There are numerous ways Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) can return to the Star Trek franchise. As one of the original characters introduced in the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Wesley’s absence from Star Trek: Picard season 3 was noticeable. On TNG, Wesley found himself on the USS Enterprise-D at the age of fifteen when his mother, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), was assigned as the ship’s Chief Medical Officer. Though not always taken seriously, Wesley had a brilliant mind and often helped solve problems that arose aboard the Enterprise. Despite attending Starfleet Academy, Wesley decided to join a group known as the Travelers.
A being known only as the Traveler (Eric Menyuk) appeared several times on Star Trek: The Next Generation and he recognized something special in Wesley. He eventually offered to mentor Wesley on a journey “to another plane of existence, another way of thinking,” as he stated in TNG’s “Journey’s End.” Wesley took him up on that offer and now has the ability to travel throughout space and time. This means he could appear on any current or future Star Trek shows, regardless of when they take place in the timeline. Audiences got a mere glimpse of Wesley’s powers as the Traveler when he cameoed in Star Trek: Picard season 2’s finale, opening the door for future appearances across the franchise.
6 Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: Legacy
The most obvious choice for Wesley’s return would be an appearance on the rumored Star Trek: Legacy. As a continuation of many of the stories introduced on Star Trek: Picard, Legacy would feature several characters Wesley already knows, including his mother. An appearance on Legacy would also give Wesley the chance to meet Jack Crusher (Ed Speelers), his half-brother, and potentially reunite with some of his Star Trek: The Next Generation crew. In the Picard season 2 finale, Wesley offered Kore Soong (Isa Briones), a clone created by geneticist Adam Soong (Brent Spiner), a chance to join him. In that scene, he mentioned that he no longer goes by the name Wesley Crusher, hinting what the cosmic being Wes has become.
5 Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Despite the fact that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds takes place long before Wesley was even born, Wesley’s powers as a Traveler would still allow him to make an appearance. Considering that the Travelers are at least partially responsible for ensuring the timeline proceeds properly, Wesley could intervene if Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and his crew somehow disrupt the timeline. Strange New Worlds already dealt with time travel in the season 1 finale when Admiral Pike from the future appeared to warn Captain Pike about trying to change his fate. Though Strange New Worlds fits in with established Star Trek canon, there have been a few instances where things do not quite line up with Star Trek: The Original Series. With his ability to manipulate time, Wesley could provide a possible fix for these apparent continuity errors.
4 Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: Lower Decks
Star Trek: Lower Decks would provide a fun opportunity for Wesley Crusher to return. Lower Decks takes place right after Star Trek: Nemesis which means that many people Wesley knows would still be involved with Starfleet. This show could give Wesley the opportunity to interact with people he knew from his time on the Enterprise or with other well-known Star Trek characters. No doubt Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) and the other Lower Deckers would be familiar with the story of Wesley Crusher. It’s not every day a promising Starfleet cadet runs off to join a group of interdimensional time-traveling beings, after all. Because of Lower Deck’s nature as an episodic comedy series, Wesley could appear in one episode to fix some problem Boimler and his friends caused.
3 Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: Prodigy
As most of the characters on Star Trek: Prodigy are teenagers, it might make sense for Wesley to show up at some point to offer them advice. Though it’s unclear how much Wesley remembers about his childhood, much of his time was spent aboard the Enterprise. He knows what it feels like to be a teenager trying to get adults to take them seriously. The teens of Prodigy already have a mentor in the hologram Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), but perhaps Wesley could step in if the characters did something that disrupted the timeline. In his appearance as the Traveler on Star Trek: Picard, Wesley said that “knowing when to step in [is] the tricky part,” and there are likely plenty of antics the teens of Prodigy could get into that might prompt Wesley to interfere.
2 Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: Section 31
This seems like more of a long shot, as Wesley’s Traveler persona does not quite fit in with the darker tone of Section 31 related stories. Still, not much has been released about the Star Trek: Section 31 movie starring Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, so anything is possible. If Georgiou or other Section 31 operatives took actions that disrupted the proper timeline, Wesley could appear to correct their mistakes. In her last appearance on Star Trek: Discovery, Georgiou encountered the Guardian of Forever (Paul Guilfoyle), a time portal that first appeared in Star Trek: The Original Series episode “The City on the Edge of Forever.” It’s unclear where (or when) Georgiou ended up, but she will apparently become involved again with Section 31. Considering her story already involves traveling in time and between dimensions, she could attract the attention of Traveler Wesley.
1 Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Expected to be a spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy presumably takes place in the 32nd century. Starfleet Academy reopened in Discovery season 4 after having been closed for more than a century due to the Burn and its effect on the United Federation of Planets. Considering Wesley struggled during his own time at Starfleet Academy, he could appear as a mentor-like figure to a new group of recruits. As a Traveler, Wesley might be interested in the 32nd-century version of Starfleet and how the presence of Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the Discovery have altered the future. Between the currently airing Star Trek shows and the projects on the horizon, there are many opportunities for Wesley Crusher to make a return as the Traveler.