I enjoyed the character as much as Gene did!
Gah. You made a joke about it before I even managed to talk about my problems with Wesley.
The character of Wesley Crusher is nothing but a two awful tropes rolled up into one. Canon Sue and Creator's Pet. He's a character that the creator wanted to include for no other reason than self-indulgence, and he always wanted the main characters to praise him in almost everything he did. And I can't really blame Will Wheaton since, let's face it, he was just an element for Gene's own self-gratification. I just... these lines...
*During a hostage situation where the lives of thousands are at stake, Picard makes his most professional decision yet*
PICARD: Why don't you sit at Ops next to Lieutenant La Forge.
WESLEY: Sir?
LAFORGE: Sir?
PICARD: Is the whole ship deaf?! Sit down over there, young man.
*The Traveller seems... interested in Wesley*
TRAVELLER: Such musical genius I saw in one of your ship's libraries. One called Mozart, who as a small child wrote astonishing symphonies. A genius who made music not only to be heard, but seen and felt beyond the understanding, the ability of others. Wesley is such a person. Not with music, but with the equally lovely intricacies of time, energy, propulsion. and the instruments of this vessel which allow all that to be played. You're right, I must hurry now. But you're right in something else. He is just a boy for now. He should be encouraged, but told none of this.
*Lore uses common sense*
LORE: A child!
DATA: He has a child's body, but we have found him to be much more.
*Even after dying, characters still can't stop talking about Wesley*
TASHA: Wesley, I'm sorry I won't be able to see you grow into the exceptional man you'll be. But your kindness and innocence are ageless.
*After getting help from the Enterprise, Geordi knows that this idea could have only come from one person.*
LAFORGE: A stationary neutrino source. Wesley Crusher. Thank you, Wesley.
Sluis Van Shipyards said:
My cousin is a diehard fan and she says that a lot of fans think Wesley Crusher is "the Jar Jar of Star Trek". Is that true?
No. The difference between Jar Jar and Wesley is that Jar Jar was created solely to fill the role of comic relief. Lucas thought he was funny and that was it. And to Lucas' credit, when critics, audiences and fans alike said that Jar Jar wasn't funny at all, he did tone the character down to almost nothing as the prequels progressed. The strange thing about Gene and Rick was that they always stuck by their guns when they knew an element of a show was becoming problematic to it's audiences. When Beverly left for Starfleet medical (irl, Gates was fired), they decided to keep Wesley onboard even though it didn't make a whole lot of sense. When Neelix was being recognized as one of the most insufferable characters of Voyager, the higher ups decided to ditch his smart, charming and far more interesting former girlfriend and keep him all the way to the end of the series. Lucas may be stubborn, but at least he shows some semblance of flexibility when it comes to critiques.
thumbsup
