In Praise of Wesley Crusher
Like a lot of teenage girls, I had pictures on my wall of the boys I liked — the teen idols and Hollywood heartthrobs who rocked my world. And you could totally tell by my pictures that I was a prime grade-A nerdling. Hanging on my wall I had:
- Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Indiana Jones
- River Phoenix as young Indiana Jones
- Sean Patrick Flannery as young Indiana Jones (sensing a trend here)
- and Wil Wheaton as Ensign Wesley Crusher
Seriously. I adored Wesley. He was one of my heroes. And to this day, I’m still having to explain to people why.
I think it had a lot to do with being the same age, and having much the same state of mind. I was one of those kids who was too smart for my own good. I’d been reading since I was five, reading science fiction since I was eight, and I used SAT words in normal conversation because I didn’t know any better. When other kids were building models of the Globe Theatre out of popsicle sticks for their Shakespeare projects, I rewrote Julius Caesar so it was set in modern Washington, D.C. Not because I was trying to show off, but because I thought it was cool. I often got along better with adults because the conversation was more interesting. I liked my parents. My interest was literature rather than tractor beams, but Wesley’s out-of-control precociousness was modeled after my own heart.
Wesley was one of those very rare instances when someone like me — grade A nerdling, as I said, and a bit of a social misfit — was depicted on TV in a positive light, making a positive difference on the world around him. (It should come as no surprise that I was also a fan of the TV show Head of the Class.) He wasn’t a nerd caricature. He wasn’t the butt of people’s jokes (except at endless SF conventions, alas). What Wesley Crusher’s presence on the Enterprise told me was, “There is a place for you in the universe, and everything’s going to be okay. Just hang in there and keep doing what you love.”
I can’t stress enough what an important message that was for an angst-ridden teenage girl to have. So much better than, “You’re not pretty enough, you’re not thin enough, and your clothes suck.” I always thought it would be cool to hang out with Wesley. And I think it’s sad that no one who wasn’t a 14 year old overactive nerd in 1987 sees Wesley the same way I do.
Mark Boeder said,
Wrote on December 16, 2006 @ 11:48 pm
Hi, Carrie. Well, you have at least one person here who agrees with you. I think the character of Wesley, at least as originally envisioned by Roddenberry, was full of potential. Back when I was submitting spec scripts I had a couple that focused on Wesley, because I didn’t think the writers were always doing the character (or actor) justice. In the end, I thought it was a bit of a missed opportunity.
Carrie said,
Wrote on December 17, 2006 @ 1:39 pm
Oh, I absolutely agree with you. It seemed like sometimes the writers just didn’t know what to do with him. The character seemed to finally come into his own during the episode at Starfleet Academy where he was involved in the piloting accident cover up. (Can’t remember the name…)
Wil said,
Wrote on January 17, 2007 @ 7:38 pm
Carrie,
A fellow TotalFarker pointed me to this entry, and I wanted to say thank you.
I’ve heard stories from lots of people about how Wesley inspired them in various ways, and even though I can’t take credit for that (any more than I should shoulder the blame for some of that truly horrific writing) it still makes me feel really, really good to know that you got something good out of the work I put into the show. It was just a few years of work for me, but it really means a lot to me to read that it impacted your life, and still sort of ripples outward today.
Carrie said,
Wrote on January 18, 2007 @ 2:02 pm
Wil,
Thanks so much for stopping by! It must be strange having people still commenting on work you did twenty years ago. But good, too.
Best wishes!
Mark B said,
Wrote on January 19, 2007 @ 11:48 pm
Is that cool or what?
Brad B said,
Wrote on April 10, 2007 @ 2:27 pm
Here’s an interesting bit of trivia. The first season Next Generation episode “When the Bough Breaks” concerns the abduction of the Enterprise children by people from the planet Aldea. I happened to notice that among the actors playing the children are Amy Wheaton and Jeremy Wheaton, who are Wil’s siblings, according to IMDb (Internet Movie Database). Amy has quite a nice acting resume listed there.