Wesley Robert Crusher is a character on the science fiction television series The Next Generation. He was played by actor Wil Wheaton.

The son of Jack and Beverly Crusher, he was a bright young man who was almost too intelligent for his own good. He first arrived on the USS Enterprise-D with his mother right after Captain Jean-Luc Picard assumed command. Picard realized that he understood many things beyond his age and appointed him as acting ensign. He matured over the years and eventually entered Starfleet Academy. The first time he took the Academy entrance exam, however, he did not achieve the highest score out of the members of the group with whom he tested, and as a result, stayed on the Enterprise instead of proceeding to the Academy (see "Coming of Age").

Starfleet was not to be his destiny. While flying as part of the Academy's elite Nova Squadron, he participated in a forbidden maneuver in which a fellow student was killed. Because of this and the way the members of the squadron tried to cover up the accident, Starfleet reprimanded him and decided to make him repeat the year as punishment (see "The First Duty"). He became restless and bored with his studies. Wesley also had problems with how Starfleet was trying to force a colony of Native Americans from their homes. During this time he became familiar with the culture of the Native Americans, and participated in a vision quest. He then saw a vision from his father telling him not to follow his father's path. When Wesley emerged to find the Enterprise crew preparing to beam the colonists away from their home, he warned the colonists of what was about to happen, and the crew was forced to leave. A very angry Picard reprimanded Wesley; he responded by resigning from Starfleet.

Wesley joined the colonists on the surface. When a fight broke out between colonists and Cardassians surveying the planet, Wesley tried to stop the fight, and discovered he had the ability to stop time. The Traveler then revealed himself to Wesley, explaining that Wesley had actually transcended space and time. Wesley left with the Traveler to explore his true potential (see "Journey's End").

Wesley's activities and adventures over the next few years have yet to be chronicled officially.

A scene with Wesley was filmed for Nemesis, most of which was cut from the movie. In the movie, several years after his departure with the Traveler, Wesley attends the wedding of Commander William T. Riker and Counselor Deanna Troi. Sitting at the head table, he is seen wearing a Starfleet dress uniform and rank insignia of a Lieutenant Junior Grade. In the scene that was cut, he states that he is part of the engineering staff of the USS Titan, indicating that he rejoins Starfleet at some point and either completes his time at the Academy or had been granted a field commission.

Wesley began as a relentlessly cheerful wunderkind, often precociously saving the ship from danger. As the seasons went on he became more moody and troubled, going down some fairly dark paths (turning his back on Starfleet, for example) that his creator, Gene Roddenberry, surely never foresaw. Nonetheless, many Trekkies found the character intensely irritating, claiming he was a Mary Sue ('Wesley' being Roddenberry's middle name, as well as the name of his son). The extreme and ongoing nature of the fan hatred was a source of much annoyance to Wheaton, who was ambivalent about the character of Wesley himself and struggled to find acting work after he left the show. In recent years Wheaton has become an internet celebrity with his frank blog, wilwheaton.net, and while he still acts he has increasingly been working as a writer.

The original character was intended to be a female named Lesley Crusher; this was changed shortly before production.

Wesley is often referred to as "the boy" by many fans and Enterprise crew members, especially Worf, Picard, and Riker.

External links

• Official biography of Wesley Crusher

Fictional interdimensional travelers | Fictional lieutenants | Fictional teenagers | Star Trek: The Next Generation characters | Star Trek film characters

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