"It's supercool to meet people who are finishing grad school and getting advanced degrees in various sciences because Wesley inspired them," said Wil Wheaton, who said that he regretted his failure to appreciate the role of Wesley Crusher when he played the part on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Speaking to Sci Fi Wire, Wheaton admitted that he has had to come to terms with his association the character whom many fans loved to hate. "Everyone who is part of a successful series...worries about achieving escape velocity from their particular show," he said, claiming that typecasting is a concern for all actors, not only those on genre shows. He believes that fans' hatred of the youngest bridge officer stemmed from their immaturity: "They wanted to be cool, like Picard or Data, but they were really awkward, like Wesley."

A combination of hostility from "people who had a lot of free time and access to Usenet back in 1989" and a desire to further his movie career led Wheaton to leave Star Trek, though he returned for guest appearances. He had to turn down a role in Valmont because of his Trek shooting schedule, declined a role in Primal Fear, and now spends much of his time as a writer, though he also does voice work on the Cartoon Network's Teen Titans and video games.

Just a Geek, Wheaton's second book, collects many articles from his blog, WilWheaton.net, where recent entries have focused on his MacWorld presentation and '80s music he loves.

The original interview may be found at Sci Fi Wire.

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