Wil Wheaton gives high praise to a former Star Trek: The Next Generation co-star

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As a gamer who’s spent countless hours navigating the vast cosmos of Star Trek: The Next Generation, I can attest to the profound impact these characters have had on me, shaping not just my fictional universe but also my real-life perspectives.

For many, the characters of Wesley Crusher and Jean-Luc Picard will forever be intertwined to some degree. Picard, the captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D stood tall among his peers and garnered admiration from everyone, from Klingon to android to cadet alike. So it wasn’t surprising that Wesley Crusher would take to Picard.

Essentially, Picard was close friends with Wesley’s father and had a romantic history with Wesley’s mother on the show. However, it’s important to remember that this is just fiction. In real life, Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher, appeared to have a stronger bond with another of his commanding officers off-screen.

It’s common knowledge that Patrick Stewart, the actor who played Jean-Luc Picard, was sometimes perceived as formal and strict. There were rumors that he considered leaving the show because he felt it didn’t meet his standards. At times, he could be challenging to work with as he expected a high level of dedication from his co-stars, akin to military discipline. He wasn’t the person we would later come to know and admire.

For a novice actor like Wheaton, Stewart wasn’t the mentor he would seek guidance from. Fortunately, he didn’t have to search too hard, as Jonathan Frakes emerged as a crucial figure in Wheaton’s life. In fact, as Wheaton shared with IGN earlier this September, it was Frakes who stood by him more than anyone else, stating;

“Frakes was just… he showed up for me and was more of a dad to me than my dad ever was when he didn’t even know that that’s what he was doing when he didn’t even know that he was filling that role for me. And I’ll cherish it always.”

Discussing the principal actors of Star Trek: The Next Generation, we usually recall the key figures who appeared in almost every episode. It’s not unexpected that they formed a tight-knit group, yet it’s easy to overlook how their friendship went beyond the primary characters portrayed on screen. It’s heartening to learn about Frakes’ mentorship role for Wheaton, given the well-known tension among the original crew members.

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2024-09-25 01:23