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Social Media Post:
Star Trek fans have held the national stereotype of being way too rabid about things for decades but they’re probably the nicest fan base in all of science fiction and the one least likely to have a large faction of them absolutely lose it over a torpedo being fired by a woman or dumb shit like that
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Because Wesley Crusher was written to be seen as an annoying kid who got in the way. That was the social slant of the time. But you watch those episodes now and you realize, “Hey, he was actually very smart, just trying to help, and he even saved the ship a couple of times.” So all the “Shut up, Wesley!” moments became so stupid, even if he did deserved it sometimes, that the community decided to lean into it ironically as an in-joke.
Thank the IRL scriptwriters that they didn’t make Wil Wheaton into the typical “child actor” personality, and left him a good guy.