Wil Wheaton Compares His Star Trek Journey To Wesley Crusher's Arc

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Warning! SPOILERS ahead for Star Trek: Picard season 2.

Now that his character Wesley Crusher has reappeared onStar Trek: Picard, Wil Wheaton reflects on his Star Trek journey. Wheaton first joined the franchise in Star Trek: The Next Generation where he played boy genius Wesley Crusher. Wheaton was a series regular for The Next Generation season 1-4 and appeared in other seasons, but eventually left the show. Although his role in Star Trek: The Next Generation was criticized by some, Wheaton also made a brief cameo as Wesley in the 2002 film, Star Trek: Nemesis.

Then, 20 years later, Wheaton returned to the Star Trek franchise for the Star Trek: Picard season 2 finale. Picard is part of Alex Kurtzman's expanded Star Trek universe on Paramount+, and the series took an intimate look at Captain Jean-Luc Picard's secret past with Patrick Stewart returning to the role. Picard season 2 ended with the Jean-Luc hopefully taking a step toward a future romance, and Wheaton's Wesley made a surprise return as a Traveler with the power to travel through space and time.

Related: Star Trek: Picard's Borg Twist Theory Sets Up Season 3's Best TNG Story

In an interview with Cinema Blend, Wil Wheaton discussed how Wesley's return to the franchise affected his view of his own experiences with Star Trek. The actor compared Wesley's arc that took the boy genius from Starfleet hopeful to Traveler to his own decision to step away from acting briefly to work in other areas. This decision led Wheaton to a position where he could better appreciate Wesley's new role in the Star Trek franchise. Wheaton pointed out that he wouldn't have recognized the opportunity he has now when he was working on The Next Generation but now he loves it. Check out