Star Trek is a huge pop culture phenomenon that’s introduced audiences to iconic and beloved characters, from the original series‘ Spock (Leonard Nimoy) to Deep Space Nine‘s Odo (René Auberjonois) and Voyager‘s Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). But for every breakout character, there’s one mainstay of the franchise who consistently earns the ire of many Star Trek fans: Wesley Crusher, the boy genius and Starfleet hopeful played by Wil Wheaton.
Many fans dislike Wesley because they believe he’s deeply annoying and arrogant, he saved the day too often and got to pilot the flagship of the Federation despite his limited experience compared to the professionals he shared the bridge with. He was also always in Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s way and interjected himself into whatever mission the Enterprise was engaging in. In reality, though, Wesley was just an enthusiastic — for better or worse — dreamer with his eyes to the stars.
