Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Picard Season 2 finale “Farewell.” Read at your own risk!
Star Trek: Picard Season 2 had a lot of storylines to conclude for the Paramount+ subscribers who have tuned in all season long, and some wondered how the series would wrap up the finer parts of Q’s plan. I’m not sure that anyone saw what was coming with Kore’s storyline, in which she met up with a character who Trek viewers haven't seen in a long time: Wesley Crusher, played once again by Wil Wheaton.
Wesley Crusher revealed to Kore that he’s a Traveler, thus confirming the character’s canonical place following his exit in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Wesley extended an invitation for her to join him amongst the masters of “space and time.” Kore accepted, and while that has cool implications, I’m sure many fans are still busy being thrilled that Wesley is officially back in Star Trek, especially given Wheaton’s past indications that he’s not involved in the new era of shows. Wheaton spoke with CinemaBlend about Wesley's return to Star Trek with the Picard Season 2 finale, saying:
I feel like the first time this was floated for me at all was a little less than a year ago, so maybe around June of last year. We had a couple of conversations about their ideas, and I was gonna say yes no matter what, obviously. But, the thing that I didn’t expect, that remains thrilling to me, is that the way the official Star Trek canon now tells Wesley Crusher’s story is exactly the Wesley Crusher story that has existed in my headcanon for over a decade. [Being] that he’s effectively Star Trek’s version of a Time Lord and I love that. I love it so much. I love Doctor Who like you wouldn’t believe and I wanted to be The Doctor so bad. So now, Wesley kind of gets to be as close to that as I think we’re gonna get in Star Trek. I was just beside myself.
Wil Wheaton added that throughout the past six to eight months, he’s tried to be very mindful of what he’s said regarding an appearance in Star Trek. Fans who follow his content can look back on his statements and, according to Wheaton, realize that he never actually lied about whether or not he’d be involved. That’s quite a feat for someone to pull off, as some actors like Andrew Garfield might just find it easier to lie.
As Wil Wheaton mentioned, Travelers are about the closest the Star Trek universe can get to having Time Lords from Doctor Who. Being a “Time Lord” in this instance is really interesting as it feasibly means Wesley Crusher can appear in any currently airing Trek series, ranging from Strange New Worlds all the way to the future in Discovery. I asked Wheaton if he’s up for those kinds of appearances now that Wesley is officially back, and he confessed he’s very eager to do so:
Yeah, I mean I could try super hard to be coy and kind of like pretend that I haven’t spent literal hours thinking about it. The absolute truth is I love Wesley Crusher. I love him so much. I love everything he means to me. I love everything he means to a generation of fans that were inspired by him and his story. I am so thrilled and honored and grateful that I am the actor who gets to play him… Nobody’s asked me, nobody’s talked to me about anything at all, but everybody knows, right? Like we all talk together at Star Trek events…so when this news kind of went around Star Trek, that Wesley was going to be in Picard, I have had lots of conversations…’Hey, do you think Wesley’s going to show up in blah blah blah,’ and the answer every time is, ‘I would absolutely love that, I just don’t know.’ I will say yes if given the opportunity.
Current Star Trek showrunners like Lower Decks’ Mike McMahan expressed a desire for Wesley Crusher in their stories, but with this big shared universe, everything likely warrants approval. At the very least, it feels like Wesley’s reemergence sets him up to appear with The Next Generation stars appearing in Picard Season 3, which would be a treat.
Of course, there was once a time when Wesley Crusher wasn’t a celebrated figure in Star Trek, which makes this return all the sweeter for Wil Wheaton and his fans. Wheaton shared a message on behalf of his teenage self for his critics:
It’s really cool, it’s really exciting to talk to all these people who are excited about that possibility, and on behalf of the teenager who was just brutally bullied by terrible, mean, people online when Next Generation was in its first airing. I would just like to offer a very hearty ‘SUCK IT’ on behalf of teenage me who gets to come back and people are excited about it.
There’s no denying that Wil Wheaton went through a hard time during his first stint on Star Trek: The Next Generation, whether it was from disgruntled tech writers or others in the franchise. Wesley’s return is a second opportunity for Wheaton to get the admiration his character deserves, so here’s hoping that happens.
Star Trek: Picard Season 2 is finished on Paramount+, but Season 3 has already wrapped production. Luckily, the wait for new episodes will be bearable, thanks to all the Trek shows still on the way in 2022 and beyond.
