Star Trek is a huge pop culture phenomenon that's introduced audiences to iconic and beloved characters, from the original series' Spock (Leonard Nimoy) to Deep Space Nine's Odo (René Auberjonois) and Voyager's Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). But for every breakout character, there's one mainstay of the franchise who consistently earns the ire of many Star Trek fans: Wesley Crusher, the boy genius and Starfleet hopeful played by Wil Wheaton.
Many fans dislike Wesley because they believe is deeply annoying and arrogant, he saved the day too often and got to pilot the flagship of the Federation despite his limited experience compared to the professionals he shared the bridge with. He was also always in Captain Jean-Luc Picard's way and interjected himself into whatever mission the Enterprise was engaging in. In reality, though, Wesley was just an enthusiastic -- for better or worse -- dreamer with his eyes to the stars.
Introduced in The Next Generation's pilot episode, "Encounter at Farpoint," Wesley is the son of Doctor Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), the Enterprise's Chief Medical Officer. His father, Jack, died in the line of duty while serving with Picard. Given his mother's busy schedule, Wesley sought the attention of the other members of the Enterprise crew, frequently ambushing them with untamed excitement over whatever project he was working on and generally making Picard, who wasn't a huge fan of children in the first place, uncomfortable. Despite Wesley's brilliance, he was looked down on by the rest of the crew because he was a child. Eventually, with everyone on the ship against him, he earns the attention of a being known as the Traveler, who recognizes the boy's prodigious abilities.
Through TNG's first four seasons, Wesley becomes an acting ensign on the Enterprise despite failing his entrance exams into Starfleet. He remains serving on the Enterprise even after his mother left the series for a season to teach at Starfleet medical, irritating fans who were hoping to see him leave the ship with Dr. Crusher. Instead, with his promotion to acting ensign, Wesley played even more of a role in missions and had an excuse to be on the bridge. He'd often come up with solutions when none of the adults in the room could, and he was given a level of importance in the show fans didn't think he deserved. The final straw for many came when he rejects Starfleet after multiple seasons of expressing his adoration of the Federation and his excitement over his future studies and leaves the show to explore the galaxy with the Traveler.
Wesley was written as a character to appeal to younger audiences, but even they couldn't connect with him because he was never seen doing anything the average kid did. He spent all his time hanging around the adults, and his genius-level intellect meant that he was awkward in an unrelatable way.
In the years since TNG went off the air, the widespread disdain for the character has become a running joke in pop culture, and Picard's line, "Shut up, Wesley," is one of the most recognizable from the series. The character had some potential, but, unfortunately, Wesley could never escape the bad taste he left during TNG's first season.