Wesley Crusher
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Wesley Crusher |
| Occupation: | |
| Relationships: | Beverly Crusher (mother) |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: The Next Generation |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Wesley Crusher is a character on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The earliest of casting descriptions described Wesley Crusher as a 15-year old girl named Leslie. Later, a March 1987 comment in Comlink reports on the official casting description of Crusher: " Wesley Crusher -- An appealing 15-year old caucasian boy. His remarkable mind and photographic memory make it seem likely for him to become, at 15, a Starfleet acting-ensign. Otherwise, he is a normal teenager." [1]
Fan Reaction
Most fans disliked the character due to what they felt his Mary Sueness. Ironically, Gene Roddenberry, whose middle name was "Wesley," saw the character as an extension of himself.
A fan in 1988 wrote:
Only once did the Mary Sue/Billi Bob character have any merit and that was in the Star Fleet Academy exam episode. However, I find myself increasingly resenting a character that was specifically brought in to be the next teen heart-throb of the bubble gum set. I realize that ST:TNG has to be a commercial success, but surely that would have been obvious? Did they have to calculatingly pander to every set of demographics about the show? [2]
The character was so hated and seen as so receiving special treatment that on TV Tropes the trope Creator's Pet was originally called The Wesley.[note 1]
Wesley Crusher in Fanart
1989
from Interstat #136, artist is Vel Jaeger (1989)
Wesley Crusher and Beverly Crusher, from Spock #55, artist is Wendy Purcell (1989)
1991
from LoneStar Trek #3, artist is Brett Barham (1991)
from Eridani #12, artist is Julie Nosal (1991)
from Federation Standard #1, Barbara Caldwell (1991)
1992
from the zine In Need of Repair (1992)
1993
from Beyond Farpoint USA, artist is Ken Yarbrough (1993)
Further Reading/Meta
- Wither Wesley (1989)
- All Your Usenet are Belong to Wesley Crusher ("In light of Google's recent release of 20 years worth of archived Usenet postings, I spent a bit of time tracking down the first Usenet references to Wesley Crusher and to Wil Wheaton.')
References
- ^ from the editor of Comlink who passes along info about ST: TNG from the very short-lived zine, This is It!
- ^ Margaret A. Basta in The Clipper Trade Ship #61 (October 1988)