Way back in 1986, when "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was still in development, the original casting sheets called for actresses to play a 15-year-old character named Leslie Crusher, the daughter of Dr. Beverly Crusher. "Her remarkable mind and photographic memory," the character rundown read, "make it seem not unlikely for her to become, at 15, a Starfleet acting-ensign. Otherwise, she is a normal teenager." As casting and development continued, however, Leslie was transformed into a teenage boy named Wesley, and more closely modeled after Gene Roddenberry's own 15-year-old self (Roddenberry's middle name is Wesley).

Wesley wasn't widely liked by Trekkies, as he seemed too much like a brown-noser. He was too eager to please the adults in his life, too well-behaved, and definitely too smart. Fans point to the instances wherein a teenage boy, working with the best and brightest in Starfleet, managed to be the only one to solve a massively difficult space conundrum.