When I was young, Wesley was my hero. A relatable kid a bit older than I was. In hindsight, he's a dork. I still can't figure out why I think bad of him. In theory, his character is what you'd expect: A nervous genius. He probably thinks of himself as an imposter. His beloved mother is away and his father is dead. Ersatz dad Picard is bad with kids. And Riker, who's in charge of his education, is the total opposite of Wesley. I'm not sure whether his advice to be brash and confident really fits the boy's character. Hell, I'd be confused, nervous and insecure. But for whatever reason, Wesley isn't very likable. I'm not sure whether that's Wheaton's fault, the awkward stories (like this B-plot) he's featured in or how writers designed our future ensign. Perhaps he needed more stories like Nog or Jake who seemed to have a much more normal childhood given the circumstances. They did relatable things: the played, the laughed, they loved, they did childish things .... Wesley is a robot most of the time. A Mark Zuckerberg in space...
The A-plot about the Prime Directive is fascinating. It isn't exciting but these moral stories never get old. In particular I like that the cold machine Data broke the Prime Directive for the simple reason that he wanted a friend. He's human and compassionate.
Review by Alexander von LimbergBlockedParent2024-02-29T18:55:19Z— updated 2024-03-07T18:50:27Z
When I was young, Wesley was my hero. A relatable kid a bit older than I was. In hindsight, he's a dork. I still can't figure out why I think bad of him. In theory, his character is what you'd expect: A nervous genius. He probably thinks of himself as an imposter. His beloved mother is away and his father is dead. Ersatz dad Picard is bad with kids. And Riker, who's in charge of his education, is the total opposite of Wesley. I'm not sure whether his advice to be brash and confident really fits the boy's character. Hell, I'd be confused, nervous and insecure. But for whatever reason, Wesley isn't very likable. I'm not sure whether that's Wheaton's fault, the awkward stories (like this B-plot) he's featured in or how writers designed our future ensign. Perhaps he needed more stories like Nog or Jake who seemed to have a much more normal childhood given the circumstances. They did relatable things: the played, the laughed, they loved, they did childish things .... Wesley is a robot most of the time. A Mark Zuckerberg in space...
The A-plot about the Prime Directive is fascinating. It isn't exciting but these moral stories never get old. In particular I like that the cold machine Data broke the Prime Directive for the simple reason that he wanted a friend. He's human and compassionate.