Wil Wheaton Opens Up About How He’s Able To Depend On His ‘Star Trek Family,’ And His Jonathan Frakes And LeVar Burton Stories Really Have Me In My Feels

Star Trek fans are waiting for the 2025 TV schedule to reunite them with the latest installment of the Paramount+ subscription driver Strange New Worlds. Unfortunately, that Original Series prequel doesn’t include veteran co-star Wil Wheaton. That doesn’t mean his time in the final frontier is concluded, but rather waiting for the right window to return. That leaves the author with time to reflect on the career he’s had on the screen and the page.

Thanks to a recent interview diving deep into both corners, the frequent Big Bang Theory guest star and geek icon opened up not only about his childhood struggles with his parents, but also how those unfortunate events led to Wheaton considering his Next Generation crewmates his chosen family.

Why Wil Wheaton Considers His Star Trek Co-stars His Family

As a guest on the Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum podcast, the geek culture personality opened up about how his struggles with his parents led to this unique situation. Laying out how childhood abuse and exploitation from his own family left him feeling as if he didn’t actually have parents, Wheaton broke those feelings down into this bittersweet story:

Whether you knew his story or not, Wil Wheaton’s reaction to TNG’s lifetime achievement award from last year’s Saturn Awards is even more heartwarming when you think about it. Not only has this role secured him a spot in sci-fi pop culture, but it also gave him a murderer’s row of actors with whom anyone would feel honored to merely chat.

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Those connections run much deeper, however, as you’ll see in the stories that the Just A Geek author shared about how The Next Generation’s LeVar Burton and Jonathan Frakes. Instilling a sense of pride and warmth through simple interactions, those seasoned performers

LeVar Burton And Jonathan Frakes Continue To Remind Wil Wheaton Of How Proud He Makes Them

Continuing the story about releasing a book into the world, Wil Wheaton offered another anecdote about a text he’d sent to the legendary Reading Rainbow host about the big moment. That led to the long, but thankful message you’re about to read:

Knowing Wheaton’s voice from gigs like audiobook narrations and even his ecstatic return for Star Trek: Prodigy, you could practically hear those words in his voice (even if you haven’t clicked on the convenient video link sourced above). That sentiment is more important than you’d think, as Burton’s part of the story led to this emotional turn:

Pride is something that many of Wil Wheaton’s Star Trek family members have expressed throughout his career. Even before his recent appearance on Inside of You, receiving that phone call was like a surprise reminder that these ties, and the feelings associated with them, remained strong as ever. Which brings us full circle through this final anecdote:

No matter what incarnation of his character he’s playing, Wil Wheaton’s emotional connection to Wesley is always going to shine through. Learning a little more about the man himself, it’s clear that it isn't just a case of loving a role, but also basking in the feeling of family it inspires. So while we’re waiting to see if that hypothetical Wesley Crusher spinoff ever comes to pass, now’s a great time to recognize Wil Wheaton’s dedication to maintaining the personal connections that come with those duties as well.