Star Trek: TNG Question

[Mozenrath]

These are two of some of the very least popular recurring characters in TNG, but who do you dislike more?

Wesley is around a lot before he skips out part-way through the series.

Alexander is not around as much, but frankly, completely useless. The TNG writers seem to have no idea what children are, but conjecture they are something between an untrained lapdog and a small goblin.

Personally, I dislike Alexander more. At least Wesley seemed to serve a function much of the time. Alexander is so poorly written and utilized that I can't shake the feeling it was a deliberate joke at Roddenberry's expense for how much he stifled TNG in its early days, creating resentment.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

Wesley has one of my favourite episodes on "The First Duty" and after the first season, they used him better, he even had one of the better arcs of the show with Picard, going from annoyance to a student/mentor relationship.

They never worked out what to do with Alexander, his stories were always a drag.

[Limity (BLM)]

I never thought about Alexander being annoying. While he definitely was in DS9, I thought he was good with Worf in TNG.

"He always yells!"
"I DO NOT...I do not yell."

[BorneAgain]

Wesley just barely gets the nod by virtue of being Roddenberry's self insert and being completely endemic of the shaky writing in the first two seasons.

Alexander doesn't amount to too much on TNG and he never reaches the character heights Wesley does in season 3-7; but he also never gets Crusher's absolute lows in seasons 1-2. He''s annoying but at least it feels like he's somewhat supposed to be, as opposed to Wesley who was intended to be a the character younger fans could relate to and failed miserably.

[Push R Truth]

Wesley's mom was hot

So he's got that going for him, which is nice

[Jiren]

Jul 31, 2019 6:09:47 GMT -5 Push R Truth said:

Wesley's mom was hot

That being said, Wesley was still a prat and I can't really remember much of Alexander....So Wesley wins

[Mighty Attack Tribble]

As a juvenile civilian passenger Wesley Crusher saves the flagship of the Federation, crewed by only the very best Starfleet has to offer, a half dozen times in the first couple of seasons. That's completely obnoxious.

I barely remember Alexander.

So, Wesley wins.

[Deleted]

I haven't seen every episode, just watched a lot of reruns back in the day, and I don't even remember Alexander.

[dav]

Didn't Wesley have a machine that would put on Picard's voice so he could pretend the Captain was actually ordering him about?

If so, that's a whole new level of... something.

[cabbageboy]

Yeah I mean Alexander barely registers at all. In fact I thought this thread would include Deanna's mom. The hilarious thing about Wesley is that he goes from someone who can't do anything wrong in the early seasons to someone who can't do anything right later on.

[SHAKEMASTER TV9 is Don Knotts]

Jul 31, 2019 6:35:31 GMT -5 Mighty Attack Tribble said:

As a juvenile civilian passenger Wesley Crusher saves the flagship of the Federation, crewed by only the very best Starfleet has to offer, a half dozen times in the first couple of seasons. That's completely obnoxious.

I barely remember Alexander.

So, Wesley wins.

Wesley also has potential for special powers according to The Traveler.

[Hit Girl]

Wesley, because some genuinely good stories were based on Alexander. The episode where his mother is killed is superb.

[Ultimo Gallos]

I had to flip a coin. Cause they both sucked.

[Dr. T is an alien]

Jul 31, 2019 6:09:47 GMT -5 Push R Truth said:

Wesley's mom was hot

So he's got that going for him, which is nice

Alexander's mom was hotter, even with the Klingon get-up (or maybe because of it? Suzie Plakson was pretty fetching in multiple roles, particularly Dr. Selar).

[Dr. T is an alien]

Jul 31, 2019 11:06:19 GMT -5 cabbageboy said:

Yeah I mean Alexander barely registers at all. In fact I thought this thread would include Deanna's mom. The hilarious thing about Wesley is that he goes from someone who can't do anything wrong in the early seasons to someone who can't do anything right later on.

Lwaxana Troi was a great character - in small doses.

I always felt that they should have had Wesley have a twin who was more of a budding William Riker. Both of them with bright futures in Starfleet, but in rather different ways. Wesley the brainiac who feels inadequate compared to his tall, athletic, likable brother while the brother, no dummy himself, feels inadequate comparing himself to Wesley's brain.

Alexander was there. He was a kid. Most young kid characters need to be fairly limited due to the limitations of their performers. I still cannot believe the talent that Stranger Things found for their show.

[CMWaters]

Alexander seemed harmless to me in the long run, and was part of to one of my favorite TNG eps in "A Fistfull of Datas", so he's fine by me.

Wesley was overpushed at the start so much I think even Wil Weaton knew it. I think that was part of the reason he left the show.

Incidentally though, I do wonder if Wesley will reappear in the upcoming Picard series (Alexander had his DS9 stuff, even if it wasn't the same actor).

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

Jul 31, 2019 16:04:32 GMT -5 Dr. T is an alien said:

Jul 31, 2019 11:06:19 GMT -5 cabbageboy said:

Yeah I mean Alexander barely registers at all. In fact I thought this thread would include Deanna's mom. The hilarious thing about Wesley is that he goes from someone who can't do anything wrong in the early seasons to someone who can't do anything right later on.

Lwaxana Troi was a great character - in small doses.

I always felt that they should have had Wesley have a twin who was more of a budding William Riker. Both of them with bright futures in Starfleet, but in rather different ways. Wesley the brainiac who feels inadequate compared to his tall, athletic, likable brother while the brother, no dummy himself, feels inadequate comparing himself to Wesley's brain.

Alexander was there. He was a kid. Most young kid characters need to be fairly limited due to the limitations of their performers. I still cannot believe the talent that Stranger Things found for their show.

I really liked Lwaxana and Odo on DS9.

[cabbageboy]

See I was going to say that Lwaxana on DS9 did a lot to rehab that character to me. I loved the episode where she and Odo were trapped in the elevator and he desperately needed to return to liquid form and she let him do so in her dress.

[Limity (BLM)]

Jul 31, 2019 22:14:46 GMT -5 cabbageboy said:

See I was going to say that Lwaxana on DS9 did a lot to rehab that character to me. I loved the episode where she and Odo were trapped in the elevator and he desperately needed to return to liquid form and she let him do so in her dress.

That's a good point, I think Lwaxana's character really shined in her interactions with others, not just into herself. Her and Worf and of course her and Picard were great to watch.

['Foretold' Joker]

Alexander annoyed me far more than Wesley ever did.