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.
I hated Wesley. When I was an adult. When I was told I was supposed to hate him.
But when “Encounter at Farpoint” came out, I was an 11 year old boy. And that 11 year old boy liked Wesley. He didn’t adore him or look up to him. Wesley Crushers was and is a fictional character. But that 11 year old boy liked Wesley as much Riker or Worf or Data or anyone else on the show.
And now this 41 year old man realizes he can like what he likes and he likes Wesley Crusher, ugly sweaters and all.
I saw part of the picture of the mini figures this morning. I was so disappointed when I clicked on it saw the Westley Crusher figure. I completely agree that your character wasn’t well written in the first season, but he became so much more as the years went on. He was smart, curious and he saved the day on multiple occasions. How do people forget all that and only remember what he was like for 1 season? I have nothing but happy memories when I think of Westley. He made me feel like I could anything, even if I was just a kid. Thank you for taking the part of Westley, thank you for putting up with this crap and thank you for being you.
*Wesley
If you like him so much learn his name.
My iPad autocorrected his name. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to shit on a nice comment. You’re clearly a superior nerd.
They should change the face the first thing I thought when I saw that was: Woah I wonder how Wil feels about that awfully rude interpretation.
Wow. Just wow. This is my first time seeing those figures. Someone needs to sit the designers down and give them a talking to. Not cool at all. Also, what in bloody hell is going on with Riker’s hair?
Ya your rite what the heck Riker
TNG, the best things I liked/loved about it were Data and Wesley Crusher. Period. And you were 100% right, “… 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).” That, was/is, always me. I love being smart. I love getting nerdy jokes in 0’s and 1’s no one else gets. I love cheesy, weird, odd, dark humored, not well timed jokes. I laugh at things other people either stare about or tilt their heads like something’s going to fall out of their ear (most likely their left over brain parts that haven’t been used yet). Wesley Crusher is/was/is awesome and always will be. He is one of my top 10 heroes for not only being the willing or unwilling hero, but because he’s just Wesley. He’s the smartest one in the room but doesn’t flaunt it. He’s adorable and witty and a good balance of introvert/extrovert. He learns quickly and had no issues teaching someone else what he knows. And though the writer’s didn’t do him justice, his fans always till. /salute
I usually lurk here, but I’ll come out to toss my two cents on the already decent-sized pile of pennies.
I started watching TNG, at age 16, because of Wesley. That’s the unvarnished truth. A kid near my age, on a show in my favorite genre? That was so cool.
I’m well into my 40s now, and I still love the character. I also thought Picard was pretty unprofessional when he told Wesley to shut up. It wasn’t funny then, and I think the people who throw it in your face now are childish and mean.
Dumb move, LEGO. I’ll never buy that set.
I loved the character; when I was a 10 year old girl watching Next Gen every Saturday at 6 I had no clue what a MarySue was, ir that people didn’t like Wesley Crusher. It’s heart breaking to think people can’t let go of their foolishness after all these years. My favorite memory is of Wesley listening to his father’s message and how supremely moving that was to me and still is. And that whole first season of TNG is an absolute mess. The whole thing. Not just one character.
That first year Wesley surely sucked due to bad writing, which in turn left little room for good acting.
It would seem the Lego folks stopped watching before things improved in the second season.
However, I do NOT view Lego Wesley as crying: He’s shouting at the writers for better lines!
https://alongthevillagegreen.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/cartman.jpg
I agree that this is very disappointing. Wesley became my favorite character as I watched TNG. Admittedly, a large part of this, initially, was due to my admiration of you and your acting repertoire, but as Wesley became a more developed character I truly loved and empathized with the character himself. I was about his age and he provided me with inspiration and a feeling of kinship. Truly sad that this minifig is spoiled for everyone because someone at LEGO needs to be a douche.
It is not lego. It is done outside the company.
The first moment I saw this I was pissed off that they did this to Wesley and that hasn’t changed. Worf is not a snarling animal. Picard is not a boozy frenchman. Riker is not a leering horndog. So why is Wesley a crying caricature? This is unacceptable. I liked Wesley after season 1 as much as I liked Riker or Data or Geordi. I am sure there are legions of people that think it is funny and they can have whatever opinion they want but I wonder their reaction would be to having their work demeaned like this.
Well said. And I loved Wesley.
I sometimes wonder if I’m the only one who hated Wesley for exactly the opposite reason as everyone else. It’s not because he was some know-it-all child that I couldn’t relate to. It’s because he was a hell of a lot like me and my friends, or so I thought at the time. I was a nerd in a time and place where that was not okay. We, the members of the computer, A/V, theater, and/or computer clubs didn’t get respect. We got stuffed in lockers. We were made fun of on a daily basis because we knew things, and no matter how much our parents told us that the bullies would all end up working for us someday, it didn’t make it feel any better at the time.
But Wesley lived in a Utopian future, and that future seemed like a better place to be unusual than the 80’s were for us on Earth. No-one ever gave Wesley a wedgie, or a swirlie, or threatened to beat him up after school. At least if they did, it happened off camera. Even if the adults were sometimes dismissive of him, at least it was only sometimes. “Shut up Wesley” happened one time for him, but it was every day for those of us unfortunate enough to be a geek in the 80’s. Wesley had a girlfriend, at least for a couple of episodes. Wesley had respect, at least most of the time. Wesley lived in a world where it was okay to be Wesley, and I hated him for that.
But you know what? The world revolves around US now, just like our parents said it would. Every used-up high school jock that made fun of us nerds now has an album on Facebook or Instagram full of pictures of his glory days just to prove that he used to be someone. We geeks won the culture wars. The “normal” people now live in the inter-connected electronic world that WE built, and you know what? Wil Wheaton is our fucking patron saint, so you show Wesley the respect we all deserved!
And on another note, I always found the line “Shut up Wesley” to be way funnier than it had any right to be, not because of the context in which is was uttered, but because Patrick Stewart said it. Remember that, at the time, I still associated Patrick Stewart a little more closely with Shakespeare than Star Trek. I still pictured him doing Hamlet with Lalla Ward (told you I was a nerd).
It’s like the line “Let’s get drunk and play ping pong”. It’s not a funny line on its own, it’s just funny when HE says it.
Woah, what the hell.
I had a conflicted relationship with Wesley.
On one hand, I absolutely did identify with a kid doing the best he could as he tried to move into the adult world. A kid who’s a little geekier than most. A kid who probably wishes the ratio of adult acceptance and guidance to condescension and dismissal was a little higher. AND BY GOD HE FLEW ON A STAR SHIP! IN SPACE!
On the other hand, I kept seeing episodes that… Well. Let’s be delicate. Episodes placing him in situations that were unfortunate and with characterizations that were also unfortunate. I was very unhappy with this. Too many times it looked like Wes, Wil, and those of us of a certain age were getting the “William F*cking Shatner” from the TNG writer’s room. And it worked. I got convinced to hate Wesley for several years, before I got savvy enough to actually do some actual analysis.
Today, I take both sides and make the best whole of it I can. All in all, I’m pretty glad I saw someone like me in the future, being a part of /my/ crew of the Enterprise.
I’ve always thought Wesley was a great character and that his intelligence showed us that he had empathy and knowledge we just couldn’t copy. Even when he “acted” like a kid — he was smarter than almost everyone.
Dude, I DID like Wesley Crusher! Never understood why people had a problem with character that was supposed to be a teenager actually acting like a teenager. Always a fan.
I was 4 or 5 years old during the first season of TNG. That means that some of my very first memories included watching TNG with my dad, so being a Trekkie is all I’ve ever known – that’s how deeply Star Trek is a part of both my childhood, and my life. As a child watching TNG as it first aired, Wesley was ME on the bridge of the Enterprise. He transported me there, and made that world personal for me, and I love that character for that. As an adult, of course I recognize how poorly he was written at times, and over time as I grew up, I came to identify more with Data, Picard, and Geordi, but Wesley is the character that pulled me in from the start. I’m sorry you’ve had to endure the hate toward Wesley over the years, but if its any consolation at all, count me as a fan of Wesley Crusher.
I am in a priveleged position that I get to share with a bunch of my peers: I was the same age as Wesley when I first met him and the rest of the crew. We could argue about his writing in the first season, but I remember feeling just as dismissed by adults, just as ignored, I related to being given tasks and then not trusted with them. Hanging out with Wesley through the TV showed me that it wasn’t about me, that people are having these experiences everywhere not just me. Kids were even struggling with it in the future…in space!
I had “shut-up” screamed at me by a lot of folks over the years, they were wrong and so was Picard.
Point is, I’m grateful for you, and for Wesley, for giving an awkward dude some context that maybe these guys would get it later and maybe I wasn’t entirely the problem.
If I’m honest the habit of going walkabout to find bodies was also misinterpreted by the adults in my life…but that’s a different thing.
I have been sick in bed for 5 days and feeling terrible… But this, my sweet summer child, has finally brought a smile to my heart and my face.
We are both blessed and cursed… technology has enabled such amazing things, these minifigs bring me back to happy memories, but it also strikes upon old wounds which aren’t without merit. The commentary you have so eloquently provided is truly an important observation on perception.
To take it a step further, I think it would likely not even continue to be a joke, but possibly a shameful smude — something to be removed from the rerun cycle even, had young Crusher been a female instead. There are noted disparities today in the science and engineering fields, can one imagine Picard blurting Shut Up at the young woman… that the character kids might model after and aspire to be like would be dismissed as a crybaby?
I don’t think you’re overreacting. I think TNG is an important social commentary and Wesley Crusher was unfortunately not a well thought out comment when first introduced.
It’s not just a TV show, at least not for me.
Wesley was my first crush, at age 7. I loved Wesley so much that my parents made me stop watching because episodes where he was in danger upset me too much.
I’m an adult now, but watched it as a child. I’m watching it again now with my daughter. And I have no problems with Westley. As a boy I admired him, now I just see how badly his character was written… But nothing worth hating.
If it matters, Wesley was my very first “TV boyfriend.” I loved that he was smart. I loved that he was intellectually ahead of where he necessarily was in wisdom, and that he grew as a person and character, as I was growing. I empathized with his desire to do more than his age was thought capable of. As an adult educator, I recognize those same traits I saw in Wesley, and in myself, in my students – and I never tell them to “Shut Up.” For that alone, the work you did, Wil, is valuable.
When I watched TNG as a teenager (I’m a year or two younger than you), I liked the show and I LOVED Wesley. He was cute and really sweet (I liked how empathetic he was about some of the aliens they met) and, most importantly to me, was super smart. I identified with him and I thought the adults were way too dismissive of him. Now, I’m re-watching TNG again from the beginning on Netflix and I’m realising the writing flaws, etc. I still like Wesley and I still like your characterisation of him, and the one thing that is totally true to life is how right he usually is and how frustrating it is when the adults dismiss him. I honestly don’t get the ‘hate’ for this character or for your portrayal of him. It’s not warranted.
Mr. Wheaton,
I agree with your sentiments. For what it’s worth, I was sad to see Wesley leave the show. I was about 12-13 when I started to watch ST:TNG and Wesley was my favorite character. I hated the way they wrote him off. It would have been really cool to see him come back as a real ensign.
Cheers
My first reaction was not cool Lego. A.) It’s a mean thing to do to Wil Wheaton who has publically shared his feelings about grappling with his Wesley legacy. B.) It’s a horrible message to send to kids.
Wesley Crusher was and still is a good character for kids because he is highly intelligent and contributes to Starfleet. He even gets to save the day.
Too often as kids, we were made to feel like our thoughts/feelings/input wasn’t valid because of our age. I remember feeling like all the adults in my life wielded authority, and I didn’t. There were plenty of times I felt like I had to be someone other than who I am to meet adult expectations. I couldn’t wait to be an adult to be me—whoever that was.
A Microsoft Educator tutorial on amplifying student voice offered the statistic that 24% of the population is under 18 years old. This segment is regularly denied opportunities to participate in society.
Other than the Picard’s “shut up, Wesley” outburst I always liked that Wesley’s capabilities and skills were nurtured in “real” applications by the adult crew members. Wesley didn’t have to wait until age 18 to participate in society or make decisions for himself. I always hoped kids of the future could be like Wesley or Naomi Wildman from Voyager. Letting kids have a voice and tackle real-world problems helps them learn how to learn, it teaches knowledge construction, they can learn how to collaborate with others and communicate effectively, they learn self-regulation and time management, most of all it empowers kids. Letting kids learn and contribute to solving real-world problems helps them know who they are, what they want out of life, and what their aptitudes are. They’ll have better skills for the adult world, and maybe they will have new perspectives to solve the problems we have not been able to solve as of yet. Because Wesley was empowered and had his skills nurtured, there were times he could solve problems, some of which were life and death matters.
Lego missed the mark with this. Star Trek, particularly TNG depicted an idealized future that is inclusive of all voices. A crying Wesley diminishes the impact and voice of Wesley. It tells kids that they don’t have a valid voice or contribution until they reach adulthood. We could be sending this message to the young person who if nurtured could cure cancer or save a species presently on the brink of extinction.
Whoops my bad. I should technically say unofficial Lego creator…that was dumb of me (I promise I actually read the entry 🙂 )…either way what I think it means and what the potential ramifications are I stand by…so any place my above post states “Lego” read it as “unofficial Lego creator.”
I began watching Star Trek because of Wesley Crusher. I think the writers just didn’t know how to write for a smart kid around adults but Wil still did a good job. AlsoI never liked when they said shut up Wesley.
I actually found Wesley the least galling of the TNG characters. I loved the show at the time, but can’t rewatch many episodes or films because the corn is stacked pretty high. Worf is all shammy bluster, Ryker is a cardboard cutout Sears catalog alpha dude, Jordy speaks to everyone like he’s reading “Hop on Pop” to preschoolers, and I’ll always take Shat-Kirk over Picard.
I also think there’s a lot of Gamergate-esque homophobia and misogyny in some fans’ dislike of Wesley. A lot of Trek and other sci-fi is alpha male self-projection and power fantasy fulfillment for many men who don’t possess that in real life. They want to be Ryker, but they hate the traits in themselves that they see in Wesley. Wesley may not be gay, but he’s effeminate, sensitive, and more closely aligned with the maternal. That makes him weak in the eyes of the immature and malformed. The “crying” part is meant to suggest a womanly habit of surrender or child-like tantrum, and not empathy, or strength in being honest about one’s emotions.
I don’t think Wesley was written particularly well, but looking back, much of TNG was a little shoddy. I think the choice to marginalize that character today is primarily a financial one. A cold, calculated attempt to keep the circle small and therefore the financial obligation limited.
You should feel pride, TVsWW, that you’ve carried that character forward with integrity and insight and have made it more an emblem of acceptance than a badge of shame. Those who ankle bite in accusing you of the latter are the broken ones.
I adored Wesley, for what it’s worth. I didn’t understand how badly written his storylines could be, and I didn’t understand how badly he was treated at first. He was a kid, about my age, who was really smart but got ignored and told to be quiet and mind his own business.
I grew up in a super-conservative Christian community. I was a precocious, bright kid. I questioned stuff, and I was told to be quiet because I “didn’t really understand” fairly often. I definitely related.
By the way, I totally grew up to be a scientist and now a faculty member at a major research uni because of watching “kids like me” on science themed tv shows, who were a little weird and not quite what everyone thought they should be.
I’ve emailed you about this before and it still stands. When TNG first aired, I was a young 18 year old junior going to university. I identified with Wesley. I thought he was cool. Yes, I wanted to be Data but I saw Wesley as someone like me.
There was at least one audience member who liked Wesley and probably a lot more than one.
Also, don’t know if it’s been mentioned, but those who keep saying this is a poor decision on the part of LEGO should note that these are custom minifigs made by this one website. It appears that anyone can customize these figures as the whim strikes. So a non-crying Wesley is just as viable. Seem like this is a poor choice on the part of this website, or even just the individual or group who posted this set to the site.
I was in my early 20 s when TNG came on I liked how Wesley represented all by himself at first that there were full families won the Enterprise now as aperead in TOS but to me he was also about the only character who was able to grow as a character and as an actor also no one has mentioned how he grew in his knowledge and insight as to be able to move in between time and space as to leave with the traveler after him mascaraed as a native American Shaumen ( sorry can’t spell for s**t LoL) to be able to test Wesley Mr. Weaton how did you feel about that storyline? HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL
I loved Wesley so much that I even wrote a letter to the TNG official fan club magazine lamenting the missed opportunities when you left the show, Wil – and they published it, right above your mom’s letter thanking them and the fans (although they edited out the part where I blamed the writers and producers for their underuse of the character in the 2nd and 3rd seasons). I actually dug that issue out today; gave me the warm fuzzies. Can’t believe that was 26 years ago, lol.
This nerd had one heck of a crush on Wesley Crusher… I’m about 3 years younger than you Wil, and stumbled onto the show that now has me paying lots of money for a cruise. (Had I known before booking this year I’d have waited a year but whatever). Because of you, I know more about physics than I can use in everyday life. Data is my favorite character, but Wesley is why I watched way back then.
My dad loved sci-fi, and I have so many memories of watching ST:TNG with him when I was a child. I started watching it because of Wesley (I had such a crush on him when I was 11) and continued watching it because I fell in love with the world on the Enterprise.
That was over 25 years ago, and I still love science fiction and fantasy. It’s made me into the person I am today. It was something very special that I shared with my dad. He’s gone now, but I feel closer to him every time I read a sci-fi book. I actually have a hard time rewatching ST:TNG because it makes me miss my dad…but I will always love Wesley for making a shy, geeky little girl feel like she might have a place on a starship, too. ❤️
I also remember how horrible it felt when Captain Picard told Wesley to shut up. Not cool. :/
And also, I don’t get why the LEGO Wesley is crying. Wesley was super smart, brave and mature. He was a little eager, sure, but it worked out well for him career-wise.
I think Wesley’s Lego action figure is crying (or yelling loudly) because no one is paying attention to his solution to safe the enterprise from certain doom.
I watched TNG as a teenager and Wesley was one of my favorite characters. I never knew Wesley got so much hate until I started to watch the BBT. And to be honest I still don’t understand why he is hated by so many. No use in getting this set until that fix that head since to me it is totally out of place (Never saw him as a cry baby). I know you can swap it out for another more generic Lego head but that would be disrespectful. Overall a neat idea this Lego set, now I am only waiting for the Lego set of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D to go with these figures.
I love the Wesley Crusher character. In fact, he was my favorite in the series. I found that watching his development as a person growing up on a starship from initially being an annoyance to Picard, highlighting his discomfort with children, to becoming valued a crew member added a dimension to the show that made a great show so much better. Wesley Crusher wasn’t a crybaby. He was a role model for myself and many other younger viewers. He pushed hard, always bettering himself until he met the traveler and then transcending his physical body. I was sad to see him leave but what a way to go! For them to represent him in this fashion is disgusting. If this were on the shelves, the crying Wesley would be enough for me to forego buying the set.
Hay I Hapen to be one of those kids mentiond. And though hearing or seeing the Capten tell Wesley to “shut up” now in Vidio mash ups or the like is funny now but, I did not find it funny then. I know how it feels to be talked down to both then and now. I did not appreciate this “shut up Wesley” take on the character when all the other paces where done so well. Just liked I remember them (excepted Wesley) it just ruins the whole set for me.
To tell truth,😓 I had a crush on Wesley and not just because he was cute, 😄because he was smart and can make all kinds of thing’s.😁 He was a grate help on the ship when the adults just stoped shoving him away.😠
That’s BS. Wesley was an inspiration! I loved seeing someone not much older than me who, I felt at the time, garnered just as much respect as any other member of the crew. I know better now, but when I was a kid I thought he was treated as an equal because of intellect.
The first things I ever wrote were TNG fan fiction featuring Wesley and the other kids of the Enterprise thrown into the situations of the episodes, and a few original plots where aliens abducted the adults and the kids, lead by Wesley of course, were left to figure things out and save the day!
I was inspired. And I don’t appreciate the “crybaby” crusher figure.
Wesley was the primary reason I watched TNG. I am the same age as you and seeing someone my age piloting the Enterprise was incredibly important to me. Every time I’ve met you at a con, I’ve tried to express how grateful I am that I had that–and I’ll say it again. Thank you for playing that character (and also thank you for being a writer, gamer & Rock Band geek that made me rediscover you in my 30’s).
I’m sorry, but Wes was written horribly the entire run except for Final Mission, and one or two others. I disliked the way he was handled, and his “acting ensign” uniform was hideous (Yes the uniform gripe is trivial I know).
The “Wesley moves to a higher plane of existing” arc, yeah that was bad too.
The writers had no clue how to write him as an almost genius so they gave him superpowers all of a sudden??
At the very least, he should have interacting with his peers, being social, rather than being a junior officer 24/7
Wes should have had a Starfleet uniform with no rank, to signify he wasn’t yet in Starfleet, but in the Academy, then give him his rank. He was the Doogie Howzer of smart teenagers in space, and he and Will deserved better.
DS9 wrote Jake Sisko and Nog pretty well, shame they couldn’t have given Wes more character, instead we saw a character hanging with adults most of his time on the Enterprise pulling proverbial rabbits out of his *** in the nick of time.
Wes built a machine in “The Naked Now” to repeal objects in space, yet he couldn’t help Data work on Lal, Data’s ‘daughter’?
Then he gets held back at SF Academy for that training flight accident along with Nick Locorno, aka Tom Paris.
So, Wes was a smart young man, capable, yet he could have been written so much better from Day One., where he was written so flat.
Maybe Was could have been assigned to DS9, or Voyager, and had a better character or story arc.
I was ready yo open my wallet until I saw Wesley. This once choice and, make no mistake it WAS a choice, ruined what is otherwise a fantastic set. minifigs.me will not be getting my money.
Wesley was always right. It also drove me crazy that he was given so much responsibility and no respect. Time traveling genius, but not listened to. And I was a grown ass woman when TNG debuted.
I totally agree with the whole “shut up Wesley” thing. That irked the hell out of me. It was a disservice to the character and to children in general. How are they supposed to feel like they can go to an adult about a problem if they feel that they will just be dismissed or punished? It was shitty bit of dialog. The writers obviously had no idea what to do with the Wesley character. It’s a shame that LEGO decided to perpetuate that.
I am a Florida Registeted professional structural engineer because of Wesley Crusher…..the sound of me dropping the mike….
Wesley was awesome. It made a world of difference to see someone of approximately my age also having to deal with dismissive and rude adults while also shouldering adult-levels of responsibility. at the time, I dealt with some of the same crap directed at me and struggled to figure out how best to handle it and react to it. Wesley kept trying to do his absolute very best despite the unprofessional behavior of those around him and, perhaps more importantly, there are few “I told you so” moments where he rubs the idiot adults’ faces in their errors and poor behavior. Does he whine sometimes and get petulant when frustrated? Yes, but what teenager doesn’t? (cough Anakin Skywalker cough) It was helpful to see options besides having a tantrum or shouting match.
In my view, Wesley ends up being more professional and respectful in his interactions with the crew than many of them were with him. I admired that and began to strive toward not letting idiot adults get me down with the “shut up Wesley”-type comments that were directed at me. Occasionally I still remind myself to take the high road when crap like that happens.
The thing I learned from the crappy behavior of Picard and the other crew members was that even smart, competent people you admire and respect can, and will, do/say rude, disrespectul, or dumb things. It doesn’t mean you were wrong to like or respect them. It means they are flawed humans like everyone else. It is important that they apologize and work to not repeat the crap behavior. I also started to pay more attention to what pieces of bad behaviors were the problems so I could better articulate what the issue was and to avoid the people who refuse to change.
So I am also grateful for Wesley and Wil for the example provided on how to adult as a teenager and to Wil for how to adult as an adult. Thank you.
Just to make sure that my opinion is counted: I loved Wesley Crusher, for a variety of reasons, many of which are expressed above with more eloquence than I could muster. I was a freshman in college when TNG debuted and my friends and I would take over the common area of one of the dorms every night that the show was on so we could all watch together. There were about 20 of us, and it was awesome. Ithanks had been some years since Star Trek had been on the air, and we were all fans of TOS, so there was a lot of discussion. Many of us was wondered why the writing and characterization in season 1 was so awful, and why they treated certain characters (like Wesley) so very badly, but it got better as the series progressed. I still love Wesley, and I think you are awesome, Wil.
I loved Wesley then and I still love him now. That geeky kid was me. And though I’m not an engineer today, I am a teacher and I hope I inspire future Wesleys.
I was about 10 when TNG started and I loved it, and I loved Wesley for all the reasons you’ve mentioned Wil. It wasn’t until I got back into sci fi and following fan blogs and yours here, that I found out other people didn’t like the character. I was so disappointed in people for not just enjoying the series as a whole and seeing the potential in the character.
I’m disappointed by this Lego too, I haven’t see it yet but it’s something I would probably buy as I have the Dr Who and Big Bang Lego. What is the point of being mean about the character, honestly, whoever designed the set is just being juvenile.
Wil, thankyou for taking the time and effort to explain your feelings about this and the character in a very considered way. Take care.
For what it’s worth, from the site that’s selling these, it looks like the Wesley figure has 2 versions of the face, one crying and one normal (I’m assuming front and back). It seems like the only figure in the set that has this.
https://minifigs.me/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/wesley-crusher-front-fleshy-normal.jpg
I started watching Star Trek because of you as Wesley.
I’m taking “shut up, Wesley” into my parenting essentials. You expressed beautifully the expectation on children to be adult but then be entirely dismissed and disrespected because they are not adults. It’s a great reminder of changing that mindset and the damage it can do.
I hope you’re feeling better soon.