Editing Wil Wheaton (section)

===''Star Trek''===
[[File:Gates with Wil Wheaton Star Trek Cruise III Jan 2019.jpg|thumb|Wheaton with ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation|TNG]]'' co-star [[Gates McFadden]] (who played his mother on the show) in January 2019]]
Wheaton played Wesley Crusher, a "boy genius and [[Starfleet]] hopeful",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-tng-why-wesley-crusher-hated/|title=Star Trek: Why The Next Generation's Wesley Crusher Was So Hated|date=March 18, 2021|website=CBR}}</ref> during the first four seasons of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]''.<ref name="auto2">{{cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/news/happy-birthday-wil-wheaton-turns-44-years-old/|title=Happy Birthday! Wil Wheaton Turns 44 Years Old|website=Comicbook.com|date=September 6, 2017 }}</ref> He appeared in an additional four episodes of the remaining three seasons. The Wesley Crusher character is a "polarizing" character; while some Star Trek fans love him, others are vocal about their hatred for the character.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://heavy.com/entertainment/star-trek/gene-roddenberry-loved-wesley-crusher/|title=Why 'Star Trek's' Creator Loved Wesley Crusher|first=Robin|last=Zabiegalski|date=May 31, 2021}}</ref><ref name="auto2"/> Wheaton commented about his critics in a 2004 interview for WebTalk Radio:
{{Blockquote | Later, I determined that the people who were really, really cruel – like the [[Usenet]] weenies – really are a statistically insignificant number of people. And I know, just over the years from people who've e-mailed me at my website and people who I've talked to since I started going to ''Star Trek'' conventions again in the last five years, that there are so many more people who really enjoyed everything about the show, including my performance, including the character.<ref>{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081224071024/http://www.webtalkguys.com/091804.shtml | archive-date = December 24, 2008 | url = https://webtalkguys.com/091804.htm | title = From Star Trek: Next Generation to Geek Blogger |last=Greenlee |first=Dana |date=September 18, 2004 | publisher = Web talk guys}}</ref>}}

Wheaton left ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' due to concerns over how the production team addressed a scheduling conflict related to his wish to appear in the 1989 film ''[[Valmont (film)|Valmont]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Elvy |first=Craig |url=https://screenrant.com/star-trek-wil-wheaton-wesley-crusher-left-season-4/ |title=Star Trek: Why Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher) Quit TNG |publisher=Screenrant.com |date=April 29, 2021 |access-date=February 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|author=Noah Shachtman |url=https://www.wired.com/2001/12/wheatons-trek-to-respectability/ |title=Wheaton's Trek to Respectability |magazine=WIRED |date= |access-date=February 14, 2022}}</ref>

Wheaton returned to ''Star Trek'' in 2002, 2022 and 2024, reprising his Wesley Crusher role in cameo appearances in ''[[Star Trek: Nemesis]]'', the season 2 finale of ''[[Star Trek: Picard]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wilwheaton.net/2022/05/welcome-home-wesley/|title= Welcome home, Wesley |first=Wil|last=Wheaton|date=May 5, 2022}}</ref> and as a voice actor in the second season of the animated show ''[[Star Trek: Prodigy]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dinh |first=Christine |date=July 23, 2024 |title=WARP FIVE: Wil Wheaton on the Original Prodigy Returning to Star Trek |url=https://www.startrek.com/en-un/news/warp-five-wil-wheaton-return-of-wesley-crusher |website=Star Trek}}</ref>