Wesley..what if...

[PhoenixIreland]

...they'd skipped the boy genius line totally, and shown him as a normal teenager 15-18 with a 24th century twist on a teenagers life and challenges of growing up, maybe he has a lot of dicipline problems or something but someone (Picard? Riker? Geordi?) spots poitential in him for starfleet and he saves the ship ONCE and it leades into the academy? he comes back after the academy as an officer maybe on ops under data or under Geordi?

Would his character not have developed much better this way than the annoying boy genius thing? he still could have been very smart but I think they went overboard with that, and then ruined him with the traveler stuff...they were on the right track I think with the academy flight accident story...then they ruined everything by turning him into an energy being...

 

[Finn]

Like a cross between Jake Sisko and Nog? Perhaps...

 

[ladyheather69]

Well, I agree that they went overboard with the boy genius thing. And I definitely did NOT like the whole Traveler thing either. Seemed too far fetched even for a Wesley story line.

But also don't know if him being a 'regular' kid wouldn't have been like other shows ya know? Nothing different about that type of story line.

 

[PhoenixIreland]

Well, I agree that they went overboard with the boy genius thing. And I definitely did NOT like the whole Traveler thing either. Seemed too far fetched even for a Wesley story line.

But also don't know if him being a 'regular' kid wouldn't have been like other shows ya know? Nothing different about that type of story line.

I was thinking they could have explored diffrences in adolescence in the 24th century, they could have then developed him as a starfleet officer more putting more into the cadet story than the traveler story

The reason I think that would work out better is the only decent episode with him in it was when they were teating him as a normal human being, with flaws, making mistakes, and when they tried to make him a god it wasn't more interesting than him being a normal guy...it was annoying.

Essentially they could have done Nog before they did what they did with Nog.

 

[SmoothieX]

I like the way they handled Jake and Nog 100x better than Wesley.

The boy genius stuff was annoying and way overused. Plus half the first season he is a walking public service announcement with his all his goody two shoes comments.

Jake was a normal 24th century boy growing up with no mother. I like that he didn't follow in Dad's footsteps and eventually followed his own path. I like the Ben-Jake relationship a lot.

Nog was great too. A troublemaker who finally got determined and got his shit together and became an officer.

 

[Vic Sixx]

Anything would have been better than saving the ship every so often and piloting the ship which always seem fairly idiot proof if just anybody could do it.

They treatmeant of Icheb on Voyager better than Wesley but Icheb was more of a background character.

 

[PhoenixIreland]

Yeh you had Jake having sex with 22 year olds when he was 15, Nog was stealing stuff left and right but Wesley...could outsmart people with years or decades of experience with no problem one day...yet be dumb enough to follow Nick Locarno the next..none of it made sense

 

[WalkinMan]

If it was a 'normal' Wesley I think he'd have had less screentime. Quite a number of TNG subplots used the technobabble plot points which Wesley was a part of.

 

[Vanyel]

I thought he would have been better if Wes was a new graduate from Starfleet Academy. He could still be the boy genius, top of his class, brianic Ensign proud to be assigned to Starfleet's Flag Ship. A young man ready to make his mark on Starfleet and the Federation, who finds out his mother is the CMO of his posting.

It could have made for some good story telling for both Crusher's. Beverly's acceptance of Wes being a young man who doesn't need her like he used to; and Wes learning to have a grown up and more mature relationship with his mother, and coming to accept that no matter how old he gets she will always be his mother and have a protective instinct towards him.

It could have shown that no matter how much things change, they always stay the same.

 

[WillsBabe]

^ I think that's a hell of a good idea. Wes didn't really register of my radar when TNG first aired, and then over the years I've warmed to him. But I think that was as he got older and matured into a young man. I think this ^ idea would have been really very interesting to watch and could still have worked even after Gates was away in Season 2.

 

[PhoenixIreland]

Good idea Vanyel

That would have allowed him to be a normal young guy, but smart, and explore a starfleet cadet more.

 

[John Picard]

Wesley should have died in the first episode.

 

[Lt_Wandrey]

I agree, if they made Wesley more of your every day type teenager things would've gone over much better. The whole boy-genius thing was over done and became annoying.

TNG came out when I was a little kid and Wesley annoyed me even at that young age.

 

[SmoothieX]

I thought he would have been better if Wes was a new graduate from Starfleet Academy. He could still be the boy genius, top of his class, brianic Ensign proud to be assigned to Starfleet's Flag Ship. A young man ready to make his mark on Starfleet and the Federation, who finds out his mother is the CMO of his posting.

I love it!

I can imagine a wacky, goofy trailer with the late movie trailer guy...

One man, in a galaxy filled with wonder, is about to set out on the adventure of a lifetime. There's just one problem...his mother!

Paramount pictures presents...The Crushers! Coming soon on VHS and Betamax.

 

[PhoenixIreland]

I thought he would have been better if Wes was a new graduate from Starfleet Academy. He could still be the boy genius, top of his class, brianic Ensign proud to be assigned to Starfleet's Flag Ship. A young man ready to make his mark on Starfleet and the Federation, who finds out his mother is the CMO of his posting.

I love it!

I can imagine a wacky, goofy trailer with the late movie trailer guy...

One man, in a galaxy filled with wonder, is about to set out on the adventure of a lifetime. There's just one problem...his mother!

Paramount pictures presents...The Crushers! Coming soon on VHS and Betamax.

and at the end of the movie it turns out...they were warewolves...from the future...and.....they were already dead...

 

[Red Ranger]

I thought he would have been better if Wes was a new graduate from Starfleet Academy. He could still be the boy genius, top of his class, brianic Ensign proud to be assigned to Starfleet's Flag Ship. A young man ready to make his mark on Starfleet and the Federation, who finds out his mother is the CMO of his posting.

It could have made for some good story telling for both Crusher's. Beverly's acceptance of Wes being a young man who doesn't need her like he used to; and Wes learning to have a grown up and more mature relationship with his mother, and coming to accept that no matter how old he gets she will always be his mother and have a protective instinct towards him.

It could have shown that no matter how much things change, they always stay the same.

Vanyel: I like this idea. They kind of tried to do this with Harry Kim in VOY, but the added dynamic of serving on a ship where your mom is a senior officer is what makes Wesley's situation more interesting. Alas, TNG dropped the ball on that idea. -- RR

 

[smeos]

One thing I never understood was the lack of resentment towards Wesley. If I were an Academy graduate, at the top of my class to be assigned to the Enterprise, no less, and my job was taken away by some fifteen year old, I'd be pretty choked.

 

[PhoenixIreland]

One thing I never understood was the lack of resentment towards Wesley. If I were an Academy graduate, at the top of my class to be assigned to the Enterprise, no less, and my job was taken away by some fifteen year old, I'd be pretty choked.

Good point.
Some little punk who just got the job because mommy works in sickbay and brought him to play on the bridge one time?
Yeh he had potential but he didn't have the qualifications.

I always wondered why they never showed a starfleet Admiral questioning why a 15 year old was driving a ship with 1000 people on it...

 

[Trekker4747]

I kind of felt Jake was a little too "average" he was 20th century average not 24th. I recall episodes with Jake struggling with algebra or geometry math concepts which would've made him functionally retarded since in the 24c education standards had changed to the point where children in grammar school were being taught calculus. (TNG: When the bough breaks.)

So Jake was a little TOO average. So I'd say a toned down Wes. His inteligence was probably on par with where it should be in TNG's time. It was just overblown. Having him solve things and come up with things that our heroes couldn't was too damn much coupled with the fact that he was played over goofy.

By TNG's third season I think Wesley as brought into check and closer to where he should've been from the begining and was a lot more closer to what an "average teenager" should've been in TNG's time. He wasn't ncessairly coming with incredible solutions and was much more realistic, even with his struggles in the Academy.

But Jake? Nah. I mean, I liked Jake but I think he was too much of a 20th century teenager and didn't "fit" with the 24th C.

 

[Vanyel]

^ I think that's a hell of a good idea. Wes didn't really register of my radar when TNG first aired, and then over the years I've warmed to him. But I think that was as he got older and matured into a young man. I think this ^ idea would have been really very interesting to watch and could still have worked even after Gates was away in Season 2.

Good idea Vanyel

That would have allowed him to be a normal young guy, but smart, and explore a starfleet cadet more.

Thank you WillsCorpse and PhoenixIreland.

I thought he would have been better if Wes was a new graduate from Starfleet Academy. He could still be the boy genius, top of his class, brianic Ensign proud to be assigned to Starfleet's Flag Ship. A young man ready to make his mark on Starfleet and the Federation, who finds out his mother is the CMO of his posting.

I love it!

I can imagine a wacky, goofy trailer with the late movie trailer guy...

One man, in a galaxy filled with wonder, is about to set out on the adventure of a lifetime. There's just one problem...his mother!

Paramount pictures presents...The Crushers! Coming soon on VHS and Betamax.

LOL
Thank you too SmoothieX...I think.

Vanyel: I like this idea. They kind of tried to do this with Harry Kim in VOY, but the added dynamic of serving on a ship where your mom is a senior officer is what makes Wesley's situation more interesting. Alas, TNG dropped the ball on that idea. -- RR

Thank you too Red Ranger.