Wesley Crusher
Lieutenant junior grade Wesley R. Crusher was the gifted son of Starfleet officers Lieutenant Commander Jack Crusher and Doctor Beverly Crusher. He spent several years aboard the  and three years at Starfleet Academy. His Starfleet career, already turned sour by a scandal at the Academy, was cut short when he renounced ties with the UFP and became a protégé of the transdimensional Tau Alphan known as The Traveler. ()

Crusher apparently eventually returned to Starfleet and, by 2379, may have become a full-fledged officer, holding the rank of lieutenant junior grade. () If so, he eventually resumed his travels by 2401, though he no longer used the name Wesley Crusher. ()

Early life 
Even as early as ten weeks old, baby Wesley resembled his mother and his father's parents, at least in Jack's opinion. ()

When Wesley was five years old in 2353, his father, Jack Crusher, was killed during an away mission while serving on board the  under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Picard was forced to choose between saving another team member or Crusher, his personal friend, and Crusher ended up losing his life. Wesley would remember the look in the captain's eyes when he broke the news to Wesley and his mother. For some time, Wesley would remain angry at Picard for surviving when his father did not, although this faded as he got older. () In time he came to understand the situation that Picard and his father were in, but unknowingly developed a fear of being faced with the same dilemma that Picard had to deal with. ()

The Enterprise-D 
Ten years later, fifteen-year-old Wesley found himself living aboard the starship  when his mother, Doctor Beverly Crusher became Captain Picard's chief medical officer aboard the ship. ()

Wesley often was a challenge and sore sight in the captain's eyes, even if he was the son of a good friend, because of the captain's disdain for children, although Wesley's astuteness and knowledge of engineering, as well as top grades on scientific examinations continuously impressed Picard. These same characteristics were, in part, the cause of Wesley suffering from loneliness early on, as his peers were intimidated by his bright mind – he also showed a tendency to take his duties almost too seriously. 

Wesley excelled at his studies aboard the vessel and, through primary school, found himself participating in work-study programs alongside many of the Enterprises senior officers.

When in 2364 the crew of the Enterprise became intoxicated with polywater and exhibited unusual manic behavior, Wesley, who had also became intoxicated, took control of engineering, appointing himself acting captain Wesley Crusher and barricading himself in engineering, watching as Jim Shimoda pulled out most of the isolinear chips that controlled the navigational system of the ship. This put the Enterprise in danger when a stellar core fragment was hurtling in their direction. However, the incident did allow Wesley to display his genius, having him save the ship by solving a problem in his head that would take anyone else weeks to figure out, including the Chief Engineer, by proposing that they turn the starship's tractor beam into a repulsor beam to push away the Enterprise. This move gave the Enterprise the extra time needed for Data to finish the repairs so the ship could move to safety. ()

During a visit to the planet Rubicun III, Wesley accidentally disturbed the plants while playing--and, as punishment, was sentenced to death. Even though Picard was shocked at the sentence the inhabitants of the planet, the Edo, had imposed on Wesley, he nonetheless decided to respect their laws by not immediately beaming away "the Wesley boy". Picard discovered that the Edo were provided for by a mysterious object in their planet's orbit. After much inner struggle and extensive negotiations with the Edo that proved unfruitful, Picard decided that in this case he had no choice but to violate the Prime Directive to save Wesley's life. Prepared to battle the entity in space if necessary and over the Edo's objection, he attempted to beam Wesley to safety to find the Edo God was preventing it. However knowing they could hear him, Picard successfully argued that the sentence was unjust and laws with no leeway or exceptions was an injustice in itself. The entities accepted the argument by allowing the beam-out. ()

Later that year, Wesley was given his wish of being an adult who was taken seriously after Commander William T. Riker was given the power of the , but he rejected the change, stating that he wanted to get there on his own. ()

In the attempt by Lore to hijack the Enterprise, it was Wesley who discovered that Lore was impersonating Data. In the beginning no one believed Wesley and he was sent off the bridge for making the accusation, but it turned out that Wesley had been in fact correct about Lore all along. ()

When the Aldeans kidnapped the children on the Enterprise as they were unable to procreate, Wesley led the children in an act of defiance, encouraging them to not cooperate with the Aldeans so they would be forced to let them go back. After the Enterprise offered to cure the Aldeans, the children were released. ()

The Traveler 

In 2364, Wesley befriended The Traveler when he accompanied Kosinski aboard the Enterprise-D to assist with warp drive efficiency upgrade experiments. When the ship was transported millions of light years to the galaxy known as M-33, Wesley assisted The Traveler in returning the ship to their own galaxy. It was just before the Enterprises return to its original position that The Traveler informed Captain Picard of Wesley's prodigious abilities, telling him that Wesley was a genius with the intricacies of time, energy and propulsion and that those talents needed to be encouraged. However, he emphasized that neither Wesley nor his mother should ever be told any of this, as it was important that the boy cultivate those abilities naturally without interference. 

Captain Picard, who was also very impressed with Wesley's contributions during that mission, granted him the field commission of acting ensign "for outstanding performance in the best Starfleet tradition" on stardate 41263.4. He told Wesley that whether that rank became permanent depended on him. He also instructed Commander William T. Riker to create a duty schedule that was heavy on study in order for him to learn the ship – every operation, every function – so he would be ready for the Starfleet Academy entrance exam. ()

Acting ensign 

Late in 2364, Wesley took the entrance exam, but did not pass. However, his spirits were lifted when Picard told him that he too had failed the exam the first time. ()

In 2365, Crusher met Salia, a young girl who was to be the ruler of Daled IV. Salia was tended to by Anya, an allasomorph who could change shapes. She threatened Wesley but was stopped by Salia. Although she, too, was smitten with Wesley, she chose to do her duty and left the Enterprise. ()

In 2365, William Riker assigned Wesley command of a science team with the mission of investigating Selcundi Drema. Wesley chose Prixus, Alans, Hildebrant, and Davies to serve on his team. ()

One of Wesley's experiments went wrong and almost destroyed the Enterprise. He had allowed nanites, small robots, to work together in an attempt to improve their efficiency, but they later accidentally escaped containment and were replicating and becoming sentient. After a visiting scientist on board Enterprise, Dr. Paul Stubbs, tried to kill them because they had interfered with an experiment that was his life's work, they attacked the ship. Data allowed them to enter his body in order to speak through him, and a solution was found. ()

Wesley successfully completed his written exams for Starfleet Academy in 2366 but did not complete his oral exams that year when he failed to board the  for the journey to Earth. When reviewing his service record, Captain Picard felt that Wesley's service made him an acting ensign in name only, and promoted him to full ensign, with all responsibilities and privileges – including the right to wear a Starfleet uniform. Wesley served as ensign aboard the Enterprise for the next year before leaving to become a cadet. ()

Starfleet Academy 

After being accepted to Starfleet Academy, Picard offered to accompany Wesley to Earth, but first had to stop on Pentarus to mediate a dispute. The two were to travel with a representative of the planet named Dirgo. Their shuttle crashed and they were stranded on a desert planet. They found a water fountain in a cave but it was guarded by a force field. When Dirgo fired on the field, an electrical pulse discharged, causing a rock slide that seriously injured Picard. Later Dirgo, ignoring Wesley's advice, was killed by the same pulse. Wesley was able to disengage the force field and get water, saving Picard. They were rescued by the Enterprise shortly after. ()

A year later, Wesley boarded the   to visit his mother on the Enterprise while on break from the Academy. Over the course of his visit, he developed an attraction to Ensign Robin Lefler. During his visit, both he and Lefler discovered that the crew was acting strangely by obsessively playing a game. The game turned out to be a mind control device; it had been given to Riker on Risa in an attempt to capture the Enterprise. With the help of Lefler, Wesley and Data were able to disable the devices and restore the crew to normal. Before he left, Lefler gave Wesley a copy of "Robin's Laws" as a memento. ()

At the Academy, Wesley had become a member of the elite Nova Squadron. His Academy career in 2368 was troubled, however, when a deadly accident with his Nova Squadron comrades precipitated a cover-up. During the ceremony, Wesley and his comrades had engaged in a dangerous and prohibited flight maneuver known as the Kolvoord Starburst which caused the death of cadet Joshua Albert. Wesley, led by his well-spoken squadron leader Nicholas Locarno lied at the hearing, trying to blame the accident on Albert. But Picard eventually found out and confronted Wesley about it. He was angered but also disappointed in him, telling him that regardless of the loyalty he felt towards Locarno and his other comrades, his number one duty as a Starfleet officer was always to the truth. Picard threatened to come forward with his evidence unless Wesley did. Hesitantly, Wesley came forward with the truth and barely escaped expulsion. 

All of Wesley's grades and work for that academic year were voided as punishment, and he was required to repeat the courses. He was crushed, having disappointed and let down everybody: his friends, his instructors, his family, and even himself. It was hardly a consolation when Picard commented that Wesley knew all along what was the right thing to do... and that, despite everything, it took the captain's ultimatum before Wes could bring himself to follow through. Although Wesley carried on with his studies after being left back, he never recaptured the self-respect and sense of belonging which the Nova Squadron scandal had cost him; these were replaced with deep-rooted shame and cynicism. Being surrounded by people who refused to forget or let him forget the scandal didn't help either. ( )

In 2370, cadet Crusher resigned from Starfleet Academy after The Traveler – posing as a villager on Dorvan V – guided him through a vision of his deceased father who told him that his destiny lay somewhere other than with Starfleet and that he should not follow in his footsteps. Much to his mother's and Picard's disappointment yet with their support, Wesley heeded the advice after which The Traveler revealed his true identity and promised to mentor the young man on his new journey, presumably to other planes of existence. ()

Later career 

Despite the words of The Traveler, Wesley attended the marriage of William Riker and Deanna Troi in a lieutenant junior grade dress uniform in 2379, strongly suggesting that he had indeed become a Starfleet officer at some point. ()

In the years that followed, Crusher rejoined with the Travelers, and at one point, during a visitation with the past, Wesley had made a joke that had inadvertently changed a century's worth of history. Following that incident, he endeavored to never be misunderstood again. Wesley and the other Travelers were also responsible for dispatching the various s responsible for ensuring the proper flow of time.

Following the success of the Europa Mission and the foiling of Adam Soong's plot to create the Confederation of Earth timeline, Wesley approached Kore Soong and offered her a choice: she could continue to lead an ordinary life, or she could take a different path that would lead to "everything else", though Wesley could not guarantee Kore's safety. Conceding that she had never been safe, Kore accepted Wesley's offer and they were teleported away. ()

Personal relationships

Friendships

Jean-Luc Picard

Wesley's relationship with the Enterprises commanding officer, Jean-Luc Picard began when he brought his father Jack Crusher's body back to him and his mother Beverly after Jack was killed on an away mission while serving on the . () Picard eventually became a father figure to Wesley. He later told Picard how angry he was that his father had met his end and not Picard, although he forgave the captain years later. ()

Picard and Wesley did not meet again until ten years later, when he and his mother were assigned to the Enterprise. After getting a brief tour of the bridge, Picard threw both Crushers off when Wesley announced a perimeter alert while sitting in his chair but later allowed him back on the bridge and had him control the operations station when he negotiated for a vaccine from Ligon II. () 

Picard reluctantly gave Wesley credit for saving the Enterprise from a stellar core fragment by forcing a repulsor beam against the  and later gave him the rank of acting ensign when he assisted The Traveler in returning the Enterprise back to the Milky Way Galaxy from the end of the universe. () 

Picard violated the Prime Directive to save Wesley from capital punishment on Rubicun III after he unintentionally violated their laws by trespassing in a restricted zone on their world. ()

Later in 2364, Wesley repeatedly tried to tell Picard his misgivings about Data (which was actually Lore impersonating him). Picard then uttered "Shut up, Wesley." Wesley's mother, although dismayed by Picard's choice of words, repeated his phrase to her son moments later when he would not be silent. ()

Picard later consoled Wesley after he failed his Starfleet Academy entrance exam on Relva VII by telling him that he too had failed on his first attempt. Picard told Wesley that he was not to tell anyone about that, however. ()

A year later, in 2365, Picard allowed Wesley to stay on board the Enterprise when his mother left for Starfleet Medical and later tried to offer him some words of comfort after he witnessed the destruction of the . () 

Picard and Wesley took the shuttlecraft  to Starbase 515 together where on the way they learned many things about each other. Picard offered him some words of advice, saying that he should read literature, philosophy and history as well as subjects not required reading, so one day everything in the universe might mean something to him. ()

In 2366, Wesley assisted Picard and the Enterprise in rescuing Riker and Troi from DaiMon Tog but missed his transport to Earth on the  to begin his Starfleet Academy training. In light of these efforts, Picard gave Wesley a field promotion to a full ensign. ()

Picard and Wesley were stranded when Dirgo's shuttle, the Nenebek crashed on Lambda Paz in 2367. With no food, water or shelter, Picard, Wesley, and Dirgo found refuge in a cave. Picard pushed Wesley out of the way of large falling rocks, which fell on top of Picard, seriously injuring him. Wesley kept Picard alive long enough for help to arrive after deactivating a force field surrounding water they had detected inside the cave with their tricorders. Wesley and Picard had a heartfelt goodbye during which Picard told him "Wesley... you will be missed." ()

When the Enterprise crew were brainwashed by the Ktarian game in 2368, Wesley, visiting the Enterprise from the Academy, informed Picard first about his and Robin Lefler's findings on the game () and later Picard had a heated discussion with Wesley after he lied about his team, the Nova Squadron performing a dangerous and illegal maneuver called the Kolvoord Starburst which killed a fellow cadet. Picard told him "the first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth; whether it is scientific truth or historical truth or personal truth! It is the guiding principle on which Starfleet is based!" After admitting to Admiral  his and the team's deceit, Picard commended him for telling the truth and doing the right thing. ()

In 2370, fed up with Starfleet, Wesley joined forces with the colonists of Dorvan V to protest the removal from their home by the Cardassians. Picard called his actions "inexcusable" and not those of a Starfleet officer. Wesley then personally gave Picard his resignation from Starfleet and ultimately decided to join with The Traveler to explore new planes of existence. Picard said his farewell to Wesley in the Enterprises transporter room, calling him by his name rather than "Mr. Crusher." ()

William T. Riker

Wesley had great respect for the Enterprises first officer, William T. Riker, even during their first meeting in the mall at Farpoint Station. Riker looked forward to getting to know Wesley, telling him "Wes... see you on board." () Shortly after the Farpoint Mission while the Enterprise was en route to Quadra Sigma III, Riker was temporarily granted the powers of the . After saving Wesley's life with his newfound powers, Riker, sensing Wesley's greatest desire, transformed him into a twenty-five-year-old man. Wesley declined Riker's "gift" and told the commander he'd rather get to that age himself. ()

Riker enjoyed assigning Wesley duties on the bridge of the Enterprise several times and on Picard's orders, assigned him the duties on acting ensign with heavy study on the ship's specifications. () Despite his general liking of Wesley, Riker was still stern to him on a number of occasions. ()

On Rubicun III, Riker knocked an Edo guard to the ground after he intended to kill Wesley with a lethal injection. () 

Riker displayed great trust in Wesley, such as assigning him the responsibility of overlooking the Bynars work on upgrading the Enterprises computers on the bridge () repairing a serious holodeck malfunction that could have killed four Enterprise crewmembers () as well as discreetly looking over Lore's actions. ()

A year later, Riker jokingly expressed concern on who would tuck Wesley in at night after his mother had departed the Enterprise for Starfleet Medical. () Later in the year, Riker (with a little help from Guinan) assisted Wesley on how to properly speak to a woman. () As well, Riker provided some command advice to Wesley when he was put in charge of the geology team studying Drema IV. ()

After hearing Jeremy Aster's mother Marla had died, Wesley became upset for Jeremy, as his father had also been killed while on duty during an away mission. Riker attempted to console him and Wesley asked him how he got used to telling family members that a relative had been killed. Riker replied "You hope you never do." () After Wesley departed the Enterprise for Starfleet Academy in 2367 and returned the following year, Riker put Wesley back to work in helping the crew analyze the Phoenix Cluster. ()

Geordi La Forge

Wesley had a friendly relationship with the Enterprises original helmsman and later chief engineer, Geordi La Forge. In 2364, La Forge viewed Wesley's model of the Enterprises tractor beam and told him he was "really something." ()

In 2365, La Forge relieved Wesley of his duties in engineering when he could see he was love struck by Salia. ()

Wesley and La Forge worked closely together on preparing the eighty year-old  for a war game exercise against the Enterprise during Operation Lovely Angel. () The next year, Wesley helped La Forge escape Galorndon Core by sending a probe to the surface with a neutrino pulse that would be detectable by La Forge's VISOR. ()

In 2366, while under the influence of Bendii Syndrome, La Forge and Wesley nearly came to blows after he mentioned Wesley's relationship with Suzanne Dumont. ()
 
La Forge greeted Wesley warmly when he briefly returned to the Enterprise in 2368 () and later assisted in the investigation of the accident that involved Wesley and Nova Squadron in the same year. ()

La Forge was offended by Wesley's behavior when he returned to the Enterprise in 2370. La Forge showed Wesley modifications he had made to the Enterprise by adding only one microfusion interrelay to improve quantum efficiency. Wesley snidely told him that Dr. Vassbinder would call his work obsolete. La Forge then promptly dismissed him. ()

Data

Wesley met the Enterprise-D's android operations officer Data upon joining the crew at Farpoint. The two became friends as they both possessed highly analytical minds. () Data respected Wesley and along with the senior staff, recognized he was only a child but came to regard him as much more, although his "brother" Lore called him a "troublesome little man-child." ()

Wesley and Data enjoyed doing recreational activities together during their time on the Enterprise, such as three-dimensional chess or comparing theories on expanding the Enterprises sensors. () Wesley also shared sympathy for Data in 2368 when he learned they both attended the "Sadie Hawkins Dance" at the Academy together. ()

Wesley requested that Data fill him in on who Salia of Daled IV was when he encountered her outside the transporter room. ()

After Dr. Ira Graves secretly downloaded his "consciousness" into Data's neural net, Wesley expressed concern about Data, particularly during his eulogy to Graves when he said "to know him was to love him and to love him was to know him." ()

When Wesley returned to the Enterprise in 2370, Data expressed confusion over Wesley's moody behavior when he did not respond to one of his "jokes" involving security. ()

Guinan

Wesley met Guinan, the Enterprises wise and mysterious bartender in Ten Forward shortly after she arrived aboard the ship in 2365. ()

Wesley was considering leaving to join his mother at Starfleet Medical and stared out the windows of Ten Forward while considering his future. Guinan came up to him and asked him several times if he wanted anything. Wesley wondered why she had asked him three times if wanted something when he said no. Guinan said she was just doing what she was expected to do. She asked him if he always did what was expected of him. Mostly because of this conversation, Wesley decided to remain on board. ()

When Wesley accidentally released nanites on the Enterprise, he encountered Guinan in Ten Forward while he was setting traps for them in the bar. Wesley confessed to her that he likely caused the various computer problems on the ship. Wesley assured her that the nanites were just a science project, to which Guinan said "you know, a doctor friend once said the same thing to me. Frankenstein was his name." ()

The Traveler

Wesley met The Traveler when he arrived on the Enterprise with Kosinski after the ship rendezvoused with the  in 2364. The Traveler was immediately fascinated with Wesley's mind, as well as his solutions to complex problems. While in sickbay, The Traveler told Picard that Wesley was very special, in that he saw time and space not as the separate things they appeared to be. After The Traveler took the Enterprise to the end of the universe, Wesley helped him return the ship back to its original heading before he faded away. ()

Three years later, The Traveler reappeared on the Enterprise to assist Wesley in helping his mother Beverly escape from a warp bubble he had created before it collapsed. ()

In 2370, The Traveler entered Wesley's life once again, disguised as Lakanta, a colonist on Dorvan V. Wesley, at this point in his life had become sullen and rude as a result of his displeasure with his Starfleet career. The Traveler, after revealing his true identity to Wesley, encouraged him to explore places where thought and energy combine in ways he could not possibly imagine. Wesley then left Starfleet to explore new planes of existence with The Traveler as his guide. () Nine years later, Wesley was seen at the wedding of Riker and Troi wearing a Starfleet uniform with the rank of lieutenant junior grade. () However, he would later rejoin the Traveler fully, though he no longer went by the name Wesley Crusher. He said that his identity was "a long and complicated story". ()

Romance

Salia
Wesley met an allasomorph named Salia on her journey to Daled IV, the planet that she was to rule. However, she deceived him about how she truly appeared and he was understandably upset when it was revealed to him in the manner that it was. He was able to reconcile with Salia before she left Enterprise. ()

Annette
Wesley briefly became involved with Annette, a young woman who lived on the Enterprise in 2366. His mother Beverly asked Guinan what she knew about her. ()

Robin Lefler
Wesley met Ensign Robin Lefler when he visited the Enterprise while on a break from the Academy in 2368. The two became close during their brief time together, which included having dinner in Ten Forward. The two were later instrumental in rescuing the Enterprise crew from the Ktarian game introduced by Etana. Wesley later gave Lefler a kiss when they parted ways; she in turn gave him a copy of her "Laws". ()

Alternate Wesley Crushers

Holograms 

Wesley was holographically duplicated at least twice.

Lt. Reginald Barclay in 2366 recreated Wesley at least twice when he was suffering from holo-addiction. In one of his holo-fantasies, Wesley was an ill-mannered slob and his mother had to chide him, saying that "Master Barclay" would spank him if he misbehaved. In another, the entire crew of the Enterprise-D was recreated, and this Wesley was present when Barclay said goodbye to his fantasies and deleted the programs. ()

Alternate realities and timelines 
In an alternate timeline, Wesley was a commissioned officer during the Federation's war with the Klingons in 2366. He observed the  emerge from a temporal anomaly and piloted the Enterprise-D during its battle with three Klingon  cruisers. ()

In one quantum reality, Wesley Crusher served as a full lieutenant on the USS Enterprise-D under the command of Captain Riker with the positions of security chief and tactical officer in 2370. ()

Service record 
2364: , acting ensign
2364-2366: USS Enterprise-D, Conn officer, acting ensign
2366-2367: USS Enterprise-D, Conn officer, ensign
2367-2370: Starfleet Academy's Nova Squadron, cadet
2379: Starfleet lieutenant junior grade

Appendices

Appearances 
 
  (Season 1)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  (Season 2)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  (Season 3)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  (Season 4)
 
 
 
 
 
 
  (Season 5)
 
  (Season 7)

Background information 
Wesley Crusher was played by Wil Wheaton. William A. Wallace played 25-year-old Wesley in .

 marked Wesley Crusher's final regular appearance on TNG. 

Wesley's middle initial "R" appeared in his mother's personnel file seen in .

According to StarTrek.com, Wesley Crusher was born on July 29, 2349, and his full name was Wesley Robert Crusher. 

On the special The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation To The Next, in an interview with Gene Roddenberry, he says that Wesley was built a little bit after himself at the age of 14, although Roddenberry admits he was never the genius that Wesley was (Roddenberry's middle name was Wesley).

During the early development of the series, Robert Justman convinced Roddenberry to change the character into a female, with the name "Leslie Crusher". As Justman told him, "Geez, everybody has boy teenagers; let's do a girl. Let's explore the problems that female adolescents go through, you know, because that's never done." However, the character was later turned back into a boy, as in the original concept. (; )

The  casting call (featured in the ) described the (then female) character as:
LESLIE CRUSHER - An appealing 15 year old Caucasian girl (need small 18 or almost 18 to play 15). Her remarkable mind and photographic memory make it seem not unlikely for her to become, at 15, a Starfleet acting-ensign. Otherwise, she is a normal teenager.

The  Writers' Bible described the character as:
Wesley "Wes" Crusher: A four foot ten inch, fifteen-year-old boy. Several centuries previous he might have been one of the young wizards who were introducing computers to a puzzled world, but here on the starship he begins as the son (sole family) of Beverly Crusher, the Enterprises chief medical officer.

Wes has inherited the genius of both of his parents. This is apparent in his superior memory and his insight into the mechanics of computer circuitry and starship warp engines. (...) Otherwise, he's a normal fifteen-year-old boy.

Wesley Crusher also has the distinction of being one of sci-fi's most hated characters. In a poll done by Maxim magazine, only Star Wars' Jar Jar Binks topped Crusher's level of annoyance. Additionally, statistical analysis done by Datascope Analytics shows that episodes with Wesley tend to have significantly lower ratings than those without.  Fans expressed annoyance that Wesley always seemed to be the one to save the Enterprise, however, during an interview on DVD special features, Wheaton claimed that Wesley only saved the ship 'one and a half times'. Nevertheless, in his online reviews of early TNG episodes, Wheaton admits that he understands where the fans' hatred comes from and lays the blame firmly at the feet of the writers for making the character seem pretentious, through dialogue and through their tendency to have Wesley deduce answers too easily, as in the episode ' when Wesley made everyone else (including, in Wheaton's own words, "the hypersmart robot") look ridiculous by too easily solving the problem from just "glancing" at sensor readings that no one else could solve. According to Wheaton, even he hated Wesley after these kinds of scenes. Other complaints include the costume department's selection of sweaters for him and the treatment he received by most of the directors. In his words, only one treated him as a person instead of a living prop. 

In a deleted scene from the Special Edition DVD of , Wesley explains at the wedding scene that he was being assigned to the  under Captain William Riker as part of the Engineering team. No explanation for his return from his journey with The Traveler was given. This scene is also featured in the ization of .

As part of Star Trek The Exhibition, Wesley appears as a Lieutenant Commander and assistant chief engineer on the USS Titan. This was first reported in  on Wil Wheaton's blog. 

Ronald D. Moore commented:
"I was the one who pushed to get Wesley out of the Academy and send him off with the Traveler. I felt that there was a built-in contradiction in a character that we'd said was like Mozart in his appreciation of higher mathematics and physics, yet was just on the same career path as any Starfleet cadet. I didn't get it – if Wes is truly special and gifted, what the hell is he doing at the Helm?  It seemed like he was only going to the Academy to live up to the memory of his father and the expectations of Picard, not because it was his best destiny. "Journey's End" also seemed like an opportunity to see someone walk away from Starfleet with their head held high and just say "It's cool, but not for me." I was tired of everyone in the 24th century saying, "All I want to do is wear the uniform and serve on a starship." Hey, it's cool, but it's not for everyone. So I pushed to have Wes realize his destiny was elsewhere and have him walk away." 

In ,  (a now-defunct Hollywood news source) reported, "Ashley Judd was on Letterman the other night to promote her new movie, High Crimes. Letterman surprised her with a clip of her appearance on TNG, where she went on a date with Wesley Crusher. Judd mentioned that she was reprising the role [of Robin Lefler] in Star Trek Nemesis as Wesley's wife."   This never happened, however.

This was also reported by About Sci-Fi, which added to the report "...Wil Wheaton, however, says he's heard nothing about that. Somehow, I'm not surprised Wesley doesn't know he's married." 

Later on, "Judd's spokesperson denied this cameo appearance." 

In , Wil Wheaton found out and reported that his scene had been cut from . There was no mention (by him) about Judd or Lefler.

Apocrypha 
According to the video game Star Trek: Starship Creator, Wesley was born in San Francisco.

In the A Time for War, A Time for Peace novel series, Wesley's uniform is explained by him showing up to Riker's and Troi's wedding naked, having expected a Betazoid wedding, and the uniform was lent to him. In this continuity, Wesley was still a Traveler and had not returned to Starfleet. Also, according to this novel, his full name is Wesley Eugene Crusher.

In the Voyager novel Enemy of My Enemy, Wesley appeared during Chakotay's spirit walk.

Wesley's mirror universe counterpart appears in Star Trek Online, with Wil Wheaton returning to voice him. The episode "The Eye of the Storm", released in September 2022, reveals that the mirror Wesley is the Emperor of the Terran Empire, who possesses incredible "personal power", including the ability to freeze entire fleets in a "time bubble". He plans to merge with "the Other", the mirror counterpart of V'ger, to become a god and destroy all who oppose him in every universe, starting with the prime universe. Two different versions of his mirror universe counterpart had previously appeared in the novel Dark Mirror and the novella .

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