Oh dear.
It appears that TV Guide is holding an online poll about Star Trek, and our dear, sweet young Ensign Crusher is currently leading in the “Most Annoying Character” category.
I know, it’s hard to believe it, especially when we consider that Wesley was given lines such as, “We’re from Starfleet! We don’t lie!” and “I feel strange, but also good!” and the ever-popular “Course laid in, sir.” But it’s true. And so very, very sad.
Not that I care about this sort of thing . . . but actually, I do. I’m really tired of wearing that “Annoying Character” albatross around my neck, and if Wesley is voted most annoying in TV Guide’s big old Farewell to Star Trek issue, I don’t think I’ll ever hear the end of it.
I’m not suggesting that thousands of WWdN readers go take the poll and stuff the ballot box. I mean, that would just be wrong, right?
Normally, I’d stuff this ballot box entirely on my own, but if some of you WWdN readers want to legitimately and honestly vote for another character, like The Computer Voice for instance — I mean, come on! How many times did the stupid Ship’s Computer actually save the crew? Yeah! That’s what I thought. She’s got nothing on Wesley Crusher — I would be ever so grateful.
Provided, of course, that you truly believe there is a different, more annoying character than Wesley — I’d never suggest taking actions which could call into question the legitimacy of an online Star Trek poll. Oh no, not me.
Never.
Perish the thought.
I’m serious! Start perishing (right after you vote, that is.)
Thank you.
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The fools put William Riker under the list of hot guys – as if! Put him on the most annoying list and I’d vote for him in a heartbeat.
Anyone who gets baked while wearing some head-mounted alien game, then makes out with Ashley Judd, and subsequently saves the Enterprise from destruction… can NOT be all bad.
I voted for Alexander. 😉
This is my first comment, but I’ll try to keep it short and sweet!
1. I voted for Jake Sisko for Most Annoying.
2. I have a blog called “And now for something completely different!” so I found it amusing that you entitled one of your posts that 😉
3. Wesley was always my favorite, and I like to think that your character started my attraction to “nerdy but hot” boys that has persisted to this day!
Good luck with everything!!
Oh man, Worf’s son was definitely the most annoying of the bunch! I hope he “wins”.
Have you noticed that Wesley Crusher (when you are voting) has a little star next to the name?
What’s up with that?!?
My dear, I’m afraid I did find Wesley insanely annoying on TNG. But happily, along came VGER and Neelix, who gets my enthusiastic vote. Voila!
Heh, I was going to vote for Wesley Crusher as most annoying, and then I saw the actual list and remembered how much I couldn’t stand Troi. Ugh. Ship’s Counselor? Wtf? No offense to the actor, of course, but having a genius kid on the bridge makes a hell of a lot more sense than having some half-telepathic shrink.
Oh, and Quark is more annoying than Crusher, too, but that’s mostly because I feel like there’s some kind of weird Arab stereotype mixed in with his character.
Most attractive actress? Definitely the first Dax from DS9. Hands down.
Damn. This makes me a dork doesn’t it?
Wesley isn’t annoying; the half-assed dialogue that plagued the series is!
But I hope this helps; the top slot when I voted was a tie between the Computer Voice and Worf’s little brat ^_^
I had to vote for Neelix. Couldn’t stand him. When I voted Crusher had dropped to around 5th place so you’re obviously not THAT annoying! 😉
Poor Majel – yes, Lwaxana was very annoying and so was the computer. So, since she played both characters do you add her % together? If so she’s about 3 times as annoying as any other ST character!
Oops. Wtf? I voted for the wrong Troi! Damn it, why isn’t Deanna Troi on that list? Stupid TV Guide.
We got your back, Boieeeeeeeeee
I only watched Star Trek a little bit, but I always thought Data was kinda annoying. I wonder why they didn’t put him on the list.
I voted for the Computer Voice, Wil, don’t know why, but you are not in the lead anymore!
Hmm…. I can remember quite a few *Guest Characters* that were Annoying maybe a 1,000% more than Ensign Crusher could ever be… 🙂
I voted for Lwaxana Troi… I hated that character. Right now she’s behind Alexander Rozhenko and the computer voice… so you aren’t even in the top 3 right now! 🙂 I couldn’t pick the computer voice though…. I mean, she was Gene Roddenberry’s freakin’ wife!
Wil, I hope you sleep well tonight, and the bed bugs don’t bite, because it hurts as I know!
Although I am reminded of an obscure anti button: “Wesley Crusher weighs exactly 71kg” It is a Blake’s 7 reference, they are trying to outrun another ship, and are dumping everything they can to make their ship lighter, they are out of things to dump, the computer tells them they need to lose another 71kg to make it, and that a character the computer does not like weighs exactly 71kg.
Never much into Trek (or Blake’s 7), but you write a good blog.
Neelix gets most annoying by far. What i can’t understand is why no one wants to pet Ezri Dax’s tribble. I mean, c’mon, that broad was foxy. Anyone remember the holosuite episode where she dressed as a cocktail waitress. *drool*
Uh, Joy. Lwaxana Troi is Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. So you still kinda voted against her. Oops.
Wow. Behold the power of WWdN!
Wesley Crusher is now in 5th place. Way behind the computer voice and Alexander (Worf’s son). Now that was an annoying kid!
Ya know… I was just thinking that! I was gonna come edit my comment. 🙂 Ah well, I guess I don’t like Majel enough… down with the wife!!
Why didn’t they have a category for “most annoying star trek poll website.” I mean, it looked like ass in FireFox 1.01…
Ezri Dax was lush, whats going on?!?
Wesley was not the worst and looks like your safe on the voting front, DS9 was my favorite show – hail the Sisko! Besides look at it this way Wesley got the extremely fit girl in “the game” episode. Nothing wrong with that!
Consider that ballot stuffed Master Wil!
Seriously though, as soon as I saw Lwaxana as a choice I couldn’t fathom how anyone could not vote for her. Well, I guess voting for Worf’s son is an acceptable alternative. But for our dear sweet Ensign Crusher?! Unthinkable! I mean, come on, nerdy boys are so in this season. Or… well maybe that’s just me.
Also, the choices for a male character to spend an evening on the holodeck with were severely lacking.
Well, Wil, a quick update for everyone just watching and reading this far down (you know who you are).
Who was the most annoying character?
Leonard McCoy 2%
Janice Rand 2%
Q 10%
Wesley Crusher 10%
Lwaxana Troi 14%
Alexander Rozhenko (Worf’s son) 16%
Guinan 2%
The Computer Voice 16%
Quark 5%
Jake Sisko 2%
Neelix 12%
Kes 4%
Hoshi Sato 1%
Phlox 3%
Voted. Okay, maybe more than once. I can’t possibly concieve of what would have made Wesley “annoying”. I can only contribute it to jealousy.
I have done my part in keeping you in Anne’s line of sight. 😉
Voted for Kes (her voice is like nails on chalkboard to me) and then for the Computer Voice (felt like I was throwing away a vote on Kes).
I wanna know who keeps voting for WFS for the romantic evening. It seems to be a battle of the captains right now, so I’m gonna be voting for Picard.
Hiya. I never found Wesley annoying, and Alexander was certainly far more so. Ugh. So he got my vote. 😉
WOW how could anyone think Wesley was the most annoying Star Trek character?? *shakes head* Clearly there are too many crazies in this world, and they unfortunately all seem to own computers with internet access. No worries, we’ve got you on this. ^_~
Dude, your character was not annoying at all. I was always annoyed by Q. You were always fun to watch.
that tell fucker that didn’t talk in the episode with troi’s almost wedding. He’s the most annoying.
Wil, I work for TV Guide in IT. There is no way I’ll let Wesley be named most annoying.
Most annoying? No, there were many much more annoying characters. The dialogue was a bit lame but on Wesley was one of my favourite parts of TNG.
Definitely a flawed survey. The obvious answer to the second question, “Which character would you most want by your side on an away mission?” would be “anyone wearing a red shirt” and that wasn’t even one of the choices.
Neelix definitely gets my vote for most annoying on that list.
Congrats Wil, you’ve dropped to 5th place. Lwaxana Troi has to have been the most annoying!
Man, I used to watch TNG with my brother when i was pretty young. For years i watched it, in fact… i was a fan more or less. Now, i don’t really consider myself a trekkie or anything, but i know a certain amount through my brother. You and Jonathan Frakes were totally my favorites. [and i swear i wasn’t a fan of you through Stand By Me first…It all started with Star Trek.]
That’s just one girl’s opinion.
Wesley was so not the most annoying chaaracter. You/Wesley were absolutely plastered all over my walls (I still have one-just not on my wall). Anyways, I’m posting because I just voted for Alexander. I’m sure the actor was a nice kid and all (or maybe not, you never know), but I can’t think of a more needless character. I was pleased to see that he was leading by 17% while you seem to annoy only 10% of the viewers who polled.
I’d vote for Rick Berman as most annoying star trek character 😛
Click here for my blog
“Wesley may have had some terrible lines, but Neelix made me turn off my TV.”
Yup. Without reading the comments, Neelix was my first choice. Then I’d probably choose Lwaxana, then Quark, then Alexander, then Kes… and there were a few characters not on that list that would be in my top ten. I don’t think Wesley even made my top ten of annoying characters. I found him mildly annoying, but mostly because he was written so poorly.
Personally, I wish you much luck on not wining/losing this poll. Personally, I may be one of the few TNG watchers whose only real problem with WC was that he was under-utilized. I think unfortunately, that poll-wise it’s going to come out that way. The hive mind of fandom is really no better than any other hive-mind out there. WC hating almost became a requirement in the TNG-community even for watchers of the show that never actually saw an episode that WC appeared in.
Fortunately, your work on the site, your writing, and overall efforts have helped many of the fans remember that WC != Wil. This of course works for and against the poll. Those that get it may still practice WC-hating because it’s not personal, others may vote somewhere else to split the vote, but not overwhelm the masses who will just select “WC” because they are ‘supposed to.’
A reoccurring minor character on a SF series is no way to really assess an actor’s ability. Personally, I’ll take all of WC and put it up against the kid who held a gun to Keifer Sutherland and delivered with perfect accuracy, “No Ace, Just You.” Personally, I think the albatross isn’t yours to wear at all. It belongs to the writers. The character was too often used as a plot device to solve problems. The exploration of the character was really not possible in the roddenberry-esque universe. Gene may have over shot himself in creating a character with great potential whose natural innate potential for conflict was something that naturally had to work against his universal view. Truthfully, the fact that the populace had such a follow good or ill for the character is testament to a highly competent actor being able to consistently put life behind the writing.
Sadly, I think this is always going to be something that causes a twinge. As an actor on any level you have your view of how you want a character you portray to be viewed. It’s easy if you’re playing a villain because you know what you’ve signed on for. When it turns out that a character grows into something unplanned and worse there’s nothing one can do to steer it… one can walk away feeling a sense of ‘what went wrong.’ It’s not my character, so it’s easy to say… I don’t think you should let it get to you. If it were one of mine… I’d probably feel the same way.
Granted, I’m just a guy with aspirations of Directing. You’re the guy who’s made it real. Keep the faith… The books are great and the love and passion for the art will bring you back to stage, film, and TV. There’s no doubt behind the talent.
-Andrei
P.S. Saw the WPT. Had no idea how vicious LVBurton is at the table. Sorry the cards didn’t go your way that night. We were rooting for you.
I can think of a 101 characters that were more annoying than Wesley, so I don’t know why people have got it in for the poor boy. Heck, I loved Q to bits and I had the urge to throttle him far more times than I did Mr. Crusher!
In the end though, Lwaxana Troi got my vote, it’s like calling my own mother annoying without being whinged at 😀
Vote laid in, sir.
Everyone is complaining about the “most annoying character,” but I’M up in arms that Wesley was snubbed in the “Male character you’d most like to spend a night in a holodeck with” category! I can’t BELIEVE Kirk is winning in that arena. They didn’t even HAVE holodecks!
I’m with FNRThomas on the most annoying actor vote! Shatner couldn’t act his way out of a box unless… it… involved… overly… dramatic… pauses.
Oooh yeah – been wanting a romantic holodeck evening with Tasha Yar long before I realized I prefer women over men. I’d take Wes for a study partner, though.
I hate to admit my adolescent crushes to the crushee, but put me on the list of “totally crushed out on Wesley Crusher.” I even looked up your info to see how much older than me you were. (Well – are, I mean. You’re still three years and 21 days older than I am, and always will be, I suspect.)
If I’d known at the tender age of 12 that I’d be telling you this online, I probably would have died of pre-teen embarrassment. God bless the internet.
Why do all the Aliens on Star Trek always look like my uncle Cledus from Kentucky? I think that’s annoying!
Well I gota get back to my post I’m working on and finish it fast, my hamster Duckie is waiting for me to turn off the lights.
Good night Wil, everybody!
There’s no way Wesley was the most annoying character! At this risk of sounding cheesy, you were the sole reason I’ve ever watched ANY Star Treks. I HATE sci-fi anything (with the exception of the brilliant Fifth Element)… but I watched your episodes. For the Love of God, I even watched “The Liars Club”. *tee hee*
It’s true, this poll is deeply flawed. No Spock or Data under “With which male character would you most like to spend a romantic evening in the Holodeck?” Very wrong. Yeah, I know, repressed/no emotion thing and all, but I always had crushes on those two fellas. Given the choices, Picard was a no-brainer. And way better than Kirk. (I’ve barely watched Enterprise, so I can’t say I’d go for Archer, though I think Scott Bakula is many levels of yummy.
Wil, even before I discovered the fabulousness that you possess, I never thought Wesley was as annoying as others did. Frankly, I always felt a little sorry for him. Everyone telling him to shut up, fans bashing him constantly – the boy had it tough.
Yeah, I voted for Worf’s son. Never liked Alexander all that much.
Hey Wil,
I think people find Wesley annoying because they would have given a few relatively important body parts to have *been Wesley themselves*. I know I had fantasies about that sort of thing as a teenager. Yes, when I wasn’t dreaming about some hot girl I knew, I was dreaming about going on away missions, etc. Am I the only WWDN reader guilty of this sort of thing? I doubt it. (I also had Dr. Who fantasies, etc., but that’s just me.) Anyway, I did for a while find Wesley annoying, too, and found myself chanting, “Die, Wesley, die,” once in a while, but I think it wasn’t because he was a bad character, or you did anything wrong playing Wesley, but all of us teenaged trekkies knew what *we* would do had *we been Wesley*, and it wasn’t what he did on the show so that pissed us off. (With the exception of the Ashley Judd thing, which was really DEAD ON.) Anyway, don’t take it personally, but Wesley was annoying because, dammit, WHY COULDN’T I HAVE _BEEN_ WESLEY?!
Hey Wil!
Just did my civic duty and I noticed that as of 6pm central time Alexander, The Computer Voice and Mommma Troi are beating ya 🙂 don’t worry sent the link to some co-workers and family members. We’re doing our part to help ya out. I didn’t find Wesley annoying, he was the one character I could relate to on the show. It was nice seeing someone my own age in different situations and I too can now fully admit that Wesley was one of my first crushes.
Rockchild, I’ve seen Liar’s Club too…I own it on VHS 🙂 that is unless my niece decided to do something with the tape, she has a habit of hiding things, car keys, books, shoes..whatever 🙂