Patrick Stewart's new Star Trek series has already created a lot of buzz, with many long-time fans wondering how the new project will tie into his past work on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Fans have also been wondering if other veteran actors from the beloved Trek series or any other franchise shows are set to make appearances as well, and former TNG actor Wil Wheaton has revealed he's definitely down to return if asked.
If they did, I would say 'yes,' of course. I think all of us would say 'yes.' I think all of us, if we were given the opportunity to put on the spacesuits again and go work together and bring those characters back as they would be thirty years later, we would all say 'yes.' And I don't think it's because we want the work. I don't think it's because we need the money. I don't think it's because we don't have other things to do. It's because we love each other so much, and an opportunity, even for a day, to return emotionally to some of the best times of our lives, I think that we would jump at that opportunity.
A recurring actor on CBS' hit The Big Bang Theory, Wil Wheaton made it absolutely clear that he is wholly up to sign on for CBS All Access' upcoming Picard TV series if asked. He would presumably to return to his former role of Wesley Crusher, but the writers could always change things up to spin him into a different character.
It's certainly possible within the character's presently known story that Wesley Crusher could appear in this new Picard series. Wesley was spotted in 2379 in a junior-grade lieutenant's dress uniform in Star Trek: Nemesis, which is as far as the character's known history has gone at this point. If this new series involves Starfleet, one could imagine Wesley will make an appearance. That's a big "if," however, since Patrick Stewart has hinted the captain's days in command could be long over when fans see him again. Still, one would think he'd maintain his friendships with past comrades.
Wil Wheaton probably isn't alone in having enthusiasm for Patrick Stewart's big franchise return. He took things one step further and announced that he believes other former cast members from Star Trek: The Next Generation would also jump on board without question, if only out of love for the original series. This might be why many former cast members reunited with Patrick Stewart for dinner recently, perhaps hoping to hear about parts for them to play in this new adventure.
Unfortunately, Wil Wheaton wasn't at that dinner, which may be why the actor isn't overly optimistic about reprising the role of Wesley Crusher. The actor prefaced his previous comment, which was brimming with hope and optimism, by telling the Baltimore Comic-Con audience (via Comicbook.com) he doesn't think he'll be asked to return:
I think it is very unlikely they will ask me to participate in it. I mean, I think it is just extraordinarily unlikely that will happen.
Wil Wheaton's statement makes it sound as though he knows something he can't necessarily reveal to the audience. Even if the Star Trek-loving Wheaton was denied an invitation to Patrick Stewart's possible "Will you be in my new show?" dinner, his on-screen mother Gates McFadden was there. If Dr. Beverly Crusher would appear in a new Picard series, it seems more than likely that Wesley would surface, unless something happened to the character down the road. Maybe Wil Wheaton was told something happened to Wesley!
CBS All Access' new Star Trek adventure with Jean-Luc Picard is still in the works, but Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 is scheduled to premiere in 2019. For a look at all television arriving sooner than that, visit our fall premiere guide.
