The quotes don't pull any punches. "Insulting" is one. "Demeaning" is another. "It's a huge disappointment to me" is one more. But when a public figure is blindsided by a revelation coming from a place that he thought had respect for him, the hurt is real. Now, it's possible that you're saying, "Wait. I saw the headlines. I recall ‘Lost his mind.' I recall ‘He's only in it for himself.' I recall ‘He makes himself seem far more important than he was.' But ‘Demeaning?' ‘Insulting?' ‘Hugh disappointment?' Guess I better go back and reread the President's statement on Steve Bannon."
Who said anything about the President and his former Chief Strategist? Sure, there's been a lot in the press about the spat between former political bros, one that's only surprising in that it took this long. No, the ‘demeaning' quote and others came from Wil Wheaton. Wheaton is an actor who has appeared in movies such as "Stand By Me" and TV shows like from "Criminal Minds." If none of that rings a bell, and it likely does not, this might: from 1987 to 1994 Wheaton played young Wesley Crusher on "Star Trek: The Next Generation."
Even that might mean nothing to you if you aren't a full-on Trekie. Wheaton was 15 when he was cast as Crusher, the son of the medical officer on the show and her deceased husband. Wesley was a whiny kid whom Captain Jean-Luc Picard disliked, though to be fair he said he disliked all children. But he wasn't alone: many fans of the show were not fans of the character, pointing out that this kid who had trouble getting into Starfleet Academy managed to somehow save the ship at least seven times. In a poll done by Maxim magazine only Jar Jar Binks from "Star Wars" topped Crusher's level of annoyance. Start to type "Shut Up Wesley" into your browser and you won't even get to the end before the videos pop up. So why was he kept? Well, as in everything, it helps when you have a champion, in this case Gene Rodenberry, the creator of the original show and the spinoff, whose middle name was "Wesley."
OK, enough Trekkie geek stuff. Let's get back to those insults: just who were the slams directed at? Was it his creator Rodenberry? Or Patrick Stewart, who turned Captain Picard into an icon? No, Wheaton was upset because of a LEGO figure.
Seems that a company named MiniFig makes made-to-order LEGO characters, as well as ones celebrating pop culture notables from Bruce Springsteen to LeBron James. Just out is the cast of the hit "Stranger Things" as well as a collection from "Star Trek: The Next Generation." That set has 8 figures including the aforementioned Captain Picard, Commander Riker and Lt. Worf. And even though he was a relatively minor player, young Wesley Crusher was included as well. Just one problem: rather than smiling, stoic or a "I'm ready to fight aliens" face, Wesley has his mouth inverted in a childlike cry.
As noted, Wheaton didn't take it kindly. And this in spite of the fact that he agrees with the underlying premise. On his website he writes, "It is absolutely true that, for the entirety of the first season, Wesley was a terribly-written character." Still, even at age 45, the slight hurts. He writes "this isn't about me. This is about thirty years of people kicking Wesley Crusher around."
True, no one has called Picard "Rocket Man" or talked about "Lyin' Lt. Commander Data." But it's an insult none the less. Still, there are some signs of rapprochement. If you drill down a little on the company's website to the individual characters, you can find two versions of Wesley, one crying, the other smiling. And even though the options available are not "expression" but "color of skin (traditional LEGO yellow or flesh)" it's at least possible you could special order a happy boy ensign.
Wheaton's not satisfied. He writes, "I don't think that this was done this way to be mean. If anything, it's just lazy. But this isn't the way I'd like to see Wesley portrayed. I just feel the boys and girls he inspired deserve something that isn't making a joke at his expense." Wheaton, chill out: it's a LEGO figure. Or as Picard would say, "Shut Up Wesley."
-END-
Marc Wollin of Bedford only watched the original Star Trek, not the spinoffs. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Who said anything about the President and his former Chief Strategist? Sure, there's been a lot in the press about the spat between former political bros, one that's only surprising in that it took this long. No, the ‘demeaning' quote and others came from Wil Wheaton. Wheaton is an actor who has appeared in movies such as "Stand By Me" and TV shows like from "Criminal Minds." If none of that rings a bell, and it likely does not, this might: from 1987 to 1994 Wheaton played young Wesley Crusher on "Star Trek: The Next Generation."
Even that might mean nothing to you if you aren't a full-on Trekie. Wheaton was 15 when he was cast as Crusher, the son of the medical officer on the show and her deceased husband. Wesley was a whiny kid whom Captain Jean-Luc Picard disliked, though to be fair he said he disliked all children. But he wasn't alone: many fans of the show were not fans of the character, pointing out that this kid who had trouble getting into Starfleet Academy managed to somehow save the ship at least seven times. In a poll done by Maxim magazine only Jar Jar Binks from "Star Wars" topped Crusher's level of annoyance. Start to type "Shut Up Wesley" into your browser and you won't even get to the end before the videos pop up. So why was he kept? Well, as in everything, it helps when you have a champion, in this case Gene Rodenberry, the creator of the original show and the spinoff, whose middle name was "Wesley."
OK, enough Trekkie geek stuff. Let's get back to those insults: just who were the slams directed at? Was it his creator Rodenberry? Or Patrick Stewart, who turned Captain Picard into an icon? No, Wheaton was upset because of a LEGO figure.
Seems that a company named MiniFig makes made-to-order LEGO characters, as well as ones celebrating pop culture notables from Bruce Springsteen to LeBron James. Just out is the cast of the hit "Stranger Things" as well as a collection from "Star Trek: The Next Generation." That set has 8 figures including the aforementioned Captain Picard, Commander Riker and Lt. Worf. And even though he was a relatively minor player, young Wesley Crusher was included as well. Just one problem: rather than smiling, stoic or a "I'm ready to fight aliens" face, Wesley has his mouth inverted in a childlike cry.
As noted, Wheaton didn't take it kindly. And this in spite of the fact that he agrees with the underlying premise. On his website he writes, "It is absolutely true that, for the entirety of the first season, Wesley was a terribly-written character." Still, even at age 45, the slight hurts. He writes "this isn't about me. This is about thirty years of people kicking Wesley Crusher around."
True, no one has called Picard "Rocket Man" or talked about "Lyin' Lt. Commander Data." But it's an insult none the less. Still, there are some signs of rapprochement. If you drill down a little on the company's website to the individual characters, you can find two versions of Wesley, one crying, the other smiling. And even though the options available are not "expression" but "color of skin (traditional LEGO yellow or flesh)" it's at least possible you could special order a happy boy ensign.
Wheaton's not satisfied. He writes, "I don't think that this was done this way to be mean. If anything, it's just lazy. But this isn't the way I'd like to see Wesley portrayed. I just feel the boys and girls he inspired deserve something that isn't making a joke at his expense." Wheaton, chill out: it's a LEGO figure. Or as Picard would say, "Shut Up Wesley."
-END-
Marc Wollin of Bedford only watched the original Star Trek, not the spinoffs. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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