Wesley hate | TheaterFire

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VajennaDentada@reddit

Everybody loves a character that's smart and perfect, has no problems, and constantly saves the day...undermining the strengths and aptitude of the crew!

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s1lv3r_lak3@reddit (OP)

I wouldn’t know. I’m only on season 2 and so far he’s usually full of self doubt, I don’t see him as being perfect or having no problems.

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VajennaDentada@reddit

Let's see how you feel by the end.

Btw, welcome to planet TNG. It's a life changing show.

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blue-marmot@reddit

The First Duty is one of his best episodes. It's all about his flaws.

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VajennaDentada@reddit

Yes. Wesley should be put in juvenile detention for temporarily omitting information but decides to tell the truth and be a good boy right after.

I also love this episode...but it does not show us character flaws.... but rather his boy scoutness learning to obey the highest authority and not the authority directly above him. Lol

(My sarcasm is in good fun and directed at Wesley who I despise so very much)

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I was a cadet at the US Air Force Academy, and there is NO way any of those cadets would have had careers after violating a flight plan in the United States Air Force. Truth telling or not. So Starfleet is a little lax on anything criminal like that.

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VajennaDentada@reddit

I agree that was another issue... it lowered the perceived standards for cadets after we were shown Wesley lost out during the acceptance exams... which also makes no sense.

There's just so many leaps forced into the story to make Wesley work. I believe they self corrected when they introduced Alexander...whose story was fantastic and utterly believable.

Also...Thank you for your service. May I ask if Star Trek has a lot of fans in the AF? I know that was true in the 80s 90s. I can't imagine how Nutrek looks to folks in the force... my God.

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AccidentPool@reddit

It was just so transparently pandering - "let's add a cool teen so teens watch our show!" Like, the whole deal is that Star Fleet (especially a Flag Ship) is full of experts, badasses, diplomats, scientists....oh, and here's a teenager who gets to hang out on the bridge because his mommy is the doctor.

Wesley kind of undermined the entire premise.

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VajennaDentada@reddit

Exactly. That's the problem at the heart of it... beyond his boy scoutness that annoys some of us.

You're correct... the culmination of Wesley in the show was based in unhealthy decisions:

We want kids to watch the show
Rodenberry insisted on him because he was how Rodenberry sees himself as a kid if he made different choices (which is egomaniacal)

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Unhappy_Run8154@reddit

Wait till you get to the episode about the psych test about what his fear is. Holy Mollie all he does is whine and complain. Then you start to see him whine and complain in every episode. You can't turn it off once you realize he just complains

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alurimperium@reddit

Complaining and being better at everything than the professional crew members of the Enterprise. The two thing Wesley does best

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ZealousidealClub4119@reddit

Wesley hate is like animosity between Trek and Star Wars: entirely mythical except for a tiny minority of fans with outsized voices and low maturity.

Empty vessels make the most noise.

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Bensfone@reddit

Shut up ZealousidealClub4119

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Bensfone@reddit

Don’t know why I’m being downvoted. Picard and Crusher told Wesley to shut up in the same episode. I think it was Datalore.

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jiyonruisu@reddit

Imagine being Wil Wheaton and hearing that all the time. Also, Wesley was right!

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KY-Artist@reddit

I always liked Wesley, but I think hating him is something like saying you hate school lunch. It's just cool to say you hate Wesley. Also, the hates reflects the annoyance that Picard had towards Wesley. It's just part of the TNG culture. Just enjoy it. BTW, I've been a trekkie since 1968 when I watched TOS.

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Inevitable-Charity91@reddit

Just keep watching. It's too early to tell.

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mikedaul@reddit

I'm the same age as Will Wheaton, so seeing someone like me actually on TNG made me love and connect with it tremendously.

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Elrond_Cupboard_@reddit

gif

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Kiki1701@reddit

My issue with him wasn't until he was older. I loved him as a cute gangly teen, a genius kid learning how to navigate the adult world he found himself in. Skiing on the holodeck, finding first love in 'The Dauphin.' But as he aged, he got less adept at acting and was constantly trying WAY too hard.

I think that it came to a head during the episode 'Transfigurations' in Season 3 when he was getting more 'adult' conversations with the rest of the crew. This was the episode when the Enterprise found a pod with what ultimately turned out to have people inside it that were being hunted on their home planet because they were on the cusp of becoming a new species; evolving into a more advanced species but at home, they were terrified of that change and they were killing anyone who showed the signs of the evolve.

This was a beautiful concept and it showed how many people are afraid of whomever they don't understand, and it was brilliantly and sensitively portrayed. And I loved every minute of it.

Except for that kid! I think it was during the breakfast scene with Wesley and mom when he notes that she'd become a "little taken with him [yourself]." And the hamfisted way he says that line just showed the cracks in his ability to perform convincingly.

I know that this is an anal-retentive, uber-pickayune moment to lose interest in the young man, but I just had trouble taking him seriously from that point.

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AccidentPool@reddit

I don't want to pile on Wil Wheaton - I know a lot of Trek fans love the guy. But there's a reason his career would basically never again leave genre material. He was perfectly fine as a child actor, but like you said, when it came time to deliver lines and make viewers feel things, he couldn't do it. Thankfully for him the Trek community (and ancillary geek community) as made sure he's professionally secure.

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Karmadillo1@reddit

It's mostly a joke, I think. We all mostly love will wheaton and his character.

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OneHumanBill@reddit

I was ten, eleven years old even TNG came out and even at that age I found Wesley cringey and annoying as early as Naked Now.

The second time Wesley saved the day because all the adults were too stupid to live, I really started having serious doubts about the show. Fortunately Wesley finally left and the show improved accordingly.

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Lithl@reddit

Wesley in TNG doesn't quite rise to the level of Mary Sue, but he comes close at times. Add that his voice is kind of whiny and annoying, and you get hate.

(Although you've got to feel for the kid when you hear Wil Wheaton tell the story of meeting William Shatner when Star Trek V was filming in the studio next door to TNG filming season 2. Shatner ripped a 16 year old kid to shreds, for no real reason. When Wheaton's cast mates found out what Shatner said, they were all super supportive. Brent Spiner was like "he wears a toupee". Michael Dorn offered to beat Shatner up.)

However, Wesley returns as a fully grown adult in Star Trek Prodigy (and a brief appearance in Star Trek Picard), and is a much better written character (and with adult Wil Wheaton's voice, which is much more palatable).

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jackfaire@reddit

I think it came down to what age people were when they watched. Me I was 8 years old when I saw it and he's got 8 years on me so he was like this cool older kid that got to hang out with Data & Riker. I didn't know until I was an adult that anyone hated Crusher i thought he was awesome

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socialcommentary2000@reddit

I'm in the same boat. Didn't even know what a Mary Sue character was. Didn't care.

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quickgulesfox@reddit

This - I was 8 when I started watching TNG, and I thought he was great. As an adult, I can see issues with the writing, but I still hold the same affection for him, and he made TNG relatable for a younger generation (and got us hooked for the films / DS9 / VOY etc - a massive win for the franchisee).

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ravynwave@reddit

I was 6 and it made the show so much more relatable to me as a kid whom the adults often put adult responsibilities on (I’m the oldest).

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Remote-Pie-3152@reddit

Exactly, I was 7 when I started watching TNG and Wesley was so relatable. Especially since I was always great with maths and computers ever since I was a little girl, so the way adults treated Wesley somewhat mirrored my own experiences.

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Clamstradamus@reddit

I love Wesley! I agree, he doesn't deserve the hate he gets.

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Practical-Animator87@reddit

I always took it in good fun. There’s no denying he bumps the awkward factor to warp 9 in most of his scenes. But I can fully appreciate that he’s just a child actor and the intent of having more youthful plot lines and energy. Even more love now knowing the person that Wil Wheaton has blossomed into

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Memento_Morrie@reddit

I was in middle school when the show originally aired. I didn't mind Wesley, but I did question the screentime and importance to the mission he always brought.

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TrueSonOfChaos@reddit

It's fun to hate on Wesley more than people hate Wesley but the number of episodes where he saves the Enterprise is still very cheesy.

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Dry_Preparation_6903@reddit

I think most of the times he saved the ship, he himself caused the problem in first place :-)

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Crimdal@reddit

Former wesley hater here. Where do I sign the Will Wheaton apology form? Not sure if I'm a fan of wesley now or just of Will the actor. Maybe a little of both.

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BlueFeathered1@reddit

I rewatched the series recently in a binge-fest and he's not nearly as prevalent in the show or as annoying as I remembered. He played awkward teenage geek pretty well, and was often kind of sweet and down to earth.

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derekdedurk@reddit

I was just jealous. I see that now 😅

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caclexis@reddit

I’ve always liked Wesley. I’ve always thought the criticism of him was unfair.

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Quiri1997@reddit

I don't mind him in TNG for the most part, though I liked his Academy Arc.

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Vadic_Shrike@reddit

I want Wheaton to be Bastian in a Neverending Story revisit sequel. I know the Bastian actor is still around but Wheaton is still active in the entertainmet industry, and has a fan following. Or a new character. If there were to be an adult character flying with Falkor, Wheaton is the one for that.

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Bright-End-9317@reddit

"Shut up, Pulaski!"

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Proper-Ad7997@reddit

Haters gonna hate. Ain’t that right Will?