Geek Icon of the Week: Wil Wheaton
Geek Credits: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Eureka, The Guild, Big Bang Theory
Notable for: being the geek of the geek world and the second most annoying character in sci-fi history
Notable for: being the geek of the geek world and the second most annoying character in sci-fi history
Ask Wil Wheaton if he knows that his character of Wesley Crusher is annoying. Not only will he admit it, but he will read you his version of a TNG episode explaining why! I am excited to report that this is one icon I have actually met and I have witnessed such an event. He’s a really nice guy in real life, and not nearly as full of hot air as he seems (unlike William Shatner, who, while he is also a nice guy, really is full of hot air).
Wil got an early start in the sci-fi world when he appeared in the film The Last Starfighter. From there, his next project was joining the cast of TNG as the boy genius Wesley, who had some extraordinary ability to save the ship when all the crewmembers who had proficient training in ships operations had failed. By the third season, it became a plot device that had been overdone so much that it left audiences groaning. Wil left the show in the fourth season but made several appearances over the next few seasons, including one episode where he romanced a then unknown Ashley Judd!
After TNG he took a hiatus from geek projects but began to make a name for himself on the internet. In fact, he became one of the very first bloggers. He also posted on several geek forums and websites and even launched his own website which he also monitors! Another project he worked on was as a writer, writing for The Onion. Some writing he did for fun was skewering TNG episodes (like the one I mentioned above). He takes the plot line of these episodes, particularly the bad ones (the one I witnessed was Datalore), and expands on them, adding the info of what's really going on, like how Lt. Yar can't help but be awkward around Data.
In 2009 he became a regular on the web series The Guild and the Syfy series Eureka, but made his biggest splash on the series Big Bang Theory playing himself and becoming Sheldon Cooper’s arch nemesis until Brent Spiner came along (watch the episode, it’s awesome!). Though he has only appeared on only 5 episodes thus far, he has become a favorite recurring character. He was also a guest host on The Nerdist to celebrate geek pop culture!
When not working, Wil makes appearances at Trek and other sci-fi conventions across the nation. If you have the opportunity, make sure you check him out as he reads his re-writes TNG scripts! And don't forget, as he's mentioned before on Big Bang Theory, he has an active Twitter account!
Geek Point Scorecard:
The Last Starfighter
The Man Who Fell to Earth
Star Trek: TNG
Tales from the Crypt
The Outer Limits
The Invisible Man (TV Series)
Star Trek: Nemesis
Neverland
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (VG)
EverQuest II (VG)
Ghost Recon 2 (VG)
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (VG)
Teen Titans
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty
City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice
City
Avatar: The Last Airbender (TV Series)
Naturo (TV Series)
Legion of Superheroes (TV Series)
Grand Theft Auto 4 (VG)
Star Trek (2009)
Ben 10: Alien Force – Vilgax Attacks (VG)
Batman: The Brave and the Bold (TV Series)
Fallout: Las Vegas
(VG)
Ben 10: Ultimate Alien
DC Universe Online (VG)
The Guild
Big Bang Theory
Official Geek Score: 18
Film and miscellaneous credits courtesy of http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000696/
Picture courtesy of me!
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