What did Wesley learn at SF Academy?

[Solarbaby]

Didn't he learn how to program a sonic shower to pour out chilli. Long time since I watch The Game

 

[Joshua Howard]

I totally forgot about the Chili shower incident.

Actually, I just finished watching the episode "Journey's End" for the first time, and am now reacting to Wesley's Great Traveller Escape. In a way it seems kind of rotten that after messing around illegally in Federation diplomatic matters - and on top of his already present history of mischief - he should be rewarded with a chance to scamper off into other dimensions like a Q.

 

[FordSVT]

I get the feeling that Wesley took a lot of liberal arts classes at the Academy, judging from the dialogue in The First Duty (or was it The Game?). Sure, they could have been electives just as well, but I had the impression that he was studying more fine arts and cultural classes than the classes you would expect at Starfleet Academy, namely the physics, mechanics, astronomy, tactics, mathematics, etc. etc. Even if he studied those in bulk, the fact that he was talking about his non-science classes with such enthusiasm sort of shows where his true desires lie, which is kind of uncharacteristic for the science prodigy.

Perhaps he's spent so much time focusing on the sciences his whole life he found a blossoming appreciation for other things?

 

[caisson2delta]

Probably one of the primary things he got out of the Academy was that he got to interact with a lot of kids his own age and learn the appropriate social skills, etc.

Beat me to it. I was going to state something similar. He probably also learned some humility. It was probably the first time in his life that he was around other peers who were just as smart, if not smarter than him.

 

[Trekker4747]

What did Wesley learn at SF Academy?

If his last episode is any indication he learned how to be a whiny little emo douchebag.

 

[D Man]

What did he learn at Starfleet Academy which he could not have learned aboard the Enterprise?

Latin! I remember Picard asking him how his Latin class was going in "The Game."

Spatium, Extrema Finis. Hic itineres sideralis navis Res Gestae sunt. Mandatum suum: novos, estranos mundos peragrare, vitae novas formas ac novas civitates quaerendo. Audace ad eundum quo nemo unquan ante iit.

A couple of words can be mistaken, since I went from memory.

So what you're trying to say is...

Interval , End End. This road sideralis ship Occurrence To to long to are. Order its : to make anew estranos to clean to wander through , life novas form and novas state quaerendo. Boldness to eundum from no one unquan before iit.

Granted, my Latin is only as good as the first translator hit on Google...

I don't think we saw much if anything at all that Wesley learned at SF Academy, since all we got out of it was Picard's awesome speech in "The First Duty," yet another Wesley Saves The Ship entry in "The Game," then "Journey's End" where he leaves. Plus "Parallels" where he's somehow a Lieutenant at tactical; one wonders why he couldn't have followed the same path to a quick officer position in "our" timeline, beyond Wheaton wanting to leave the show.

 

[Bones2]

What did Wesley learn at SF Academy?

If his last episode is any indication he learned how to be a whiny little emo douchebag.

Which was an improvement nevertheless.

 

[Snaploud]

We can argue about whether Wesley should have been a boy genius (saving the ship every other week, etc.), but that's the reality of the character. He clearly could have just jumped straight into being an ensign or lieutenant jg (taking extra courses via subspace).

Wesley could have learned humility by simply being shipped off to an assignment without so many mother and father figures. Heck, give him an assignment on the front-lines of a war zone. Let him live and die by his own merits.

 

[Browncoat]

I totally forgot about the Chili shower incident.

Actually, I just finished watching the episode "Journey's End" for the first time, and am now reacting to Wesley's Great Traveller Escape. In a way it seems kind of rotten that after messing around illegally in Federation diplomatic matters - and on top of his already present history of mischief - he should be rewarded with a chance to scamper off into other dimensions like a Q.

Thanks for so succinctly describing my irritation with this episode (and Wesley's whole story, as it were). I enjoy the idea of a boy genius, and I also enjoy the idea (can be very true) that such people do not thrive in academic environments, but rather are better suited to be testing and trying their genius in a creative way.

I was irritated that Wesley couldn't discover that SF Academy was an inappropriate place for him, and SF in general, without some high profile diplomatic snafu which led to him being practically immortalized (do time travelers age?) as some kind of evolved human.

Then again, TNG did tend to write fairly worshipfully about serving in SF. Goodness knows, you'd have to be either a criminal or some kind of special evolved human not to fit perfectly within its ideological confines!

 

[Cyke101]

I get the feeling that Wesley took a lot of liberal arts classes at the Academy, judging from the dialogue in The First Duty (or was it The Game?). Sure, they could have been electives just as well, but I had the impression that he was studying more fine arts and cultural classes than the classes you would expect at Starfleet Academy, namely the physics, mechanics, astronomy, tactics, mathematics, etc. etc. Even if he studied those in bulk, the fact that he was talking about his non-science classes with such enthusiasm sort of shows where his true desires lie, which is kind of uncharacteristic for the science prodigy.

Perhaps he's spent so much time focusing on the sciences his whole life he found a blossoming appreciation for other things?

Which would be fine with most other institutions of higher learning, but would Starfleet Academy deans and advisors allow that? Starfleet career disciplines have many branches, from archeology to zoology, but would it need a commander of Latin?

 

[Snaploud]

I get the feeling that Wesley took a lot of liberal arts classes at the Academy, judging from the dialogue in The First Duty (or was it The Game?). Sure, they could have been electives just as well, but I had the impression that he was studying more fine arts and cultural classes than the classes you would expect at Starfleet Academy, namely the physics, mechanics, astronomy, tactics, mathematics, etc. etc. Even if he studied those in bulk, the fact that he was talking about his non-science classes with such enthusiasm sort of shows where his true desires lie, which is kind of uncharacteristic for the science prodigy.

Perhaps he's spent so much time focusing on the sciences his whole life he found a blossoming appreciation for other things?

Which would be fine with most other institutions of higher learning, but would Starfleet Academy deans and advisors allow that? Starfleet career disciplines have many branches, from archeology to zoology, but would it need a commander of Latin?

Linguists are certainly of use to starfleet, and understanding the relationship between a modern and more archaic language could be useful when dealing with alien civilizations. Also, a first contact could very much depend upon an ability to deal with a variety of different types of inputs. Art and language can be an important way of dealing with a new civilization.

 

[WillsBabe]

Linguists are certainly of use to starfleet, and understanding the relationship between a modern and more archaic language could be useful when dealing with alien civilizations. Also, a first contact could very much depend upon an ability to deal with a variety of different types of inputs. Art and language can be an important way of dealing with a new civilization.

This is a good point. Also, in studying a language we learn about its people and culture etc. By TNG's time the Romans could seem almost like an alien culture because of their remote age. Learning about them could be an interesting example about learning about alien cultures, with the added benefit that the Romans are human.

 

[Cyke101]

Perhaps he's spent so much time focusing on the sciences his whole life he found a blossoming appreciation for other things?

Which would be fine with most other institutions of higher learning, but would Starfleet Academy deans and advisors allow that? Starfleet career disciplines have many branches, from archeology to zoology, but would it need a commander of Latin?

Linguists are certainly of use to starfleet, and understanding the relationship between a modern and more archaic language could be useful when dealing with alien civilizations. Also, a first contact could very much depend upon an ability to deal with a variety of different types of inputs. Art and language can be an important way of dealing with a new civilization.

But that assumes a basic similarity between anything here on Earth and anything out there, which seems a bit off (especially with a specialized but virtually dead language like Latin). Even in areas where Latin is used, such as for taxonomic purposes, scientists tend to do the naming and not a theologian who would be well-versed in Latin. (to note, there's a difference between studying religious culture and being an out-and-out theologian, and I'd be fairly certain that Starfleet has personnel that do the former)

 

[Quantum]

Colbert Starburst

 

[zephramc]

Out of curiosity, did Wesley keep his commission when he went to SF Academy? I seem to recall that he was referred to as Cadet in several episodes (The First Duty, etc...). Shouldn't he have stayed an Ensign even during his Academy years?

 

[Snaploud]

Which would be fine with most other institutions of higher learning, but would Starfleet Academy deans and advisors allow that? Starfleet career disciplines have many branches, from archeology to zoology, but would it need a commander of Latin?

Linguists are certainly of use to starfleet, and understanding the relationship between a modern and more archaic language could be useful when dealing with alien civilizations. Also, a first contact could very much depend upon an ability to deal with a variety of different types of inputs. Art and language can be an important way of dealing with a new civilization.

But that assumes a basic similarity between anything here on Earth and anything out there, which seems a bit off (especially with a specialized but virtually dead language like Latin). Even in areas where Latin is used, such as for taxonomic purposes, scientists tend to do the naming and not a theologian who would be well-versed in Latin. (to note, there's a difference between studying religious culture and being an out-and-out theologian, and I'd be fairly certain that Starfleet has personnel that do the former)

The point is that latin is similar to english in the same way a root alien language is to its more modern equivalents. A first contact could involve an off-shoot of a more familiar species, or starfleet could come across an ancient outpost (the language of which appears to be a root language of a more advanced civilization).

 

[Cyke101]

Linguists are certainly of use to starfleet, and understanding the relationship between a modern and more archaic language could be useful when dealing with alien civilizations. Also, a first contact could very much depend upon an ability to deal with a variety of different types of inputs. Art and language can be an important way of dealing with a new civilization.

But that assumes a basic similarity between anything here on Earth and anything out there, which seems a bit off (especially with a specialized but virtually dead language like Latin). Even in areas where Latin is used, such as for taxonomic purposes, scientists tend to do the naming and not a theologian who would be well-versed in Latin. (to note, there's a difference between studying religious culture and being an out-and-out theologian, and I'd be fairly certain that Starfleet has personnel that do the former)

The point is that latin is similar to english in the same way a root alien language is to its more modern equivalents. A first contact could involve an off-shoot of a more familiar species, or starfleet could come across an ancient outpost (the language of which appears to be a root language of a more advanced civilization).

Sure, but it seems a bit limiting to specialize ONLY in Latin (hence my use of an actual rank -- Commander of Latin, as opposed to Commander of Linguistics -- when I made my original point), whereas it would be a lot more practical and realistic to specialize not just in Latin but on a planet's list of ancient languages. Latin would never help in ancient forms of Mandarin, for example. It's as if meeting a mathematics professor who specializes only in addition.

 

[Elias Vaughn]

Out of curiosity, did Wesley keep his commission when he went to SF Academy? I seem to recall that he was referred to as Cadet in several episodes (The First Duty, etc...). Shouldn't he have stayed an Ensign even during his Academy years?

Acting ensign. Presumably, there's a difference.

 

[Mr. Scott]

Wesley Crusher probably graduated, but was probably stuck doing menial duty for a long time under arduous Captains, working long shifts in waste management, listening to Jellico fart every night and depositing the Captain's Log.