Why Wil Wheaton's Wesley Crusher Left Star Trek: The Next Generation

Way back in 1986, when "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was still in development, the original casting sheets called for actresses to play a 15-year-old character named Leslie Crusher, the daughter of Dr. Beverly Crusher. "Her remarkable mind and photographic memory," the character rundown read, "make it seem not unlikely for her to become, at 15, a Starfleet acting-ensign. Otherwise, she is a normal teenager." As casting and development continued, however, Leslie was transformed into a teenage boy named Wesley, and more closely modeled after Gene Roddenberry's own 15-year-old self (Roddenberry's middle name is Wesley). 

Wesley wasn't widely liked by Trekkies, as he seemed too much like a brown-noser. He was too eager to please the adults in his life, too well-behaved, and definitely too smart. Fans point to the instances wherein a teenage boy, working with the best and brightest in Starfleet, managed to be the only one to solve a massively difficult space conundrum. It wasn't until Wes left the USS Enterprise and went to Starfleet Academy that he began to eff up in earnest. 

Wesley was played by Wil Wheaton, a young actor already known for his roles in feature films like "Stand By Me," "The Curse," and "The Defiant Ones." He appeared in 85 episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," most of them in the show's first three seasons. He left the series after the fourth season episode "Final Mission" (November 19, 1990), returning only for guest spots here and there. 

"Star Trek: The Next Generation" was, of course, a ratings bonanza, so many Trekkies — even the ones who weren't wholly fond of the character — were a little baffled when he left. According to a 1996 interview with EW, Wheaton left "Star Trek" because, well, he wanted to do more with his career. Movies were calling. 

The EW article recounted Wheaton's career after he left "Star Trek." It seems he bleached his hair white, moved away from Hollywood — to Topeka, Kansas specifically — and took a job working for a software company called NewTek. He was 18. He then decided to go to college, and focused on his studies for a few years before he decided to pick up acting again. Wheaton was all too aware, however, that "Star Trek" gave most associated actors a kind of stigma. "'Star Trek' follows you like a disease," he said, and one can look at the post-"Star Trek" careers of most of the franchise's players and see the effect at work. Leonard Nimoy even had to write a memoir called "I Am Not Spock." 

Wheaton hoped his film career would pick up again in earnest, as he was, as a boy, part of multiple high-profile studio pictures. But he was perhaps harmed by his reputation as a child actor and a "Star Trek" character, and didn't get to participate in Hollywood productions at quite the same clip. He did, however, continue to work. He was in a straight-to-video Frankenstein riff called "Mr. Stitch" in 1995, and had a supporting role in the 1995 romance "Pie in the Sky" with Christine Lahti and John Goodman. 

In the EW article, he said that he was fond of his role in the then-upcoming film "Flubber," happy to play a "really nasty" character who was, in his words, "dumb as a post." That's quite an antidote to the Wesley Crusher golden child of his youth. These days, fans of "The Big Bang Theory" might recognize Wheaton from the 17 guest appearances he made on that series. 

Wheaton continued with a modest film career, but found a real niche in hosting various nerd-based web series like "The Guild," and especially the board game show "TableTop." He was an early adopter of the internet, and attempted to launch WilWheaton.net as early as 1993. He became a gadfly in geek culture, and appeared as himself on innumerable pop culture-related interview shows and the like. More recently, he became the host of "The Ready Room," a "Star Trek" recap series. He eventually, it seems, embraced his "Star Trek" connections. He even returned to play Wesley Crusher in an episode of "Star Trek: Picard" and on "Star Trek: Prodigy." 

If Wheaton had his way, he actually would have left "Star Trek" a year earlier, knowing that he was still in demand as a film actor. /Film previously wrote about how Wheaton was offered the role of Denceny, the bratty youth in Miloš Forman's 1989 film "Valmont," an adaptation of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses." Wheaton was poised to take the role, and seemingly was free to do so, as the next season of "Next Generation" wouldn't begin involving him for a few weeks. But the actor was hoodwinked. An unnamed producer — and complete liar — told Wheaton that he needed to be on hand immediately, as they were writing a very Wesley-heavy episode. Wheaton was bummed out, but he turned down "Valmont" as a result. The role ended up going to Henry Thomas. 

When Wheaton returned to "Next Generation," he found that the Wesley-heavy episode in question had been completely re-written and wasn't Wesley-heavy at all. Wheaton was tricked, and he missed out on a high-profile film as a result. Wheaton confessed that the lying producer was a big motivating factor in leaving "Star Trek." 

These days, Wheaton seems happy with his lot, and his permanent association with "Star Trek" doesn't seem to be as much of a stigma. He still speaks at conventions.