Star Trek Theory: Wesley Crusher Could Have Been Picard’s Son
Wesley Crusher, the infamous boy genius from Star Trek: The Next Generation, could have had a much different place in the franchise's legacy as the offspring of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Introduced in the very first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Wesley Crusher was the son of the Enterprise's chief medical officer, Dr. Beverly Crusher, with whom Picard shared a largely unexplained prior relationship at the series' outset.
When Picard first meets his new first officer, Commander William Riker, he explains that he's uncomfortable around children and would appreciate Riker's help in navigating the multiple families traveling on the Enterprise. Yet that icy facade fades when Picard first lays eyes on Wesley Crusher.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view. Start nowAfter an emotional beat between Picard and Beverly, the former invites young Wesley onto the bridge, much to his officers' shock. As Picard and Beverly stare at each other while melodramatic strings play in the background, the gravity of the moment is impossible to ignore. As theorized by DC Comics editor Andy Khouri, on some level, the audience is supposed to believe this could be Picard's long lost son. Khouri theorizes:
Whether or not this was the original plan, Star Trek ultimately debunked the idea of Wesley Crusher being Picard's son. Picard and Beverly did indeed have a past relationship: her late husband, Jack Crusher, was Picard's former first officer and best friend on the USS Stargazer. When Jack died in an accident, Picard brought his body home to Beverly and an infant aged Wesley. Picard and Beverly had always harbored romantic feelings for each other, but it was revealed in a late series episode that they never acted on those feelings, out of respect for their duties aboard the Enterprise and to honor Jack's memory. A possible future glimpsed in the series finale "All Good Things" saw Picard and Beverly divorced 25 years into the future; it remains to be seen what, if any, role Dr. Crusher will play in the upcoming Picard, set in almost the exact same time period as "All Good Things."
While not his biological father, Picard would go on to serve as an important role model to Wesley, not just teaching him what it meant to be a Starfleet officer, but also a well-rounded human. At least up until the events of Star Trek: Nemesis - his last onscreen appearance to date - Picard never started a family of his own. After his brother and nephew died in a tragic fire, the Crushers were likely the closest thing Picard had left to family. We know some of Picard's old friends - Will Riker, Deanna Troi, and somehow the deceased Data - will play a part in the upcoming Star Trek: Picard. However, the role - or lack thereof - the Crusher family plays in Picard could hold the key to what's become of Jean-Luc Picard in his twilight years.
Source: screenrant.com