5 Actors Who Regretted Leaving Star Trek

5. Will Wheaton

Given the amount of abuse he used to get from fans who hated Wesley Crusher, it's hardly surprising that Wheaton chose to leave Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1990. However, this wasn't why he decided to go, nor was it true that he was written out to appease angry fans.

The reasons for his departure were purely career-focused. Frustrated by the limitations of playing a boy genius, Wheaton was concerned that he'd be typecast. Given how his career panned out - playing himself in The Big Bang Theory, hosting various Star Trek-related chat shows and convention panels - it looks like he ended up doing what he had most feared: recalling his past glories.

Decades since his departure, he is at peace with his decision. Appearing at a 2012 Star Trek convention, Wheaton said "I thought it was a really smart career move. In some ways it was, and in many others, it wasn't." The credits on Wheaton's CV immediately following Star Trek are largely forgettable, and Wheaton regrets how he left "to go out into the world and do my own thing" whilst severing connections with his former castmates.

Thankfully he's made up with the crew of the Enterprise in the intervening years and is eyeing up a cameo on Picard.