10 TV Characters That Didn't Deserve The Hate
7. Wesley Crusher - Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation certainly had some major growing pains in its uneven first season in particular, and one of the major fan gripes was the presence of young acting Ensign Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton).
For many, Wesley was a stereotypical child genius character who they felt was cynically shoehorned into the series to make the show more appealing to children.
The number of times he'd suddenly save the day with his unique aptitude quickly left fans tired and irritated, such that they relished when Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) gave him the iconic dressing-down: "Shut up, Wesley."
And while the writing absolutely did the character no favours at all in the early going - enough to invite accusations he was a "Gary Stu" - he improved leaps and bounds in subsequent seasons when his presence was scaled back and he basically became a regular member of the crew.
Wil Wheaton's performance deserves a lot of the credit here, but for a generation of kids watching Trek, he was indeed an aspirational figure - plucky, determined, and super-smart.
He doesn't give a great first impression, sure, but as the show found its own identity, so too did Wesley, as less of a Gene Roddenberry self-insert and more a relatable, likeable member of the Enterprise crew.