If Wesley was replaced by Naomi...

[bbjeg]

The writers of Wesley weren't the best IMO. To me, the writers of Naomi truly knew how kids act. If TNG had Naomi instead of Wesley, I think it would have been better. Of course, she'd be too young to be at ops but imagine episodes like Peak Performance where Naomi tags along with Riker instead or Datalore where Naomi reveals Lore. Wouldn't it had been better?

Just a thought. What do you think?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I would have gone with Jake.

Naomi's stories would have been like Imaginary Friend and Hero Worship. The TNG writers had a bit of an idealized view of childhood.

 

[bbjeg]

Jake got better in the last couple of seasons but he was like nails on a chalkboard going through puberty and all. I say Wesley has him beat, taking time off to grow up abroad before coming back to take the helm.

With Naomi, it wouldn't have been about joining Starfleet or figuring out what to do with one's life, it would be more like what it would be like as a kid in space. I think that was TNG's original plan for Wesley, but IMO they didn't get it right.

 

[T'Girl]

Trek at least would have been spared a "Kill Naomi" campaign.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Naomi was well written, good acting, not overly cute OR overly used. She is my favorite Trek kid.

Jake was a fine lad, why I'd buy him a drink of snail juice if I met him at a bar. Had he not been paired with a lot of Ferengi stories and characters he may have been dead dull. Still, nice boy.

Wesley needed to engage in some hijinks and have the whole genius boy wonder deal erased.

 

[Pondwater]

Naomi was well written, good acting, not overly cute OR overly used. She is my favorite Trek kid.

Jake was a fine lad, why I'd buy him a drink of snail juice if I met him at a bar. Had he not been paired with a lot of Ferengi stories and characters he may have been dead dull. Still, nice boy.

Wesley needed to engage in some hijinks and have the whole genius boy wonder deal erased.

+1

 

[Green Shirt]

Wesley needed to engage in some hijinks and have the whole genius boy wonder deal erased.

He should have been the one to bring that addictive mind control game aboard ship, instead of being the one who saved the day(again).

 

[E-DUB]

Does this mean that Wesley would have been on Voyager? 'Cause I don't know that the show could have survived him and Neelix.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I dunno. Neelix and Wesley playing in the Flotter forest.. could be hot.

 

[Push The Button]

I recall that almost every Trek fan that I spoke with during the first few seasons of TNG hated the Wesley character, so almost anything else would have been an improvement.

 

[Morpheus 02]

i think Jake was Wesley done right.

They wrote wesley for a 12 year old Wil Wheaton (i.e. Stand By Me)....but he was 15. I mean, on the "Justice" planet -- no hormones? Playing soccer? Really?

Jake went from "bored troublemaker" to "hormonal teen" to "thoughtful young adult" in a reasonable arc.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I recall that almost every Trek fan that I spoke with during the first few seasons of TNG hated the Wesley character, so almost anything else would have been an improvement.

In the beginning I was like.. what the heck, this is damned embarrassing to watch! But after a while I just stopped paying attention to him.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

i think Jake was Wesley done right.

They wrote wesley for a 12 year old Wil Wheaton (i.e. Stand By Me)....but he was 15. I mean, on the "Justice" planet -- no hormones? Playing soccer? Really?

Jake went from "bored troublemaker" to "hormonal teen" to "thoughtful young adult" in a reasonable arc.

Jake never felt like a bad drawing of a teenager done by someone who couldn't remember what it was all about, which is how teenagers so often come across. It was a believable growing up process over the 7 years.

 

[E-DUB]

I dunno. Neelix and Wesley playing in the Flotter forest.. could be hot.

"Ever seen a grown Talaxian naked?"

 

[Melakon]

Was Maurice Hurley steering the writing department in those days? Maybe we can saddle the blame on him. They seemed to fixate on how much Wesley was this super genius godlike thing in those days. He was never written like a real person in those first 2 years. Wheaton salvaged what he could from a scene through his performance. I was taping the show on opening night with the announcer's intro-- "Tonight, the 24th century begins!" I felt really bad that they couldn't give young Wheaton anything believable for someone his age.

 

[bbjeg]

Was Maurice Hurley steering the writing department in those days? Maybe we can saddle the blame on him. They seemed to fixate on how much Wesley was this super genius godlike thing in those days. He was never written like a real person in those first 2 years. Wheaton salvaged what he could from a scene through his performance. I was taping the show on opening night with the announcer's intro-- "Tonight, the 24th century begins!" I felt really bad that they couldn't give young Wheaton anything believable for someone his age.

I agree. Though I initially put down Wesley, I don't really have a problem with his performance, just a lot of the words that came out his mouth. I point the blame at the writers.

Honestly, I was a bit envious of Wheaton, he got to hang out with the Next Gen cast.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

If they had still made Wesley a genius, but given him the personality of Jake, he would have worked much better. Make him act like a normal child who happens to have exceptional intelligence.

 

[bbjeg]

I like that Jake had his own thing. He didn't want to join starfleet and is IMO the best civilian in Star Trek (at least until Naomi participates in war espionage).

 

[Morpheus 02]

Also, rather than replace Wesley with Naomi, it would be with Billy Mumy/Will Robinson. THAT was the best template of smart kid that was still a kid.

Mumy did it without being coming off obnoxious, and written realisitically (for his age, and the show)

 

[Silvercrest]

I dunno. Neelix and Wesley playing in the Flotter forest.. could be hot.

"Ever seen a grown Talaxian naked?"

"Wesley, do you like holoprograms about gladiators?"