Wesley Crusher

[Shamrock Holmes]

I've got a question about Wesley. IIRC Wesley was sent to the Academy because either the producers or Will Wheaton or both wanted him out of the show. However, from an in-universe PoV it doesn't really make sense to me that Wes would enter the Academy as a plebe, particularly given that as of Menage a Troi he been doing the work of an officer for around 2.5 years and spent an additional 4.5 months as a field-commissioned ensign.

In contrast (though admittedly this was during a war) Nog went in cold, spent only 13.5 months at the Academy, and was commissioned as an Ensign after only 2 years as a Cadet (stardates analysis suggests no more than 18 months, tho I believe dialogue says 2 years).

Now, part of the above could be the demands of war, but it seems to me that's it weird that Wesley could spend ~3 years in the field, and then have to start from the beginning as a plebe (ignoring the fact that he was as familiar with ship's functions prior to becoming an Acting Ensign as most plebes likely are), but Nog, with little previously experience was a fully fledged Ensign in 2/3 of Wesley's field time.

Any thoughts?

 

[Trekker4747]

Affirmative Action?

 

[Gil T.Azell]

He had Poloriods at that time,

 

[Luckyflux]

Hrrrrrmmmm, been thinking about this one for a while now....

I am guessing that the Academy did not recognize his time on the Enterprise, since he wasn't there on any official capacity. He was just a smart, over anxious teen, whose Mom could pull some strings with the Captain. So while we all know he knew his stuff, the people at the Academy did not.

Also add in that Nog was the first Ferengi in SF, so that might have gotten alittle Affirmative Push, and the wartime condition could've fast-tracked him as well.

 

[Hober Mallow]

I've got a question about Wesley. IIRC Wesley was sent to the Academy because either the producers or Will Wheaton or both wanted him out of the show.

Wheaton wanted off the show.

I found it far more silly that in Menage a Troi, Wesley is supposed to go to the academy, but, gosh darn it, he just missed the ship that was going to take him there. Huh? You're telling me the Enterprise couldn't find a way to take him to Earth or that no other ship could take him to Earth? I find that hard to believe. Even if he arrived late, couldn't they accomodate him somehow? After being accepted are they really gonna keep him out because he missed the bus?

 

[Vanyel]

I would think that once Wesley graduated from the Academy, he would have held a higher rank due to his time on the Enterprise than other graduates. Nog, I can believe was just a necessity of war.

 

[Hober Mallow]

I would think that once Wesley graduated from the Academy, he would have held a higher rank due to his time on the Enterprise than other graduates. Nog, I can believe was just a necessity of war.

TNG's version of Starfleet Academy was presented differently from that which we saw in STII and the new movie. On TNG, it seems like you're a cadet, then you graduate as an ensign. In STII and the new film, you hold a rank as a cadet. You can be an ensign, you can be a leiutenant. When Wes joined the academy, it seems he gave up his rank. Actually, it seems like the producers wanted us to forget he was ever a full ensign. When Picard goes over Wesley's history in "The First Duty," he talks about making him an acting ensign, but leaves out the part about him being a full ensign.

Let me add this about Wesley. People complain about him, and rightly so, IMO. But his character was really nailed in "The First Duty," nailed by both the writers and Wil Wheaton. If they had portrayed Wesley this way all along, as a normal guy who f*cks up every now and then, he would easily have been the most relatable member of the main cast.