Every now and then, I come across a science fiction image on Tumblr that inspires me to write an entry in the Unpublished Memoirs of Wesley Crusher. For those of you who don’t know, the basic concept is that Wesley (the character I played on Star Trek) discovered that he was able to exist outside of space and time (or maybe independently of space and time) when he figured out that space and time and thought are not separate things. Another way to think of it is that Wesley Crusher became a type of Time Lord who doesn’t need a TARDIS to travel.
So I occasionally write these things from that point of view, and it’s a lot of fun for me to imagine them.
I don’t make a habit of reposting them here, but I liked this one from yesterday enough to share it:
“Time, as I had understood it before, no longer existed for me. It had not existed for – well, I could say ‘a long time’, because I know that would make sense to you, but it would be just words to me.
“I knew that I had gone many places, and seen many things, since the last time I had seen the Enterprise, and I knew that I was supposed to experience sadness, or great joy, but I did not. My thoughts were not for myself, but for the people on board, who were no longer part of my existence, though they once had been an important part of it.
“When I saw my old ship – my old home – part of me that remembered the before attempted to feel sadness, or ennui, or some sense of nostalgia, but those emotions were all distant memories for me. What I could do was hope that everyone on it was as happy as I was. I could hope that they were feeling as fulfilled in their travels as I was in mine.
“It would have been trivial to join them, to simply move myself to any place on the ship, but I chose not to. I had changed too much since I had been there. So instead I watched, and I remembered, and then I felt the echoes of emotion.
-From “Unpublished Memoirs” by Wesley Crusher
I’m frequently asked if I would play the character again, if given the opportunity. I don’t think it’s wise to ever say “never”, but I do feel like I’ve moved on from that time in my life, and that I’ve done all that I can do with Wesley as an actor … but there is something there that’s interesting and satisfying when I explore it as a writer.
Discover more from WIL WHEATON dot NET
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Not at all! I’ve always believed that he made a choice to appear at that moment to respect and celebrate a meaningful event with the people he loved. He put on their uniform and assumed the form they expected, and when it was time to leave, he walked around a corner and disappeared.
In light of this post, now I’m thinking that Wesley showed up in Nemesis in a kind of reality bubble similar to the one his mother had been trapped in—warping how everyone saw and thought of him. Maybe he just wanted to touch base with that old reality he’d been a part of, without causing a lot of disruption. So appearing in uniform, showing up at the wedding, and (from the deleted scenes) talking about his appointment to the Titan, all of that was sort of his way of paying respects to the people he loves without disrupting their lives.
I’m betting it’d be easy to get a book deal for these memoirs, by the way. It’d be a fun and nostalgic read for the ST:TNG fans out there.
I’m not so sure, unfortunately. I am not a lawyer, but I suspect the rights situation would be challenging to overcome, without making it into a wink-and-nod parody (change the names of everything slightly so it’s not TECHNICALLY the memoir of “Wesley Crusher” from “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” but rather the memoirs of “Wilson Crasher” from “Space Journey: Chapter Two” or whatever). The Star Trek name, and all the characters on the show, are copywritten by Paramount and CBS, and publishing anything using those names would get both author and publisher into legal hot water, unless prior permission were granted, and probably by both companies together, since they share the copyright now.
Wesley’s writing there seems a metaphor for your own journey away from, and current relationship to, Star Trek as echoed in your final comments.
Since Wesley is outside of time and space is there anything to challenge him? A trial or a adversary of any kind? It would seem that he’s also outside of the reach of the q contiuum so does he just travel now and remember?
I don’t think he has any adversaries. He’s on this Zen-like journey of reflection and discovery, so his only real adversary is himself.
Yep, I really liked this one, too. Thanks for putting it up here.
I love coming across some older Science Fiction that I haven’t seen before. I just brought in the New Year with a Bruce Campbell marathon and watched my “new” DVD of “Moontrap.” I loved it. Great to see Walter Koenig in a starring role!
Nice reflection. I like how it mirrors your journey as others have stated.
Is that Dagobah that I see in the image? 😀
Great writing-really like the perspective. So, a slight slant on the Wesley question, if given the chance to do it again, would you still choose Wesley and the young Starfleet officer, or a young Obi-Wan growing into being a Jedi?
I always wanted Wesley to be more like a real kid, with struggles and mistakes and learning how to be a human. So from that perspective, I think the Starfleet officer story would have been more interesting.
But for the sake of looking at him now, this current headcanon I’ve built is more interesting than a typical Starfleet career.
Thanks for answering-appreciate the response!
I think Wesley always came across as a highly intelligent kid, trying to find his way on a starship. I really enjoyed David Mack’s portrayal of an older Wesley in the Cold Equations series.
I would’ve liked to have seen more of Wesley’s struggles. He was a very important character to me, one of the only ones on TV that I felt kinship with. I was a precocious child, and had a very difficult time relating to children my age. I spent my youth and teenage years feeling trapped between age peers who I didn’t fully understand and in return didn’t fully understand me, and adults I might match or even surpass mentally yet couldn’t relate to due to lacking in experience. Then there, finally, was Wesley, someone my own age, who I saw as ‘boy me… on a star ship!’. Whenever people would make disparaging comments about Wesley, I never understood why, and could never help but take it personally.
In closing, thank you for Wesley. He was very important to me throughout some years that were difficult in some very hard to explain ways. And thank you for this story. It’s beautiful headcanon.
“What I could do was hope that everyone on it was as happy as I was.”
I never got the sense that Wesley was that happy….
This strangely calming after a very anxious NYE. Thank you for sharing.
Nice reflection about the story of Wesley beyond what was on TV.
I am interested to know, if you ever regretted to leave TNG this way. If you could take the decision again, would you rather stay and evolve the character of Wesley getting older as a normal crew member of the Enterprise?
Good start to something long winded to read. Because of my boredom I’m interesting in reading more.
Imagine s story between Q and Wesley. A story that somehow put them at odds or maybe on the same side. Yes, Q can also travel through time but what if another species managed what the Q had always feared as a possibility for humanity? What if another species evolved while the Q was distracted with Humans and waged war on the Universe? How would such a war impact space and time and how might that impact our dear Wesley?
I don’t remember where I first heard it, but there’s a theory that the Q we always see on TNG is basically a child, or about 12 or 13 years-old in human years. He’s petulant, impulsive, immature, and thinks he’s much smarter and more clever than he is.
So if we were to accept that theory and use it in this story, the Wesley who wrote these unpublished memoirs would be no match for the childish, petulant, immature Q who is basically a bored kid trolling online for lulz.
Q was more than a bored kid, though. In his own way he did help Picard and crew on several occasions. In support, I would point out that the episode where Picard revisited the moment his heart was impaled during a fight with Nausicans was Q doing more than just playing games with Picard. He was showing Picard an alternate reality where playing everything safe never produced any substantial reward. And in “All Good Things,” Q defied the Continuum by providing Picard with indirect hints at how to resolve their “chicken or the egg” problem. I think Q would find conflict with Wesley to be similar to that with Picard. He would probably see Wesley as Picards protege’. What better way to prove he is more clever than Picard than to outwit who he may see as a Jean Luc Jr.? Q could have blinked Picard out of existence, but it was far more entertaining for him and for fans of the show to troll the snot out of them. But I don’t recall Q ever killing anyone in the crew. It may be that Q had developed an honest affection for Picard and crew (including Wesley).
I would like to read a story where Wesley Crusher is now this older, wiser, bad-ass Captain of a Federation battleship. He has seen a lot of combat over the years and his appearance shows it. He has scars on his face and his left arm is burned and he wont let the doctors fix it because he likes to be reminded that being a Starfleet captain takes sacrifice. He also likes his opponents to know that he is not afraid to fight. He is no longer that awkward kid skulking around the Enterprise, constantly seeking approval from any adult. He is now a battle hardened battleship captain. He demands perfection from his crew and if they don’t give 110%, they can get off his ship. He is sent to patrol the outer reaches of known space because Starfleet doesn’t want to deal with him anymore. They think he starts too many conflicts with other species but all he is trying to do is what he thinks is right. He has uncovered a sinister plot that could destroy Starfleet and ravage all of the species living in the Beta quadrant, but no one will listen to him. They think he is just trying to start another conflict or maybe he is seeing an enemy where none exists because of his PTSD. Either way, he and his crew are on their own to discover the truth and stop the greatest threat any of them has ever faced.
You may feel that you’ve done all that you can do with Wesley but I sure wouldn’t be opposed to seeing you in that role again someday. And, I would bet I’m not the only one who feels that way.