With Paramount’s takeover heralding a new era for Star Trek, 2026 will see what could be some of the last releases of the old era. Even with a forward gaze, Star Trek’s modern shows always look to the past and actively embrace their status within wider Trek lore, often while challenging that lore. That means being able to fix wrinkles, and in one very specific case, officially recalibrating the legacy of one of the most hated characters in the history of Star Trek.
Because 35 years after he left The Next Generation in season 4’s “Final Mission”, Wesley Crusher is being honored by 2026’s Starfleet Academy. In a newly-released scene (courtesy of Star Trek‘s Instagram) from the upcoming Trek show, Crusher’s name appears on a mural that celebrates past Starfleet officers, and pointedly appears as Holly Hunter’s Captain Nahla Ake mentions “…our greatest officers… who went on to become legendary.” Finally, Wil Wheaton’s Wesley is getting his dues, and while it may seem like empty fan service, there’s a good discussion to be had around his inclusion…
Wesley Crusher DOES Deserve Praise (But Would Starfleet Actually Give It?!)
When Crusher left the Enterprise back in 1990, he was an Ensign, having been promoted by Captain Picard (after he was initially commissioned as an acting Ensign for “outstanding performance in the best Starfleet tradition“). That all sounds quite harmless now, but at the time (and for years since, in fact), Crusher’s rank created waves of annoyance. We should actually be thankful that The Next Generation wasn’t released in the YouTube and X era. Because Wesley was called both a Mary Sue and an instrument of Deus Ex Machina, and his position never felt earned.
Crucially, though, that very quickly became nonsense. Even if Wesley didn’t deserve his position to begin with, the exploits he was involved in as a part of the USS Enterprise’s bridge crew more than justified the first field promotion at least. Plainly, Wesley should have been given medals several times over, even with a relatively short career. He may have been comparatively sidelined after the first season, and then moved on entirely, but his accolades during those first three and a bit seasons were indeed legendary. We simply overlook them because he was part of the crew, and because the nature of the show made heightened drama and warfare an expected constant.
So yes, on the strength of that, Wesley does belong on the mural in Starfleet Academy. But you also have to question whether the fan service fits actual Starfleet logic. Remember, Wesley left his position (he was granted leave, but ultimately dropped out of the Academy), and while it was for the greater good, it feels a little odd that the institution would officially recognize his career. That’s especially difficult to accept when you consider that Starfleet Academy is set hundreds of years in the future, and Crusher is part of a very narrow window of time that seems to have borne the entire mural’s list of names. But then, this is fan service, and after everything Wesley was forced to endure, I think he’s earned enough goodwill to squint and accept this one.
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