Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 2 - "Disengage"Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) is conspicuous by his absence in Star Trek: Picard season 3, and it's something that needs to be addressed, given the revelations about Jack Crusher (Ed Speeler). At the end of Picard season 3, episode 2, "Disengage", Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) wordlessly confirmed to iral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) what he already knew - that Jack was his son. The reveal raises several questions about the timeline of Beverly and Jean-Luc's aborted romantic relationship, and also the question of how Wesley Crusher, Beverly's eldest son, feels about it.
When Beverly's son, Wesley Crusher would look up to Picard as a surrogate father. Much of this remained in the final version of TNG, with Picard becoming an inspiration to Wesley during his trajectory from aspiring Starfleet cadet to space and time-transcending Traveler. By introducing Jack Crusher, Star Trek: Picard has created a fascinating dynamic that's worth exploring, especially as Wesley had Jean-Luc as a father figure, so to continue ignoring Wesley's existence would be a huge mistake.
What Jack Crusher Being Picard & Beverly's Son Means For Wesley
Named after Beverly's deceased husband and Jean-Luc's best friend, Jack Crusher grew up without the influence of his father. It's unclear at this stage exactly why Jack's existence was kept a secret from the TNG crew, but Beverly Crusher in Star Trek: Picard season 3 has already shown she's determined to protect her son at all costs, putting her life at risk to do so in the season opener. It's also unclear if Beverly ever reached out to Wesley, who as a Traveler would have the ability to rescue the Crushers from Captain Vadic (Amanda Plummer). As a Traveler, perhaps Wesley has been unable to intervene because history is on its intended course.
Being able to oversee all time and space, Wes probably knew about Jack Crusher's existence before he was even conceived. As he basically saw Jean-Luc and Beverly as his parents during TNG, Wesley would be happy that the couple got to attempt pursuing their romance, but Wes may also be disappointed they couldn't keep it together to raise Jack. It's disappointing, therefore, that audiences may not see Wesley interact with his half-brother. There's a fascinating dynamic to be explored between Jack, the son who never knew his father, and Wesley, his half-brother who was essentially raised by Picard on the Enterprise.
Why Isn't Wesley In Star Trek: Picard Season 3?
Although executive producer Terry Matalas has teased surprise cameos in Star Trek: Picard season 3, it appears Wesley Crusher may not be one of them. It could be that Wheaton is keeping another guest appearance a secret, like Wesley's surprise cameo at the end of Picard season 2. Wes not coming back for the TNG reunion feels strange, especially given the revelations about Jean-Luc, Beverly, and Jack. It's a core story about the next generation of the Crusher and Picard families, so Wesley's absence doesn't make sense. Including Wes in season 3 feels far more organic than his surprise cameo which served only to facilitate Isa Briones' Picard exit.
The most likely reason for Wesley's absence is that, in writing these final episodes, the decision was made to focus on the impact of Jack Crusher's existence on Jean-Luc. This is the final chapter of Jean-Luc Picard's story, so the focus on his legacy and his own next generation makes sense. However, Picard played such a paternal and influential role in Wesley Crusher's TNG story that it still feels like a huge oversight not to include him. Hopefully, Wesley is watching the events of Star Trek: Picard season 3 unfold from his higher plane, ready to intervene at the right moment.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.