‘Star Trek’ Star Wil Wheaton Bids Farewell to Patrick Stewart With a Throwback Photo and a Simple Goodbye
Some of the most affecting tributes are the shortest. Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher on ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation,’ has said goodbye to Patrick Stewart with a few words and an old photograph. The post is brief, but it reflects a bond that began when Wheaton was a teenager on the bridge of the Enterprise.
Stewart died on October 28 at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 86. His family said he passed after a brief and deeply moving illness with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. The ‘Star Trek’ community has been mourning twice in a week, since Walter Koenig, who played Chekov, also died.
Wheaton’s Instagram post is a throwback snapshot of him and Stewart smiling, with Stewart’s arm thrown over his shoulder. He added a broken heart emoji and a caption wishing his captain godspeed. For a franchise that has always treated its leaders as family, it is a fitting and understated sendoff.
There is no long essay and no lengthy anecdote. The picture does the talking, showing a young Wheaton beside the actor who anchored the series. It also echoes the show’s own imagery, where Picard often stood beside Wesley with a calm, paternal presence.
The post sits alongside several others from the cast. Jonathan Frakes, who played William Riker, wrote a simple farewell to his friend, and Gates McFadden also shared a short message about unforgettable memories. Like Wheaton, they chose brevity over speeches.
Wheaton joined ‘The Next Generation’ in 1987 as the young prodigy Wesley Crusher, son of Dr. Beverly Crusher. His character became a fixture in the early seasons, though he was written out as a regular after the third season. Wheaton later returned for ‘The First Duty,’ and in an earlier episode, Picard confided in Wesley that he too had failed the Academy entrance exam.
Those scenes hinted at the mentor-student dynamic that played out off screen. Wheaton has said in a past interview that some of his greatest acting lessons came from Stewart, a former Royal Shakespeare Company actor. For a child actor learning on the job, that was an extraordinary classroom.
The relationship did not end when the series did. Wheaton has described his ‘Next Generation’ castmates as a kind of chosen family, and he has said he texts Stewart and others regularly. On a podcast, he talked about how the experience gave him something far bigger than a job.
They also kept working together. Wheaton reprised Wesley in ‘Star Trek: Picard,’ and he hosted ‘The Ready Room,’ the official ‘Star Trek’ aftershow, which at times featured Stewart and McFadden. In 2020, he reunited virtually with Stewart and Frakes for a Star Trek Day interview about their shared history.
Wheaton’s post is part of a wider response. William Shatner called Stewart a friend, a colleague and a magnificent actor, and George Takei called him a true and irreplaceable legend. Writer and producer Akiva Goldsman described him as a lion of the profession who could turn the written word into flesh and blood.
‘Star Trek: Picard’ co-showrunner Terry Matalas remembered Stewart’s warmth and his sense of humor, and the franchise’s official account called him a captain unlike any other. Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen and the Marvel team have also paid tribute to the ‘X-Men’ side of his career.
Stewart played Picard on the series from 1987 to 1994, then in four films between 1994 and 2002, before returning in the ‘Star Trek: Picard’ revival that began in 2020. The role turned him into one of television’s best-known figures. It also created a lasting sense of community among the people who worked alongside him.
He is set to make one last appearance as Professor X in ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ due on December 18. Until then, fans will keep revisiting ‘The Next Generation,’ where a young Wheaton and a commanding Stewart can still be seen side by side.
What was your favorite part of Picard and Wesley's relationship?
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