Tapestry makes the point that if he was too timid to start the barfight, he would end up a miserable lower rank nobody. But what if he started it and won without getting stabbed? He never would have learned to be less arrogant. So I think he would have made Captain and instead of using diplomacy he would blow up half the quadrant every time there's an issue. Or maybe he would get the enterprise destroyed in the process. What do you think?
He would have matured naturally as he aged, and probably eventually ended up the same way. Though maybe he would have been more reckless as an ensign and gotten killed.
He'd never have learned to be more temperate I think you meant, or reserved He'd be a hot head & probably would've gotten killed at some other time instead. He nearly got killed that time for being hot tempered & short sighted. He might even have been validated in his behavior if he'd won
Ah...in that timeline he'd have killed the borg with 'corbomite', shagged the crystalline entity, gotten into a swordfight with Duras, made the computer in the holodeck explode by telling it that the truth is a lie, worn a toupee, gotten fatter, and died on a bridge. ...yes?
On the upside. He'd probably have stolen Beverly from Jack Crusher, thus eliminating from existence all evidence of Wesley