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Star Trek: Wil Wheaton Explains Wesley Crusher's Absence in Picard Season 3


The final season of Star Trek: Picard gave us the long-awaited reunion of the principal cast members of The Next Generation and a satisfying sendoff that was promised back when the announcement was made.

However, one of the main cast members who were absent during the season was Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher during the first four seasons of The Next Generation before he left as a series regular and the character was turned into a Traveler.

A lot of fans have been wondering about Wesley's absence during the final season and why he didn't reunite with his mother Beverly and meet his half-brother Jack. There were hopes that he would make a cameo appearance just like what he did in the second season finale of Picard.

As reported by ComicBook.com, in a response to a Gizmodo article regarding that specific question, Wheaton offered an explanation on his Facebook account on why his character was absent during the final season where he cited a comic book storyline that he wrote in IDW Publishing's Star Trek #400.

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"One of the fundamental rules of being in the Travelers is that, once you've joined, you must NEVER interact directly with the people, places, planets, etc. that were part of your previous life, because it can affect your judgment and break reality," the actor wrote.

"Wesley would like nothing more than to visit his mom, and meet his brother. But he knows that not seeing them is a sacrifice he has to make in service of something so much bigger than anything else in his reality."

Wheaton also warned that the explanation might not be part of the official canon, but he called it "as close to an official answer" that he can offer to fans regarding his character's absence in the final season.

While it might be disappointing that Wheaton didn't join his Next Generation family in the reunion season, he did offer a plausible explanation for his character's absence by citing the rules of being a Traveler and how it won't allow him to interact with the characters.

Despite that, Wheaton still has a significant presence in the franchise as the host of The Ready Room aftershow. Who knows, maybe Wesley could appear again in other Star Trek projects and witness his adventure as a Traveler.

Also Read: Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Showrunner Reveals Original Plans for More Finale Cameos

All episodes of Star Trek: Picard are available to stream on Paramount+.

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