoned military adults, and I sympathized when he was viewed as lesser simply owing to his age. Relative to the era and medium, his inclusion in the how was pretty frickin’ smart of the writers.
If detractors want to get their knickers in a twist over the character existing, or other people digging him … they’re the ones with something to get over.
Yes, exactly this!
Gene, the original creator included him. The others dropped the ball. Just giving credit where is due.
So my sons watched TNG because Wil Wheaton was on it. They think Wesley is “What Tony Stark would have been like if he were raised in the Federation.” You rock.
I liked the character of Wesley. However I don’t anymore. Your actions as an adult, as a whiny, crybaby Wil Wheaton have forever ruined the character of Wesley Crusher for me. I now fast forward through any & all your lines as Wesley. It was never Wesley I wanted to shut up but Wil Wheaton.
Hey, it’s OK not to like him. Everyone’s entitled to dislike whoever they want to/feel like. However, this is his blog. His personal corner of the great wide internet. No one asked you to come here, nobody requires you to read what he has to say. So, going on his blog and commenting just to insult him is basically like going to his house, saying “F*ck you!” to his face, slamming the door and leaving. Do you consider that an OK thing to do?
No, it’s not. Apparently you don’t “get” blogs. He put his thoughts on a globespanning billboard and asked people to respond. If their responses make him all butt hurt, then maybe he should save this material for his personal journal that he shares only with his therapist. The blogosphere is the kitchen and this is the heat.
Shut up, Margaret!
Everyone is entitled to their goddamn opinion. Just because Wil expressed his feelings about constantly being made a joke about Wesley Crusher does not make him a whiny little bitch. He’s a human being with flaws and feelings. He’s a celebrity, yes, but not everyone can laugh at those jokes especially when people are doing it for YEARS. And Wil wrote this because as he fucking said, if you read the whole damn thing carefully, many people were asking him for his opinion, and so he shared it. People just hate on others because they’re opinionated. There’s nothing wrong about that. It’s not that he’s insulting or bashing anyone. He’s simply stating for all the Wesley Crusher haters to chill out, it’s been years, and it’s time to move the fuck on. I have nothing against him and if he wants to voice out whatever the fuck he wants to say, let him. Many celebrities nowadays are afraid to express their feelings cuz of the fear of backlash. Not everyone would fit you people’s ideals. Everyone is different.
As a person named Wesley… Honestly I don’t understand why he was included anyway. I never thought of him beyond a throw away character.
The first thing I asked is where the hell is Guinan or Tasha Yar?
Honestly, I looked like him, was named Wesley and people have said “Wesley! to my ready-room!” to me my whole life…. but as far as I can remember – he never truly had a completed arc and never did anything of note in later episodes. The last time I saw Wil Wheaton and the cast was some game show around 1999 and the cast seemed to hate him.
You are talking “about” Wil like he won’t see this. You do know this is his blog, right? So you are actually commenting TO him. Is that really what you would want to say to his face?
Your comment is so rude. They are best friends now, because they understood his teen aganst and he is an integral part of the cast. The writers dropped the ball with Wesley.
Get a life!
I was an adult in my early 20’s and a huge Star Trek fan when ST:TNG came on. My husband and I LOVED it! We also loved almost all the characters and Wesley was one of the ones we loved.
I remember being ticked at Picard when he dismissed Wesley and then told him to shut up. It was disrespectful to say that to him. And, to not listen to what he had to say and really think about it before dismissing. I remember adults doing that to me when I was younger and I hated when I had something important to tell them and I was dismissed. One time my dad wouldn’t pay attention to my warning and it led to a whole bag of fireworks going off, thankfully not hurting anyone. (I ran when he wouldn’t listen…lol)
I don’t understand why people would hate Wesley, but even if they did it’s no reason to be rude to you.
I HATE that Lego of Weasley ….I would never buy that set as that would really annoy me to see that look on his face. I don’t know what LEGO was thinking when they decided on that face, but I consider it a big mistake.
Don’t listen to the jerks who are haters…seriously what kind of person has the time and motivation to hate stalk you and post nasty comments?
Either trolls or some pretty sad people.
I don’t care if you are disgusted by it because of us fans or even because it was a character you were as an actor. You have the right to be ticked for either reason. I can tell you if I were you, I’d be ticked they did that to one of my acting characters. Why the heck wouldn’t you be?
BTW what is up with Riker’s hair? :-O It never looked like that!
Take care,
Kimberly
Whoops! Thought those were Lego! Should have known better. 😛
I loved the character, Wesley Crusher and instead of the new series being all about the past, I would love to see a new next generation with Wesley Crusher as the Captain of a new Enterprise.
Second it.
Also, another commenter agrees, mentioned in his/her comment.
That scene you reference in the DATALORE episode always bugged me. I remember watching it the first time and being annoyed with Picard because I thought it was ridiculous for him to be so dismissive, when Wesley had proven himself over and over again. I was too young at the time to understand that it was bad writing, I was just angry at what was going on. I found it satisfying that Wesley turned out to be right all along, as usual.
I liked the Wesley Crusher character and I don’t see him as this minifig depicts him. I think I would have designed him with a face filled with wide-eyed wonder and a big smile. That was something the character always did–he may have been a genius–but he was still a kid, and kids can be filled with amazement.
I always saw this scene not as a botched writing concerning Wesley but an acute one on Picards disability/pathological awkwardness concerning social interaction with kids.
Wesley WAS right in this scene – the writers made that clear. They also made it abundantly clear that non-adults are this captain’s almost crippling weakness. He tries to overcome this, by recognising his abilities, but you don’t overcome lifelong weaknesses/predjudices by making a grand gesture. (Just as Riker’s weakness is worshipping of his captain – something HE tries to overcome since his worshippyness caused a whole lot of deaths; and it takes him seven seasons, the relationshipt with an emotionreading professional therapist and a movie to step out of a captain’s shadow and become one himself)
Don’t get me wrong! I love this characters. But they have flaws as well.
Concerning Wesley: sometimes he annoyed me, sometimes he was great, but always superbly acted, like every other beloved character I can think of.
(And I loved, that he decided against joining Star Fleet in the end. Not everybody wants to be in the military!)
Reading so many of these whiny, ranting, trolling comments accusing you of being whiny(etc.), makes me think a lot of them are doing so just to see if they can get a reaction out of you. (and don’t really believe the garbage they are putting out)There are some seriously messed up people out there.
What kind of people take the time to go around spreading nastiness and hate? That’s pretty sad. Feel sorry for them, they have messed up minds and probably live in messed up worlds. :-/
Agree, they’re stuck in their messed up mindset, bitter heartset, rock numb meanness, very sad broken world views.
And you’re not? How is you telling them how broken they must be because of their complaints any different from them telling Wil how broken he must ve because of his complaints? Who is more bitter for complaining, the guy who made a fortune as a child star and complains because some people dislike his character, or the customers who are dissatisfied with the services for which he was so well paid?
Wesley is one of my favourite characters from TNG, partly because I see the character as being there for the viewer’s perspective.
I just thought to post this to say that I’ve noticed on the website that the minifigure has a double-sided face showing a happy side.
PS: Loved seeing you on TBBT and The Guild. 😀
I had just started 7th grade when Next Generation came on the air. I didn’t just love Wesley Crusher, I desperately wanted to be him. Loved the show throughout it’s run and never understood (at the time) the contempt people had for the character. Reading this post is a good reminder that children should be treated with respect and not dismissed without considering what they are saying, even if they might be whining just a bit as they say it…
I loved ST:TNG (And still do), and I was annoyed by all the characters at varying times. Except for Tasha Yar, she was perfect in every way. So sad she got killed off :-/
My biggest annoyance, and I didn’t really know this at the time, was that the style of the show (each episode was its own discrete continuum and rarely had an effect on other episodes) meant that people never learned or grew, and that caused stupid scenarios like the one Wil mentions.
For Stargate SG1, I lost track of the number of times I would shout at the screen “But you have had this situation a million times before”…
I think SG1 stopped doing it, but bad shows like Arrow and Flash keep doing it -__-
Pricks are gonna be pricks. Charge them $250 for the autographs they’ll eventually want anyway 😉
I was born in ’84, and started watching TNG in Season 3. I rapidly caught up over the summer on reruns.
I never hated the character, but I was insanely jealous: he was just a kid (albeit, and older one than me) and HE got to have adventures and work on the bridge of the Enterprise, and go to Starfleet Academy. I was stuck in boring, lame, terrible real life.
I also love the way they wrapped up his character in Journey’s End. I thought that was a beautiful episode in a lot of ways. I’d LOVE it if we could canonically address, in a future Trek show, what happened to Wesley after that episode. Does he remain a Traveller forever? Was it just brief, and his appearance at the Riker/Troi wedding can be meant to confirm that it was a relatively short time he was gone?
I didn’t read all the comments above, but I read the first couple dozen, and I do DEARLY love the idea of a Trek series with Wesley as the Captain (I know he quit Starfleet Academy, but maybe just spin it as a sabbatical)! CBS? Are you listening?!
Wil, I did not grow up on Star Trek like others my age. At 37, I caved to the inner nerd and my husband’s pushings to watch Star Trek. He’d been pushing me to for quite some time but I had no idea what order to attempt to watch the massive storyline in. Around the same time that I broke my leg and had surgery (starting 2016 Summer), subsequently be forced through a torturous 6 months of being bed ridden, BBC America began running marathons of TNG and Enterprise. I started watching them despite them being aired out of order and pieced the timelines together in my head. I fell in love. I fell in love with every single character in them. And Wesley Crusher was immediately one of my favorites. I remember Datalore, and watching it thinking how annoying it was that they were treating you that way. It was one of the first episodes I saw. So I watched and watched and for six months I marathoned every episode, saving them to my DVR first so I could go through. I looked forward to your story line, at 37. I found your storyline to be one of my favorite parts of the show. I love Data as a quick second place to your story. I was completely unaware of the stigma you’ve dealt with your entire life. Now having read this blog post, I can definitely see where you are coming from and see the justification in your viewpoint and feelings towards the whole matter, the bigger picture. I agree. I know you do not anyone to justify your views of it. That’s not my intention by posting this. My intention is actually to let you know that as an adult, I did not see a whiny Wesley Crusher. As an adult, I was inspired further down the scientific life I’ve pursued and in my fandom as well. As an adult, your character meant something and I identified with him. Hugs and love from a late-in-life fan. Ang
Totally agree, I hope Wil reads this one. Lovely comment.
I agree. I will also point out that drawing breasts on both Dr. Crusher and Counsellor Troi unnecessarily sexualizes them. I think everyone could identify them with out that added juvenile detail.
You’re so right. Totally unnecessary juvenile detail.
I know a lot of the gainsaying to this post has been basically, “Pfff, nobody liked Wesley, and they certainly didn’t go into science because of him.” Well, I can’t say for sure whether any of my love of math and science was influenced by Wesley specifically (Star Trek in general, definitely), but I was born in 1982 and so grew up watching TNG with my dad, and Wesley was my favorite character at that time. The specific episode I remember liking the most was “Final Mission”, in which Captain Picard and Wesley crash-land on some desert planet with an alcoholic pilot who has whiskey in his flask instead of water, and he ends up getting killed by some force-field/defense mechanism in the cave where the water is, and Wesley is the one who figures out how to disable it and get at the water, which Picard can’t help him with because he’s on death’s doorstep.
Another good Wesley episode, which I’m not sure if I remember from my childhood or just later re-watchings, is the one where he takes the Starfleet Academy entrance exam, and he helps another applicant with that 3D spatial-reasoning test (or whatever it is) where they have to align all these dots or something that are floating and twirling around, and Wesley’s help is what allows that applicant to earn a higher score and get accepted over Wesley. I don’t know if childhood me learned any life lessons or appreciated the moral difficulties of Wesley’s experience (again, I’m not even sure I saw it as a child), but it is a good Wesley episode. So I think that episode contributed to my positive impression of Wesley from a young age, or at least from an adult age.
But by far the best Wesley episode is “The First Duty”, which really becomes as much a Picard episode as anything, and that’s part of why it’s so great, but Wesley is far from a whining child in that episode and does a lot to earn the respect of both the viewers and the other characters. I’m sure I’ve only seen that episode as an adult, but the adultness of both the episode and Wesley is what makes it so great. That’s an all-time top-10 Star Trek episode, largely because of Wesley.
Regarding the first-season Wesley who was kind of childish and poorly written, the only thing I remember thinking about him is, “Why does he want to get onto the bridge so badly? What’s so special about that?” I wasn’t put off by any whininess or childishness, probably because I didn’t notice, because I was a CHILD.
FWIW, the only reason I encountered any of the scoffing at this post in the first place (though not any of the lies and misrepresentations and vitriol you’ve mentioned) is because politically I align much more closely with libertarians and conservatives (the real kind, not the Trump kind), and this is one of those things I see them comment on that I don’t like and don’t agree with. So we’re not all bad, and we don’t all let our political disagreements affect our opinions of actors and artists and TV and movies. I, for one, can’t wait to watch all seven seasons of TNG on DVD with my children when they turn about 10 or 12, and I strongly hope they like Wesley as much as I did.
Oh, you may not have, but the vitriol trolls are out there. And Wil is the one who gets this vitriol aimed at often, so he knows what he’s talking about. I only saw a sampling.
Your effort to be kind to trolls reflects well on your choice to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. But doesn’t acknowledge how sick and low some people can go. Especially online.
I was born in 1987, when TNG came out. I don’t even remember my first exposure to Star Trek, because I grew up with it. Wesley Crusher was my first crush, that relatable character who wasn’t really close to my age, but much much closer than all the adults (and who became closer to my age the older I grew, rewatching episodes). I would get excited about any episode with Wesley because he was my favorite character, and although he wasn’t written well in all the episodes, I liked to take the glimpses I could get off his life (especially when he did get to interact with other kids) and dream myself into thoughts of what it would be like to live on a starship.
To those who talk about how they hate Wesley, or speak badly of Wil, may I simply remind you that if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.
If I was already having a hard time (I am), and something like this happened to me, it would seriously disrupt my equilibrium. (Man, am I glad I never became famous.) The Wesley minifig is a cheap shot that tarnishes the entire set. It’s not light-hearted; it’s juvenile at best and mean-spirited at worst. I even feel a little bad that in the past, I bought some of the products available from minifig.me. I don’t mind taking the mick (cf. “Not All Dogs Go to Heaven” episode of “Family Guy”) but this feels like bullying.
I don’t understand the Wesley hate. I know that my co-worker still loves Wesley all these years later. I suspect she secretly wants to be Wesley, even now. I don’t get why some people think that hating or put-downs are clever. Even on a rough day like today, I don’t believe that hate is superior to love, nor do I believe that hate will in the end triumph.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find an antidote to the trolls, like doing something nice for someone.
Well salid.
Autocorrect🙄
Correction: …said😊
Edited in the face, because last minute I regretted just putting a period, and when I use an emoticon I skip the period.
For what its worth, I’ve been introducing my 7yo daughter to STTNG. She really likes the Wesley Character. We just finished the episode with the Binars. You did good work on the show and should be proud. Just wanted to add my voice to others that appreciated the work.
Honestly, at this point, ALL the characters have some annoying or laughable moments. #rikeraintwoke
How Wesley was treated in that episode epitomised how kids were not listened to or valued as much as adults when I was growing up in the UK watching you on tv.
It felt incredibly unfair, a lot of us would have connected with that. It made me question fairness in our society in a way that politics hadn’t yet managed to engage my thinking.
You know the writers better than us, but perhaps Wesley’s character was more than just a plot device.
For what it is worth, my first crush was Wesley Crusher. I had ZERO idea that anyone found him annoying until I was well into adulthood (and it boggled my mind…still does!). I still remember holding my breath to see if your name was going to be in the credits for the episode which meant you’d be in it even for a few minutes. 🙂
In hindsight, I can see how TNG didn’t do Wesley (or you) any favors in many of the episodes. I suppose being a tween/teen at the time, I identified with being dismissed by adults as just how things are. And it seemed normal that adults wouldn’t apologize for being wrong because adults apologize to other adults but not to kids. It was unfair, sure, but that’s just how things were. Now that I’m a parent, I’ve seen more advice out there that recommends treating children with respect, including apologizing when you’re wrong. I took that to heart with my kid and hopefully many others have too.
Even without the apology, the only reasonable reaction to DataLore is “should have listened to Wesley in the first place!”
I notice a lot of the pro-Wesley advocates here start out with how they were kids when TNG came out, and he was a character to whom they could relate, unlike all those horrible adult characters. There are two problems with this as your justification for the character.
There are plenty of shows with only adult characters. Crime dramas, action shows, mysteries, etc, and that’s OK, because they are adult programs. So the obvious corollary to your back story legitimizing Wesley is the proposition that ST in general, and TNG in particular, is not TV for grownups, but rather a kiddy show. This further promotes the ghettoization of Sci Fi as not really for grownups. That’s offensive to the large number of people who rejoiced at ST:TOS earning some respect for Sci Fi as real literature and TV/cinema for adults, and who see Wesley as destroying that foundation.
TOS resonated with a lot of kids, and inspired them in the same way you say Wesley inspired you, WITHOUT a child ambassador. Did you ever stop to wonder how that happened? The difference is indicative of another societal problem – when TOS came out, society viewed a kid’s “job” as becoming an adult. There wasn’t a separate youth culture constantly blasting a Neverland gestalt that the grownup world was somehow “other.” With a lot of the Wesley detractors, if you probe deeply enough into their reasons, you’ll discover they see it as societally problematic that TNG NEEDED a character like Wesley to reach, inspire, or relate to/resonate with smart kids.
If as a kid, you feel a strong need to see a kid outsmarting adults to enjoy a show, I’d call that at best detrimental to your maturation process, and at worst pathological with an eodiple flavor. Maybe a little introspection on that is in order.
As for Mr. Wheaton, there are plenty of actors who built their careers on playing villains. Maybe you should talk to them about being happy with what a great run you had in Hollywood, and not spending your life miserably fixating on whether people like your character. Do you think Anthony Hopkins lies awaks at night worrying that too few people see Hannibal Lecter as a positive role model? Heck no, so relax, let it go, and enjoy spending the residuals. Do you have any idea how many people would give their souls to have your problems?
Wil, I am a fan! Love everything about you man. Maybe the lego figure, well just laugh it off.
I loved Wesley Crusher, anyone who didn’t was just jealous of Wil Weaton’s looks and talents and role! Wesley was smart, a prodigy amongst already advanced personalities, youthful, full of passion and possibilities, fit and attractive. I think his and Wil’s detractors were just down right envious! I’ve started reading your books and I am hooked, and by the way, super cool of you to show to a Star Wars screening in Starfleet attire. I will tell you Star Trek is vastly superior story telling and vastly superior to Star Wars, and yes we can love both, but wars can not compare to what Star Trek says about human potential, about where we can go when we strive together toward our betterment, and the impact Star Trek has had on real life. I love you Wil, dude, you made it The Next Generation, it wouldn’t be Star Trek without you, and you know what why the hell don’t they get you to guest star on Discovery!!!
Gene Roddenberry saw the potential for an adolescent character who could expose the wonder of the discovery of science, engineering, technology and math- the role Wil Wheaton was selected fulfill. Consider the protagonists of Heinlein’s adolescent sci-fi novels. Being completely clueless of the forgoing subject matters, the joy of discovering how and why things work, and bereft of imagination no doubt the “executives” were concerned about “high brow” stuff and probably pressured writers to turn to the familiar “Lost in Space/Will Robinson saves Jupiter Mission via deus ex machina,” a formula that had worked(?) for “Lost in Space” 20+ years before. Truly a wasted opportunity.
How an actor is often conflated with a character he/she portrayed is a sign of a good actor. I will speculate that true talent is proportional to how deeply an actor adopts a role and internalizes/nurtures aspects of a character’s development to manifest the unique personality/identity of that character. Mr. Wheaton, you continue to inspire in spite of some of the painful scripts you (we all), were forced to endure. Yours was not the only squandered character opportunity, the boot print of “Executive Management” squandered the opportunity of diving into the universe of mind/self/emotion and self-awareness, the anti particle to Spock, character Troi could have been developed into. Better to rule in hell than serve in heaven and better to be remembered and scorned (by fault of a script), than to be forgotten.
Hi Wil – just wanted to say that although I was never a Wesley fan, I know it had nothing to do with you personally or your skills as an actor. I think Wesley was (as you’ve pointed out) more of a plot or marketing device, instead of a thought-out, well rounded character. It seems that you take derisive comments about the character as comments about you, or about your ability to portray the character. Even though I found Wesley to be grating, I think you did an excellent job at doing what an actor is supposed to do: conveying the script and following directions. And at a very young age! I seem to be the outlier though — most people seem to conflate you (Wil) with the character (Wesley). If anything that speaks to a rare ability to make people believe that the character WAS you and vice-versa. Cheers.
“most people seem to conflate you (Wil) with the character (Wesley).”
The problem is that Wil Wheaton conflates himself with the character Wesley, by continuing to whine, 25+ years later, that the character wasn’t universally liked. There are dozens of hated TV and movie characters, from Frank Burns to Voldemort. Do you think all the actors who portrayed
them let that define their lives? LET IT GO, MAN. Maybe if you stop reminding everyone and put it behind you, you might get cast as something other than a negative meme on Big Bang Theory.
Yours is not the only Trek character subject to fan contempt. Every fan I’ve ever met also hates Riker, seeing him as a pathetic preening James Kirk wannabe who can’t seem to get to the chair. How many whining blog posts has Frakes made? How many times has Ethan Phillips cried all over the Internet that people hated Neelix, or Armin Shimerman lost sleep over the contempt in which Quark was held? Does John de Lancie cry himself to sleep at night because Q was disliked? For crying out loud, why don’t you form a support group with Benedict Cumberbatch, Idris Elba, Eric Bana, Ricardo Montalban, Kim Catrall, Christopher Lloyd, and every other actor who ever strapped on a Borg costume or a Klingon uniform? Oh that’s right, because they’ve moved on!
Wesley was the TNG character that I could best relate to; I guess because I had a similar personality make-up and was also a little precocious, teaching myself calculus at age 11… I got a lot of inspiration out of the show, and if I managed to integrate a bit of Wesley into myself, I’m proud of that. Whatever the faults of his character and the scripts may have been, he had none of the really annoying faults that I find among some of my fellow scientists today (suave careerists are the worst). Yes, in season 1 the scripts make him a raw and slightly awkward character who displays brilliant intuition at times, but still lacks the maturity and experience to fully fit into the world of adult officers. By itself that’s not even unrealistic, though the scripts may have made things worse than they needed to be, and less rewarding for Wil as an actor. And even in season 1, his empathy and caring nature always shone through. That’s what I always loved most about him because you rarely find those qualities in on-screen portrayals of gifted youngsters (same in the real world, by the way…).
All I can say is, take little Minifig Wesley, find him a different head – it’s not like they are particular accurate anyway – and Ta Da! You have rainbow suited Acting Ensign Wesley.
If its any consolation, I hated Neelix far more than Wesley, that character was annoying for seven seasons straight. Wesley did get better. And I am with you in blaming the writers, not you. You just worked with what you had. And what you had, was utter garbage.
And frankly the writing for first season TNG sucked all round, if that show hadn’t had Star Trek in front of it, I don’t think it would have made a second season. Although I heard more writers were fired in the first season than there were episodes, so that didn’t help. The documentary hosted by Shatner about the first couple seasons said it was a bit of a total shit show, but it stabilized, and it got better. As did Wesley.
Like many people, I found Season 1 Wesley irritating because he was an overly earnest know-it-all kid whose presence on the bridge of a starship made no sense. None of that was remotely the fault of Wil Wheaton, who played him as directed. And his analysis of the sequence that culminates in “Shut up, Wesley” is 100 percent accurate: the adults send Wesley to complete a task and then ignore his (correct) analysis. Now, why they would send a child to do this is another question entirely. The character got SO much better, but unfortunately by that time the narrative was fixed. The Lego figure puzzles me, however, because whatever Wesley’s faults as a character, whininess is not one of them. He was NEVER a crybaby. Exactly the opposite, in fact. If anything, he was too perfect. So this is pointlessly insulting.
Wil, don’t know if you read all these (honestly, with all the hate, I sure wouldn’t), but just wanted to let you know that Wesley was a hero of mine, and, by extension, you too. I still have one of those collector cards featuring Wesley, and I hope one day to meet you and get you to sign it. I work at Intel these days, designing microprocessors, and yes, I credit you in part for that. I know you already know, but just to reinforce the point, there are many more people out there who care for you than the vocal few who don’t. Ignore them.
I never saw Wesley as whiny or annoying so I really don’t get where this comes from. Actually I could sympathise a lot in the first season, because he was treated unfairly and I know (and I’m sure a lot of people do too) what it feels like when adults don’t take you seriously just because you are a child. When I think of Wesley I see this enthusiastic kid, smiling, with eyes wide open from excitement about something awesome, scientific. This minifig does no justice to the character you portrayed so wonderfully.
I’ve just discovered this blog post and discussion and I have to admit I’m floored. I’ve somehow managed to avoid knowing that there are people who don’t like Wesley Crusher. I mean, sure, there are people who don’t like just about any character, but the idea of singling out Wesley in particular makes no sense. I was a bit older than the character, but even in the first series I appreciated seeing an intelligent young person–and it was in many ways totally realistic that the adult characters alternately praised and dismissed him. That’s pretty much what it’s like being an intelligent teenager. It’s also realistic that the character grows over the course of the series–both in the way he’s written and in the role he plays in the story line.
As for those picking on Mr. Wheaton because he answered a question posed to him repeatedly–if you’re not interested, don’t read it.
Finally, about the mini-figs: I flat-out wouldn’t buy the set because of the disrespectful attitude of the creator. I would, however, very happily make my own (with my children’s help) and I guarantee our Wesley will be the cool kid he really is. Thanks for the idea for a great weekend project, Wil! And thanks for being a good role model for my children–both in your portrayal of Wesley and in your writing–your willingness to accept vulnerability and to keep going in the face of adversity (and trolls) are incredible examples for them of how to be a real, imperfect, wonderful, learning human.
Just wanted to say that the Wesley minifigure sold as part of this set has a double sided head. One side has a whiny face, the other side has a normal confident hesitant smile face. A lot of minifigs have two faces. Doesn’t it perfectly embody the two sides of young Wes or indeed of all of us? There’s nothing wrong with being whiny at times. Own it, turn your head around and face the next adventure.
How do we unpack all of this… I did not recognize that as Wesley – how ridiculous the creators were. TNG – I had no idea hating Wesley was a thing… we all loved him!
Hi Wil –
I haven’t seen TNG in years. I grew up watching it. At first I didn’t like it as much as the original series, and then one day I did. But one thing I clearly remembered was that I always liked your character. I’m not a keen analyst of acting or writing now, and I certainly wasn’t then. I was a young boy, about 5 years younger than you and Wesley, and I looked up to him. I dreamed of one day being on a ship like the Enterprise. I dreamed of one day being recognized young for being smart in a group of older adults. I dreamed of responsibility and making a difference when I was young.
So, your character mattered to me.
I just found your blog, inspired by a Big Bang episode to see what you’re up to.
Good luck with the drums!
Ah, I’m reading your blog in the wrong direction and just commented on the post related to the whole twitter blocking. I see now what the commotion is. That minifig is an insult that seems baseless. It’s also a huge misrepresentation of the character from what little I remember. The scenes you quoted were horribly written and I am surprised that I kept watching after that – I tend to hate shows where people act irrationally and counter to their own character.
Pickard even told Data, in varying ways, to shut up. I think that Data deserved it every time and Wesley never really deserved it. Maybe Data needed a minifig that kept blathering on when it was clear that the information was not useful. But alas, memory if a weak thing and it’s been nearly two decades since I watched the show.
I would hate to be one of those people out there that thinks that characters and actors are the same person in any whatsoever. Keep calm and carry on.